When Robert Downey Jr. was revealed as the next Doctor Doom at San Diego Comic-Con, the Marvel fanbase was noticeably divided.
Half of the fans were disappointed because this clearly tarnished the reputation of Iron Man, a character who was heroically killed off in the finale of Avengers: Endgame.
The other half, however, continues to stand by the casting decision, believing not only in the shrewd and talented actor Robert Downey Jr. is, but also in the vision of Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, who have never misled Marvel.
Many have speculated that this recast is nothing more than a money move as plans for the MCU have been stalled since 2020.
There was also a minor scandal involving Kang, played by Jonathan Majors who gave a mediocre performance, and no doubt contributed to Marvel rearranging some of the climactic plot points.
But who is so picky about comic plots? MCU fans are more interested in this story.
As long as the story explains the logic and covers all or at least most of the holes, we can forgive almost anything that happens.
Because, you know, George Lucas rules. If you are god-level popular, it doesn’t matter because your fans will make excuses for you.
All real-life conspiracy theories aside, there are only about five plausible fictional scenarios in which Robert Downey Jr. could play Doctor Doom after playing Iron Man.
Still, I voted for #6.
Robert Downey Jr. will play multiple MCU characters, just like he did in the movies
The most despised theory is that Robert Downey Jr. will simply play whatever different Marvel movie characters he wants to play that he can live with.
No explanation. No complicated sci-fi logic. It’s just that RDJ plays Dr. Doom because he can.
Let’s face it, fans aren’t likely to complain much.
The fact that Marvel/Disney have now recast multiple characters with different actors lends credence to this theory.
Chris Evans was the Human Torch before he became Captain America.
Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard both play James “Rowdy” Rhodes/War Machine. Eric Bana, Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo have all sung the line “Don’t make me mad.”
Thanos’ first cameo in the post-credits scene of “The Avengers” wasn’t the same actor as Josh Brolin’s guilt-ridden portrayal in “Infinity War” and “Endgame.”
So why shouldn’t Robert Downey Jr. completely play Norbit and play every character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?
With CGI being so cheap these days, it’s certainly not difficult to have the RJD faces of 10 characters on the screen at the same time. He also played many characters very effectively in The Sympathizer.
It might feel a little creepy, though, like being John Markovich. Let’s hope the Russo brothers are smarter than that – and I fully believe they are.
Multiverse storyline to continue in alternate timeline
Granted, exploring another multiverse is not the same as conducting another “what if” experiment.
We’re talking about a simple what-if…scenario, rather than a very complex plot about timelines, “anchor creatures” (as explored in Deadpool and The Wolverine), and an ultimately complex plot. plot, which brings all of the multiple universes together for a climactic showdown.
But they do feel the same way, don’t they?
The most common idea I’ve heard is that Tony Stark will be reimagined as his 1800s self, competing against Victor Von Doom, who might even become a hero in this alternate reality.
This theory might fit in with the odd decision to set Fantastic Four: The First Steps in the 1960s.
Either Stark will become a villain, or he will manifest as some kind of alter ego and actually exist in multiple universes at once.
The whole thing will make sense to Marvel fans, but it’ll hit hard for general audiences.
The reception to other multiverse storylines has been tepid, with Marvel even mentioning it in the Deadpool and Wolverine movies Breaking the Fourth Wall and discussing how multiverse stories suck of.
Part of me thinks Marvel has heard fan criticism of multi-universe storylines and is trying something different. Take a look at how they performed the nostalgic and energetic “X-Men 97”.
Then again, the Russos did say during the SDCC press conference, “As a testament to the infinite possibilities of the Marvel Multiverse…
(Pause… Oops, I think I said too much)
“We give you someone who can play Victor von Doom…”
He has come up with the term “multiverse” so we absolutely cannot rule another multiverse/what if scenario happens again.
Iron Man and Doctor Doom will swap bodies
A non-timeline scenario would see Doctor Doom figure out how to swap bodies with Tony Stark and wreak havoc on various Marvel superheroes.
Perhaps Doom will resurrect Stark’s body, or rent a multiverse version of it to carry out his evil plans.
This isn’t exactly an untested formula. It applies to the 2010 Marvel storyline Iron Man: Demon in Armor, although in that storyline the two characters exchanged ideas.
