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Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is a massive gamble for the MCU
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, colloquially known as the Russo brothers, have been doing press for Avengers: Doomsday ahead of what many fans expect to be the official release of the first trailer at San Diego Comic-Con later this month. Their comments about Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom, however, have raised more questions than they’ve answered.
Robert Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom — after serving as the centerpiece of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for a decade as Tony Stark/Iron Man — has been questioned ever since it was announced in June 2024.
Avengers: Doomsday directors have confused MCU fans with their latest comments about who Robert Downey Jr. is playing in the film
Given his status as the franchise’s founding father and one of the most popular actors in the world, plus the MCU being lost its way following Avengers: Endgame, Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom was largely seen, at best, as a cheap nostalgia-driven piece of stunt casting, and at worst, displaying a complete absence of creative ambition by pushing the big red emergency RDJ button.
That may change if the Russo brothers — directors of Captain America: Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame — pull off something truly ingenious, but fans are becoming increasingly dubious of that prospect with every piece of leaked footage, concept art, or new quote from the Russos that hits social media.
“It’s a brand-new character that you can’t even guess at,” Anthony said of Downey’s Doctor Doom in an interview with Soundsphere.
“Look, it’ll all make sense when you watch the movies,” he said. “I think that what we love about telling these stories is that they’re serialized. This is a giant experiment. Nobody’s ever done anything like this before. Marvel’s unique.”
“The idea of that serial shifting and changing and surprising you, and then reinventing itself, and then shifting and changing and surprising you—that’s exciting,” his brother Joe added. “I think you’re going to see some shifting and changing and reinvention. So, get ready for it.”
The Russo’s comments about who, exactly, Downey Jr’s version of Doctor Doom is has only left MCU fans further confused about whatever the directors have planned.
“Can we please stop interviewing the Russos LMFAOO they just be saying s—,” one fan tweeted.
“OR JUST STOP INTERVIEWING THE RUSSO BROTHERS PERIOD,”</strong? a second agreed.
“They’re just making it up as they go along at this point,” a third suggested.
“Only this makes sense is if RDJR is gonna essentially be Doom with a mask on and the actual actor for Doom gets revealed at the end of the film, with RDJR coming back as another version of Tony in Secret Wars. That’s like the only possible way I see brothers getting out of this,” a fourth speculated.
In addition to Downey Jr., Avengers: Doomsday also stars Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Pedro Pascal, Paul Rudd, Anthony Mackie, Florence Pugh, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Wyatt Russell, Channing Tatum, Simu Liu, Ian McKellen, Tom Hiddleston, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Joseph Quinn, Sebastian Stan, David Harbour, Letitia Wright, Lewis Pullman, Kelsey Grammer, Danny Ramirez, Winston Duke, Alan Cumming, and more.
Avengers: Doomsday will hit theaters on Friday, December 18.