It’s been a week since Marvel Studios updated fans on what’s going to happen with Phase 5 (and potentially beyond) with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the one thing that people continue to focus on, for better and for worse, is the reveal that Robert Downey Jr. will be the MCU’s first Doctor Doom via the upcoming two-part Avengers event. However, due to recent events that occurred outside of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kang is out and Doom is in, with RDJ returning to the universe he helped birth. Yet, I can’t help but think that this is a bad move on several different levels. Allow me to explain why.
The State Of The MCU
Let’s start off with the obvious, okay? What happened at Hall H during San Diego Comic-Con screamed of “Course Correction” in the biggest of ways. Recall that not too long ago, everything was about how Kang The Conqueror was coming and that the “Multiversal Saga” was going to be awesome! Then, it wasn’t. Granted, there were many reasons for that, including Johnathan Majors being arrested and the writers/actors’ strike hurting the promotion of films like The Marvels, but another problem was that the Marvel Cinematic Universe wasn’t what it once was.
Between the Disney+ shows and the movies, things just weren’t consistent quality-wise, weren’t connected like the first few phases were, and we’re still trying to figure out how good or bad Phase 4 is. Fans have never been more divided about the MCU, and it shows. Marvel Studios had to make a big move, I get that, but by kicking out Kang (which could’ve easily been fixed with a recast as they’ve done with SEVERAL Avengers in the past) and bringing in Doctor Doom, they’re basically screaming, “We want to give you all things you loved in the past!”
Except, that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? The MCU has had serious issues moving on from the Infinity Saga that changed the landscape of cinema for better and for worse. By going BACK to Robert Downey Jr. to headline not one but two Avengers movies and then be gone again…they’re just retreading on “what worked before” and not trying to build up the future like Phase 4 honestly tried to do in certain ways.
But there’s another way to look at this that also can’t be ignored.
Calling Back “Old Friends,” Paying The Literal Price
It’s undeniable that getting the Russo Bros and Robert Downey Jr. back in the MCU is a “big move.” Still, it also highlights something that’s not exactly kosher, which is the payments that the “big moneymakers” are getting versus everyone else. When the news broke about Marvel Studios bringing back RDJ and the Russos, Variety reported that to get just the directors for the two films cost about $80 million, AND…that RDJ’s cost was “significantly more.” While this hasn’t been officially confirmed, even if it was anywhere close to that, that’s insane.
It doesn’t matter that the three are the “draws” both in front and beyond the cameras, I can bet you any amount of money that the rest of the Avengers cast in those films aren’t making anywhere close to that. Plus, there are going to be bonuses that are added in to help make that cost even higher.
What makes this so ludicrous isn’t just that they’re doing this just to have RDJ play Doctor Doom or to have the Russo brothers direct again, but it’s that Marvel/Disney is focusing more on paying them than others that matter…
Peter David, creator of Spider Man 2099 and legendary writer on the Hulk and Young Justice, had to make a gofundme to pay his medical bills https://t.co/2HlZrNTHJm
— Brooks | 🏳️🌈 (@brookstweetz) July 30, 2024
Sure, it might seem “unfair” for me to compare RDJ’s salary to a comic creator, but it does matter. Across DC Comics and Marvel, the people who made and helped make famous numerous characters aren’t given the respect nor the payments they deserve. And Peter David is hardly the only comic creator whose characters have made millions on the big screen or small screen that never saw a cent.
Even if you look at this from just the movie perspective, Disney has been INFAMOUS throughout Phase 4 & 5 for its special effects. To make these happen, the workers that created these effects were overworked their special effects house to the breaking point, and they haven’t paid them what they’re worth either. They are the reasons that the films look as good as they do, not RDJ, and not even the Russos.
So, instead of paying the effects artists who bring the worlds and characters to life in ways that defy reality…Disney is just paying three guys they’re banking on to let the “money roll in” so they (the higher-ups at the company) can all get rich…while the rest suffer. Doesn’t that sound familiar to anyone?