This strategy was also used in the 1997 film Face/Off, which became a critical darling for its frenetic humor and action sequences, and featured a high-concept where the hero and villain swap faces.
This has potential within the Marvel Universe, as it would give us a chance to see what it’s like for the Marvel superheroes to be forced to fight the stolen Iron Man – the hero, brother and mentor they all loved.
That said, while the concept is interesting, I feel as if it will irritate fans of the MCU in ways that extend beyond the multiverse storyline.
Now that we’ve predicted and imagined it, it seems less than satisfying to think that Robert Downey Jr.’s $80 million encore was nothing more than a face.
It cheapens the storyline because it doesn’t actually give us Tony Stark, just an image of him, which isn’t enough for Marvel fans who demand a certain level of authenticity.
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man will face off against Robert Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom
It’s the most ridiculous scene, but it’s mentioned by many MCU fans who clearly love the implications of the dual cast.
Is this another Clone Wars? Haven’t we seen enough of the Attack of the Clones movies? Just because something can be done easily with CGI and AI, doesn’t mean it should be.
The climax of the fake Doctor Doom fighting the returning Iron Man – all played by the same character – is descending into a level of self-parody that isn’t even Deadpool-level entertaining.
The biggest problem with this scenario, and all of these what-if scenarios, is that none of them truly explore Doctor Doom’s fascinating origin story.
Previous interpretations of Von Doom have been superficial, including Toby Kebbell’s performance in Fantastic Four (2015).
None of them really explored the character, his Romani background, or the seriousness of the character, who was so much fun to read about in the comics.
None of the new MCU movies bothered to build on Doctor Doom or create any sense of a multi-movie conflict.
It seems strange that one of Marvel’s most fascinating and dramatic villains still hasn’t gotten a proper introduction.
Marvel Will Rewrite Iron Man’s History Keyser Soze Style
This is another weird theory, but in hindsight, it’s not that far-fetched. Maybe a hallucination caused by Loki?
What if we’ve been watching Victor Von Doom (Robert Downey Jr.) imitate Tony Stark – and he’s actually just another guy we’ve never seen before?
Maybe Von Doom performed a mind experiment, a giant Mandela Effect magic trick that made everyone remember Iron Man as the hero Victor Von Doom.
This would be a Keyser Soze trope, in which the author invalidates the entire story we’ve heard so far in favor of an entirely new narrative that comes out of nowhere with just a hint of foreshadowing.
Literary gaslighting!
Of course, a lot of people don’t remember just how stupid Bryan Singer’s The Usual Suspects really was — and how “sus” Bryan Singer was.
If the entire story is a lie, in favor of a ridiculous plot twist that’s completely hidden from us, then what’s the point of it all?
It doesn’t make any sense…unless you’re watching.
The Russo Family Has to Shock the Marvel Universe to Capture Our Attention
This is the part that concerns me, because the Russo Brothers are creative when it comes to storytelling, but often reckless when it comes to execution.
In the sitcom “Arrested Development,” a turning point in the brothers’ careers, the characters’ reality always plays second fiddle to the unreliable narrator’s storytelling.
Suddenly, George Bruce Sr. becomes an identical twin, often impersonating his brother Oscar. For no other reason than it’s fun.
Sort of like. (The first five times…)
Suddenly, the entire plot you thought you were watching falls apart because you miss all of the author’s clues that reveal something very different is going on in the background.
(I still can’t believe Charlize Theron hit me so hard with a seemingly shallow performance)
Indeed, you can blame showrunner and writer Mitchell Hurwitz for self-destructing his own children with all sorts of ridiculous and convoluted plot twists.
But who can forget the beginning of the Russo Brothers here In an irreverent situation comedy with no rules except the hypnotically reassuring voice of the narrator?
Another scenario: This is nothing like what you think
My prediction is that the Russo Brothers will, as usual, try to outdo themselves and do something out of the ordinary that catches everyone off guard.
It must be so.
Because we’ve figured out most of the most likely scenarios over the past month, Marvel can’t simply recreate ideas that have already been done or that we’ve discussed.
They have to think bigger, like $100 billion bigger.
Now it’s time to sit back and let Disney shock us with game-changing original storylines that redefine comic book movies for a new era.
I think the Russo brothers realize that Marvel movies need an infusion of creativity, and that will show up in the next Avengers movie.
What do you think? Are there any other theories about what RDJ will bring to the Dr. Von Doom character?
