Well, would you look at that? Robert Downey Jr., who played Iron Man — arguably the most beloved character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — is returning to the superhero extravaganza. But this time around, he’s not reprising his previous role. He’s taking on a completely different entity altogether: a villain named Dr Doom.
The exciting news was announced at San Diego Comic-Con on Sunday (AEST) by the president of Marvel Studios Kevin Feige. He took to the stage, with a group of masked and cloaked cronies standing behind him.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as proof of the unimaginable possibilities in the Marvel multi-universe. We give you, the one person who could play Victor Von Doom,” Feige said before a man in a green cloak stepped out from behind him.
He ripped off his mask to reveal the (gorgeous) face of RDJ as the crowd went absolutely wild.
“New mask, same task,” he said to the audience.
According to screenwriter, journalist and noted Marvel fan Lauren Rouse, the energy in the room during the announcement was electric.
“It was insane,” Lauren told PEDESTRIAN.TV.
“The crowd went wild. I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been to Comic-Con for eight years.
“They basically were just like, ‘see you in two years’, walked off stage and left everyone to lose their collective minds.”
However, once the crowds went outside, Lauren said there were plenty of murmurs from people who were not happy to see RDJ making a return. More on that later.
But who on Earth (or in the galaxy) is Dr. Doom? And why is RDJ coming back to the franchise? Let’s get into it.
Why is Robert Downey Jr. making a return to the MCU?
At Comic-Con, it was revealed that there were two new Avengers movies in the works — Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. The upcoming films will be directed by the Russo brothers — Joe and Anthony Russo — who directed Avengers: Endgame in 2019.
“When we directed Avengers: Endgame, we really believed it was the end for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe,” Joe told the crowd at Comic-Con.
They described how they were creatively burnt out — until they came across another story that tickled their fancy.
“It’s the biggest story that Marvel comics ever told. It’s the reason that Anthony and I are standing up here.”
They claimed that to tell the story, they needed to introduce a comic book character called Dr. Victor von Doom and that the only man who could do it justice was RDJ. After all, he is the guy that kicked off the entire Marvel franchise. He is expected to be introduced into the first film Avengers: Doomsday which will be released in 2026.
“If we’re going to bring Victor Von Doom to the screen — he is one of the more complex characters in all of comics … this is potentially one of the more entertaining characters in all of fiction,” Joe continued.
“If we’re going to do this … then we are going to need the greatest actor in the world.”
Who is Dr. Doom?
Dr Vincent von Doom AKA Dr. Doom is one of the biggest antagonists in the Marvel universe. His origin story began when he was roommates with Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic). The pair were friendly, but they were competitive rivals who wanted to outdo each other with their smarts at any opportunity. Von Doom was determined to build a machine that would allow him to communicate with his dead mother, but Reed said it was a dangerous invention.
Eventually, the machine blew up in his face (literally), scarring him irreversibly forever. This scenario essentially kicked off his new gig as Dr. Doom and the pair became enemies.
Dr. Doom claims to be a master of both magic and science, and fans have been eagerly anticipating the return of Dr. Doom in the MCU.
However, previously Dr Doom was featured in the 2005 Fantastic Four film played by Julian McMahon and by Toby Kebbell in the 2015 reboot.
Does this mean Tony Stark turns into Dr. Doom?
Well, not necessarily.
Now that we’re all familiar with the Time Variance Authority thanks to the Loki series, it’s likely that Dr Victor von Doom featuring Stark’s likeness will be a Dr. Doom variant. With all the universe jumping we’ve seen in recent Marvel films, this is kind of cool because it allows the other characters to wrestle with the idea of seeing their friend’s face take on a villainous life, without it having to actually have to be Tony Stark.
And apparently, there are universes in the comics in which Dr. Doom is actually Tony Stark. One instance is Iron Maniac introduced in 2004’s Marvel Team Up, and another was introduced in 2010 when Victor von Doom swapped bodies with Tony Stark in college.
Meanwhile, it leaves the door open for other actors to play the character too.
Alternatively, RDJ could just be coming back to the MCU as a completely new character altogether with all the characters ignoring his likeness to Tony Stark. But hey, I’m just guessing. With next to no info from the Russo brothers, we don’t know for sure.
Why isn’t everyone happy with the decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom?
Robert Downey Jr.’s casting hasn’t made everyone happy. Many took to X — formerly known as Twitter — to express their disappointment that one of the biggest villains of all time has been reduced to a casting gimmick.
Others felt that bringing back RDJ was a superb choice.
Regardless, the continuation of the MCU is exciting for superhero enthusiasts around the world. I guess we’ll have to wait until 2026 to see how it pans out!
The post Here’s Why Robert Downey Jr. Is Making A Comeback To The MCU As Dr. Victor Von Doom appeared first on PEDESTRIAN.TV .
