There was big Internet news the other day when Marvel revealed that Robert Downey Jr. was returning to the Marvel Cinematic Universe…and that he'd be playing Doctor Doom (?)
The thrill of seeing RDJ on stage sent the audience into thunderous applause of course…we all love this guy!
In the aftermath of this, some commentators and fans are more skeptical…
Comic book fans know Doctor Doom and have been waiting for him to show up. Downey is a great actor, but he obviously plays Tony Stark in this franchise, not Victor Von Doom. Besides that, I've seen others mention that he doesn't really embody a Doctor Doom kind of presence (and I agree with this…whatever Doom's vibe is, RDJ doesn't quite match up).
There is also speculation, and even some rumor, that this is a misdirect. That RDJ might be playing a VERSION of Doom (from the multiverse, maybe, or some other mechanism). This suggests (to me, anyway) that we'll see a Tony Stark/Von Doom realize the guy he used to be, or the guy he COULD have been, in another timeline, and have some kind of redemption arc or return to his true Stark/Iron Man identity. It also suggests that there will be a REAL Doctor Doom in play, who will be portrayed by another actor, and will be the true mastermind villain.
This makes sense to me - we'll eventually find out how this is going to play out, and how the audience responds.
Plenty of fans I've seen are knocking this idea as terrible. Some others, I assume, are good with it and will be excited to go and see RDJ again.
This is not to argue against audiences talking about this, speculating about this, and giving their opinions on it - hey, we're here! We're alive! Let's talk about stuff!
But whether he's a multiverse variant (which seems the easiest way to go - it worked for Wolverine!) or it's some kind of reanimated/mind-controlled Tony Stark or something (which seems more wacky and delicate), or just a Doombot (Doctor Doom had plenty of robot duplicates of himself in the comics. Just like Joe Biden. I'm kidding!). That approach seems like it would be destined to disappoint fans!
Anyway, no matter what the plan is, I think the IDEA is neither good nor bad. It's all about the execution.
It's very hard to call an idea good or bad before seeing the final product.
To be clear, in this case I'm talking about the general idea: bringing RDJ back to (allegedly) play Doctor Doom.
I do think specific approaches to executing this idea can be called bad right away: he's a robot duplicate of Tony Stark who believe he's Doctor Doom? THAT could only be a letdown to most fans.
Anyway, the point was to say that things aren't really bad or good when they're still just an idea. An idea can be molded, stretched this way and that, and executed well, or badly, or somewhere in between.
The idea stage is where a piece of art can still be perfect, whether it's a painting, song, movie, or comic (or any kind of performance, presentation, political campaign, birthday party or whatever). It's perfect because it's just an idea.
In the physical execution of something - it can never be perfect. It can be a failure, a disappointment, or a great success - or anywhere in between…
So this idea, some version of RDJ play Doctor Doom. I can imagine a scenario where it's great! I can imagine a scenario where it's disappointing.
It's only an idea at this point.
We'll find out!
This applies to our own comic, writing, and art creation as well. If you've ever had an idea, then created something from that idea, you've experienced this!
Anyway, I'm running long, here. Gonna get going.
See you next time with a much more perfect Newspost!
Or that's the idea, anyway…
____________
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The Idea Stage
Banes at 12:00AM, Aug. 1, 2024
3 likes!
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plymayer at 6:19PM, Aug. 2, 2024
@Banes Liam Neeson could do it.
Banes at 9:09AM, Aug. 2, 2024
@plymayer - Ha! Well, James Earl Jones was an obvious great fit, with that voice. I was just thinking that Liam Neeson could be a good choice...great voice, anyway.
plymayer at 1:00AM, Aug. 2, 2024
Back in 2004 I was fiddling with an idea for a fan fiction comic featuring Doctor Doom. Some of the ideas I had for actors portraying Doom were Al Pacino, James Earl Jones and Jack Nicholson. Thinking back on it, Pacino and Nicholson wouldn't fit the role.
Banes at 3:17PM, Aug. 1, 2024
@KAM - that is one rumour… or at least a theory that I heard actually. I didn’t realize it had roots on the comics.
KAM at 12:31PM, Aug. 1, 2024
An occasionally used ability of Doom's is the ability to project his mind and take over someone else's body (I can remember 3 times he did this in the comics). So maybe he did this with another universe's Tony Stark? If so then maybe by the end of the film Doom's mind will be sent back to his real body while Tony gets control of his body back?
Banes at 10:55AM, Aug. 1, 2024
@InkyMoonDrop - A lot of people are reading this as a desperation play from Marvel, yeah. I do feel pretty confident that he will not be playing Doctor Doom the whole time. He will be Tony Stark. Not sure how that will play out exactly, but there is more to this storyline than just RDJ being Doom!
Banes at 10:53AM, Aug. 1, 2024
@JohnCelestri - That could be! A fun, sugar-high movie can be good, even though many of us hope for more. One thing these Avengers movies won't be is 89 minutes, though...I'm pretty sure of that! xD
Banes at 10:51AM, Aug. 1, 2024
@dpat57 - Hey, tell us how ya really feel! xD -- I was watching Infinity War again the other week and he's clearly standing on an apple box or something in a couple scenes, haha...
Banes at 10:50AM, Aug. 1, 2024
@marcorossi - I don't know! Do you mean literally put an end to it, in-universe? Deadpool and Wolverine doesn't do that. I'm just guessing at the Multiverse elements - maybe it won't be in the new movies (I'll be surprised if it isn't. So tempting for the writers/creators to use).
InkyMoondrop at 6:39AM, Aug. 1, 2024
What bothers me about it is solely that it shows how much they're grasping. They need to generate hype after the fiasco with Kang, because no one actually believes they've got this, so the easiest way is to throw in RDJ once again. I didn't read up on his reasonings, maybe he doesn't want to play Iron Man anymore but isn't against a different role for a movie or two... I don't know. It just appears to be the case when the very reason he was cast for the role is because fans loved him in another and they've gotta get fans invested somehow. To be fair, he's a terrific actor and will have no problem delivering a superb performance as Doom even if it doesn't really match up to his profile. But it needs to be written well. Infinity War gave us a great Thanos, Endgame did him dirty a bit. And it's not like they were really at their top game while going with Kang... Kang had a lot of potential, yet with Quantumania they gave us a family adventure with a villain to get defeated over and over.
JohnCelestri at 6:17AM, Aug. 1, 2024
To me, it's all about giving the audience a "sugar high". It's a fun idea for a less-than 89 minute padded movie (including 10 minutes of end credits).
dpat57 at 1:43AM, Aug. 1, 2024
They better give him platform shoes and a muscle suit, Von Doom is a goddamn monster. Will I queue to watch this movie? No. Will I maybe watch it when it eventually comes to Disney+ ? Again no. Unless he's up against some damn good heroes. Von Doom was always at his best with the Fantastic Four, who have shot their limp wad on numerous occasions and have no cache now. Having said that, maybe the movie will be brilliant. We must wait and see. And stop being so pessimistic.
marcorossi at 12:30AM, Aug. 1, 2024
I tought the point of the Deadpool/Wolverine movie was to put an end to the multiverse thing?