Doom is on the horizon for the MCU. Kevin Feige revealed that the Russo Brothers are returning to Marvel to direct Avengers 5 and 6, concluding a relatively quiet Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday.
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| Robert Downey Jr. surprised Comic-Con on Saturday. JESSE GRANT/GETTY IMAGES FOR DISNEY |
This announcement wasn’t entirely unexpected, considering last week’s news that the duo was in discussions to direct the films and play a larger role in Marvel Studios moving forward.
What caught fans off guard was the rebranding of the film previously known as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty. It's now titled Avengers: Doomsday, signaling that Marvel's greatest villain, the man who inspired Darth Vader, Doctor Doom, is finally making his long-awaited debut in the MCU.
Before fans could even digest this information, the Russo Brothers returned with an even bigger revelation. The reaction from fans was mixed, to say the least. Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the MCU in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but not as Tony Stark. This time, he’ll don a different suit of armor as Doctor Doom.
There's no denying Downey's talent, and his return to the MCU as Doom certainly thrilled Hall H. However, I can't shake the feeling that this decision is both disappointing and uninspired. Downey was the face of the MCU for a decade as Iron Man, receiving one of the greatest sendoffs a superhero has ever had on screen in Avengers: Endgame (2019), followed by a touching epilogue in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
Now he's back as, or at least a version of, Marvel's greatest villain. The Russos introduced him as Victor von Doom, which likely dispels any notion that this Doom is a Tony Stark variant. But if he's not, what's the point of casting the same actor who played Iron Man? In the comics, Doom is hideously scarred under his mask (though he is healed in both comic versions of Secret Wars, released in 1984 and 2015).
If the goal here is to let Downey showcase his character acting skills, becoming completely unrecognizable both facially and vocally, then it makes a bit more sense, though many other actors could rise to the challenge. However, considering Downey's iconic face, both as a movie star and as Tony Stark, will Marvel really forgo that bankability with general audiences, even if the alternative might be more creatively satisfying?
So, if we end up with a Doctor Doom who looks almost identical to Stark, prompting the Avengers to gasp and say "Tony Stark?" for easy emotional beats, is that really the impact the first iteration of Doom in the MCU should have?
Or is it an unnecessary apology for Phase 4 and 5 not meeting fan expectations, offering Downey's familiar presence as a peace offering? While Phase 4 and 5 of the MCU have received mixed reactions from audiences, stepping away from Stark felt essential to give other characters and actors a chance to shine.
While it's argued that none have matched Downey's charisma as Iron Man or Chris Evans' as Captain America, I'd counter that the MCU has spent so much time introducing new characters, most of whom they haven't revisited, that the studio hasn't effectively established new leads for audiences to invest in.
"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" (2021) successfully introduced a significant new hero to the MCU, but the sequel for Shang-Chi (Simu Liu) has shown little public progress. It remains unclear if it will be released before or after "Avengers: Secret Wars."
Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) embraced the role of Captain America in 2021’s Disney+ series, "The Falcon and the Winter Soldier," yet his film debut isn't scheduled until 2025, a year before "Avengers: Doomsday." Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), intended to be a key figure in The Multiverse Saga, hasn't been seen since "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse," where he ventured into the Dark Dimension with Clea (Charlize Theron) to investigate the threat of incursions, a crucial element in Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s "Secret Wars" (2015).
Given the importance of incursions and Strange’s connection with Doom in the comics, it would seem a third Doctor Strange sequel should be prioritized over "Secret Wars." Several factors have caused delays and drastic changes in plans, including the pandemic, the tragic loss of Chadwick Boseman, the strikes, and the arrest and conviction of Jonathan Majors, who was to lead "Kang Dynasty."
Despite these factors, the next two Avengers films could have been postponed, allowing other films to fill their place and giving audiences more opportunities to connect with and grow fond of new characters. The initial big bad of the Multiverse Saga, Kang, could have been easily recast after Majors’ termination, considering the numerous Black actors who could have excelled in the role. Instead, the MCU has chosen to leap to Doom without creating space for a new actor to establish himself.
As some fans online have speculated, Downey's portrayal of Doom is confirmed for only two movies, and if "Avengers: Secret Wars" results in a soft reset of the MCU, similar to the comics, there’s the potential for another iteration of Doom in the future.
Still, that seems like a significant "what if?" What impact would a new Doom have on audiences who have already seen him in what are sure to be two of the biggest movies of all time? How much enthusiasm will there be for seeing the Fantastic Four battle Doctor Doom, when they will likely first encounter Downey’s variant in "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars"?
Additionally, any actor taking on a new version of Doom after "Secret Wars" will inevitably be compared to Downey, regardless of how comic-accurate the depiction may be. Furthermore, Downey himself will be portraying Doom in the shadow of his iconic role as Iron Man, and Doom should never be overshadowed by another character.
Even Victor von Doom’s brief 12-issue stint as the Infamous Iron Man, a storyline by Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev in which the villain attempts to redeem himself as Iron Man following Tony Stark’s death, doesn’t alter that perception or make sense in the context of Doom as the new big bad.
This isn't to say that "Doomsday" or "Secret Wars" will necessarily be bad movies because Downey is playing Doom. Nor am I implying that his performance will be poor, though I do believe his acting style, though engaging, contrasts with the traditional comic book portrayal of Victor von Doom.
However, it feels like this move is an attempt to counter the narrative that the MCU’s best days are behind it by bringing back an actor so closely associated with the franchise for a decade.
With so much untapped talent out there and the fact that Doom deserves a solo trilogy of his own (and could have appeared in "Fantastic Four" sequels before "Secret Wars"), this decision feels rushed and somewhat superficial, albeit in the most expensive way possible.
While I don’t think this is a reason to be pessimistic about the MCU’s future—there are many exciting projects on the horizon—it does warrant a pause to reflect on how the MCU, which started with Downey in "Iron Man," might be constraining its own potential by casting him as Doctor Doom.
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