New mask, same task. What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.

– Robert Downey Jr. announcing his return in MCU as Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr. is back in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will play Victor Von Doom, AKA Dr. Doom, in Avengers 5, which has now been retitled to Avengers: Doomsday.

Why RDJ as Dr. Doom?

There might be some fans who wouldn’t like this decision because the sendoff that RDJ got as Iron Man was literally perfect, so to come back again is like risking it all. So there has to be a compelling story and a very good plot.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe began with Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man. He’s the reason a simple Marvel Studios movie turned into a whole freaking Cinematic Universe, and now he will play this dangerous billionaire villain in two consecutive movies, which will basically cement the ending of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we know it. So RDJ, who started it all, will literally be the one who will end it all, and I find something really poetic about that. But if you think this was a wrong decision out of desperation from Marvel, keep reading the full article; it may change your opinion.

Directorial and Writing Team

Now the Russo brothers are also coming back, who will be directing Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Stephen McFeely is also coming back to write both of these movies. He co-wrote Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame. Everyone is hoping that Christopher Markus also comes back as this duo has really given us one of the best comic book movies in entire Hollywood history.

The Complexity of Dr. Doom

Now Joe Russo, just before introducing Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom, said, “If we are going to bring Victor Von Doom to the screen, he’s one of the more complex characters in all of comics and potentially one of the most entertaining characters in all of fiction. If we’re going to do this, if we’re going to bring him to the movie theaters worldwide, then I think we’re going to need the greatest actor in the world to play that character.” And then RDJ revealed himself as Dr. Doom in Dr. Doom’s costume. This is not a desperate move or a Disney cash grab moment. Robert Downey Jr. is such an actor, if he didn’t feel it’s okay to come back, he wouldn’t have returned. Money is a factor at the end of the day, as this is a business. But also don’t you think it just fits right to see him up on that stage as the greatest villain that has ever come out in all of comic books?

Fan Reactions

Now a question arises: how can the greatest superhero and the greatest villain in the same universe have the same face? There’s actually a few possible explanations there, and Deadpool & Wolverine have one of the answers. If that movie taught us one thing about the Multiverse, that is the same person can have a different face or different people can have the same face. Chris Evan appeared as The Human Torch in the movie not as Captain America. So our detailed article about the cameos of the Deadpool & Wolverine from here.

So having the same physical appearance isn’t going to be an issue. Also, Dr. Doom mostly hides behind an iron mask because he once invented a machine to communicate with his deceased mother from beyond the grave, but the machine backfired and caused a scratch on his chin. But his vanity and ego made him think he was completely disfigured. He then traveled the world and eventually came upon a small village of monks who assisted him in creating a suit of armor. And out of haste, he put on the mask when it was still hot and burned his face forever. Dr. Doom has no weakness except Dr. Doom’s own ego.

Robert Downey Jr. was so deeply invested in the Tony Stark character that he almost became the character, and the character became him. If you ask any Marvel fan, it would be next to impossible to distinguish the differences between Tony Stark and RDJ. This is like an actual challenge for him, whether he’ll be able to come out of the character Tony Stark and go deeper into the character of Dr. Doom. An actor of his caliber will surely bring justice to that. It kind of completes the circle because there used to be a time when Loki was a villain, but now he’s the reason the Multiverse is sustaining, and RDJ, who’s the greatest hero to ever grace the MCU, will now go on to become the greatest villain to ever come from the MCU.

The mere possibility of Tom Holland’s Peter Parker going up against a villain that practically looks like his mentor Tony Stark is enough to go to the theater and have a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Because don’t forget, when you bring such a strong and powerful villain like Dr. Doom and such an important actor like RDJ to play him, the harder it’s going to be for the heroes to defeat him, and that opens the door for the writers to write new character arcs for the already existing superheroes. So even though on paper it may look like Marvel is kind of recycling the same actors, in reality, it raises the bar way too high now.

The Future of the MCU with Dr. Doom

Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame worked so well with the audience, it’s because Marvel kept teasing Thanos since the first Avengers movies. The audience had an ample amount of time and movies to get to know the character before the big reveal in Infinity War. Now having RDJ, the actor we love the most from the MCU, coming back to play Dr. Doom, will just give us, the audience, an opportunity to connect to the character in a far greater way than it would have if it was played by some new actor. Dr. Doom is not a simple character to play, so any new actor would either hit it or miss it. And if they do miss it, it’s game over for Marvel because the next two Avengers movies are essentially based around this single villain. Marvel had to go for an actor who the audience will not only connect to but also bring justice to the character. And RDJ has an Oscar now, and anyone who has seen his role in Oppenheimer can never doubt his acting ability to play a villain. RDJ has said time and time again that he does not want to be remembered just for playing one single character. So this is his opportunity to show the world that with his acting range, he could bring Tony Stark to life, and now he will bring Dr. Doom to life.

Theories about Doom in the MCU

Now as far as how could they introduce Doom in the MCU. Dr. Doom in the comics is a major Fantastic Four villain, primarily Reed Richards, AKA Mr. Fantastic. In fact, he has internalized his rivalry with Mr. Fantastic to such an extent he cannot exist without it. Fantastic Four: First Steps will release in July 2025 and will take place in an alternate retrofuturistic universe in the 1960s, not the sacred timeline. It has also been revealed that Galactus will be the main villain of this movie. In next year’s Fantastic Four, Galactus will literally devour the universe the Fantastic Four is set in. As a result, the heroes from this timeline might travel to the sacred timeline as a desperate attempt to save themselves. Along with them, we may see Victor Von Doom entering Earth-616.

Marvel also has some other comic iterations where Tony Stark and Dr. Doom literally switch characters. For example, in What If Iron Man: Demon in an Armor, issue number one, instead of Reed Richards, Tony Stark was now Doom’s roommate in college. Annoyed by Stark’s behavior, Doom eventually sees Stark’s research and asks for his help with the project because he fears losing his scholarship. Now Stark helps, but Doom later traps him to switch minds, and when security arrives, Doom, AKA the real Tony Stark, loses his memory and is taken away. So now Doom is stuck in Tony’s body while Tony is stuck in Doom’s body. Over time, both Doom and Stark become successful in their respective industries, and when Doom’s new arc reactor threatens Stark’s business, Stark sabotages it and destroys Doom Industries. That’s when Stark reveals to Doom that Doom is actually the real Tony Stark while Tony Stark is the real Doom. The real Doom then offers to give Tony his life back, but Tony refuses, saying the Stark name is now ruined and he will continue living as Victor Von Doom.

This is just one version of the comic. There are a few more iterations where Tony Stark and Victor face each other, so there’s plenty of source material to work with.

Conclusion

If someone is still not sure or disagree with the choice of RDJ as Doctor Doom, one thing is undeniable that there is no way you won’t watch this movie, and that speaks volumes of what RDJ brings to the table. Hugh Jackman returned as Wolverine after 7 years, and now Robert Downey Jr. will come back after 7 years as well, albeit as a different character. Doesn’t an actor like Robert Downey Jr. deserves to come back in a grand way? If he had come back for some cheeky cameos here and there, that would have ruined his legacy. But the way he’s returning now, I don’t think this does anything to descend off his hat as Iron Man.