Summary
Robert Downey Jr. will return to the MCU as Doctor Doom inAvengers: Doomsday. Reactions to the casting news have varied, andThe Roomactor and director Tommy Wiseau seemingly approved of a proposed alternative option.
Avengers: Doomsdaywas officially announced during Marvel Studios' Hall H presentation at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. While plot details were scarce, Downey Jr. surprised attendees when he unmasked himself amid a group of Doctor Doom cosplayers, confirming he will return to the MCU as the iconic Marvel villain inAvengers: DoomsdayandSecret Wars. While some fans are excited, others are more than a little concerned aboutthe MCU’s handling of Doctor Doom. However, Wiseau joined the many online users who humorously responded to Downey Jr.’s MCU return.
The Twitter accountThe Room Memes–a page devoted to posting daily memes about the infamous film titledThe Roomand its creator, Wiseau–responded to Downey Jr.’s return by posting an image taken at Marvel Studios' event when the former Iron Man actor appeared on stage. However, this image was edited by adding Wiseau’s head onto Downey Jr.’s body as ifThe Roomcreator had been announced as thenew version of Doctor Doomand changing the film’s title to “Avengers: Roomsday.” Seemingly impressed by the fan-edited photo, Wiseau shared the image on his own Twitter account without comment.
While the Hall H attendees were audibly thrilled to learn that Downey Jr. will play a variant of Doctor Doom, others believe theAvengers: Doomsdaycasting decision reeks of desperation. The MCU has been at a low point with critical misses like the Disney Plus seriesSecret Invasionand box office flops likeThe Marvels. WhileGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3was a financial and critical success andDeadpool and Wolverineis on track to become a box office juggernaut, some fans believed the days of MCU projects being guaranteed hits were gone. Earlier this year it was rumored that Marvel Studios wasconsidering bringing back Downey Jr.’s Iron Manand other original Avengers cast members like Chris Evans and Scarlett Johansson despite their retirement from the MCU. To many fans, it was a sign that Marvel Studios was admitting defeat and desperately returning to familiar faces to reverse their fortunes.
While Iron Man’s return doesn’t seem to be happening (for now), Downey Jr'.s casting as Doctor Doom has still been seen as desperation on Marvel Studios' part, and a wasted opportunity. Fans expectedAvengers 5story changesafter Jonathan Majors was fired from his role as Kang the Conqueror–the MCU’s original overarching villain for the Multiverse Saga–upon being found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment. Many even proposed having Doctor Doom replace Kang as the Multiverse Saga’s main antagonist. However, it’s fair to assume fans expected a new actor to portray Doctor Doom, particularly a Romani actor considering Victor von Doom’s heritage in the comics. In addition to the belief that the decision to cast Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom was made in despair, some fans are displeased to see an underrepresented group of people lose a potential role.
Of course, some fans are excited to see Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and believe the surprise casting fittingly mirrors the often unexpected stunt events depicted in comic books. Few people doubt Downey Jr. will deliver a good performance, but whether he can win over skeptics onceAvengers: Doomsdayreleases remains to be seen.
Avengers: Doomsdayis scheduled to be released in theaters on July 21, 2025.
Avengers: Secret Wars
Avengers: Secret Wars is the sixth Avengers film, set during phase six of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. The film will see several heroes from the prior phases return and battle against a cosmic threat to rival Thanos and borrows elements of the Marvel Comics event of the same name.
