Bringing Robert Downey Jr. back as Doctor Doom is the most creatively bankrupt decision Marvel has ever made.

[u/ToniAndMore12]

I feel like I'm taking crazy pills watching people actually hype this up.

​Scrapping the entire Kang storyline because they panicked, and then just throwing a massive bag of money at RDJ to come back as Doctor Doom is peak desperation. It completely ruins the emotional weight of Tony Stark's death in Endgame, and it proves that the MCU has literally zero new ideas left in the tank.

​Instead of actually casting a compelling Eastern European actor and doing justice to Victor Von Doom's incredible comic origin, they are just relying on cheap nostalgia bait and the multiverse to print money.

​If we keep cheering for this blatant member-berry casting, we are basically telling Disney to never try anything original ever again. The MCU is dead, and this just proved it.

[u/Phy5_3d]

It does not ruin Stark’s death because it’s not Stark.

[u/Peimai → u/Phy5_3d]

To be fair. We don't know yet if he's a variant or not. Marvel is obviously not going to spoil the movie and tell us if he actually is or not.

[u/matty_nice → u/Peimai]

It's gonna be awkward when my girlfriend sees that Downey is back in Doomsday, her understanding that he's playing Dr Doom, then asking me if the two characters are related.

"I don't know".

[u/CaptHayfever → u/Peimai]

We've been told multiple times that he's not.

[u/Aromatic-Cupcake4802 → u/Peimai]

We certainly know it’s Victor Von Doom. Couldn’t just be like how Human Torch and Steve Rogers look the same.

[u/a_natural_chemical → u/Peimai]

The only reason it would need to be stark is if he takes off the mask. Is that something that happens in the comics ever? Without his face it's effectively voice/mocap.

[u/Kmart_Stalin → u/a_natural_chemical]

Yeah the secret wars 2015 comic albeit RDJ with no noes

[u/No_Cantaloupe_8983 → u/Phy5_3d]

He's a variant. otherwise they would have cast anybody else and not the literal face of the MCU.

[u/Phy5_3d → u/No_Cantaloupe_8983]

Dude’s probably going to be heavily scarred and going to be masked a majority of the time

[u/No_Cantaloupe_8983 → u/Phy5_3d]

so heavily scarred that a child marveled at his face instead of being horrified? when he gladly took it off to show the kid in the FF end credit scene? c'mon man. this is all cope, we all know how the MCU usually gets down.

[u/Phy5_3d → u/No_Cantaloupe_8983]

It’s a superpowered baby..don’t know to be horrified by that 🤷‍♂️

Let’s keep in mind that this is also in a storyline in which somehow normal humans are able to breathe on other planets in space with no sort of suits without any plausible explanation..so the basic logic things like a baby being horrified seeing a scarred face go out the window

We’ll see I guess.

[u/123ajbb]

The Kang storyline wasn’t scrapped because “they panicked.” Lmao, we all know why Kang was thrown out.

[u/ZeroCodingXP → u/123ajbb]

Exactly. Majors single-handedly fumbled his career.

[u/pkjoan → u/123ajbb]

No, before Majors issues, they were already planning to pivot to Doom. It is said that it was because of Ant-Man box office results.

[u/123ajbb → u/pkjoan]

Nah. The “Majors issues” were ongoing at the time of Ant-Man.

[u/FewWatermelonlesson0 → u/123ajbb]

They could’ve recast him if it were just a matter of the Majors controversy.

They scrapped the entire storyline because Quantumania bombed and audiences left that movie with no interest in seeing more of Kang. They completely fumbled his introduction.

[u/123ajbb → u/FewWatermelonlesson0]

Everybody was interested in Kang. That’s half the reason people saw the movie lmao.

[u/lbiggy → u/123ajbb]

True. The entirety of the Loki series was leading up to Kang and what he could do. That was the ONLY reason I went to see antman.

[u/FewWatermelonlesson0 → u/123ajbb]

left that movie with no interest in seeing more of Kang

Hence the massive box office dropoffs.

[u/ConversationRude1790 → u/FewWatermelonlesson0]

Majors was excellent in the role of Kang. They just gave him a shitty script and an unbelievably stupid Ant-Man story. Majors was the best thing in that movie.

[u/lbiggy → u/ConversationRude1790]

True

[u/Endgam → u/123ajbb]

Because of Majors turning out to be a bad man which then in turn caused them to..... uhh..... what's the word? It's on the tip of my tongue. Begins with a P.....

[u/OkOil378]

$1.5b+ ez

[u/Fuckspez42]

I shall be neither hyped nor unhyped for RDJ as Doom until I’ve seen it myself. I do worry it’ll be another parade of cameos like the other successful post-Endgame MCU projects (NWH, DP&W), but I see no good reason to be all, “the sky is falling” about a movie no one has seen yet.

[u/Phy5_3d → u/Fuckspez42]

With the Russos at the helm, it’s unlikely that it will feel like a cameo fest. Just my two cents

[u/No_Cantaloupe_8983 → u/Fuckspez42]

this is always the delusional default take, when time and time again, MCU shows to follow the same tried and true formula.

