Iron Man 3 director Shane Black thinks Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is what the comic book movie genre needs to bounce back. Avengers: Doomsday is over a year away, but fans are waiting in anticipation as Marvel Studios slowly dols out hints about what the MCU’s depiction of Marvel’s greatest villain will look like. A recent marketing expo seemingly revealed the comic-accurate design of Doctor Doom, but the big question mark for many is how Downey Jr. will fare as the character, given his long association with Iron Man, the character that launched the MCU.
Speaking with ComicBook for his upcoming film, Play Dirty, Black touched upon the topic of Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. Black said upfront, “I think he’s going to singlehandedly reinvigorate the entire comic book movie industry with that.” Black admitted, like many fans, he was very skeptical of the casting when he first heard it, but has since been won over. Black admits he hasn’t seen all the Marvel movies, but he is going to watch Avengers: Doomsday for sure. Black said:
“I mean, it seemed like at first a cynical idea, you know, ‘Oh, let’s just go back to the well of the one guy that seems to always save us.’ But it’s going to work. It’s really going to work. And he’s brought to it… I’m not at liberty to say anything, not that I know. I’m thrilled because I’m first in line to see that. I haven’t seen all the Marvel movies. I’ll see that one first.”
Shane Black and Robert Downey Jr.’s History
It is not surprising that Black had kind things to say about Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom. The two collaborated on 2005’s Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which was a career comeback for both Downey Jr. and Black. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang helped land Robert Downey Jr. the job playing Tony Stark / Iron Man, and Downey Jr. later recruited Black to help do some punch-ups on the incomplete Iron Man script. Downey Jr. later campaigned to get Shane Black the directing gig on Iron Man 3, whose $1.2 billion gross helped secure Black a blank check to write and direct the buddy cop comedy, The Nice Guys. Downey Jr. has a cameo as the corpse of Sid Shattuck in The Nice Guys.
Downey Jr.’s casting as Doctor Doom has been met with both excitement but also criticism by some fans. Like Shane Black’s initial reaction, many viewed the decision as a desperate attempt to win back audiences after a series of disappointments, including The Marvels and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Others are rightfully upset at the decision not to cast an actor of Romani descent to play Doctor Doom, as some fans have accused Marvel Studios of whitewashing the character.
The idea that the comic book movie genre is in trouble is a tricky one. While there have been high-profile disappointments from both Marvel and DC, there has also been a fair share of blockbuster hits like Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Deadpool & Wolverine, and recently Superman. Avengers: Doomsday will likely be another hit,given that every Avengers movie has grossed over $1 billion. Yet Black’s comments about Downey Jr.’s Doctor Doom are very exciting, suggesting a vastly different performance than Tony Stark, which, like Iron Man in 2008, could mark a major shift in the superhero genre.
