Marvel Is Playing It Safe With Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo Brothers

Marvel Studios is coming off an incredible weekend. Deadpool & Wolverine became the highest-grossing R-rated opening of all time, and with $211 million, it is the sixth highest-grossing opening weekend of all time. In addition, the studio Hall H panel and San Diego Comic-Con got fans excited with new information and exclusive footage of Captain America: Brave New World, Thunderbolts*, and The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which showcased the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Yet the biggest moment for the MCU this week came from the announcement that the Russo Brothers would return to direct the upcoming two Avengers films, the previously announced Avengers: Secret Wars and the newly retitled Avengers 5, which is now Avengers: Doomsday. While the Russo brothers’ return was reported a week before the convention, they had one more big trick up their sleeves. Not only did they announce that Doctor Doom would be the villain of Avengers: Doomsday, but they cast an actor to play him: Robert Downey Jr., who is best known for kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Tony Stark/Iron Man.

The reaction in Hall H was of excitement, yet just outside the convention, anyone following the news was likely met with mixed emotions ranging from confused to downright disappointed. After how beloved Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo brothers have been for the MCU, delivering some of the greatest hits in the franchise, one can’t help but feel this could be a step back for the MCU and one that feels like a safe choice from every angle.

Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars Feels Like Same Old Same Old

Up front, the Russo brothers’ contributions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe are impressive. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame are rightfully considered among some of the best in the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and in all four cases, they appeared to do the impossible by balancing large ensembles of characters with what could feel like intricate plotlines and made them work by grounding them in character. They proved they can do this, so it is obvious why Marvel Studios picked them to helm what will likely be the two biggest MCU movies.

Yet, it can’t help but feel like the safe choice. As much as the MCU is criticized for playing things safe, the studio’s history is filled with big swings that, on paper, should not work but did. Joss Whedon was mainly known for television shows, but Marvel Studios gave him The Avengers, and that risk paid off. James Gunn might not have seemed the obvious choice to helm a big-budget superhero movie, but his three Guardians of the Galaxy films are among the best in the series. Even the Russos themselves, when they got the gig to direct Captain America: The Winter Soldier, was a risk but one that paid off. Marvel Studios has found great success betting on interesting filmmakers like Ryan Coogler, Taika Waititi, and Jon Favreau, to name a few, and seeing what a superhero movie from them looks like.

While on paper, it makes sense to bring the Russos brothers back, it doesn’t feel as exciting as, say, getting a new director or even a director who has been part of the MCU’s Multiverse saga to help form its epic conclusion. This seemed like the plan when Avengers: Doomsday was originally titled Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and was going to be directed by Shang-Chi director Destin Daniel Cretton, but he has since dropped out to focus on a potential Shang-Chi sequel. Marvel has also decided not to pull from their unique Phase 4 and 5 slate of directors like Sam Raimi (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), Adil & Bilall (Ms. Marvel), or Academy Award winner Chloe Zhao (Eternals). Marvel Studios isn’t even looking at new voices who could give a distinct look and feel to what an Avengers movie could be to set itself stylistically apart from Whedon or the Russo’s Avengers movie. Instead, they are going with what works.

The two-part epic finale of the Multiverse Saga should feel distinct from the conclusion of the Infinity Saga. The Russo brothers made sense as the directors of Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame because of how tied they were to the Infinity Saga, but they have had no involvement in the MCU’s Multiverse Saga. The directing duo had made it known in the past that they would love to do Avengers: Secret Wars, so it is clear they have a passion for the material, which is not to be discounted. Yet after the duo’s attempts outside the MCU, like Cherry and The Gray Man notably flopped hard with critics and audiences, their return feels like the cinematic equivalent of Michael Jordan returning to play basketball after trying baseball, someone who went out on top as a legend in one field returning to it after their attempt to branch out backfired. Of course, Jordan won three more championships after his return. Can the Russo brothers do the same?

Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom Feels Like Playing for Nostalgia

Robert Downey Jr. is a great actor, no question. Many people might only think of him as Tony Stark, but he is a great character actor and could play villainous and sinister, so it is a mistake to put him in a box and say he doesn’t have the right energy for Doctor Doom. He recently won an Academy Award for his role in Oppenheimer, and films like Chaplin, Less Than Zero, and Tropic Thunder show that he has plenty of range and can likely pull off any role. The issue with him being Doctor Doom is not that he has played Iron Man before; that is irrelevant as the MCU has used actors in previous MCU movies and featured actors who played characters from other non-MCU films that don’t make them some variant. No, the issue with Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is more about how it feels like a way for Marvel Studios to play on audience nostalgia instead.

