‘There are no stakes. Nothing matters’: Robert Downey Jr. could be teaming up with a former foe as ‘Secret Wars’ may resurrect another MCU mainstay

Robert Downey Jr. being the first confirmed cast member for Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars was a heck of a power move from Marvel Studios, and revealing that he was back as Doctor Doom not Iron Man was another. The once-thought-impossible return of the MCU’s founding father to the franchise opens the door for an endless procession of familiar faces from the past, as no doubt many former Avengers stars will be keen to work with Downey again.

Jeremy Renner has admitted that he thinks the rest of Earth’s OG Mightiest Heroes would come back to the fold if Downey asked them to, but it’s not just the actor’s former on-screen allies who might return. A new rumor states that Tony Stark’s greatest enemy may be in for a surprise resurrection as well. Let’s not put too much stock in it as yet, but the latest character being connected to Secret Wars is none other than Josh Brolin’s Thanos.

With Downey now on the dark side, the most tantalizing thing about this rumor is that it teases Thanos and Doom teaming up to take on the Avengers!

The potential is just too good to pass up for some fans.

On the other hand, some are only rolling their eyes at this rumor, as they feel that Thanos’ story is over and done with.

Would a Thanos cameo be a welcome comeback or yet another sign that the Multiverse Saga has a serious stakes problem?

Josh Brolin to Marvel right now:

Thanos returning to the MCU post-Endgame isn’t a problem — it’s already happened

While criticisms about Marvel becoming increasingly naval-gazing and obsessed with its past are valid and worth discussing, any complaints about Brolin potentially coming back as Thanos in Secret Wars honestly ring rather hollow. The thing is that the Infinity War actor has already returned as the Mad Titan in the Multiverse Saga and no one batted an eyelid.

In What If…?‘s second-ever episode, and still one of its absolute best, T’Challa’s Star-Lord encountered a very different Thanos variant — one who had left behind his quest to bring balance to the universe and had become a good guy. On this occasion, fans seemed to understand that this was a separate incarnation of the villain and his appearance didn’t undo or negate the conclusion of Endgame. No doubt Secret Wars would theoretically introduce a new Thanos variant, so it’s a tad hypocritical that fans were amused the first time this happened but less pleased by the idea of it happening again.

Despite Marvel’s attempt to make Kang just as big and bad, Thanos remains the MCU’s most fearsome and iconic antagonist, arguably the closest thing Marvel has to Darth Vader, so it’s no surprise that they might wish for him to return. Likewise, of course the Russo brothers would like to reunite with their old pal, Brolin. There’s nothing indicating this is true at present, but a Thanos cameo would hardly spell Secret Wars‘ doom.