Jeremy Renner Blew Up Robert Downey Jr.’s Phone After MCU Reveal

Jeremy Renner was not aware that former Avengers costar Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

“I had no idea,” Renner, 53, told Us Weekly exclusively while promoting his partnership with Silk. “This son of a bitch didn’t say anything to me, and we’re good friends.”

Downey, 59, made a surprise appearance at San Diego Comic Con on Saturday, July 27, to announce that he would play Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday — a stark departure from his prior role as Iron Man.

After seeing the casting news online, Renner — who previously played Hawkeye in the MCU — told Us he “started blowing up [Downey’s] phone” in their original Avengers group chat. (Renner, Downey, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo make up the “family” of superheroes.)

“I’m like, ‘What’s going on? Are you hiding this from us?’ I don’t know,” Renner added. “That’s exciting news, man. I’m really, really excited about it.”

With Downey coming back, does that open the door for Renner to return as Hawkeye? He danced around the question a bit, but it seems the actor is down to return. (Renner previously reprised the role for the Disney+ miniseries Hawkeye, where his character passed the Hawkeye mantle onto Hailee Steinfeld’s Kate Bishop.)

“It seems the Avenger movies have always been really fan favorites and there’s so many wonderful characters in them. I think it’s going to be challenging to get everybody together,” he admitted. “I think they’re going to probably have to piece it together like week-by-week, just for people’s schedules.”

Renner quipped that “there’s a lot of people” in the Avengers universe now. (Directors Anthony and Joseph Russo have also been tapped to return for the next two Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars.)

“I’m excited about it. We’ll see. I think we’ll probably be doing it,” he said, playing coy. “We’ll have to figure it out. It’s all brand new. It all just happened. They just made the announcement, so I guess we got to start figuring it all out.”

While it’s unclear if — and in what capacity — Renner will return to the MCU, the actor is currently enjoying getting ready for the back-to-school season with 11-year-old daughter Ava and Silk plant-based milk. (Renner shares Ava with ex-wife Sonni Pacheco.)

Renner told Us that he’s gearing up to send Ava to middle school, and working with Silk to create a morning routine was “a natural match” — especially after using the products in his recovery.

“I had issues with chewing because I had a lot of breaks in my face and jaw, but I could still drink and I had to get my nutrients,” he explained, referring to the accident where he was crushed by a PistenBully snow-removal vehicle in January 2023. “Then, it became less medicated shakes and just regular nice protein shakes in the mornings.”

Drinking Silk almond milk allowed Renner to get “extra protein” in his morning routine. His daughter got involved when they partnered with the brand for a Super Bowl commercial earlier this year.

“I got to do that with my daughter on the anniversary of the accident, which is just amazing,” Renner told Us. “I remember being with my daughter on set and I said, ‘Look how far we’ve come, girl.’ One year, look what we’re doing. We’re doing a Super Bowl commercial together — it was pretty awesome.”

The brand is also the official nutrition sponsor of Camp RennerVation, a charity run by Renner that supports at-risk youth and children in foster care. He told Us it was “amazing” to work with Silk and their nutritionist at the five-day camp hosted in Lake Tahoe.

“We had nutritionists there teaching kids about the good things to put in your body, and sometimes we have to work harder for it to get good things,” he explained. “A lot of times it’s easy to get the junk food. I think we all know that, but the food is our medicine and it’s important to put good things in our body and it tastes good, man.”

With reporting by Christina Garibaldi