During the San Diego Comic-Con on July 28, the audience was stunned when a person dressed as a supervillain took off their mask on stage, showing it was Robert Downey Jr.
The 59-year-old actor addressed the surprised fans with: “New mask, same task. What’d I tell you, I like playing complicated characters.”
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are set to helm two Doctor Doom movies: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Russo brothers, known for their work on major MCU movies like Avengers: Endgame, initially thought their time with Marvel was over after that film.
Joe shared with the Comic-Con audience (as reported by Variety): “When we directed Avengers: Endgame, we really believed it was the end for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. That four-movie run was incredible, and it left us creatively spent.”
However, the duo changed their minds after discovering a ‘very special story’ that persuaded them to come back.
While some fans are thrilled about the news, others are less enthusiastic about Robert Downey Jr.’s casting.
The 59-year-old actor is making a comeback to the MCU after starting his role as Iron Man in 2008, a character he played until his death in Avengers: Endgame.
Downey Jr. is known for playing Iron Man, or Tony Stark, a brilliant and charming individual with a laid-back attitude. This has left fans curious about how he will adapt to playing the intense and complex villain, Doctor Doom.
On X (formerly Twitter), one fan commented: “Marvel actually dug a deeper hole for themselves by bringing RDJ back. Yes he will save their dying franchise but it will be an even harder job to take that Iron Man image off people’s minds.”
This isn’t the only issue fans have with Downey Jr.’s casting. Some believe that an important part of Doctor Doom’s backstory is being overlooked.
Criticizing Marvel’s casting choice, one person states: “This is straight-up whitewashing.”
Another person adds: “Doctor Doom is not a white man.”
A third individual expresses: “Doom is my favorite comic book villain, and Hollywood keeps getting it wrong.”
Someone else points out: “If you’re going to criticize RDJ as Doctor Doom, the whitewashing should be the main focus. That seems like a much bigger issue than anything else.”
In the media, whitewashing refers to the practice of casting white actors in roles meant for non-white characters or obscuring their original background.
Victor Von Doom, who first appeared in the 1962 issue of Fantastic Four, is originally from Latveria, a fictional Eastern European nation.
The supervillain came from a tribe of Latverian Romani people, and this part of his background plays a crucial role in his story.
Romani culture is seldom depicted in films, so it would have been a significant step forward if Marvel Studios had considered this when casting.
Many people, disappointed by the announcement, are turning to Reddit to suggest actors they think would be ideal for the role, including Saša Barbul and Danny Wynter.
