Is Robert Downey Jr. being cast as Doctor Doom proof that a desperate Marvel Studios is out of ideas?

For years following Avengers: Endgame, we joked about Marvel Studios eventually growing desperate enough to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to save the day, but we never assumed it would happen so soon, and in such a startlingly fan-service-y way.

Indeed, for all my misgivings about the MCU Phase 4 and how it seemed to derail the entire narrative to a point of laughable, no-stakes-involved parody of its former glory, it seems that Marvel itself is even more worried about the future, making fans wonder if they, too, suspect that we might be living through the twilight years of the brand.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been the occasional hit. Spider-Man: No Way Home is one of the best superhero movies in memory; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is emotionally potent and cinematically superb; Deadpool & Wolverine has broken box office records left and right. But the overall trajectory of the MCU — such as it is — doesn’t look too bright, a problem exacerbated by Jonathan Majors’ firing after being convicted of assault and harassment.

And now, plans for Avengers: The Kang Dynasty have been scrapped, and in their place we have Robert Downey Jr. returning to the cinematic universe as the villainous Dr. Victor von Doom. 

Why is RDJ back in the MCU?

Ever since Avengers: Endgame gave us the biggest superhero crossover in history and briefly held the position of the highest-grossing movie of all time, the MCU has been struggling to reinvent itself with experimental projects, and failing that, has repeatedly attempted to catch that lightning in a bottle again by leaning on fan-service cameos and occasions.

Yet none of these strategies have worked, or more precisely, none of them have managed to grip the geekdom in another bout of genre frenzy, like the Infinity Saga did during the last decade. The diminishing box office returns, the aura of superhero fatigue, and the lackluster critical reception to these new stories, not to mention the effective loss of the Multiverse Saga’s Thanos equivalent are all plunging the MCU into a mire from which there seems to be no escape… or at least, until the powers that be play the last ace up their sleeves.

That ace is the actor who helped shape the MCU into what it is today. The man who started it all, and the man who bade it farewell at the zenith of its relevance in 2019, securing a legacy that would live on in the minds of geeks for generations to come; untouched, superlative, and timeless.

But then, you have to admit, legacy is a little bit overrated, and there’s no such thing as leaving well enough alone when it comes to Hollywood. And so, the simplest answer to that question is this: The MCU needs Robert Downey Jr. to give it that spark, perhaps that last huzzah, before they’d be willing to let the curtain fall one last time — perhaps not even then.

Of course, we have no doubt that Marvel will think up a clever reason for why Victor von Doom should be portrayed by the likeness of our Tony Stark. The occasion even gives them an excuse to play around with his identity. I can’t help but imagine how the rest of the Avengers and the superhero ensemble will react when they see their ultimate hero, their dearest friend, is now their biggest enemy.

At any rate, that’s why your favorite genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist will be donning the green cloak to appear as Dr. Victor von Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, slated for 2026, and Avengers: Secret Wars, in 2027.