Summary
TheMCUfandom has been hard at work imagining Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in an explosion of fan art that is getting me super hyped forAvengers: Doomsday. One of the most electrifyingreveals to emerge from 2024’s San Diego Comic-Conwas the announcement that Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man himself, will bereturning to the MCU as Doctor Doom. This came alongside the revelation thatAvengers 5is now officially titledAvengers: Doomsday, withRobert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doomtaking center stage.
If the recent wave of Doctor Doom fan art is anything to go by,I’m not alone in thinking this is an extremely exciting development.
Artists like@marvels.wolverinehave taken to Instagram in droves to deliver their detailed takes on how RDJ might look in the upcoming Avengers installment.
Others like@dreamaivisionhave turned to AI tools to help render the erstwhile Iron Man in his all-new green getup while demonstrating the magical powers that help differentiate Doom from Stark.
When the big reveal occurred on Saturday, July 27, it took@arifinity_a little more than an hour to deliver their take on how RDJ’s Doom might appear in a close-up devoid of Doom’s iconic mask. This, in particular, raises questions about how the MCU is going to navigate its portrayal of the iconic Marvel villain.
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How RDJ’s Doctor Doom Design Will Differ From Past Marvel Movies
The MCU Is Typically Faithful To The Comics
Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Doom inAvengers:Doomsdaywill be the fifth time the character has been adapted into a live-action movie. While Doom’s first cinematic outing in1994’s unreleasedThe Fantastic Fourwas doomed from the start, it also remains the most comic-accurate version of Doom thus far.Doctor Doom’s subsequent cinematic appearancesin Fox’s middling-to-poor attempts at adapting Marvel’s First Family were met with backlash as both took significant creative liberties when adapting Doom’s origin story and appearance.
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Marvel Studios can therefore learn from these past mistakes and ensure that RDJ’s Doom is comic-accurate. Thankfully, this is mostly par for the course with the studio that recently threw its entire weight behind ensuring Hugh Jackman’s MCU debut was as comic-accurate as possible, to great results.It therefore remains unlikely that Marvel will inexplicably cause Doom to be encased in metal instead of simply having him wear armor and his iconic mask,although RDJ’s casting does raise a few questions.
One of Doom’s defining characteristics is the fact that he refuses to doff his mask out of hatred for his perceived imperfections. The MCU will be paying RDJ a lot of money for his return, and will likely wish to capitalize on his face, endangering this particular facet of Doom’s character. Furthermore, it remains unclear whether Doom inAvengers: Doomsdaywill be a Tony Stark variant, or a comic-faithful rendition of the character who was born in and rules over Latveria as Victor Von Doom. Nevertheless, I remain confident in Marvel’s ability to do justice to its most beloved characters.
