Robert Downey Jr. is looking to shift the hierarchy of power, Black Adam-style, with Avengers: Doomsday.
In playing Doctor Doom, the Marvel Cinematic Universe veteran hopes to “redefine the genre of superhero movies,” as he explained during a brief appearance on the latest episode of the official Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday podcast hosted by Iman Vellani and Frank Alvarez. We’re guessing the estimated $100+ million paycheck probably didn’t hurt either.
Robert Downey Jr. Wants Avengers: Doomsday to Reignite Marvel Excitement
“We love a challenge,” continued the erstwhile Iron Man star. “And we figured, ‘Let’s really mix it up and see if we can get ourselves excited, because if we’re excited, the audience will soon follow.'”
Doomsday is helmed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo, the sibling duo who delivered a string of the MCU’s biggest critical and financial hits—Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
Marvel Studios’ decision to bring the Russos back, along with Downey Jr., has been described by many as a Hail Mary-type gambit to reestablish the cultural and box office monopoly the franchise enjoyed up to and including Endgame.
At the very least, it represents a jarring trajectory shift from original plans to make Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror the next Thanos-level big bad. The big question now is whether Doom can succeed as a villain with no prior buildup to his arrival onscreen, though MCU mastermind Kevin Feige has tried to dispel that particular criticism.
“I do think that the Thanos buildup has built up in people’s heads over the years,” Feige asserted at San Diego Comic-Con in July. “He sat on a chair…he pulled the Gauntlet out and said, ‘I’ll do it myself’ and he yelled at Ronan briefly on a video screen. That was kind of it. I remember the memes, making fun of Thanos for just sitting in a chair.”
“And when we got to Infinity War, we said, ‘This is really the introduction of Thanos to people,'” he continued. “That’s how that movie was built,m [and] that’s what we’re doing with Doom. Doomsday is an introduction and the story of Doom. You peel the onion, you learn things about him as you go. It is very much meant for audiences that know and love him from the comics and audiences who have no clue who he is.”
Whether you buy that argument or not, Victor von Doom’s reign of terror officially begins Friday, Dec. 18. Tickets for Avengers: Doomsday can be found here.
Meanwhile, encore showings of Avengers: Endgame begin Sep. 25 and include a special look at the upcoming crossover event. The collection of stingers, which have already leaked online, carry some ominous developments with regard to the multiverse.
