Robert Downey Jr as Dr Doom: Brilliant or Baffling?

I…Am… Dr Doom? Is that what we could be seeing in two years when Avengers: Doomsday hits our screens? Okay probably not word for word, but I think it’s safe to say that Robert Downey Jr’s return to the MCU as the titular villain has been met with conflicting reactions. 

The Announcement

First and foremost, you can’t deny this announcement wasn’t absolutely incredible. Walking on stage like some messiah-type character and removing his Dr Doom mask to reveal it is, in fact, him, Hall H of San Diego Comic-Con erupted into an explosion of roars. Whether you love or hate the news, Robert Downey Jr is an MCU icon. 

How is this possible?

Now, let’s get into why this is possible. If you haven’t yet seen Deadpool & Wolverine, first of all, what are you doing, and secondly here’s your official spoiler warning. Since the Multiverse Saga began, character variants have become increasingly at the forefront of the MCU canon. Briefly addressed in the season one finale of Loki where He Who Remains monologues about the dangers of his variants, the concept was expanded more recently in Deadpool & Wolverine where countless variants took to the screen, including Old Man Logan, Welshpool (played by Wrexham FC Striker Paul Mullin) and even the return of Chris Evans’ Johnny Storm (which had me squealing in my chair yes I am going to use the verb squealing). Presumptively, we must assume that Dr Doom will be an evil variant of Tony Stark, who perhaps flew too close to the sun in his early days as Iron Man, or lost Pepper Potts and Morgan Stark. Whatever it was, we’ll leave it up to the writers. 

Another article you may enjoy: The Downfall of Marvel: Has the MCU Reached its Endgame?

Brilliant?

I think this has the potential to be genius, but it must be handled VERY carefully. Tom Holland’s Spider-Man will be taking centre stage in the next two Avengers movies, and of course, Peter Parker idolised his mentor Tony Stark, and the sting of his loss was particularly emphasised during the climax of Avengers: Endgame. Therefore, Parker’s internal emotional turmoil of seeing his once mentor and father figure, Tony Stark, becoming a maniacal warlord hell-bent on destroying the multiverse could be an extremely interesting arc to develop, not to mention how the rest of the Avengers would feel. 

Or Baffling

However, this could also end in disaster. Tony Stark’s development throughout the MCU up until Endgame brought millions of viewers to tears when he sacrificed his life to save the universe. Could this be a cop-out decision and undo all those years of effort? If they don’t handle it right and turn Downey Jr’s return into a cheap marvel-television quality joke, people will be leaving movie theatres around the world fuming. 

We will have to put our trust in Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers to make sure Tony Stark’s name isn’t tarnished by Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU. But if they get this wrong, could this be the final straw of the Marvel Cinematic Multiverse as we know it?