Cover Robert Downey Jr set to play Doctor Doom in new ‘Avengers’ movies (Photo: Instagram / @marvelstudios)
Robert Downey Jr set to play Doctor Doom in new ‘Avengers’ movies (Photo: Instagram / @marvelstudios)
1 / 1
From superhero to supervillain … Robert Downey Jr who has immortalised the character of Iron Man on the silver screen takes up the role of Doctor Doom in new ‘Avengers’ movies directed by the Russo brothers
Marvel fans were in a pleasant surprise at the recently concluded San Diego Comic-Con. During the Marvel panel in Hall H, Kevin Feige, the president of Marvel Studios, announced two new movies: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars—with Robert Downey Jr playing supervillain Doctor Doom in both.
Downey Jr is a known—and much loved—face in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), having played the character of Iron Man to glory since 2008. But in 2019, it seemed that Downey Jr had hung up his superhero boots when his alter ego, Iron Man, died fighting Thanos in Avengers: Endgame. But now he’s back as a supervillain, a role that the talented actor will no doubt make his own with his signature brand of charisma.
Tatler can’t wait to see what Downey Jr brings to the character of Doctor Doom, but here’s what we do know so far.
Big reveal
As we saw on a video uploaded on Marvel Entertainment’s official X account after Feige announced the upcoming movies and the directors who would helm the projects, several masked, green-robe-clad people walked out onto the stage ahead of the “big reveal” of the character playing Doctor Doom. With anticipation already sky-high, Downey Jr took off his mask to screams and cheers from the audience, and declared: “New mask, same task.” He continued saying, “What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters.” And we love watching the “complicated characters” he plays. Win-win!
Who is Doctor Doom?
Above Comic book image of Doctor Doom (Photo: Marvel official website)
Comic book image of Doctor Doom (Photo: Marvel official website)
1 / 1
Wondering exactly how “complicated” Doctor Doom is? According to his origin story on Marvel’s website, Victor Von Doom was born to poor gipsies in Latveria. He lost his parents at a young age and discovered his mother’s mystical artefacts. His harsh childhood experience led him down a path of darkness. He then won a scholarship to study in the US, where he met and became rivals with Reed Richards. After being expelled from school for a failed experiment, he travelled to Tibet and built body armour and a mask to hide his scars. As Doctor Doom, he returned to Latveria, overthrew its monarch, and used his scientific expertise to conquer the world, while seeking to rescue his mother’s soul and prove himself superior to Reed Richards. We don’t know how much of this origin story will be reflected in the two Avengers movies, but one thing is sure—with Downey Jr playing the supervillain, the heroes of the Marvel universe have a tough job cut out for them.
Why Marvel needed a new villain?
In recent times, several media outlets such as Time and Forbes have published articles discussing if Marvel has lost its way. There’s no denying that the studio has dealt with some heavy blows in the past two years: The Marvels (2023) had the worst box office debut among all the films in the MCU; Beef actor Steven Yeun stepped down from playing an antihero in an upcoming Marvel movie called The Thunderbolts in early 2024.
In this context, it’s easy to understand why Marvel might have turned to Downey Jr for the role of Doctor Doom—his popularity among viewers is unquestionable, and casting him as a supervillain causes that extra intrigue that might have audiences flocking to the cinema. Genius move, we say!
What will Doctor Doom look like?
According to images posted on Downey Jr’s Instagram page, Doctor Doom will be seen in a distinctive green robe in the new films. A metal mask will also be the hallmark of the character. According to Marvel’s comic book images, Doctor Doom has continued to enhance his titanium suit of armour, which protects the wearer from attacks and the elements and is often strengthened by a force field generator. The suit also has gauntlets that can produce blasts of concussive force and a propulsion system for flight.
Online response to Downey Jr playing Doctor Doom
The internet has been abuzz since Downey Jr was cast as Doctor Doom. Several netizens commented on the actor’s Instagram post saying they are excited to see him in his “villain era”. Among them are the Russo brothers—Anthony Russo and Joseph Russo (who will direct the two new Avenger movies)—who commented, “We’ve always said green is your colour”. Like the rest of the internet, we too are keen to see how just good he is at being the baddie.
