Fans bash ‘lazy’ Robert Downey Jr’s return as Doctor Doom: Marvel ‘reduced itself to cash grabs’

Robert Downey Jr. dramatically reveals MCU return for upcoming 'Avengers'  movies as villain Doctor Doom

Robert Downey Jr. is returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but the move may already be doomed.

The 59-year-old actor was revealed as Doctor Doom, the latest villain in the “Avengers” franchise, at San Diego Comic-Con on Saturday — just five years after his previous Marvel role as Iron Man was spectacularly martyred in “Avengers: Endgame.”

“New mask, same task,” Downey Jr. declared to the Comic-Con audience.

Many Marvel fans had expected the Oscar winner to return to the franchise as Tony Stark or some variant of the Iron Man character, and were reasonably shocked by the bizarre casting choice.

Fans of the Fantastic Four comics have long waited to see Doctor Doom return to the big screen, and many were disappointed by what they saw as a casting gimmick, mocking Marvel’s decision on social media.

Robert Downey Jr posing with a Doctor Doom mask, announcing his return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe

“When Dr. Doom reveals his face and looks like Tony Stark,” one fan snarked, using a popular gif of Miley Cyrus taking off her wig in “Hannah Montana.”

Some fans joked the only reasonable excuse to recast Downey Jr. is that MCU President Kevin Feige simply forgot the 59-year-old’s “Oppenheimer” co-star Cillian Murphy’s name. Murphy had long been a fan favorite for the supervillain online, with many claiming the Scottish actor was made for the role.

“Robert Downey Jr. as Dr. Doom could be the laziest movie casting ever.. it feels not right..” a Marvel fan commented on X.

Another fan criticized fellow Marvel moviegoers who believed the casting choice was “so stupid, it’s brilliant,” reiterating that, no, it’s “just dumb.”

Others blasted the comics giant as money-hungry and only interested in playing off fans’ nostalgia for the early revival of the MCU in the late 2000s.

“I don’t even have words but the way the MCU has completely reduced itself to cash-grabs and nostalgia with no sense of creativity has to be studied,” one fan wrote on X.

“If you’re going to pay a bunch of money to get back Robert Downey Jr., I don’t get having him play Dr. Doom. Just have him play Iron Man again. I can even write for you how that’s possible,” another said, referencing a common Marvel trope to miraculously bring back dead character.

The fan added that the decision to bring back the actor and the Russo Brothers — who directed both “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Endgame” — seemed like a “‘break glass in case of emergency’ thing.”

Louis D'Esposito, Kevin Feige, Robert Downey Jr., Joe Russo and Anthony Russo at the Marvel Studios Panel, San Diego Comic-Con 2024Fans felt that Marvel’s decision to recast Downey Jr. was bizarre

“I get it’s multiversity and blah blah blah, but Iron Man being Doctor Doom means absolutely nothing to the MCU as we know it and does nothing for the character Doctor Doom. It’s just to sell tickets. It’s boring, disrespectful to my fave, and doesn’t make sense. Next,” a different fan added.

While some fans pointed out that Tony Stark is a version of Doctor Doom on the comics’ Earth-11029, Marvel squashed that theory by confirming the character is the original comic-accurate version, named Victor Von Doom.

The MCU has struggled to find new protagonists after the exit of Downey Jr. and Chris Evans, who played Captain America. The franchise has seen a plethora of box office flops since 2019 including “Madame Web,” “The Marvels” and “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.”

Others made joke predictions of a future X-Men cast that exclusively included former Avengers.

Even Downey Jr’s “Iron Man” co-star Gwyneth Paltrow expressed her confusion on Instagram writing, “I don’t get it, are you a baddie now?”

Feige said the Russo Brothers and Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom will be featured in May 2026’s “Avengers: Doomsday” and May 2027’s “Avengers: Secret Wars.”

Related Posts

Keanu Reeves Surprises Alexandra Grant with a Stunning $254K Supercar – A Gesture of Love That Will Leave You Speechless!

Keanu Reeves, the beloved and humble actor known for his roles in iconic films such as The Matrix and John Wick, has always captivated the hearts of…

DAVID MUIR REACHES PEAK STYLE WHILE REPORTING ON WILDFIRES?!

Wildfire Broadcast: When News Meets Fashion It all began at a wildfire scene in California, where David Muir appeared to deliver live coverage of one of the…

David Muir heads to Texas to report on floods, but the world is only fixated on… his superhero biceps!

When ABC News anchor David Muir arrived in Central Texas to report on the catastrophic floods that claimed over 120 lives and left communities reeling, viewers expected…

David Muir’s Emotional TV Moment Sparks Speculation: Did He Reveal a Personal Truth?

On a recent broadcast of ABC’s World News Tonight, anchor David Muir, a trusted face in American journalism, delivered a moment that left viewers and the studio…

Karoline Leavitt Shocks The View with On-Air Clash, Allegedly Ousts Whoopi Goldberg Amid Explosive Trump Affair Accusations.

In a jaw-dropping moment that has sent shockwaves through daytime television, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt allegedly orchestrated the dramatic ousting of Whoopi Goldberg from The…

Karoline Leavitt’s Savage Takedown of Gold-Digger Trolls: “Double the Money, Zero Shame!”

In the swirling vortex of political drama and social media snark, few figures have faced as much public scrutiny as Karoline Leavitt, the youngest White House Press…