In 2019 when Robert Downey Jr. bid farewell to Tony Stark with Avengers: Endgame, I was heartbroken like millions of fans. For 11 years Downey portrayed the role of charismatic superhero across 10 marvel movies and I don’t think any actor could have played Ironman better than him.
Cut to 2024, as marvel fans were riding the gigantic wave of Deadpool & Wolverine, director Joe and Anthony Russo gave a jaw dropping surprise. At San Diego Comic-Con event 2024, Russo brothers announced the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in upcoming marvel films which are titled Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
Who is Doctor Doom?
Victor Von Doom, commonly known as Doctor Doom, is one of Marvel Comics most iconic supervillains. He was first introduced in “Fantastic Four #5” comic, published in July 1962, and created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. As the monarch of the fictional Eastern European country Latveria, Doom is a brilliant scientist and sorcerer, whose intelligence rivals that of Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic). Doom’s character is defined by his immense ego, a strict code of honor, and a relentless pursuit of power and knowledge, often at the expense of others. His iconic armor, which he designed himself, grants him superhuman strength and durability, along with various technological enhancements.
Doctor Doom’s complex character is rooted in his tragic backstory and personal motivations. Born to a Romani family, Victor’s mother was a witch who died in a pact with Mephisto, and his father was a healer who perished while protecting Victor. Driven by a desire to save his mother’s soul and prove his superiority, Victor’s ambition led him to become a master of both science and magic.
However, his hubris and refusal to acknowledge his own flaws often result in his downfall. Despite being a villain, Doom is sometimes depicted as an anti-hero or even a reluctant ally to his enemies when it serves his interests, adding layers of depth to his character within the Marvel Universe.
What does Robert Downey Jr’s return means for Marvel
After Avengers: Endgame, Marvel Studio produced almost 10 movies between 2019-2024. Of all these films, Spiderman: No way home was the only one to cross 1 billion mark at box-office. Antman and the wasp: Quantomania, Eternals, Thor: Love and Thunder, The Marvels and Madame Web all failed to entertain the audiences worldwide. Why? Is it because of poor writing or bad direction? No. The easy answer is the absence of Robert Downey Jr. aka Ironman from marvel movies.
I think that Downey made the best decision to call it quits as Ironman after Avengers: Endgame. In his interview with Joe Rogan when he was asked about returning as Ironman, Robert Downey Jr. said ” To me starting up again is off the table. I feel I’ve done all I could with that character..” But hey this was 2020 and nothing is permanent in Hollywood.
Downey’s return to Marvel has already created a huge hype amongst the fans and it has resurrected the Marvel Studios popularity exponentially. It’s hard to say anything as of now about the success of Avengers: Doomsday but one thing is for sure that billions of fans will line up at theatres to watch Robert Downey Jr’s on big screen.
Why the backlash for Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom
There is no denying that Downey is loved by marvel fans unconditionally. But his return as “Doctor Doom” has received a bit of recoil from fans and I think it is understandable. In marvel universe Downey has been the quintessential superhero that defeats the villain in the end. His screen image as the charismatic good guy is hard to wipe out from the memory.
Therefore when Downey agreed to play the baddie in Avengers: Doomsday, some fans were quick to display their discomfort on social media. One user wrote ” The bring him back only to save the falling marvel market after endgame, another wrote “I find it flabbergasting that a multi billion dollar franchise with over 10 years of existence has its success depending on one man. I cannot fathom the amount of money they had to offer him.”
Well only time will tell whether Robert Downey Jr. as “Doctor Doom” will succeed or not. Both the movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars are expected to release in the year 2026 and 2027 respectively. For now it definitely looks like Marvel has the upper hand and I’m sure that they’ll re create the magic with Downey in upcoming Avenger movies.
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