Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), not as Iron Man but as a malicious supervillain Doctor Doom. The surprising announcement has left fans with a bittersweet feeling. Also read: Doctor Doom era loading: Revisiting Robert Downey Jr’s best grey roles ahead of his big Marvel comeback
His casting was announced during San Diego’s Comic-Con on Saturday by MCU President Kevin Feige. He also announced the return of directing duo the Russo Brothers, known for making Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame. They are coming back to direct two more Avengers sequels — Secret Wars and Doomsday, with the latter to introduce Robert’s Doom.
Casting sparks backlash
Robert is playing Victor Von Doom, a brand new addition to the MCU. His character Iron Man died in Avengers: Endgame. Social media users have reacted to the news with bafflement, with some bringing the return of Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine to the universe as another example.
“Both of these scenes mean nothing now,” wrote one user on X, formerly known as Twitter. Reacting to the post, one user said, “No it’s not. Tony stark and victor von doom are completely different characters. The Wolverine we have now is not the same one from logan. It’s just a varient”, another one shared, “Nah, both of those characters are dead. We got variants now. Also, welcome to the world of comic books”.
One social media user said, “I get it’s multiversity and blah blah blah, but Iron Man being Doctor Doom means absolutely nothing to the MCU as we know it and does nothing for the character Doctor Doom. It’s just to sell tickets. It’s boring, disrecptful to my fave, and doesn’t make sense. Next”. Another one wrote, “Some People trying to say the Robert Downey Doctor Doom casting is so Stupid it’s Brilliant and I just feel like this rn”.
“I don’t even have words but the way the mcu has completely reduced itself to cashgrabs and nostalgia with no sense of creativity has to be studied,” shared one, with one mentioning, “That is the weirdest thing ever”.
About his return to MCU
Robert will play the villain Victor Von Doom, or Doctor Doom, in at least one of the upcoming Avengers movies. He kicked off Marvel’s movie successes with Iron Man and played the popular character in nine films, but on Saturday appeared wearing Dr Doom’s mask and a green cloak. “New mask, same task,” Downey said to frenzied cheers.
His return comes after he won his first Oscar for his role in Christopher Nolan’s 2023 film Oppenheimer. He said goodbye to the Tony Stark character after over a decade of anchoring the MCU in 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which saw Tony give up his life to save the universe.
