Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom?! (Why we should keep an open mind on this casting choice)

 

    Hi everyone, Hector again with more of my shenanigans, but thought I would discuss something a little different this time around, which is of a recent announcement that happened a week ago at San Diego Comic Con 2024. A lot has been shown and announced from Marvel, from Thunderbolts to Captain America: Brave New World to Fantastic Four: First Steps (most looking forward to that one), and the two Avengers movies, Doomsday and Secret Wars. Avengers 5 was initially called Kang Dynasty, but due to the controversial Jonathan Majors situation, Majors was fired from Kang, and plans regarding Kang has changed, which based on the title, Doomsday, sounds like Doctor Doom will be the next big villain! But what caught everyone's attention is who will be playing Doctor Doom, and it's none other than Iron Man/Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey Junior! 

    Saying this news is surprising is an understatement as no one in a million years would have guessed this happening! Funnily enough, not that long ago, there were rumors and talks of Robert Downey Junior coming back to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, despite his character being given a definitive and beautiful ending in Avengers Endgame. Robert himself even talked about it, saying he was open to coming back, but we all thought it would be as Iron Man, or at least one from another universe as the new Marvel films are in the Multiverse Saga. The reaction to this news has been met with at best, skepticism, and at worst, crying out that this ruined the ending of Endgame, and the franchise is dead. Some of the criticisms have been overblown, but some have been justified, like getting a fresh actor to play the role, wanting an actual Romani actor to play the part, etc.  

    Personally, I'm curious on how the movie will approach Doctor Doom and whether or not this idea will pay off, but I'm more positive on this than most others as I believe, if the filmmakers play their cards well, it could be brilliantly executed! I do have a few good reasons as to why we should keep an open mind on RDJ as Doom, as the idea isn't as horrible as others claim it to be. I completely understand the apprehensions, and I'm not saying that any of these worries aren't valid. Trust me, casting Robert Downey Junior as Doctor Doom was the last casting decision on my mind, but on the other hand, I've heard worse casting choices in my lifetime. All I'm saying is let's keep an open mind and see what happens as we're only two years away from truly seeing what this looks like, and I want to throw a positive spin on things since the internet usually loves to be negative about everything, so let's get into why RDJ as Doom could be promising. 

    For starters, regardless of how we feel about the casting, there's no denying that Robert Downey Junior is a talented actor, as he played Iron Man for a long time and for good reason, as he has the charisma, energy, and emotional weight to pull that role off. But what excites about this potential idea is the idea of seeing Robert Downey Junior as a villain! We've seen him as the fun, narcissistic, playboy superhero, but imagine him playing the opposite of it or seeing Tony's worst traits amplified in another character. This gives RDJ a chance to show that he can play both a hero and a villain, and with the talent he has, it's a fun idea that gives the filmmakers something fun to play with as it would be cool to see the face of the MCU go up against the more corrupt version of himself. Yeah, it's leaning into a meta sort of narrative, which interestingly enough, back when the 2005 Fantastic Four movie was in development (The one with Captain America/Chris Evans as Human Torch), one of the actors considered for the part of Doctor Doom was Robert Downey Junior, so this is a kind of full circle moment if you want to see it that way. And with this being the Multiverse Saga, it seems somewhat fitting and if executed properly, it could be compelling! 

    Another thing to point out is this isn't the first time an actor in the MCU has played multiple roles, as Michelle Yeoh had a role in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 and Shang-Chi as different characters, along with Gemma Chan in Captain Marvel and Eternals, and David Dastmalchian in the Ant-Man franchise. Probably the most interesting one is Benedict Cumberbatch as not only did he play Doctor Strange, but he also played Dormammu, and while another voice was mixed in, Benedict did provide the work. So, while it won't be exactly like that, I have a feeling or at least one of the possibilities is to do what Doctor Strange did, but on a much grander scale, and if that movie is any indication, it could work, as both performances from Benedict in that sequence was great and one of the best scenes in the movie. What I should also point out is usually in the comics, Doctor Doom doesn't take off his mask, at least not that frequently and only for several occasions, so if that's anything to go by, they could go in that direction. It probably won't happen, but I wouldn't say it's out of the question, at least for the time being as I'm writing this. Best case scenario is something like the Mandalorian, where the lead is played by Pedro Pascal (who will be Mr. Fantastic in the upcoming Fantastic 4 movie), who in the majority of the show, wears a mask, save for a handful of scenes, so they could follow suit on that, but as of now, it's uncertain. 

