James Gunn Responds to Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom MCU Casting
Director James Gunn recently addressed the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the first time.
While a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Gunn was asked what he thought about Marvel wild and unexpected casting choice and he called it “a smart move,” adding:
“I was excited about it. And I also love Robert, so I think that’s cool. I think it’s a great idea. I think there’s nobody better than him.”
It’s definitely a smart move for Marvel if they are looking to turn some heads and get people interested in the future of the franchise.
This is going to be really weird because from what I understand, Downey Jr. is not playing a villainous variant of Tony Stark that goes by the name of Victor Von Doom in an alternate universe. He’s playing a completely separate character and none of the heroes he fought alongside in the Infinity Saga will recognize him as Tony Stark.
So, any actor could’ve been cast in this role, but Marvel chose Robert Downey Jr., because it was a smart marketing move to build hype for the future of Marvel movies.
Downey Jr. talked about the casting saying that Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige approached him with the idea, calling Feige “a creative thinker.”
He said: "Probably a year ago, because Feige and I have kept in touch. We're pals. Favreau and Feige and I have kept in touch. I'm close with the Russo brothers. We have other business we're doing.
“So there's this little group of fellow travelers, and I had this instinct that I wanted to go to Bob Iger. And I had an idea, outside of the cinematic universe, for how I could be of service to what's going on in the parks and all their location-based energy.
“And Susan and I were sitting down with Feige at one point, and he said, 'It just keeps occurring to me that, if you were to come back...' And Susan was like, 'Wait, wait, come back as what?' And then we both realized, over time, that it was another thing that just disproves any doubt anyone could ever have about that guy.
“[He's] a very sophisticated, creative thinker about, 'How can we not go backwards? How can we not disappoint expectations? How can we continue to to beat expectations?' And he brought up Victor von Doom, and I looked into [the] character, and I was like, 'Wow.' And later on, he goes, 'Let's get Victor von Doom right. Let's get that right.'
“So then I said to Kevin, 'Can I go talk to Bob Iger?' He goes, 'About?' I go, 'About everything.'"
"And I'd gone to Bob's house, which I don't know how to describe that experience," Downey continued. "I've had a lot of really cool experiences. We go to Iger's pad, and we sit down and start saying, 'I just really want to be...' He goes, 'I like it.' I was like, 'He likes it.' He goes 'Come by the Imagineering campus.'
“Feige and I go to the Imagineering campus and — you want to talk about two guys that are not easy to have their minds blown, let alone at the same time. I can't say too much about it, but what is going on there right now is so beyond my expectation of what was possible. no wonder it was numinous to me.
“It's also the only way that I felt like I can give a certain entertainment-seeking audience, something that they may have a hankering to have an experience of, in a way where I can continue to develop my interest in the future of entertainment.
“Where the hell else should you go back there? So it's this crazy, weird thing that's going on, and if that all goes to sh-t, we'll just remake what many people say is the greatest film of all time."
