Robert Downey Jr. Says He Returned to the MCU to “Redefine the Genre of Superhero Movies”

Robert Downey Jr. spent more than a decade as the face of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but he isn’t coming back just to take another victory lap.

When Downey returns in Avengers: Doomsday, he’ll be stepping into the armor of Victor Von Doom, and he apparently sees the role as an opportunity to shake up superhero movies in a major way.

During the Avengers: Endgame special episode of the Countdown to Avengers: Doomsday Official Podcast, Downey was asked by Iman Vellani what convinced him to return to Marvel after closing out Tony Stark’s story. He explained:

"What brought me back was the opportunity to redefine the genre of superhero movies so that's a tall order. You know Mr. Feige, you know the group, we love a challenge and we figured, 'Wow let's mix it up and see if we can get ourselves excited, because if we're excited the audience will soon follow.'"

Redefining superhero movies is a pretty massive goal, especially considering Downey helped turn them into the dominant force at the box office in the first place. Marvel Studios has already redefined them, now they are looking to do it again.

It also comes at an interesting point for Marvel Studios. While Spider-Man: Brand New Day found success, the MCU has gone through a rough stretch in recent years, with several films struggling to connect with audiences and falling short at the box office.

Superhero fatigue has become part of the larger conversation surrounding the genre, so bringing Downey back as one of Marvel Comics’ most famous villains is certainly one way to get people paying attention again.

There are already signs that Avengers: Doomsday has serious audience interest. The movie has been performing well in pre-sales and breaking records ahead of its theatrical debut, putting a lot of attention on whether it can become a turning point for Marvel.

Kevin Feige has also talked about changing Marvel’s strategy, including releasing fewer projects between Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. After years of movies and Disney+ series arriving at a rapid pace, Marvel appears to be putting more focus on individual projects rather than flooding the calendar.

At the center of Doomsday will be Downey’s Doctor Doom, who is being positioned as the Avengers’ toughest opponent yet. Seeing the actor who defined Tony Stark and Iron Man return as Victor Von Doom is still a wild idea, but Downey wants his comeback to be about more than the novelty of watching him play a Marvel villain.

Marvel is also giving fans a small taste of what’s coming through the theatrical rerelease of Avengers: Endgame, which includes new material connected to Avengers: Doomsday and is currently playing in theaters around the world.

The new footage has already leaked online, which Marvel probably isn’t too happy about. These leaks are becoming more normalized these days.

Regardless, Downey saying he wants to "redefine the genre of superhero movies" puts a huge expectation on Doomsday. Whether the movie can actually pull that off remains to be seen, I appreciate the challenge, though, and I hope they pull off something spectacular!

If you’re going to bring Robert Downey Jr. back to the MCU as Doctor freakin’ Doom, you might as well swing for something huge.