Summary
- Audiences may struggle to see Robert Downey Jr. as a villain in Avengers: Doomsday.
- Downey Jr.’s acting style will need to change to fit the role of Doctor Doom.
- Doctor Doom should kill an MCU hero early in the film to establish him as a serious threat.
From the moment Marvel Studios announced that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe for Avengers: Doomsday, there has been no shortage of questions about what that will look like. He is set to take on the role of Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday, which will be completely different from Iron Man, which has left people wondering how it’s going to work.
After being the MCU’s heroic face, the idea of him becoming the lead villain in one of Marvel’s biggest movies is something that many fans are struggling to accept. However, in 2026, it will be a reality, and if Marvel wants Avengers: Doomsday to be a hit then an important decision will need to be made regarding Doctor Doom.
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Audiences Will Struggle To See Robert Downey Jr. As A Villain
Throughout the years he played Tony Stark/Iron Man, Downey Jr. essentially morphed his real-life personality and the eccentric nature of the character together. That’s one of the reasons why he became so popular in the role, as audiences genuinely bought into him being that person and felt like everything that was happening was real. It’s a credit to Downey Jr.’s acting skills, proving how beloved he can be when he gets the proper part.
He’s an actor who thrives on tapping into his natural energy, charm, and charisma, and that immediately makes him loveable. However, when playing a villain that could be problematic. Fans don’t want to see a loveable and fun villain who can bust out wise-crack comments as Stark did in the MCU, and that’s what many people are worrying about. Audiences are struggling to imagine him in this role before it even happens, and after all the changes that have taken place heading into this movie surrounding the character of Kang, it’s crucial that Marvel gets this one right. Many actors will be involved in this project, but Downey Jr will get a lot of attention due to his return to the franchise. Therefore, the pressure will be on.
His Acting Style Will Have To Change In Avengers: Doomsday
Downey Jr. is a talented actor, and he has proven this throughout his career, both in and out of the MCU. Even though Iron Man is the role he’s best known for and likely always will be, he’s versatile and can deliver a wide range during his performances. Oppenheimer opened people’s eyes to what Downey Jr. is truly capable of, and he will once again need to deliver something similar when it comes to Avengers: Doomsday.
He can flex a different side of himself from what he did during his time as Iron Man, and that will hopefully be an exciting enough challenge for him as an actor that it will come across on-screen to the point where it wows fans, and they can get lost in the performance. Marvel needs fans to forget about him as Iron Man and a lot of that will simply be on the acting performance itself.
Doctor Doom Needs To Kill An MCU Hero
While Downey Jr.’s acting skills are more than up for the challenge of delivering a completely unique performance in comparison to his work as Iron Man, Marvel still needs to take things one step further with Doctor Doom. Given that he’s the lead villain in a huge Avengers movie, audiences must take him seriously and see him as a threat quickly rather than take time to adjust as the movie goes on. To achieve that, Doctor Doom should kill a hero in the first act of Avengers: Doomsday. There’s going to be no shortage of characters in this film for Marvel’s creative team to choose from, and while it doesn’t need to be a lead name like Spider-Man, it needs to be a character fans care enough about for it to make an impact.
Marvel often holds off on killing top MCU heroes; after all, the movies are targeted at a wide spectrum of ages. However, when done right, this can be an effective tool for storytelling as it increases the drama and allows audiences to dive into everything that’s happening from an emotional level. Making this decision early on in Avengers: Doomsday will be one of those examples, similar to how Thanos wiped out so many characters with the snap. Doctor Doom obviously isn’t going to do something that dastardly so early on, but if he can take out a character, the shock factor alone will force audiences to take him seriously.
Killing off heroes isn’t an easy decision as they’re the backbone of the entire MCU, and without them, people wouldn’t be interested in the films. However, for the stakes to feel real and dramatic, those big moments have to take place sometimes. If Doctor Doom is able to showcase his power early on and kill off a hero, anyone who is still struggling with the idea of Downey Jr. as a villain should be stunned into accepting the reality of the situation. That will benefit Avengers: Doomsday as fans will be hooked into the rest of the film from that point on.
Avengers: Doomsday
- Release Date
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May 1, 2026
- Writers
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Michael Waldron
Cast
