The Doctor Doom Romani controversy, explained

In a move that has shaken the Marvel Cinematic Universe — and indeed the entire world of cinema — to its core, Marvel Studios has cast Iron Man actor Robert Downey Jr. as the MCU’s new “big bad” Doctor Doom.

After playing the franchise’s flagship hero for 11 years, Downey Jr. will return to play its next primary antagonist, taking the place of Kang the Conqueror after Jonathan Majors was blacklisted from Hollywood for behavior in his personal life. While the reaction to Downey Jr.’s casting has been primarily positive, it’s fair to say that some people have not taken the news well.

While many fans are unsure of an MCU villain having Tony Stark’s face, another of the main reasons some people have reacted negatively to the casting is that they believe it’s an example of whitewashing, as Doctor Doom’s Romani heritage is a vital element of his backstory.

For anyone not already aware, whitewashing is the practice of casting white actors in non-white roles in the movie industry. Legitimate past examples include Mickey Rooney playing Mr. Yunioshi in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Alec Guinness playing Prince Faisal in 1962’s Lawrence of Arabia, and Scarlett Johansson playing Motoko Kusanagi in 2017’s Ghost in the Shell.

It’s also happened many times in other superhero movies. Examples include Kris Kristofferson playing Abraham Whister in 1998’s Blade, Liam Neeson playing Ra’s al Ghul in 2005’s Batman Begins, Tilda Swinton playing the Ancient One in 2016’s Doctor Strange, and Alice Braga playing Cecilia Reyes in 2020’s New Mutants.

But why are people calling Downey Jr.’s casting an example of whitewashing? Is the controversy justified?

Why are people mad about Downey Jr. being cast as Doom?

Defining the Romani people’s ethnicity is complicated. Linguistic and genetic evidence suggests they originated in the Indian subcontinent and they are deemed to be ethnic minorities in predominantly white countries like the United States and the United Kingdom.

However, the UK government website describes them as a white minority, and Friends, Families & Travellers, a website representing such minorities in the UK, points out that Romani will be represented on the UK Census from 2021 onward and “will appear under the White ethnic group category, following consultation with members of the Roma community.”

The whole situation is, therefore, creating a sensitive grey area of controversy.

It’s not the first time Marvel Studios has faced such accusations about Romani characters. The castings of Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson as twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff in the Marvel Cinematic Universe resulted in the same whitewashing assertions from some fans. However, earlier comic book incarnations of the characters were depicted as the possible children of the white American Whizzer, making the situation slightly different from Downey Jr.’s casting.

Whether or not Doctor Doom should be played by an actor from Central or Southeastern Europe is another matter entirely. That being said, he’s from a country that doesn’t really exist. Latveria is entirely fictional, so there aren’t any Latverians in the real world who might be offended by an American playing one of their own.

Of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion. If you find Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom offensive or poorly judged, that’s your right and we’re interested to hear arguments digging into the long comic-book history of the character.

Regardless, here’s hoping the Academy Award-winning star of Oppenheimer and Chaplin does Marvel’s most iconic villain justice.