As Robert Downey Jr.’s Doom causes controversy, Marvel has fixed its biggest representation problem, but wait there’s a catch

Marvel Studios has improved the diversity of its heroes and the representation in its universe exponentially since six white straight people first assembled in The Avengers, but there are still some major ways in which the MCU is lagging. Bringing back one of those aforementioned OG Avengers in a new role for the Multiverse Saga has only brought one such problem into laser focus.

One of the (surprisingly numerous) issues fans have with Robert Downey Jr. getting cast as Doctor Doom is that the villain is of a Romani background in the comics. This erasure of Victor Von Doom’s heritage is particularly galling given that the MCU has already done exactly the same thing to the Marvel universe’s other prominent Romani character — Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch.

In what couldn’t be better timed, then, Marvel has finally fixed Wanda’s depiction, in a way the MCU could really learn from.

Marvel restores Scarlet Witch’s Romani heritage, but the MCU still has a lot of work to do

Marvel’s second installment in its What If…? novel series is a must for Scarlet Witch warriors as it journeys to a unique universe, one where Wanda is twins with Spider-Man, not Quicksilver. You’d think this would remove the heroine even further from her comic book origins, but actually author Seanan McGuire does a commendable job of preserving what makes Wanda Wanda. Arguably even better than the MCU.

In What If… Wanda Maximoff and Peter Parker Were Siblings?, a major plot point concerns Aunt May — here, Wanda’s aunt as well as Peter’s — encouraging the young sorceress to reconnect with her heritage. In this universe, the Parkers adopted Wanda when she was abandoned as a baby in Latveria and raised her along with their son in Queens, NY. At May’s encouragement, Wanda helps out a local Romani restaurant and learns about the language and culture from its owners, who treat her like a member of the family.

There’s an interesting parallel to be drawn in the novel between the prejudices Wanda’s Romani friends face and those she faces herself as someone whose extreme power levels frighten others. In other words, not only is restoring Wanda’s Romani background important, but it also presents a whole new layer of drama and depth for the character. In contrast, the closest the MCU has gotten to referencing Wanda’s heritage is a line in WandaVision about how she dressed as a “Sokovian fortune teller” for Halloween — which seemed to be a thoughtless nod to age-old Romani stereotypes.

The good news is Marvel fans have a new Scarlet Witch story out there that remembers to fix something the MCU has gotten wrong for almost a full decade, since Wanda’s cinematic debut in 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. Theoretically, there’s still time to address Doom’s own background through Downey’s portrayal in Avengers: Doomsday and Secret Wars, but that ship has likely already sailed. What if… Marvel actually had at least one Romani character in the MCU? How’s that for a question to ponder.