The end of the MCU is coming. Kevin Feige reveals Russo brothers will return to direct Marvel avengers 5 and 6 That was the end of a relatively quiet Marvel Studios panel at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday. The news isn’t shocking, considering last week’s news that the pair were in talks to direct the film and be involved with Marvel Studios from now on.
Surprisingly, the film’s original title was Avengers: Kang Dynastyhas been modified and renamed Avengers: DoomsdayWithout a doubt, Marvel’s greatest villain, Dr. Doom, who inspired Darth Vader himself, will finally make his debut in the Marvel Universe. Before fans could react, the Russo brothers announced an even bigger news. Fan reaction has been…well, let’s call it mixed. Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU in 2020 Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars, but not Tony Stark. This time he will be wearing a different armor than Dr. Doom.
There is no doubt that Downey is a great actor, and his return to the MCU to play “Doom” undoubtedly makes Hall H excited. But I can’t help but feel like this decision is a disappointing and boring one. Downey has been the face of Iron Man in the Marvel Universe for a decade, and he received one of the greatest farewells to a superhero on screen. Avengers: Endgame (2019), and a touching epilogue Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019).
Now he’s back, at least as a version of Marvel’s greatest villain. The Russos introduce him as Victor Von Doom, which may shatter any notion that this Doom is a variant of Tony Stark. But if he’s not, then what’s the point of having the actor who played Iron Man play the same character? In the comics, Doom was scarred beneath his mask (although he was healed in both comics) secret wars, released in 1984 and 2015). It would make more sense if the idea here was just to have Downey flex his character actor skills and be completely unrecognizable in face and voice, even though there are plenty of other actors to challenge. But given the importance of Downey’s face as a movie star and Tony Stark’s, will Marvel skip out on box office revenue from general audiences, even if another option is more creatively satisfying?
So, let’s say we end up with a Doctor Doom that looks almost identical to Stark so all the Avengers can take a breath and point and say “Tony Stark?” For some simple emotional beats, that’s really Is this the impact that the first iteration of Doom in the MCU was supposed to have? Or is it an unnecessary fault that issues four and five didn’t live up to fans’ expectations and brought them the familiar Downey back as an olive branch?
While audiences have had mixed reactions to Phases 4 and 5 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s necessary to step away from Stark and allow other characters and other actors to take the spotlight. Arguably, no one has as much impact or charisma as Downey’s Iron Man or Chris Evans’ Captain America. I counter that the Marvel Cinematic Universe spends so much time introducing new characters, most of whom are never revisited, that the studio doesn’t do a good enough job at establishing new threads for audiences to invest in.
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) proved to be a successful introduction of a very important new hero to the MCU, but the sequel to Shang-Chi (Liu Simu) has barely attracted public attention, and it is unclear whether it will take place before or after Avengers: Secret Wars. Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) accepts the role of Captain America in the 2021 Disney+ series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldierbut won’t make its film debut until 2025, a year ago Avengers: Doomsday. Doctor Strange (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), who was originally set to be a key figure in the multiverse saga, never appeared again. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse There, he travels to a dark dimension with Clea (Charlize Theron) to explore the threat of invasion, a fundamental part of Jonathan Hickman and Essad Ribic’s secret wars (2015).
Considering the invasion in the comics and Strange’s relationship with Doom, it seems likely that a third sequel to Doctor Strange should be a priority secret wars. There are many factors that have caused these films to be delayed and plans drastically changed, including the pandemic, Chadwick Boseman’s tragic death, strikes, and the arrest and conviction of Jonathan Majors. Kang Dynasty. But despite these factors, it seems likely that the next two Avengers movies could be delayed, allowing other films to fill their shoes and giving audiences more opportunities to get to know and fall in love with these new characters. Kang, the original villain in the multiverse saga, could easily have been recast after Majors was terminated because there was an abundance of black talent who could have made a killing out of the role. Instead, the Marvel Cinematic Universe chose to jump to Doom without even creating a space for the new cast to make their mark.
As some fans online have speculated, Downey Jr.’s The End has only confirmed two movies, if Avengers: Secret Wars Leading to a soft reset of the MCU, as was done in the comics, it’s possible that there will be another Doom in the future.
Still, this seems like a big “what if?” What impact will the new Doom have on audiences who’ve already seen him in what are surely two of the greatest movies ever made? How much enthusiasm will there be when the Fantastic Four take on Doctor Doom, who will surely be facing off against a mutant version of Downey for the first time in Fantastic Four? end and secret wars? There’s also the factor of any actor appearing in a new version of Doom after Doom. secret wars Will certainly do so in Downey’s shadow, whether or not that description is accurate. Of course, Downey will be fighting Doom in the shadow of his character Iron Man, and Doom should never exist in another man’s shadow. Victor Von Doom briefly played the infamous Iron Man in 12 issues (a storyline with Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev in which the villain attempted to atone for his sins by taking on the identity of Iron Man after the death of Tony Stark ) does not change this, nor does it change this.
This does not mean end or secret wars Because Downey plays Doom, the movie is going to be terrible. I also wouldn’t suggest that he underperforms, although I do think that his acting style, while engaging, goes against the grain of Victor Von Doom’s mainline comic book style. But I can’t help but feel like this is a play to get MCU fans to stop saying the MCU’s best days are behind them and instead bring back an actor they’ve been associated with for a decade .
Considering all the talent never seen in a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, and the fact that Doom even deserves to lead a solo trilogy of his own (and maybe even pop up in a Fantastic Four sequel) secret wars) makes the whole decision feel rushed and cheap, but in the most expensive way possible. No, I don’t think these are reasons to be doom and gloom about the future of the MCU, as there are so many exciting projects in the works, but it’s a moment to stop and think about the seemingly endless reasons to start with Downey’s Marvel The potential of cinematic universes iron Man He may be limiting himself by playing Doctor Doom.
