The return of Robert Downey Jr. to the MCU is certainly a conversational talking point among fans and industry professionals. And there really is no getting around the oddity of him being cast as Doctor Doom, one of the most prolific villains in Marvel history, perhaps even more so than Thanos prior to the Infinity Saga of Marvel films. However, fans are skeptical about all this being anything more meaningful than a desperate cash-grab while the MCU is at a fairly low point.
Because of this, fans have begun to speculate whether or not this whole thing may be an elaborate misdirect or perhaps even a larger plot to bring Tony Stark back into the MCU through Multiversal shenanigans. So let’s break that down some.
One of the more popular, albeit less likely theories going around is that there will be two Doctor Dooms with RDJ’s being either a decoy or some multiversal dud that gets killed off by the real one who will be played by someone else. It could happen, but we expect RDJ will be around for a while considering the recent reports of his demands for coming back.
First and foremost, we know that Robert Downey Jr. is getting a massive payout for his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even as a different character. We also know he has had some pretty intense demands such as an elaborate trailer setup for when he is filming, dedicated security detail, and private travel arrangements. But perhaps the biggest condition of his return was that the Russo brothers would have to be the ones to direct the Avengers movies his character appeared in.
Point is, you don’t get all this plus a likely 9-figure payout deal (easily $100 million) if you are a one and done character. So it isn’t likely that RDJ will be a misdirection as a minor character. However, we do think there is a stronger possibility that his role has a good chance of being a form of misdirection, just one that is a little more elaborate, and one that may see the return of Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark.
While many believe that the move to see Robert Downey Jr. returning as Doctor Doom is a cash grab during a period where the MCU’s box office performance as slipped and fan and critic interest has waned, we think that there is a strong chance the story may pull from the comics which sees Tony Stark and Victor von Doom swapping bodies or perhaps the What If… plot from Iron Man: Demon in an Armor which sees Tony Stark becoming a rival of Reed Richards and he simply grows to become that universe’s version of Doctor Doom.
That said, we do know that Downey Jr. is specifically playing Victor von Doom and not a version of Tony Stark who embodies all of Doom’s traits after growing up under different circumstances. Only Feige and his close confidants know for sure.
Whatever the case may be, there is a decent chance that we will see members of the Avengers or larger MCU recognizing Doctor Doom’s face, mistaking him for Tony Stark, unless the actor undergoes a complete facial metamorphosis. And then there’s also the possibility that they swapped bodies and they will need to be reversed somehow. Or, we could just be way off and it is nothing anyone has theorized so far.
Regardless, it is clear that the MCU is being retooled and reworked at the time of this writing in order to get fans excited again, something that is slowly starting to happen after the record-breaking Deadpool & Wolverine, which we gave a solid 8/10. In any case, we still remain skeptical, as do many, which is why we are banking on theories of misdirection over the idea that Disney and Marvel simply think that Robert Downey Jr. is the only way to resuscitate the MCU.
