Robert Downey Jr will save the MCU as Doctor Doom, but I still hate it

I have to admit, when I woke up to the news of Robert Downey Jr being cast as Doctor Doom in his return to the MCU, I hated it. It just didn’t make sense to me, on any level. Sure, the Oscar winner has the acting chops to pull off an egotistical villain like Doom, given that Victor Von Doom isn’t a distant leap from Tony Stark if we leave out the evil, however, it felt like a slight to other actors who could have pulled off the role.

As the days passed since the big reveal at San Diego Comic-Con it seems the internet is abuzz with opinions. Robert Downey Jr pulling off that mask to rapturous applause is going to make for an amazing moment to look back on and, despite my own hesitation, it’s probably going to be the right call from Marvel.

Let’s be honest, the MCU is in an awkward place. The Multiverse Saga hasn’t hit as hard as the Infinity Saga; it has lacked the gravitas needed to chain the films and TV shows together; the advent of Disney+ drowned us in media to consume rather than simply sit back and enjoy; and the past few years of story were jeopardised and derailed by Jonathan Majors’ controversies and courtroom battles.

Doctor Doom - Marvel Comics

While Marvel isn’t exactly hurting for money and many of us still go along to the cinema to watch the latest release, it’s clear that Kevin Feige has been scrambling for some sense of direction. The future seems bright, once we shuffle on through this saga as it’s highly likely the Multiverse Saga will give way to the Mutant Saga, or something very similar.

For now, though, Marvel needs to see the Multiverse out with a bang, and to do that they brought back the Russo brothers to direct Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, and handed Robert Downey Jr a bag to come back home.

Before the stage was set at SDCC many fans had speculated who might step into the metal mask and play Doctor Doom. That chatter picked up after the stellar casting of the Fantastic Four and we were all ready for Doom to step in where Kang checked out. Some thought Cillian Murphy would be a shoo-in, while others believed an unknown actor would be cast in order not to take away from Doom’s appearance.

Now, we’re all speculating as to whether Robert Downey Jr is playing Doctor Doom, or a Doctor Doom variant and, let’s be honest, the greater audience isn’t going to care. Downey Jr spawned all of this; his portrayal of Tony Stark and Iron Man ushered in the age of superhero films and launched Marvel back into the stratosphere. He’s the reason so many fans of the MCU are here. Sure, many had been reading comics for years, but a large portion of the audience took a chance on Iron Man and fell in love with the idea of superheroes.

It makes sense to bring him back whether that’s as a variant who introduces the actual Doctor Doom, played by somebody else, or whether Doom’s history has been rewritten for a corrupt version of Tony Stark to don the mask. On paper, it makes sense. It’s going to sell tickets and while Marvel is in the business of making great films, they’re also in the money-making business.

Doctor Doom - Marvel Comics

Essentially, the better these next two Avengers films perform, the more risks can be taken on casting the X-Men, building the Young Avengers, and furthering the adventures of the Fantastic Four. What at first seemed a bit lazy and desperate will likely play to Marvel’s advantage and if they can make enough bank to gamble again in the next Saga, then we’ll all end up happy.

People are going to queue up to see Robert Downey Jr again, but they’ll also queue up to see if the gamble pays off. Everyone from die-hard fans to the curious will buy a ticket and that’s great for film, for cinemas, and for Marvel. I’m still not that happy about it but I’d be thrilled to see it work out. I can see why Marvel needs the star power, but I would have liked to see an unknown actor get the gig, or someone on the come-up, much like with the original slate of MCU films. Josh Brolin was a left-field choice for Thanos and look at what he achieved.

On top of this, the farewell we had with Tony Stark in Endgame was pretty much perfect. It was an ending to one of the best characters in the MCU. The fact that Steve Rogers also hung up his shield felt right, it was two guys who’d carried the MCU on their backs passing the torch and owning their legacy.

I’m not the only one with reservations. IGN ran several polls across their social media and website asking the audience whether it was the right move or not. Out of 163,152 people, the majority thought it was a bad idea. Only 43.6% of people said it was a good move, while the other 56.4% said no. The problem is, that it’s all a bit confusing.

Doctor Doom - Marvel Comics

We don’t currently know exactly how the actor will fit in with the plans. Marvel has reportedly paid him over $80 million so they need to get their worth for a bag that big. However, even if it’s a bit of stunt-casting, $80 million can be seen as part of their marketing budget when fans of RDJ are queuing up at a midnight showing.

Of course, we could see someone else as Doctor Doom, because surely Robert Downey Jr won’t sign on for more films after this Avengers double-bill, and Doom is too good a villain to only appear for those films and then either be banished or die. Doom is the villain many of us have been waiting for. A man who is so humanly broken, egotistical, maniacal, and powerful that heroes have struggled against him for decades in the comics. He really is a big bad.

And he can stay as a big bad even into the possible Mutant Saga - the X-Men have fought him numerous times and there’s no saying Doom can’t pair up with a big-time threat to mutants we’ve seen before. Now I’m just drifting into speculation territory and away from the point.

We may not all like the choice Marvel has made, but they’re a canny bunch despite what these past couple of phases have shown us. It’s very much a course correction on their part, it’s all a bit seat of the pants, but then so were the first couple of phases that gave us the best MCU projects.

This is Marvel recouping their losses - Ant-Man, I’m talking to you - and cashing out at the table. They’ll have their fun, as will we. There will be surprises still to come and they will very likely save the MCU as we know it. I’m still going to lament what could have been, but I’m sure Marvel will come out on top. I just don’t have to like it. For now.