Daily News for Marvel Movie

Summary

• RDJ's potential return to the MCU as a version of Tony Stark who is Doctor Doom could provide a fresh take on the character, avoiding the risk of undoing Iron Man's impactful legacy.
• Bringing back RDJ within the Multiverse Saga with a new role as Doctor Doom may add complexity and further depth to the MCU narrative.
• RDJ's potential return as Doctor Doom would be a strategic move that capitalizes on his star power while honoring Iron Man's story.

Certain Doctor Doom rumors suggest that Robert Downey Jr. might come back to the MCU, and it's the only way I can see it happening. Robert Downey Jr. is one of the MCU's most recognizable and central figures, starring as Tony Stark in 10 movies as a prime example of how competent Marvel is with its casting decisions. Iron Man's iconic tenure was brought to a close in Avengers: Endgame in one of the MCU's most heartbreaking deaths as Tony Stark proved capable of making the ultimate sacrifice for the sake of others.
Since his departure, the MCU timeline has hit several stumbling blocks. Tony Stark's death brought an end to the Infinity Saga and with the birth of the Multiverse Saga came a downturn in overall enthusiasm outside the movies of MCU veterans like Thor, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man. Consequently, rumors have circulated that Marvel is considering bringing RDJ back into the fold to capitalize on his star power once more. These recently culminated in the suggestion that he might return in upcoming Marvel movies, but not as Iron Man – which may well be the most viable way for him to return.
Related Iron Man (2008) Cast – Where Are They Now? The debut Iron Man movie kickstarted the MCU with an all-star cast of prolific actors, who have all worked steadily in the years since.
Bringing Robert Downey Jr. Back As Doctor Doom Matches With RDJ & Kevin Feige's Iron Man Return Rules Close Within the context of the Multiverse, RDJ could return as an Iron Man variant from another universe seemingly at any time – particularly within Avengers: Secret Wars – but that would feel somewhat contrived in the wake of his game-changing sacrifice.
Despite the rumor mill turning for several years, both Robert Downey Jr. and Marvel boss, Kevin Feige, have stressed significant stipulations. Namely, the two would only reintroduce RDJ/Iron Man if there was an inarguable cause to do so within the current MCU narrative. Within the context of the Multiverse, RDJ could return as an Iron Man variant from another universe seemingly at any time – particularly within the story of Avengers: Secret Wars – but that would feel somewhat contrived in the wake of his game-changing sacrifice.
With that in mind, new rumors now suggest that RDJ and his star power may return as Doctor Doom. This falls neatly within the parameters set by Kevin Feige and RDJ as Doctor Doom is at this point inevitable, not to mention a brand-new MCU character completely different to Iron Man (save for, perhaps, their intelligence). RDJ has proven recently that he is more than capable of handling the gravitas needed to portray Doctor Doom, and Tony Stark returning to the MCU in this guise would deliver an interesting turn of events.
A Doctor Doom Return Would Avoid Undoing The Impact Of Iron Man's MCU Story Close The MCU needs to tread exceptionally lightly around a possible RDJ return. Iron Man's legacy is unassailable following his iconic exit with a snap of his fingers and a tragic farewell to the loved ones he saved. Bringing Iron Man back as a variant – which the Multiverse Saga has established can be identical copies of the "original" in both appearance and personality – would tarnish the impact of Tony Stark's selfless final moments, which flew in the face of his arrogance in his early MCU appearances.
Doctor Doom may debut in the MCU in The Fantastic Four, due to his association with the titular team.
Bringing the actor back as a variant that assumes the mantle of Doctor Doom would sidestep this risk. Instead of returning as the heroic Tony Stark, whose story was defined by his aversion to weapons manufacturing and maintaining power over the world, returning as a version of Doctor Doom would flip the script. It would provide the best of both worlds, as Tony Stark returns to the MCU, but in a guise that highlights the heroism of Earth-616's Stark without directly interfering with his initial arc.
Robert Downey Jr. Returning To The MCU As Doctor Doom Would Be A Perfect Multiverse Saga Payoff Close Despite instances of self-aggrandizement and a more morally gray compass than his fellow Avengers leader, Captain America, there is no question of Tony Stark's heroism. His attempts to protect the world may have at times been misguided, but they came from a place of virtue rather than self-service. While Doom is far from purely villainous, his arrogance far exceeds that of Stark and his megalomania couldn't be further removed from Stark's own MO. By debuting Doom as a Stark variant, the original Stark's virtues would be strengthened as a result.
It would also feel poetic to have the Multiverse Saga ending with Stark's pivotal involvement once more. Provided Avengers: Secret Wars intends to adapt its comic book namesake, then Doom may be responsible for saving the universe, much like Stark did in Avengers: Endgame – only this time he would be doing so with his own power-grab at the forefront of his mind. Either way, if the rumors are to be believed, this is the only way I can see Stark returning to the MCU without besmirching his legacy.
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a multimedia superhero franchise that began in 2008 with Paramount's Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jr. The franchise quickly grew in popularity, with Disney eventually buying out Marvel Entertainment in 2009. The MCU consists of dozens of movies and TV shows, most notably Avengers: Endgame, WandaVision, and Loki.
Created by Kevin Feige First Film Iron Man First TV Show Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Cast Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Scarlett Johansson , Samuel L. Jackson , Jeremy Renner , Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Edward Norton , Paul Rudd , Tom Holland , Tom Hiddleston , Anthony Mackie , Cobie Smulders , Brie Larson , Chadwick Boseman , Sebastian Stan , Chris Pratt , Dave Bautista , Zoe Saldana , Bradley Cooper , Vin Diesel , Pom Klementieff , Josh Brolin , Karen Gillan , Clark Gregg , Paul Bettany , Don Cheadle , Benedict Cumberbatch , Evangeline Lilly , Simu Liu , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Angelina Jolie , Kit Harington , Salma Hayek , Richard Madden , Barry Keoghan , Gemma Chan , Ma Dong-seok , Brian Tyree Henry , Kumail Nanjiani , Lauren Ridloff , Lia McHugh , Jonathan Majors Expand Upcoming Marvel Movies
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Avengers: Secret Wars
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