Marvel Fans Keep Using The Same Word To Describe Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Casting

If you happened to open up Twitter (only Thanos calls it "X") on the evening of Saturday, July 27, 2024, you may have noticed the social media platform blowing up with posts about Marvel Studios' San Diego Comic-Con panel. Taking to the stage in Hall H, Marvel boss Kevin Feige revealed that Robert Downey Jr. would be making his much-ballyhooed return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as rumored, though not as the late Tony Stark. Instead, the actor will be celebrating his recent Oscar win for "Oppenheimer" by playing an alternate universe version of the fabled "Fantastic Four" villain Victor von "Doctor" Doom.

This announcement was swiftly met with what Conner4Real (Andy Samberg) in "Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping" might charitably refer to as "mixed reviews." A Reddit user was quick to publish a message on the r/CharacterRant subreddit with the self-explanatory title, "I unironically think Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom is the worst creative decision ever made since the return of Palpatine in Episode 9." And while they're not universally negative, the majority of the comments on the Letterboxd subreddit are identical to this one, with one user writing it "Reeks of desperation" and adding that the news that Anthony and Joe Russo will also be returning to helm the next two "Avengers" films (the Doom-centric "Doomsday" and "Secret Wars") "is giving me the same energy as JJ returning to do Star Wars."

A brisk scroll through Twitter will reveal similar posts claiming the news "REEKS of desperation" and that it "shows signs that Marvel is desperate." That word "desperate" is one that shows up again and again and again among the immediate reactions from Marvel enthusiasts, to the degree that it becomes more comical than anything else. Much as one might like to chalk this up to the typical overblown fan response, it is hard to read this as anything other than a flop sweat soaked move of epic proportions.

This weekend should have been a triumphant one for Marvel Studios, with the House of Ideas capping off a record-obliterating box office opening frame for "Deadpool & Wolverine" with a slew of exciting SDCC announcements. Instead, the RDJ-as-Doctor-Doom news only seems to underline just how much of a pickle the MCU is in. 

Apologies for sounding like a broken record here, but these past five years have been pretty rough for what was the biggest franchise in the world over the previous decade and change. The Multiverse Saga has struggled immensely to find its footing, coming off as anticlimactic so hot on the heels of "Avengers: Endgame" and the conclusion of the Infinity Saga with it. Yet, as much as the finger of blame can be pointed at factors beyond Marvel's control (the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, T'Challa actor Chadwick Boseman's shocking death, Jonathan Majors' arrest and conviction, Disney diluting the MCU brand), the House That Feige Built has only made things worse by seemingly learning the wrong lessons from all the missteps it made along the way.

Take how "Eternals" disappointing was followed by "Spider-Man: No Way Home" soaring high near the end of 2021. The lesson that should've imparted is that big swings don't always land, but it's important to keep innovating and taking risks anyway. (This message was brought to you by an "Eternals" defender, by the way.) Instead, Marvel Studios has elected to attempt and replicate the formula of "No Way Home" by making even more films that rely heavily on nostalgia and cameos as selling points, culminating with the announcement about RDJ and the Russos. It's working financially for the studio so far (as most recently evidenced by the massive turnout for "Deadpool & Wolverine"), but what happens if audiences tire of this approach before Marvel is ready to actually go out on a limb again?

You can see how playing Doom might appeal to Robert Downey Jr. Besides the truckload of cash that Marvel undoubtedly dumped in his driveway to entice him back (that and whatever profit-sharing deals he worked out as part of his contract), it's a role he narrowly missed out on playing two decades ago in the 2005 "Fantastic Four" movie. Not to mention, it's an opportunity for him to pull a historical heel-turn, the kind that would only further cement his legacy in the superhero genre after his run as Tony Stark. He'll probably be great in the role too because he's Robert Downey Jr. and has yet to be bad in a movie he's even half-invested in. But as we saw earlier this year when a certain big name showed up partway through "The Bear" season 3, it just doesn't matter how good an actor is in a role when the whole time everyone watching keeps thinking, "That's [Insert Name of Actor] pretending to be [Insert Name of Character]."

The thing is, though, Marvel doesn't need RDJ as Doom to work in the long term. Its true gambit is betting that audiences will be intrigued enough to see how the casting pans out to make the next two "Avengers" movies into a cultural event, allowing the studio to recreate the position it found itself in with "Infinity War" and "Endgame" and a chance to avoid repeating the missteps it made in their aftermath. And who's to say it won't work? Bringing RDJ back into the mix may yet give Marvel the space it needs to take its time and come up with a truly sustainable plan for the future (one that isn't based on a dwindling supply of nostalgia). But it's a desperate measure in a desperate time all the same, and the fans are right to call it out as such.