Everything Is About Iron Man…Again…
While the MCU has been a huge success, it has come at certain costs to both the characters and the plot of the universe. The biggest flaw in the MCU is that Iron Man is the focal point of everything leading up to the final moments of Endgame, and even beyond that in certain ways.
Who was the first MCU movie about? Iron Man. Who was the first recruited to the Avengers? Iron Man. Who co-created Ultron? Iron Man. Who brought Spider-Man into the Avengers? Iron Man. Who’s “guilt trip” caused the Civil War? Iron Man. And, most importantly, who died to save the world from Thanos? Iron Man.
Some of these things are honestly fine, like him being the first movie or the first unofficial Avenger (timelines have gotten muddled, but you know what I mean). But everything else is complicated. I noted YEARS ago that I was furious about Ultron coming into the MCU when Hank Pym hadn’t even been introduced yet, and I’m still bitter about that, especially since Hank (played brilliantly by Michael Douglas) was relegated to a side character just so we could get Scott Lang by Paul Rudd. Oh, and how did Ant-Man: Quantumamania do in kicking off Phase 5? Yeah, not that great.
Then, as we saw in the Spider-Man films, numerous dynamics and plots revolved around Tony Stark instead of setting Peter Parker out on his own, including Mysterio being “created” by Stark! And let’s not talk about Tony hitting on Aunt May, okay? Just…no.
When Iron Man died, things could finally move forward after some mourning…except, now it’s not. Now, the two movies are going to be about how the Avengers and beyond “react” to how Victor Von Doom looks like Tony. You know that Spider-Man will have that “reaction moment,” and others likely will, too.
Then, after the two movies are done, this version of Doom will be gone, and we’re right back to a “Tony-less” MCU. And you might say, “But he’s playing Doctor Doom, not Iron Man.” Except, no one’s going to see that because it’s RDJ.
The Deadpool & Wolverine Argument
One of the biggest arguments for why Marvel Studios “did nothing wrong” that I’m seeing on the internet concerns Deadpool & Wolverine, a movie that I loved and gave a high score in my review.
The supporters of RDJ as Doctor Doom stated that all Marvel is doing is “bringing back the nostalgia,” just like Ryan Reynolds did by bringing in Hugh Jackman “one last time” as Wolverine.
Except, there’s a big difference. First, despite what the trolls say, the new movie DIDN’T nullify the ending of Logan. It actually made it more poetic in certain ways (while also poking fun at how dead Wolverine was in DP’s universe.)
Second, Ryan Reynolds wasn’t “banking on nostalgia” to bring people to theaters, he was trying to give the fans something they’ve wanted for over 20 years! He knew that fans had never seen Hugh Jackman in a “comic accurate” outfit. We got close once via The Wolverine, but that was a deleted scene that went nowhere.
In contrast, Deadpool & Wolverine had Logan in the suit pretty much the whole time, paid tribute to numerous other Wolverines in comic history, AND finally gave us the “Wolvie and Deadpool” team-up that fans had also been asking for since the first Deadpool movie. No, Origins doesn’t count…ever.
Finally, the movie was meant to be a “capper” on the 21st Century Fox era of superhero movies. That’s why certain cameos from other films showed up (don’t worry, I won’t spoil them.) Even the credits proved this by showing BTS footage of those films to say “Thank You” for what came before and ending this chapter of film for these characters.
To give one small spoiler, DP and Logan DON’T end up in the MCU at the end of the movie, so they might not appear again, not even in Secret Wars possibly.
With Marvel Studios, they’re bringing back RDJ and the Russos in order to say, “Look! Here are some of the people that made the MCU great in the first three phases! See what they’ll do in these next two movies!” Do you hear the difference now?
Lack of New Voices = Lack Of Trust
Once word came out that the Russos were back, I saw an interesting report stating that Kevin Feige was given other options for the director’s role in the next two Avengers movies. Many of them were big names with proven records. Apparently, Feige didn’t want any of them, and we all know who he brought in next.
Why does that matter? Simply put, with these next two Avengers films, the Russos will have directed five of the biggest and most important MCU films, four of which were Avengers flicks. Sure, that means that Feige has faith in them, and I respect that, but it also does others that “you have to be as good as the Russos, or we might as well bring them back to do your job.” That’s not a good bar to set, especially since they’re not the “end all be all” of moviemakers.