Robert Downey Jr. returning to the MCU as Iron Man or a new character like Doctor Doom will generate plenty of buzz for a movie and get audiences excited or curious about it, at least. Robert Downey Jr. is so linked to the MCU that his return in any form is a big deal. There is likely a good story reason that Russo and Kevin Feige have come up with for why Robert Downey Jr. needs to be Doctor Doom, and there is a good chance the actor has a good take. It is too early to jump the gun, as fans dismissed Chris Evans at first when he was cast as Captain America due to him having played the Human Torch before. Yet it feels somewhat cynical as it might have been more exciting for a new actor to play Doctor Doom.

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There is also the fact that many are rightfully mad that they feel like Doom should be played by a Romani actor or one of Romani heritage to match the character’s comic book counterparts. While one might argue that there are no big-name Romani actors that would be a big sell, that’s not a good argument since Marvel Studios has been great about finding new faces and making stars out of them. Some good examples include Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel, Alaqua Cox as Echo, Simu Liu as Shang-Chi, and Tenoch Huerta as Namor. Some of these actors had limited, if any, credits at all before they were cast. Still, Marvel Studios discovered this talent that fans would have been denied if they went for established stars to skip over a character’s heritage.

Part of the fun of the MCU is who the studio cast to play these iconic roles. Fans are incredibly excited at the prospect of Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn, and Ebon Moss-Bachrach as The Fantastic Four, and part of that excitement is that they are new to these roles. Imagine how excited audiences would be if they announced a Doctor Doom with no pre-existing baggage like what Robert Downey Jr. carries with him: the face of the MCU’s Infinity Saga.

Fans might not have broken out into cheers at Comic-Con and would have been more cautious, but it would have also led to more excitement about what this new actor would bring to Doctor Doom. This sense of newness is what the MCU was built on when they initially cast Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man. Instead of finding the next RDJ., they have just returned to what works.

Marvel Has Failed to Prop Up Its New Talent

The decision to cast Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom and bring back the Russo brothers also might speak to a larger problem at Marvel Studios in that they might finally be in a position they haven’t been in years: they are in a place of self-doubt. Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is seen as the peak year. The films in that phase got the best critical and audience reaction, and every one of them performed well, particularly Black Panther and Captain Marvel, which did massive numbers. Marvel got audiences to care about heroes like Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Ant-Man, and The Wasp just as much as The Avengers. Meanwhile, the franchise had six Avengers characters as anchors.

They haven’t had that recently. The Marvels was the studio’s first outright box office flop, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania performed below the previous two Ant-Man movies. While the reports of their box office tanking are highly exaggerated, as by every metric, all three of their 2022 films (Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, Thor: Love and Thunder, and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) were box office hits. In the domestic and worldwide top 10, Marvel Studios has spread itself too thin and hasn’t found which characters are supposed to be the anchors anymore.

Part of this is the COVID-19 pandemic and WGA and SAG-AFTRA delays, as there wasn’t supposed to be a four-year gap between The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Captain America: Brave New World, yet it is an issue. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings was a hit with critics and audiences. If this were the Infinity Saga, not only would we have a Shang-Chi sequel by now, but Simu Liu would have cameoed in about two to three films within the time period between the sequel to keep him in the public eye. Yet Shang-Chi has not been seen or referenced since his feature film, and Marvel Studios still hasn’t announced a sequel date, and it has been three years.

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Instead of making sure to position heroes like Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, and Captain Marvel as major pillars in the franchise or giving new heroes like Shang-Chi, She-Hulk, and Moon Knight the push with supporting roles and cameos, Marvel Studios appears to be worried they don’t have a big hook for their Avengers movie and bringing back the fan-favorite directors and the franchises most beloved actor seems to be the plan. Avengers vs Doctor Doom is already a strong enough pitch. Instead of letting audiences know that Iman Vellani’s Ms. Marvel will get to interact with Tom Holland’s Spider-Man or promoting a She-Hulk and Deadpool fourth wall face-off, they are relying on big-name stars and directors to inspire audience goodwill instead of letting the characters be the selling point like it was in the past.

Obviously, this is all speculation at this point and early on. Robert Downey Jr. and the Russo brothers have delivered great Marvel movies before, and there is an exciting prospect for everyone returning and seeing exactly how this will all work. Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom after having been the series’ most popular hero certainly is a bold move, so it isn’t entirely 100% safe. Yet it is worth noting how Marvel Studios got to this point and wondering if these decisions result from Marvel fatigue or Marvel Studios losing confidence in itself. Here is hoping that they haven’t forgotten about that, and in two years, when Avengers: Doomsday comes out, this article will be proven wrong. The MCU is streaming on Disney+.