    

    But what makes me have some hope in this casting decision, and this is a big one to mention, which is the previous incarnations of Doctor Doom. Now what do I mean by this? This isn't the first time we have seen Doctor Doom in the movies, as we saw three actors portray him: Joseph Culp in the unreleased Fantastic 4 movie, Julian McMahon in the 2005 film and sequel, and Toby Kebbell in the 2015 movie. I can't say much on Jospeh as I haven't seen it, but on the other two actors, I can say we haven't gotten a truly great version of the character, which is insane to say! Julian, I did enjoy in the role, as I enjoyed his cheesy, fun performance, and had some moments to shine, but it wasn't as compelling as he could have been. However, the same cannot be said for Toby's version as that one was absolutely atrocious in every sense of the word and is easily one of the worst villains in any superhero movie (no fault of Toby Kebbell though). With the choice of RDJ, it has put the filmmakers in a position to show that they have good reason for this decision, and with the confidence not being fully there with the fans, this is definitely a make it or break it moment for not only the next two Avengers films, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole.

    When Thanos was announced as the big villain for Infinity War and Endgame, while there was some pressure to deliver a compelling villain, there was enough of a clean slate for the fans and audiences to look at that concept and give it a chance. With the announcement of RDJ as Doom though, the reaction it has been getting is coming from fans who have been burned more than once by bad adaptations of the source material, so with any sort of announcement, there's a ton of pressure to make sure that the next incarnation of the character is well handled and respects the source material. What hasn't helped at all is that with the Fantastic 4 coming into the MCU and being a completely fresh take, you think the filmmakers would follow suit with a new actor and clean slate, but instead, they bring in a well-known actor who was the face of a franchise for years who had a proper ending, and now, they're being brought back in some capacity and we have no clue on how they'll approach it, though no doubt it will include the multiverse, but who knows? While I am on the more positive side, having a wait and see attitude of it, I do sympathize with the fans who aren't excited, as this isn't exactly my ideal scenario either. Not to mention that the MCU is in a weird position, as their output of work, while still providing some hits like Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3, Spider-Man No Way Home, and Deadpool and Wolverine, it hasn't been consistent as of lately in terms of quality.

    Having said all of that, despite the concerns regarding this casting decision, I do have some hope for this. As I mentioned earlier, Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige know they cannot mess this up in any capacity as Doom is a beloved character! After the previous incarnations of Doctor Doom not being great adaptations, and having a beloved character being played by a talented, but familiar face we know and love, it puts the filmmakers at even more of a risk to deliver on Doctor Doom being a truly magnificent villain who can rival or even surpass the likes of Josh Brolin's Thanos, Ian McKellen's Magneto, and Willem Dafoe's Green Goblin! But with high risks comes high rewards, as I believe if the filmmakers can pull this off, we can get something that surprises us in the best way possible! I may be too optimistic here, but while not perfect, Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige are smart, and aren't as prone to making awful creative decisions, unlike some other big movie studios working nowadays. 

    I may eat my words in a couple of years, but I do hope this works out in the end for everyone! I will say this though, please give him the classic armored costume we all know and love, as that suit is iconic and deserves to be seen on the big screen! That's all I have to say on the matter. I hope you enjoyed my piece regarding Robert Downey Junior as Doctor Doom. I'll be back to do more blog posts in the future, so stayed tuned for that. Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and stay safe. 

Source on RDJ open to returning to Marvel: 

Robert Downey Jr. and Jodie Foster on 'Iron Man,' 'Oppenheimer' (variety.com)