To that end, when they brought back RDJ for SDCC, they said a line that I found very disingenuous. Here’s the reveal clip below, see if you can hear it:
Presenting Victor Von Doom.
Robert Downey Jr. stars in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday, in theaters May 2026. #SDCC pic.twitter.com/xWQx9owZjG
— Marvel Studios (@MarvelStudios) July 28, 2024
Did you catch it? They noted that they wanted to bring in “the best actor in the world” to play Doctor Doom, and that there was only “one man” who could do it…and that was RDJ.
Except, he’s NOT the best actor in the world, and many other people have made incredible suggestions for who could’ve been Victor. Some might say the Russos were just “praising their friend” or “being sarcastic,” but it didn’t feel that way.
New voices and actors are crucial for the MCU to survive beyond what’s coming, we’ve already seen what happens when a “looser structure” and certain “lack of oversights and quality” can do. We all remember Secret Invasion, right? So, to me, Marvel Studios going this route is saying that they blame others for what’s happened and don’t want to “risk” bringing in new people to help right the ship…even though it was that mentality that started and helped boom the MCU in the first place!
The “Superior” Option
One of the few controversies about this casting that I don’t have a problem with is the “Tony was never Doom” argument. First, as the tweet above showed, RDJ is playing Doom, not Tony who happens to be Doctor Doom. Second, Tony has been Doom via the multiverse, and even if he hadn’t, they noted that this is a Variant already, so it doesn’t really matter.
The problem I had is that if they wanted the “Tony is back?” shock like they’re clearly going for, they already had an option available via the Superior Iron Man. If you don’t recall this, it was after a major comic event where certain heroes had their personalities “turned around,” and Tony became a narcissist of the highest order who didn’t care about anything but building his brand and showing off how great he was. He hurt heroes and villains alike just to prove his point.
One of his classic lines in that arc was, “I’m not playing God. All this time, I’ve been playing human.” That version of Tony would’ve been perfect for these films, especially for Secret Wars, and not wasted (yes, I said wasted) the introduction of Victor Von Doom into the universe.
They could’ve framed it as all the people from the MCU trying to show that version of Tony how good he was in their universe, and trying to convince him to save everyone instead of dooming everyone or whatever his goal was. It would’ve given RDJ a new way to play a “complicated character” as he said as SDCC, and would’ve saved one of the MCU’s “biggest bullets” for afterward. Instead, they did this, and it feels like the worst option of the two.
Victor’s “Future”?
The final piece to this rather annoying puzzle we find ourselves in is what happens to the ACTUAL Victor Von Doom after the next two Avengers films.
Remember, RDJ is only contracted for two films, Doomsday and Secret Wars. So, that means he’s not likely to show up in the Fantastic Four film that’s coming next year, and they’ll have to recast if they bring Doom against them…which they absolutely need to…he’s their key villain after all.
Except, now the question becomes one of “How do you top RDJ as Doom?” and “How do you make this Doom feel unique to the true MCU?”
These two simple yet important questions make the future of Doctor Doom all the more precarious. In a way, they painted themselves into a corner that they really need to figure out, and quickly. Sure, the FF movie isn’t out yet, so it’s not guaranteed a sequel, especially with its “period piece setting,” but we need to see the Fantastic Four having a true square-off against a Doom that isn’t RDJ.
And that doesn’t even bring up the problem of what happens AFTER those two Avengers movies, regardless of how successful they are, because then they need a new Saga, and they can’t have Doom be the endgame for it…again.
I hope that this makes it clear why I’m a bit ticked at Marvel Studios for going this route. This was the “easy option” for them that guaranteed a “short-term moneymaking fix” but potentially hurt them in the long run. They could’ve stayed the course, recast Kang, and made the movies they wanted without issues or complaints from fans.
Instead, they chose this route, which might seem like a great idea based on the reactions from the crowd at San Diego Comic-Con, but when you look at it a bit more closely…you’ll see the issues emerge.
