If you thought Marvel would do its best to avoid the mistakes of Star Wars, Disney’s other big blockbuster franchise, you might not enjoy this news: the new version of Doctor Doom, to be played by Robert Downey Jr., will be introduced in Fortnite.
“Somehow…Palpatine Returned”
A short history lesson of things that have angered Star Wars fans: back in 2o19, Lucasfilm decided to promote the upcoming Rise of Skywalker, the conclusion to its sequel trilogy starring Daisy Ridley and Adam Driver, by partnering with Fortnite, the massively popular multiplayer online game from Epic.
In a move that bewildered less-online fans, the revelation that Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) was returning to the final film was announced in Fortnite X Star Wars, a limited-time event in which the villain projected his voice across the galaxy and announced the “Day of the Sith.”
This was then referenced in the opening scenes of The Rise of Skywalker, with Oscar Isaac’s dead-eyed delivery of “somehow, Palpatine returned” becoming ground zero for accusations that the franchise had run out of ideas. The film would go on to become the lowest-grossing film in the Disney sequel trilogy and currently has the worst Rotten Tomatoes score of the three.
While Fortnite might not be entirely to blame for that, it certainly didn’t help things. To many fans, the ham-fisted attempt to synergistically cross-platform Star Wars across Fortnite was a bridge too far, especially as it left many with the feeling that in order to understand what was going on in the movies, they were going to have to basically do homework and come prepared.
The idea of audiences being pushed against their will into having to follow story arcs across multiple mediums is one that has been increasingly dogging the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
While Bob Iger and Roy Thomas can deny the concept of “superhero fatigue” all they like, it is undeniable that Marvel and Star Wars fans alike have gotten a bit tired of the idea that they have to watch every movie, every TV show, and, now, every Fortnite Battle Royale event in order to know what’s going on.
However, it seems Kevin Feige and the rest of the Marvel C-suite haven’t accepted that yet. It was just announced at the D23 event that Doctor Doom, the upcoming Big Bad of the MCU to be played by Robert Downey Jr., will be introduced in Fortnite, just like Palpatine’s return.
Robert Downey Jr. and ‘Absolute Doom’
At the D23 Disney Experiences Showcase presentation, Parks head Josh D’Amaro, Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige, and Pete Docter, Dave Filoni, and Jennifer Lee, the chief creative officers of Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Disney Animation, announced that the controversial $1.5 billion partnership of Disney and Fortnite would now be including canonical elements to incorporate into future movies (per Variety).
Speaking somewhat generically while hyping up the collaboration, D’Amaro said:
“At Disney Experiences, Imagineers dream, create, design and build these stories into real places. And we have Imagineers in place right now all around the world because everything we’re going to share with you is in active development. Plans are drawn. Dirt is moving. I just want to be clear about this: We are doing everything you’re going to hear tonight.”
The presentation got more specific about Fortnite Battle Royale Chapter 5, Season 4: Absolute Doom, a limited-time crossover event with Marvel Studios that will feature the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom. Both of these characters are being heavily promoted as a major part of upcoming MCU plans.
It’s time for the heroes’ journey. And the enemies’ Absolute Doom.
Save the day starting August 16th! @FortniteGame pic.twitter.com/H4BIGwV8Tq
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) August 11, 2024
The Fantastic Four are set to be introduced in The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which was heavily hyped at the recent San Diego Comic-Con and will star Pedro Pascal as Reed Richards, Vanessa Kirby as Susan Storm, Joseph Quinn as Johnny Storm, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Ben Grimm. Even bigger Comic-Con news: Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the MCU to play Victor Von Doom.
Related: Marvel Fans Immediately Spoil Robert Downey Jr. In ‘Avengers: Doomsday’
It has been assumed that the actor would debut as Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, with fans hotly theorizing whether this version of the character would be related to Iron Man or would be entirely unrelated to RDJ’s previous role. That is still up in the air, as is the increasingly heated backlash over the casting.
However, as Variety reports, “The significance is that fans will be able to pick up clues and hints as to the storylines for upcoming Marvel films featuring those characters. That connects the game to Marvel storytelling in a deeper way than before — a move with significance to Marvel’s most dedicated fans.
” In other words, Marvel is trying to pull a Star Wars move and make fans have to follow the synergy trail in order to understand what’s happening on the big screen.
Both Marvel and Lucasfilm are currently in reset mode, trying to win back fans who have been alienated by the last half-decade of movies, shows, and games. Imitating one of Star Wars‘ most mocked memes might not be the best choice right now.
Will you play the new Marvel Fortnite crossover?