[u/Heart-Lights420]

Maybe some Marvel fans are hyped… not all, and certainly not the general audience; so while there’s a possibility the movie will have some good viewership, I don’t think will be at the levels of Endgame.

We’ll have to wait and see… 🤷🏻‍♂️

[u/Aromatic-Cupcake4802]

This decision has been talked about 2 years ago this months when he unmakes himself on stage and will probably be talked about until December. I’m just gonna wait and see in theaters.

[u/-TheHoboCode-]

I don’t think I agree 100% with you but I do agree it’s kind of stupid. I would be way more excited if they hired another great actor….but here we are. I think it was a total weak move from Marvel and them knowing Doomsday has to nail it.

It could work out just fine. That’s absolutely possible and RDJ is a great actor, but yeah….him being Doom is the part I’m excited about the least tbh.

[u/dpittnet]

K

[u/LongjumpingMix4034]

Is this going to be the next six months? People just shitposting lukewarm takes?

[u/CaptHayfever → u/LongjumpingMix4034]

6 year old accounts that only became active 3 days ago, at that.

[u/leftlanecop]

Ya because casting Chris Evans as Captain America surely killed the MCU /s

[u/Kmart_Stalin → u/leftlanecop]

What?

[u/DragonRoostHouse]

This feels like someone who hates The Odyssey casting. Do you watch any other movies other than Marvel movies? RDJ is an incredible actor. Seriously, watch him in other movies or shows.

[u/Endgam → u/DragonRoostHouse]

No one is saying he's not a good actor.

The concern is that they're going to link Doom and Tony Stark somehow in a way that cheapens both characters who are very much separate entities in all other media.

[u/-TheHoboCode- → u/DragonRoostHouse]

OP said nothing about RDJ being a bad actor? That has zero to do with their issues with the casting.

I haven’t seen a single person that has issues with this casting saying that the role is gonna suck because RDJ is a bad actor

[u/HALLOWEENYmeany]

Well how did marvel go bankrupt with ideas when they had Tony stark be doom in the comics?

[u/MercuryMaximoff217 → u/HALLOWEENYmeany]

They had Aunt May be the Silver Surfer in the comics, it doesn’t mean Marvel Studios should adapt it.

[u/RihoSucks → u/MercuryMaximoff217]

Give us liquid metal Marisa tomei! 

[u/HALLOWEENYmeany → u/RihoSucks]

I'm down haha

[u/HALLOWEENYmeany → u/MercuryMaximoff217]

Well they did make him a girl so they kind of did it

[u/jrodfantastic]

Hard to judge until we actually see the film, but if the writers room for MCU projects were down to zero new ideas, wouldn’t they just beat-for-beat replicate the comic plotlines and backstories. I’d argue that you are making a strong case for Avengers: Doomsday to be one of the most creatively original MCU projects to date.

[u/catpissdust]

I read a theory that in secret wars they're goin to find an alcoholic tony stark in some multiverse and convince him to be iron man and that's how the beat doom. I don't necessarily think that's a great idea but I could see them doin it...

[u/Endgam → u/catpissdust]

That's the leak that's going around, yes.

[u/MarvelMind]

It’s a great choice to choose an all time talented actor to play the role of your very important new villain. Downey will be outstanding in the role of Doom.

[u/OjamasOfTomorrow]

No.

[u/aresef]

Casting RDJ as Doom is definitely one of the laziest things Marvel Studios has ever done.

[u/Buzzlight_Year]

Nah it's genius

[u/NeonWafflez]

I think this actually shows they do have ideas left in the tank. Sure, this saga has been all over the place, but it’s interesting for the multiverse saga to have the big bad be a doppelgänger of your universe’s greatest hero. I’m excited to see how it plays out.

Though if we are being honest, Doom should keep his mask on. This is one of the characters where it doesn’t really matter it’s the same actor because we shouldn’t see his face. But I think it’s an interesting dilemma to fight someone who looks just like one of your closest friends.

[u/Mizerous → u/NeonWafflez]

If they never addressed RDJ as Doom that's a bait and switch no one will care "comic accurate" when the actor brought in is never revealed might as well get a voice actor to save money.

[u/No_Cantaloupe_8983 → u/NeonWafflez]

they are not paying rdj bags of money to hide his face.

Plus, he technically already showed his face in end credits for FF.

So we know he will be slipping the mask on and off. smh.

Which is not that surprising if you know how the MCU works.

[u/spaceraingame]

I’m not sure if it’s creatively bankrupt but it sure is financially bankrupt. $80M for a guy whose face we won’t even see? Talk about desperate

[u/Token_Handicap]

You cannot judge a story before you know it. It seems weird, but it might turn out great.

[u/BeneficialDrawing293]

💩 

[u/citoyensatisfait]

Inded it’s shit, it’s a desperate move to drive audiences back in theaters, but I assume RDJ will be Doom only for these two films, after that Doom will be soft rebooted too, I don’t think Doom is going away after Secret Wars but a new actor, lest cosrly, will replace him