Is Doctor Doom the key to saving the superhero genre? One MCU director suggests that Robert Downey Jr.’s role in Avengers: Doomsday may be the answer.
It’s no secret that the superhero genre has fallen quite far since its heyday, no longer able to sweep billions at the box office every month. There’s a lot of reasons for this: decreased consumer spending in the rise of streaming, a lack of a strong guiding hand, increased international tension with the US. However, many people lay the blame solely at the feet of nostalgia baiting, with them claiming no project will kill the genre worse than Avengers: Doomsday bringing back Robert Downey Jr. as the villainous Doctor Doom.
Though it seems opinion on Robert Downey Jr. making his return in Avengers: Doomsday is pretty clearly split. While audiences are hesitant, those behind-the-scenes in the MCU seem to be rather optimistic. One example is Shane Black, who served as the director of Iron Man 3, suggesting his performance as Doctor Doom will “singlehandedly reinvigorate” the superhero genre.
“I think he’s going to singlehandedly reinvigorate the entire comic book movie industry with that. I mean, it seemed like at first a cynical idea, you know, ‘Oh, let’s just go back to the well of the one guy that seems to always save us.’ But it’s going to work. It’s really going to work.”
“And he’s brought to it…I’m not at liberty to say anything, not that I know,” Black continued to ComicBook.com “I’m thrilled because I’m first in line to see that. I haven’t seen all the Marvel movies. I’ll see that one first.”
Robert Downey Jr.’s Performance As Doctor Doom
There’s certainly no denying that Robert Downey Jr. is a phenomenal actor. There’s likely not a single actor on this planet that understands better what plays well in an MCU film. He’s also reuniting with the Russo Brothers, who helmed some of the biggest crossover films in history. The ingredients certainly seem to be in place for Avengers: Doomsday to change the game with Doctor Doom.
However, this also doesn’t address many of the biggest critiques fans have of the decision. Few deny that Robert Downey Jr. will do a bad job as Doctor Doom. However, by making the character the leading villain of Avengers: Doomsday and tying him to one of the world’s most famous actors, there’s a worry that Doctor Doom will never get a chance to play into his original comic self.
Avengers: Doomsday is set to hit theaters in December 2026. Stay tuned for the latest news regarding the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel for more content!
