Look, I love Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark as much as anybody. I was excited for him to play the role long before the first Iron Man movie came out. A lot of people forget that there were doubts about him as Iron Man. He pulled it off, though, bringing some surprising depth to one of my favorite superheroes. RDJ’s Iron Man carried the MCU through to a mostly satisfying conclusion, striking the final blow against Thanos, sacrificing himself to save not just the universe, but his family.
But apparently, Kevin Feige and the Marvel braintrust have such little confidence in their ability to create new stuff that their only option was to cast the fan-favorite RDJ in another role. And, if Feige is to be believed, this isn’t an evil multiverse Tony Stark turn, which at least might’ve been interesting for folks like Rhodey and Peter to deal with. No, they are putting him behind the mask of the iconic villain, Victor von Doom. The whole thing feels like nothing more than lazy stunt-casting. Doubly so if Feige goes back on his word that Tony Stark’s death is an untouchable moment that can’t be undone.
I’ve had thoughts in the past on how to handle Doom and the Fantastic Four. Reading them back now, I largely still agree with them. If you want Doctor Doom, establish him in a series. His origin would make for great television. Give it to the same folks who made Loki or Wandavision. I guess that ship has sailed, but I still think that would’ve been the way to go.
Bringing back Robert Downey Jr. for this role is such a missed opportunity to establish someone new to drive the MCU forward. Take a chance! There are so many amazing actors that haven’t been in your movies yet. Re-treading with RDJ might be a safe way to guarantee you make money, but it’s not interesting. The uneven quality of Marvel’s recent output should push them to take MORE risks. They’ve forgotten what got them to the top of the heap. This isn’t the company that let the director of Slither and Scooby Doo make a whole series of movies that established an important chunk of your universe. That guy, by the way, is now in charge of movies at your main competition.
All of this, combined with Disney’s overall inability to support the women and people of color leaves the company vulnerable. It’s only been DC’s own mistakes and shitty leadership that has kept them from overtaking Marvel. That won’t continue forever.
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