Nobody expected those rumors of Robert Downey Jr. actually returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe to be true. So when the Russo brothers revealed him to be Doctor Doom, fans were left perplexed about how to process the information. Long after axing Iron Man from the MCU, fans had made their peace with the absence of their most favorite Marvel superhero. Now instructed to play villain in Avengers: Doomsday, fans are debating the casting choice.
Marvel is grasping at straws with the onslaught of failures since its main characters died. Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU is not receiving the expected reaction, for a lot of genuine reasons. With such a huge gamble, will Marvel be able to steer through its storm of disasters?
Robert Downey Jr. is more than just Iron Man, and it was finally beginning to feel like it
RDJ is an idol amongst die-hard Marvel fans for his rendition of the comic book legend Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. The character is also what gave Downey Jr. a second innings in his Hollywood career, having faced jail time and battled depression before. And like Stan Lee said, Downey Jr. was “born to be Iron Man.” Fans were in awe of how much he resembled Stark in his personality. Fans all across the world were sent into a pandemonium when Stark died in Avengers: Endgame, because no one expected for their favorite characters to suddenly cease to exist on the screen.
One of the primary reasons he had himself cited a few times — on leaving the MCU — was to explore other characters and try to shed the forever-Ironman image associated with him. And he did taste success with that. Whether it was the Sherlock Holmes Movie Series or his recent career-defining performance in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Playing Lewis Strauss earned him every single Best Supporting Actor award there was throughout the award season this year. He had finally moved on from being a popular Marvel actor to simply a popular actor.
Now that he is back in the MCU, that too as a villain, RDJ fans are having mixed reactions to it. He will technically be a part of the Fantastic Four franchise, but that’s not the problem. The issue is how fans are expected to see him as someone other than Iron Man. It is possible that Downey Jr. might take a hit to his splendid career, when he – and Marvel fans – had moved on from the iconic character.
Downey Jr.’s return proves that Marvel is in dire straits
Marvel itself is throwing everything at fans to keep their loyalty as it struggles with the heaps of failures. Producers tried moving on to the next generation by introducing Ironheart, aka Riri Williams, but did not make an impression with it. Apart from these failures, Marvel is also faced with dealing with the Jonathan Majors controversy. The actor, who plays Kang in the MCU, was set to be the main Marvel villain after Thanos. With Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, the Kang storyline is left in a limbo.
Marvel needs to understand that Iron Man carries an immense legacy. The studio failed miserably at carrying it forward with Ironheart. Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is surely going to interfere with that legacy. It seems like an unnecessary addition to the multiverse that has already become so messy with all its individual storylines.
Having Downey Jr. back is surely a thing fans have waited with bated breath for, but it is evident that Marvel is now having to resort to going back in the past to create something new. That has happened with Wolverine, a near-archaic character who was on our screens much before any of the original Avengers. Marvel has also gotten back with the Russo brothers, who gave the studio – and Hollywood – its most successful films ever. The studio really is trying everything and anything, with the hope that it will bounce back. Only time will tell that if a move so risky was actually worth it all.
