Credit: Marvel Studios/Sony PicturesIf you were one of the thousands who attended the San Diego Comic-Con last weekend, you likely know all about the details on The Fantastic Four, Avengers: Doomsday, and Avengers: Secret Wars, alongside exciting reveals for Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts from Marvel Studios. However, the appearance of Robert Downey Jr. trading Iron Man for the nefarious Doctor Doom was the biggest shock of the entire event.
If you’re just tuning in, Marvel revealed that RDJ is returning to the MCU after serving his tenure as Tony Stark. While the actor has often said he was open to reprising the role, the idea of him recast as Doctor Doom feels more than a little strange.
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That said, Doctor Doom could be yet another career-defining role for the actor. He’s certainly grown beyond Tony Stark’s snarky and smart persona. However, Marvel might have just undone two of its biggest cinematic achievements in the process.
A Marvel Studios Misfire?
Tony Stark/Iron Man is undoubtedly Robert Downey Jr.’s most iconic role (next to maybe Sherlock Holmes), but Doctor Doom has the potential to be a massive game changer. As exciting as that might be, RDJ’s return to the MCU might have just spoiled its biggest and most impactful film.
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While much remains a mystery about Downey’s Doctor Doom, many suspect that the variant in question could be an evil version of Tony Stark that takes up the mask and mantel instead of his Iron Man armor. If that’s the case, it could ultimately diminish and retcon his heroic sacrifice at the end of Avengers: Endgame (2019).
In his most recent film, Tony Stark used the Infinity Stones to reverse Thanos’ snap and undo the damage he inflicted. However, the immense power of the gauntlet was too much for him to handle, and he died as a result.
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His death was a powerful and emotional conclusion to his character arc, and it ultimately solidified him as one of the most heroic characters in Marvel’s Avengers series. However, if Stark comes back as a villain, doesn’t that completely undo everything he accomplished in his heroic sacrifice?
Not the First Time
Additionally, this isn’t the first time this year that Marvel Studios has essentially retconned one of its most emotional cinematic plot points. Recently, Deadpool went trouncing around the sacred timeline to officially bring Wolverine into the MCU, but not before he desecrated his indestructible metallic corpse.
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By bringing Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) back into the fold, Deadpool/Marvel essentially undid the heavily emotional framework left behind by Logan (2017). If Marvel and its heroes can essentially unravel storylines that were quite literally years in the making, does anything in the MCU have weight anymore?
Yes, the argument can still be made that these are alternate timelines, different universes, and other general reality-manipulating plot points, but is the studio really undoing so much of its incredible storytelling over its 34 cinematic entries? Yes and no, the true answer really isn’t that simple.
At the time of writing, there is no confirmation as to whether or not RDJ’s Doctor Doom is a variant of Tony Stark or if he is a separate character altogether. In reality, it might be the role that truly tests the actor’s range, and separating the characters would be ridiculously easy since Doom rarely shows his face.
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The truth of the matter is that it’s simply too early in the game to make a solid judgment one way or the other. All we can really do as Marvel fans is wait and see what happens.
Do you think Robert Downey Jr. will do wonders as Doctor Doom? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!