It’s well known by now that Robert Downey Jr. is playing Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, and with the film just over a month away, we’re still not sure why. After all, it would seem that having the actor who played the MCU’s protagonist for decades come back as the franchise’s new big bad would serve a narrative purpose, yet we’ve been given no hint as to what that is.
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Doomsday will undoubtedly address the visual similarity between Doom and Tony Stark, and we’ve already thought of one perfect way to do it. However, it will require subverting one of the franchise’s most iconic quotes.
Doomsday Needs To Subvert RDJ’s Iconic “I Am Iron Man” Quote
The Marvel Cinematic Universe is full of iconic lines, yet it is hard to find one that compares to “I am Iron Man.” Robert Downey Jr. delivered this line at the end of the first Iron Man film, kicking off the MCU with Tony Stark choosing to reveal his superhero identity to the world. This had massive implications for the franchise going forward, kicking off the story of Iron Man and the Avengers.
The line has become so linked with Tony Stark that it was also the character’s final line in the MCU. He again says it just before he snaps in Avengers: Endgame, sacrificing himself in order to undo the damage that Thanos had caused.
So, now that Robert Downey Jr. is coming back to the MCU, a new version of this line needs to appear in Doomsday. If Doom’s grand introduction begins with a line similar to “I am Iron Man,” such as “I am Doom,” it will immediately signal to audiences that the parallels to Tony Stark are intentional. By priming the audience to look for the parallels between Doom and Stark, it will better put the viewer in the shoes of the characters, who will undoubtedly not be able to ignore the similarities as well.
We don’t know why Doom looks like Stark, but we do know that giving Downey the opportunity to subvert the heroic role he filled for decades could be a lot of fun. Downey has a ton of range, and Doom will allow him to present this on a major stage. We’ve never seen a downright twisted Downey in the MCU, and lines like “I am Doom” will make the juxtaposition between the actor’s two performances hit home even harder.
Avengers: Doomsday Cannot Ignore That Doom Looks Like Tony Stark
The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doom is easily Doomsday‘s biggest gamble, and we still aren’t sure if it is going to pay off. After pivoting away from Jonathan Majors’ Kang as the big bad of the Multiverse Saga, Marvel Studios knew they had to do something big in order to salvage the last decade of MCU projects. Downey’s Doom was the answer to this problem, and while it immediately won some fans over, some skeptics haven’t been quite as eager to jump on board.
The biggest mistake that Doomsday could make is not addressing Downey’s casting as Doom in-universe at all. After all, the Multiverse Saga has been all about variants and fun casting decisions, so audiences are primed to ask why Doom looks like Stark. If the film fails to mention it, then it makes it clear that RDJ’s return is nothing more than a cheap marketing trick. It would be a cynical move to bring the MCU’s biggest star back in a different role just for the headlines, but if Doomsday doesn’t have a narrative reason for the casting, it’ll be hard to argue that this wasn’t the case.
There are endless possibilities for what Doomsday could do with this casting decision, but the most important thing is that it does something. There are a ton of fun thematic and narrative ideas that could be played with by bringing back RDJ as Doom, whether they be interesting character dynamics with heroes who knew Stark, the opportunity to bring Iron Man back, or anything else. Since this is the biggest mystery surrounding Doomsday, it’s obvious that it won’t get revealed until the film hits theaters. However, many of us are hoping that Doomsday manages to walk this fine line, as how the movie handles Downey’s return could make or break the film.
Why do you think RDJ is back as Doom? Let us know your theories on the ComicBook Forum!
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Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures Releasing
