Marvel Studios recently announced that Robert Downey Jr. is making his MCU return as fan-favorite villain Doctor Doom in the upcoming Avengers movies. However, fans have mixed feelings about the casting.
For the past few years, there have been speculations on whether Downey will return to the franchise despite Tony Stark's iconic death in Avengers: Endgame. The actor has also expressed his interest in stepping into the MCU again.
Some fans have theorized that the actor might return as a different variant of Tony Stark. Rumors have also emerged recently that he might come back as a villain instead, which would be a shocking twist for long-time fans.
MCU Fans Are Divided Over Robert Downey Jr.'s MCU Return as Doctor Doom
During Marvel Studios' recent San Diego Comic-Con Hall H presentation, Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers, who are confirmed to direct the upcoming Avengers movies, announced that Downey is making his MCU return as Doctor Doom.
He will serve as the main villain in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars.
The Oscar winner showed up on the stage wearing a green suit and the character's iconic mask. When he took off the mask to reveal himself, he was met with a rapturous response by the Hall H crowd.
"New mask, same task. What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters," Downey said.
While the announcement was met with enthusiastic reactions among the Hall H audience, the responses online have been divisive.
Some were happy to see Downey return to the MCU while some were concerned with the choice and felt like the casting was uninspired. Here are some of the reaction posts from fans on X:
It remains to be seen whether Downey's casting as Doctor Doom will pay off, but it's clear that Marvel Studios need to do a lot of work in the upcoming movies to prove that they made the right choice for the role.
There is no doubt that this will be Marvel Studios' biggest gamble to date as well as Downey's riskiest move in his career. All we can hope is that it will all work out and skeptical fans would change their mind once they see the first film in 2026.
Avengers: Doomsday will arrive in theaters on May 2026 while Avengers: Secret Wars will released on May 2027.
What do you think of Downey's villainous MCU return? Let us know in the comments!
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