Why Dr. Doom Could Make or Break the Legacy of the MCU
Doom is coming to the MCU, and that’s either a brilliant hail mary, or a desperate gamble for Marvel to course-correct their biggest film franchise. There’s no in-between here.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2024, all eyes were on Marvel. With Deadpool and Wolverine’s release coinciding with SDCC and fan and critic reception overwhelmingly positive, expectations were high. Especially since the failures of the most recent Marvel films had left even long-time fans wondering if the MCU was on its way out. During their second panel on Saturday, fans got previews of what Marvel had in the pipeline, but the thing that stood out the most was the news about the next Avengers films. Instead of Kang being the big bad, the next Avengers films would have the original big bad, Dr. Doom. And guess who was playing him?
That’s right—Robert Downey Jr. is back! The man who started the MCU as its greatest hero will play one of its greatest villains!
Since that reveal, the Internet has descended into a full-blown nuclear meltdown. Look on Instagram, and the reveal of Downey as Doom has tens of millions of views. Everyone’s talking about Downey and Doom! However, not all of the reactions have positive like one would think, and for good reason. It wasn’t Marvel’s initial plan for the MCU post-Endgame, and plenty of people have pointed out how this could be a problem. Though, to be fair, Marvel didn’t exactly have a choice in this decision.
How Jonathan Majors Shot Marvel in the Foot
It all started back with the end to the first season of Loki. Marvel had already spent a few films building up their new Multiverse Saga, but it was Loki that was meant to solidify the direction Marvel wanted to take in the eyes of fans. In the finale, Loki and his counterpart, Sylvie, learned the TVA was secretly led by a man called He Who Remains. AKA the variant of the time-travelling villain known as Kang the Conquerer. He tried to keep the multiverse from expanding too much because, in the past, Variants of himself had gone to war with each other and threatened to destroy everything. If he died, more Kangs would be created, and the multiverse would tear itself apart.
Well, he did end up dying thanks to Sylvie, and what he feared almost came to pass. Thankfully, Loki stepped up to take his place, holding the Multiverse together in a great tree at the end of time, stopping that threat. But Kang was still out there, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania saw an actual Kang debut in the MCU. That was meant to set up the Kang’s as the new big bads for the franchise…but it didn’t work. Fan and critic reception to Quantumania wasn’t what Marvel expected.
Then came the news about Jonathan Majors, the actor playing Kang.
Majors’ arrest and conviction for assault tainted his career just as it was starting to kick off. While he might make a comeback in the future, in the short term, Marvel couldn’t associate with him anymore. Majors was out; without him as Kang, any plans they had flew out the window. All that time and build-up was wasted, and for the first time ever, the future of the MCU was in doubt. How could they come back from this?
That’s where Doom comes in.
Dr. Doom is Gambling the Fate of the MCU
Having Dr. Doom replace Kang as the new big bad makes sense on paper. He wasn’t the first villain Marvel created, but he earned a spot near the top of the pecking order for good reason. He’s the king of an entire country, one of the smartest mortals alive, and possesses vast knowledge of science and magic. And, time and time again, he’s proven capable of obtaining godly powers and threatening the entire universe, if not the multiverse. In other words, he’s in the running for Marvel’s ultimate bad boy and seems perfect for the role.
Emphasis on seems.
I’ll be blunt: Marvel is trying to course-correct. They put a lot of time and resources into setting up the Multiverse saga, but it hasn’t exactly met their expectations, as seen with Quantumania. Worse, Majors’ arrest made most of their plans go up in smoke. They could replace him, but being on the clock like they are doesn’t give them enough time.
There’s also something else to consider: Marvel might be writing itself into a corner down the line.
If Marvel plans to continue the MCU after the Multiverse Saga, who’s going to be the next big bad? The franchise worked best when it slowly built up Thanos in the background as this ultimate threat to the universe. I said Kang was the logical escalation, threatening the multiverse. Doom can fill that role, but how can they top it if he’s Marvel’s ultimate bad boy? I have no clue! That’s why this is an insane gamble!
That’s probably why Marvel had RDJ come back.
Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom is a Big Gamble
I’m as excited as many people are about RDJ’s return to the MCU. The entire thing seems so poetic. RDJ was there when the MCU started, and the end to Tony Stark’s story in Endgame solidified his character as the greatest hero in the franchise. Now he’s coming back to play the character that many consider Marvel’s greatest villain. And depending on this Doom’s backstory, the fact that he looks just like Stark could really mess with the Avengers!
The reason RDJ’s return as Doom feels like a gamble, though, is because it’s RDJ. Having him play Doom feels like a blatant attempt to use the actor’s star power to fix the mess Marvel got itself into via pandering. If done wrong, it could tarnish the MCU’s reputation for good. Marvel’s taking a huge risk here, and everyone knows it. Especially since some are accusing Marvel of whitewashing Doom.
Yes, really. Not everyone knows this, but in the comics, Doom is Romani.
However, despite how much is at stake, I’m actually…excited?
One of my favorite concepts in fiction as that of the last stand. That one climactic showdown where the protagonist and antagonist put everything on the line to win. There’s just something about it that gets my blood pumping. And, from this writer’s perspective, this is the MCU’s potential last stand. The success or failure of Doomsday and Secret Wars could decide whether or not Disney wants to continue the MCU. It could decide how people will remember it. A lot of things are riding on these films! However, if this really is the end, it’s not bad to want to go out in a blaze of glory. Enter with a bang and exit with an even bigger one. Plus, even if this doesn’t pay off, at least we’ll have the Infinity Saga. No one can tarnish that.
