The Return of Robert Downey Jr. Won’t Spell Doom For Marvel

Robert Downey Jr. just proved, contrary to much current opinion, that movie stars still matter. Even for superhero franchises. After a hiatus of five years and an Academy Award for best supporting actor last year for his role as Admiral Lewis Strauss in Oppenheimer, Downey, with much fanfare, has returned to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Not to reprise his unprecedentedly successful turn as Tony Stark, aka Iron Man, but rather to portray Marvel’s greatest villain/anti-hero, the ever enigmatic and diabolical Victor Werner von Doom–that’s Doctor Doom to you.

Disney’s blockbuster disclosure at this past weekend’s San Diego Comic Con that Downey will return to the MCU was an admission by antsy industry execs that, contrary to what Jack Nicholson famously said to Michael Keaton upon first meeting to begin filming Tim Burton’s 1989 Batman, the millions who eagerly pay to see superhero movies are not there just for the costumes. This was Disney’s better-late-than never lesson learned from the success of the much-beloved, and infinitely profitable, first three phases of the MCU.

It’s no coincidence this multi-movie stretch revolved around Downey’s highly engaging portrayal of the deceptively glib weapons systems salesman/developer Tony Stark.

Starting with RDJ’s debut in Iron Man the actor set just the right tone in the inaugural film of the MCU by simultaneously acknowledging the ridiculousness and embracing the grandeur of the genre. Like Lebowski’s rug, Downey’s Iron Man really tied the MCU together.

However, all that came to an end when Marvel controversially killed off Iron Man in the 2019 box office behemoth Avengers: Endgame. Fans and those focused on industry financials agree this was around the time the wheels came off the MCU.

Can a 59-year-old Downey reborn as Doctor Doom recapture the magic he had as Iron Man and thus help pull Disney’s MCU out of its morass?

First, let’s see what the talented Downey is getting himself into taking on the Doom character and what–apart from the reported nine figures in salary and bonuses–attracted him to the project.

Doom, like Stark, is a scientific genius sporting an incredibly technologically advanced and CGI friendly exoskeleton. Nerdish debate has long raged over whose armour was more awesome. This, however, is where the similarities between the otherwise two quite different characters ends and the tempting chance for Downey to demonstrate the range of his acting chops arises.

While Tony Stark was a very well-heeled, outwardly amiable playboy tech lord, the brooding Doom is real royalty. He reigns as the absolute monarch of the tiny mythical Central European kingdom of Latveria. Even more intriguingly, the often unpredictable Doom–he will align himself with “heroes” when it is in his interests–is not just a giant in STEM. What makes Doom one of the most formidable antagonists of the Marvel Universe is his expertise in black magic. Unfortunately for his foes, the formidable Doctor is as equally comfortable splitting an atom as summoning a demon.

His mother was a sorceress slain by the MCU’s stand-in for the Devil himself, the disturbingly malevolent Mephisto. Thus, in the same manner Doom’s scientific genius put him on a par with Marvel’s best scientists, his capabilities in the dark arts rival those of Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange. All this provides Downey, as he has noted in San Diego, the alluring opportunity to explore a complex and very dark character.

But how much acting can he do behind a mask? As far as allowing Downey room to act, earlier Iron Man and Avenger movies got around the mask problem by filming many sequences of Downey in his civilian alter ego, sans armour. They even shot scenes of Downey’s LED-lit face inside Iron Man’s helmet while Iron Man was in action, to give the actor more face time. It’s unclear whether the Doom character will present Downey with these same types of opportunities. Historically, Doom has almost zero out-of-armour presence. But Downey certainly would have had the leverage to bargain for this sort of exposure and the movie makers would be wise to encourage it.

Face time for Doom comes with its own problems. According to his back story, the Doctor’s face became horribly marred during an experiment he and a young Reed Richards, future leader of the Fantastic Four and Doom’s archnemesis, conducted while both were university students. This tragedy reportedly helped drive Doom to the dark side. Traditionally, we rarely see Doom’s disfigured visage, and even then only for its split-second shock value. This may have to change. It’s unlikely Marvel is going to shell out over $100 million for Downey and then hide his face. Additionally, it would be a profoundly missed opportunity if during the two Doom-focused films the minds at Marvel could not work in a nod to the late Norm MacDonald’s brilliant riff on Doom’s arch nemesis Reed Richards decision to call himself “Mr. Fantastic”.

We’ll have to wait and see whether Downey goes full Deadpool in exposing his marred face  or opts for John Hurt’s more discreet Oscar-winning Elephant Man approach.

So. Assuming, as we do, Downey as Doom turns in his typical crowd- and critic-pleasing performance will it be enough to lift the fortunes and just as importantly improve the mood surrounding the MCU?

Odds are extremely high that it will.

Despite all its recent missteps, given the enormous goodwill Marvel’s library of characters still wields, the executives running the MCU and the creatives stewarding its legendary IP still have a huge margin for error. At first glance, the upcoming Doom-centric films, Avengers Doomsday (2026) and Avengers Secret Wars (2027), both drawing on intriguing successful storylines from Marvel’s almost bottomless well of already market-tested comic book storylines, seem to be excellent steps towards ensuring the MCU gets back on the right track.

This, combined with the bravura impact of Downey’s celebrated return, will ideally allow the MCU to recapture a bit of the joy, simplicity, and elated wonder that marked Downey’s and the MCU’s best work.