At San Diego Comic-Con on July 28, the crowd was left in awe when a costumed supervillain took the stage, only to unmask and reveal Robert Downey Jr. himself.
The 59-year-old actor surprised the unsuspecting crowd, saying, “New mask, same task. What did I tell you? I love playing complicated characters.”
Filmmakers Anthony and Joe Russo are set to direct two Doctor Doom films: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Russo brothers have directed some of the biggest films in the MCU, including Avengers: Endgame.
Joe Russo told the Comic-Con crowd (per Variety), “When we directed Avengers: Endgame, we genuinely believed it was the end for us in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
“That four-movie run was incredible, and it left us creatively spent,” Joe added.
He explained that their perspective shifted when they discovered a “very special story” that convinced them to return to the MCU.
While some fans are ecstatic about the announcement, others have expressed disappointment with the casting of Downey Jr.
At 59, Robert Downey Jr. is making his return to the MCU after first stepping into the role of Iron Man in 2008, a character he portrayed until Iron Man’s death in Avengers: Endgame.
Downey Jr. is known for portraying Iron Man, or Tony Stark, a charismatic genius with a carefree personality, leaving fans curious about how he will tackle the intense and complex role of Doctor Doom.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan commented, “Marvel has really dug a deeper hole for themselves by bringing RDJ back.”
“Yes, he may save their struggling franchise, but it will be an even greater challenge to erase that Iron Man image from people’s minds.”
However, this isn’t the only concern fans have regarding Downey Jr.’s casting; many believe that a crucial aspect of Doctor Doom’s history is being overlooked.
Criticizing Marvel’s casting decision, one person stated, “This is straight-up whitewashing.”
Another fan added, “Doctor Doom is not a white man.”
A third chimed in, “Doom is my favorite comic book villain, and Hollywood keeps messing it up.”
Another commenter noted, “If you’re going to complain about RDJ as Doctor Doom, the whitewashing should be front and center. I think that’s a much bigger issue than anything else.”
In media, whitewashing refers to the practice of casting white actors to portray non-white characters or obscuring their ethnic backgrounds.
Victor Von Doom, who first appeared in the 1962 issue of Fantastic Four, hails from Latveria, a fictional Eastern European country. His origins include being born into a tribe of Latverian Romani people, which is a vital part of his backstory.
Romani culture is seldom represented in cinema, so it would have been significant progress if Marvel Studios had taken this into account during the casting process.
Disappointed by the announcement, fans are turning to Reddit to suggest potential actors for the role, with names like Saša Barbul and Danny Wynter frequently mentioned.
