I"m Now Convinced Robert Downey Jr. Is The Most Important Person To The MCU"s Success, Second Only To Kevin Feige
Summary
Against all odds, Robert Downey Jr. was announced to be playing Doctor Doom at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Marvel Comics' Victor von Doom is a magic-wielding Eastern European scientist with a lifelong grudge against Reed Richards and an innately evil personality — a very different character to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom casting raises some questions, as the actor's previous MCU credits could create unnecessary parallels between Iron Man and Doctor Doom, but his face will likely be covered by the villain's mask most of the time anyway, so an A-list casting could be wasted on the character.
Robert Downey Jr. Was The Face Of The MCU For 11 Years As Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.'s 11-Year Iron Man Journey Is Unforgettable Close Robert Downey Jr. was a huge risk for Jon Favreau's Iron Man in 2008, but so was the idea of a Marvel Cinematic Universe altogether. Luckily, Iron Man's risks paid off. At one point in Phase 2, Robert Downey Jr. was close to leaving the MCU, but he decided to stay, and his next roles started the second half of his MCU story, leading into Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame's epic conclusion to Iron Man's character arc. With Iron Man's main hero role in the Infinity Saga and Doctor Doom's main villain role in the Multiverse Saga, Robert Downey Jr. has become as synonymous with the MCU as Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige.
Even after his death, Iron Man continues to influence the MCU
As the franchise's first and most important hero, Robert Downey Jr. earned his place as the MCU's main figure, leading the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans. Iron Man kicked off the age of heroes in his timeline, helped create the Avengers, launched Spider-Man's superhero career, invented time travel, and saved the whole universe. Even after his death, Iron Man continues to influence the MCU through other characters and events in his original timeline, as well as through on-screen and off-screen variants in titles such as Marvel's What If...? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
It Makes Sense Marvel Brought Back RDJ When The MCU Has Been Struggling Robert Downey Jr. Is Marvel Studios' Infallible Weapon During Uncertain Times![]()
Custom image by Nicolas Ayala It's no secret that the MCU's Multiverse Saga hasn't been as consistent as the Infinity Saga, both in terms of quality and in terms of output. Phases 4 through 6 have considerably more installments than Phases 1 through 3, yet they don't include a single Avengers movie in a span of seven years and several installments have failed critically, commercially, or both. With box office bombs like The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania interspersed with hits like Deadpool & Wolverine, Robert Downey Jr.'s return seems like the ideal strategy to conclude the Multiverse Saga on a high note.
Robert Downey Jr. was initially considered for the role of Doctor Doom in 2005's Fantastic Four.
Besides Robert Downey Jr.'s successful eleven-year run with Marvel, the actor's recent Oscar win is also an asset for the MCU. Robert Downey Jr. recently proved his top-tier acting skills with his performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which earned Downey the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The actor's willingness to play a new character in the MCU after an Oscar win and after Iron Man's conclusive death suggests he fully believes in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars' potential to surpass Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
RDJ's Importance To The MCU Could Become A Problem For Marvel Marvel Studios Can't Keep Relying On Robert Downey Jr. Forever![]()
The MCU's plan to bring Robert Downey Jr. back will likely be reflected positively at the box office once Avengers: Doomsday introduces his take on Doctor Doom. However, Downey Jr.'s return may only work once. Not only will the end of the Multiverse Saga make it harder for established Marvel actors to come back, but the impact of second appearances by the same actor will likely diminish after it becomes clear that their departure isn't always definitive. After Iron Man and Doctor Doom, Robert Downey Jr. probably won't play a third Marvel character.
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Related Wait, Has Kevin Feige Been Teasing Robert Downey Jr & Chris Evans’ MCU Returns This Whole Time? Two actors have made unexpected returns to the MCU, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige may have been teasing their comebacks this whole time.
1 The MCU has failed to find a new central figure after Iron Man's death. Bringing back Robert Downey Jr. already seems like a last-ditch decision to course-correct, and bringing back other known actors or established characters isn't a strategy that can be relied on consistently. For the MCU's next saga, Marvel Studios will likely need to put special focus on new characters and new actors. On the bright side, the introduction of the MCU's own X-Men can help Marvel Studios capture the audience's attention without the need for extra strategies.
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Avengers 5
Release Date May 1, 2026 Franchise(s) The Avengers Budget $356–400 million Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025 Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025 The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025 Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025 Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026 Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027
[圖擷取自網路，如有疑問請私訊]
- Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man was pivotal for the MCU's Infinity Saga, and his Doctor Doom will be pivotal to the Multiverse Saga.
- Bringing back Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom may boost the MCU through a difficult period, but Marvel needs to focus on different strategies, because RDJ cannot keep coming back forever.
- To avoid the need for another actor's return, Marvel needs to find new central figures for the MCU.
