Tony Stark and Victor Von Doom have more in common than a mask
You’ve seen the news. You don’t need a recap, but if you’re online at all, you’ve probably already started to see backlash to Robert Downey Jr being cast as Doctor Doom in the next Avengers movies. Some are calling it a cheap ploy to recapture the nostalgia people have for the ‘good ol’ days’ of the MCU; some would simply rather see a new face in the role—for Marvel Studios to take a risk on somebody—than cashing out for the only star they know will get asses in seats.
I can’t deny that Marvel are taking the easy way out—that they’re playing the hits because they know they’ll get a good reaction instead of trying something new and different—but I also think that, story-wise, Feige and the Russo brothers have made an interesting creative choice in casting the man who played Iron Man to take up the role of Doom.
For those unfamiliar with the character of Victor Von Doom; he’s a man who, having lost his parents as a youth, uses technology and magic to lead the fictional nation of Latveria. He possesses a genius-level intellect and super-powered armour. However, his most notable character trait is his ego. He’s an inventor who believes that only he has the skill and power to truly save the world.
You’ll notice the similarities between him and a certain ferrous male hero.
So have writers of the comics. Despite appearing most commonly as an enemy of the Fantastic Four—specifically Reed Richards—Doom works equally well as a foil for Tony Stark. There’s even a 2016 comic book run that I’m sure will be getting reprinted very soon called Infamous Iron Man where Victor takes over the role of Iron Man .
Very simply, Doom is a dark reflection of Tony Stark—a glimpse at what kind of person Tony could be if he let his ego get out of control; if he didn’t have the spark of heroism inside him; if he let his desire to control and shape the future of humanity run unchecked by his fellow Avengers.
Doctor Doom is arguably one of Marvel’s greatest villains in part because he’s so tragically close to becoming a hero. For this reason, I think that Robert Downey Jr. is a great choice to portray him. RDJ comes preloaded with so many positive emotions. When we see him, we see Iron Man. We see a hero and we want him to do the selfless thing.
Marvel taking that in-built expectation and perverting it is going to be fun. Some people won’t like it. That’s fine. For some, bringing back RDJ is the same as bringing back Tony Stark, and people won’t want to see his Endgame sacrifice cheapened. I acknowledge this, but for me it doesn’t overshadow the fun I’m going to have watching RDJ play such a brilliant villain, especially one that is sure to provide a fascinating counterpoint to the role of Tony Stark that he played for so long.
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