‘RDJ is still doing all the heavy lifting’: Doctor Doom really is the new Iron Man as ‘Avengers 5’ rumors point to a screen time surprise

The MCU has made it no secret that they’re entirely relying on Robert Downey Jr.‘s sheer charisma and acting chops to carry the next two Avengers films, but a new rumor hints that this desperate bid to return the cinematic universe to its glory days might be falling for that old, old adage of putting the cart before the horse.

If there’s anything Marvel has taken away from its experience of churning out MCU flicks over the last couple of years, it’s that audiences won’t simply turn up for a movie because it has big names attached to it. The hype factor of superhero films now relies on many a different marketing trick to make it all work. Deadpool & Wolverine might be the perfect example of this. While the movie broke box office records in no small part thanks to word of mouth about how great it is (and that was truly the case) Ryan Reynolds and Shawn Levy could’ve opted to play it safe and avoid re-opening that can of worms called the multiverse again. That would’ve meant no Wolverine. It would’ve meant no Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team-up. And ultimately, it would’ve meant another lackluster outing in theaters. (Not that Deadpool 3 wouldn’t be successful, but Marvel is generally used to a better turn-out from the days of the Infinity Saga.)

All of that to say, even three scores of big A-listers in the upcoming two Avengers flick wouldn’t have necessarily worked in favor of its box office outcome, but the return of Robert Downey Jr. after his demise in Avengers: Endgame might just do the trick. And by the looks of it, Marvel Studios is bleeding RDJ for all he’s worth in Avengers: Doomsday.

According to a new report circulating on social media, Dr. Victor von Doom will be the main character in the next Avengers movie. Fans are deriving this from the rumor that the whole of principal photography is expected to take five months, and Robert Downey Jr. will film for three of those. The rest of the main cast will shoot for one month, which doesn’t even come anywhere near RDJ’s shooting schedule.

The obvious takeaway is that RDJ is once again doing all the heavy lifting for Marvel. Though to be fair, even in the days of the Infinity Saga, the actor was an important component of the narrative, so did we expect anything less now that the company has so shamelessly asked him to come back and save it from its stupor?

Then again, as one user points out, it makes no sense that RDJ should shoot for three months, and the rest of the cast for just one. How is Marvel structuring the narrative of Avengers: Doomsday, and why is the main villain so much more prominent than the rest of the characters? Are we diving into Doctor Doom’s backstory in the first half?

What’s more, five months of principal photography seems awfully short for an Avengers movie. The crew would have to work under a very tight schedule considering the industry norm of 6 months and more, and that’s discounting reshoots, which are bound to happen in any movie of this scale.

That’s not even mentioning the scrutiny Disney is under regarding its shoddy CGI offerings of late, which the company would be wise in lending extra time to perfecting, something that feels just short of impossible in five months. I guess there’s nothing for it but to wait and see, and take all these rumors with a pinch of salt for the time being.