Hiya!

Well, leave it to Comic-Con and Marvel to blow up the entire geek news cycle. Sure, we got the more expected announcements and reveals, like showing off the cast for the upcoming Fantastic Four live-action movie and giving us a preview of Captain America: Brave New World. No one expected, however, the reveal of Robert Downey Jr. returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Doctor Doom.

Right now, we know very little besides the casting choice but everyone agreed this was huge news. While the reception to Robert Downey Jr. returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in some capacity has been positive, I do have to question if this is a good idea for several reasons. I am glad we get to see more of Robert Downey Jr., or RDJ as I like to call him because we are close friends (don’t fact check me), in more Marvel movies. I still have to question if this is a good move on both RDJ and Marvel’s part to make him Doctor Doom, one of Marvel comics’ biggest and badest villains.

The biggest issue I have with this casting decision is it does reek of desperation. It also lacks a fundamental understanding on Marvel’s part regarding what made the Marvel Cinematic Universe so beloved. It’s certainly no secret that the Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t doing so hot these days. While their recent outing can’t be considered colossal flops, there is a definite drop off of quality between the days before Avengers: Endgame and after Avengers: Endgame. A huge part is the loss of Robert Downey Jr. or, to be more precise, Robert Downey Jr’s charisma. That’s a huge reason why people are so excited to see him rejoining the Marvel movies but that’s more of a knee-jerk reaction. That’s the just moment of the announcement and we haven’t let the gravity of the situation sink in.

The issue I do have with this casting move is Robert Downey Jr. will not be playing the beloved character we knew in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The issue is they’re banking on the star power and goodwill RDJ has amassed during his time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe playing Tony Stark/Iron Man and, in all honesty, star power was never the issue.

In fact, it was the first Iron Man which relaunched RDJ’s career. Iron Man wasn’t a success because of RDJ; RDJ is a success because of Iron Man! So, this just feels like a band-air to the real problems of the MCU: it’s just not telling engaging stories and they’re not writing compelling heroes viewers would be willing to follow for years.

Then again, maybe a band-aid is what the MCU needs right now. They’ve been rather directionless after the events of Avengers: Endgame and their big plans for the MCU’s big villain fizzled out with all the controversy surrounding Jonathan Majors’ scandal. He was supposed to be the new “big bad” in Kang the Conqueror and, with Marvel firing Jonathan Majors, they do have to scramble. It certainly didn’t help that Kang the Conqueror didn’t look particularly formidable in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania as Ant-Man and his family defeated him.

So, they scrambled and decided to make Doctor Doom the new villain the MCU’s new Avengers would have to face. They still needed someone to fill in the mask and, well, why not add a twist and have an actor who used to play a hero in the MCU play the next big villain? It’s certainly an intriguing premise and sparks a lot of conversation on how they’re going to explain this.

Unfortunately, it’s also going to have to be a very convoluted and, ultimately, unsatisfying explanation. After all, the Tony Stark/Iron Man we’re familiar with died after using the Infinity Stones in Avengers: Endgame. So, this will not be the same Tony Stark/Iron Man unless he rises from the grave somehow.

The most obvious explanation would be RDJ is playing a different character. However, there are going to be questions like is this Tony Stark from another part of the multiverse. I don’t think that’ll fly since fans would rather see a more authentic depiction of Doctor Doom, which would mean he would have to be Victor Von Doom, the ruler of Latveria. So, will they say Victor Von Doom just looks a lot like Tony Stark? Again, that just seems like a flimsy answer. I’m no writer but I don’t think even the best creative writers will be able to come up with a half decent reason for why Victor Von Doom bears a striking resemblance to the deceased Tony Stark.

On the bright side, I do believe Robert Downey Jr. is a fantastic actor so he can add the necessary gravitas to the Doctor Doom role. We may be used to RDJ playing the wisecraking genius in the MCU but we tend to forget he’s a really good actor who can play a variety of roles. He can definitely play an imposing figure or, at the very least, a very serious character like when he played politician Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer. The man can act so he should be able to do a very formidable Doctor Doom.

On the dark side, I do feel Marvel could have given the role to someone else and give them their big break like with what they did with Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man. Doctor Doom is a juicy role and, while I did say RDJ will probably do well with bringing the character to life, I would also like to see Marvel take another risk and get a lesser known actor a crack at it.

Ultimately, do I think having Robert Downey Jr. return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a different role? Honestly, it’s too early to tell! Essentially, we were just told an actor will be taking up a role. That’s it! We have no idea what’s the story is about or seen a sliver of what’s to come! In the long run, I do appreciate Marvel at least trying to do better instead of just floundering around and not doing anything to shake things up. However, it does show what a sad state the MCU is in when they have to rely on bringing back a beloved actor instead of, I don’t know, actually trying to make a good movie. Ah, whatever.

Byee!

What do you think of Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Victor Von Doom? Let me know in the comments section below!