Against all odds, Robert Downey Jr. was announced to be playing Doctor Doom at San Diego Comic-Con 2024. Marvel Comics' Victor von Doom is a magic-wielding Eastern European scientist with a lifelong grudge against Reed Richards and an innately evil personality — a very different character to Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom casting raises some questions, as the actor's previous MCU credits could create unnecessary parallels between Iron Man and Doctor Doom, but his face will likely be covered by the villain's mask most of the time anyway, so an A-list casting could be wasted on the character.
Robert Downey Jr. Was The Face Of The MCU For 11 Years As Iron Man Robert Downey Jr.'s 11-Year Iron Man Journey Is Unforgettable Close Robert Downey Jr. was a huge risk for Jon Favreau's Iron Man in 2008, but so was the idea of a Marvel Cinematic Universe altogether. Luckily, Iron Man's risks paid off. At one point in Phase 2, Robert Downey Jr. was close to leaving the MCU, but he decided to stay, and his next roles started the second half of his MCU story, leading into Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame's epic conclusion to Iron Man's character arc. With Iron Man's main hero role in the Infinity Saga and Doctor Doom's main villain role in the Multiverse Saga, Robert Downey Jr. has become as synonymous with the MCU as Marvel Studios CEO Kevin Feige.
Even after his death, Iron Man continues to influence the MCU
As the franchise's first and most important hero, Robert Downey Jr. earned his place as the MCU's main figure, leading the Marvel Cinematic Universe alongside Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans. Iron Man kicked off the age of heroes in his timeline, helped create the Avengers, launched Spider-Man's superhero career, invented time travel, and saved the whole universe. Even after his death, Iron Man continues to influence the MCU through other characters and events in his original timeline, as well as through on-screen and off-screen variants in titles such as Marvel's What If...? and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
It Makes Sense Marvel Brought Back RDJ When The MCU Has Been Struggling Robert Downey Jr. Is Marvel Studios' Infallible Weapon During Uncertain Times
Custom image by Nicolas Ayala It's no secret that the MCU's Multiverse Saga hasn't been as consistent as the Infinity Saga, both in terms of quality and in terms of output. Phases 4 through 6 have considerably more installments than Phases 1 through 3, yet they don't include a single Avengers movie in a span of seven years and several installments have failed critically, commercially, or both. With box office bombs like The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania interspersed with hits like Deadpool & Wolverine, Robert Downey Jr.'s return seems like the ideal strategy to conclude the Multiverse Saga on a high note. Robert Downey Jr. was initially considered for the role of Doctor Doom in 2005's Fantastic Four.
Besides Robert Downey Jr.'s successful eleven-year run with Marvel, the actor's recent Oscar win is also an asset for the MCU. Robert Downey Jr. recently proved his top-tier acting skills with his performance as Lewis Strauss in Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer, which earned Downey the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. The actor's willingness to play a new character in the MCU after an Oscar win and after Iron Man's conclusive death suggests he fully believes in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars' potential to surpass Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.
RDJ's Importance To The MCU Could Become A Problem For Marvel Marvel Studios Can't Keep Relying On Robert Downey Jr. Forever
The MCU's plan to bring Robert Downey Jr. back will likely be reflected positively at the box office once Avengers: Doomsday introduces his take on Doctor Doom. However, Downey Jr.'s return may only work once. Not only will the end of the Multiverse Saga make it harder for established Marvel actors to come back, but the impact of second appearances by the same actor will likely diminish after it becomes clear that their departure isn't always definitive. After Iron Man and Doctor Doom, Robert Downey Jr. probably won't play a third Marvel character. 
Related Wait, Has Kevin Feige Been Teasing Robert Downey Jr & Chris Evans’ MCU Returns This Whole Time? Two actors have made unexpected returns to the MCU, but Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige may have been teasing their comebacks this whole time.1 The MCU has failed to find a new central figure after Iron Man's death. Bringing back Robert Downey Jr. already seems like a last-ditch decision to course-correct, and bringing back other known actors or established characters isn't a strategy that can be relied on consistently. For the MCU's next saga, Marvel Studios will likely need to put special focus on new characters and new actors. On the bright side, the introduction of the MCU's own X-Men can help Marvel Studios capture the audience's attention without the need for extra strategies.
Avengers 5 Release Date May 1, 2026 Franchise(s) The Avengers Budget $356–400 million Upcoming MCU Movies Captain America: Brave New World
Release Date February 14, 2025 Thunderbolts*
Release Date May 2, 2025 The Fantastic Four (2025)
Release Date July 25, 2025 Blade (2025)
Release Date November 7, 2025 Avengers: Doomsday
Release Date May 1, 2026 Avengers: Secret Wars
Release Date May 7, 2027
[圖擷取自網路，如有疑問請私訊]
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