The Real Story Behind the Alleged Dispute Between Ryan Reynolds and Robert Downey Jr.

Insiders have shot down the wild online rumors that Robert Downey Jr. and Ryan Reynolds feuded while making Avengers: Doomsday.

Downey, at 60 years old, is set to portray Doctor Doom in the upcoming film. However, there hasn’t been any official word on whether Reynolds will reprise his role as Deadpool for this project.

Recently, a podcast host hinted at a conflict involving ‘two pretty big actors’ on the movie’s set, stemming from one making an overly ‘familiar’ joke. This led some social media users to speculate that Reynolds and Downey were involved.

Although these rumors remain unverified, they’ve gained attention in major publications like the Times of India and the Hindustan Times. The Pakistani publications Express Tribune and The News have also reported on the topic.

Now, though, a source has indicated that not only is there ‘zero bad blood’ between the two men, but they have in fact ‘never met in person,’ via People. 

One insider said that although the actors have not interacted face-to-face, they are acquainted with one another and are amicable, according to TMZ. 

Daily Mail has contacted Downey and Reynolds’ representatives for comment. 

They are even said to have toyed with the prospect of Downey potentially having a cameo in Reynolds’ movie Deadpool & Wolverine last year.

During the COVID-19 lockdowns, they amiably ribbed each other at a Zoom charity event hosted by Joe and Anthony Russo, the directors of multiple Marvel movies including Avengers: Endgame and its upcoming sequel Avengers: Doomsday. 

Downey sent Reynolds a clip saying: ‘Eat me,’ and the latter shot back by sending a video of himself eating a cookie with Downey’s face on it.

The new feud rumors took off after podcaster Joe Rocha alleged that there had been a spat on the set of Avengers: Doomsday between ‘two pretty big actors’ whose names he claimed he privately knew but would not publicly disclose. 

Rocha said that ‘from what I understand, a comment was made in jest that was a bit too familiar, because these actors didn’t know each other that well, and crossed a line,’ in an interview on The Kristian Harloff Show. 

‘And one of the actors got really upset about it, confronted the other actor,’ he added. ‘And that caused a big rift and battle and I’m just gonna leave it at, two very outspoken actors went at each other.’

However eventually ‘apologies were exchanged’ and the two people in question were able to mend fences, Rocha asserted in the interview.

Some online commentators began speculating that the story was about Reynolds and Downey, even though the former is not even a confirmed cast member of the film.

However, Reynolds posted an Instagram image earlier this month that showed the Avengers logo with the red anarchy ‘A’ symbol scrawled over it.

Fans flooded into the comments to wonder if he was hinting at a potential Avengers appearance, with some quipping about what a ‘tease’ he was being.

In recent months Reynolds’ public image has been shadowed by the legal battle he and his wife Blake Lively have been waging against Justin Baldoni, her director and co-star on last year’s movie It Ends With Us. 

Reynolds’ latest theatrical release was last year’s massive smash hit summer blockbuster Deadpool & Wolverine, starring him opposite Hugh Jackman.

Meanwhile it was revealed last year that Downey is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe not in his fan favorite Iron Man role but as the supervillain Doctor Doom.