Kevin Feige defends Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom’ rollout; claims Thanos was ‘built up in people’s heads’; fans SLAM MCU boss |
Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has addressed criticism surrounding Robert Downey Jr’s introduction as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).The MCU boss, who was at the ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ panel at Comic-Con, took questions about the Thanos vs Doom debate. Speaking about the criticism that RDJ’s Doctor Doom has not received the same gradual buildup as Josh Brolin’s Thanos, Feige argued that the Mad Titan’s presence before ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ was relatively limited and that the alleged ‘build up’ was only in fans heads.
Kevin Feige claims Thanos was ‘built up in fans’ heads’
In a chat with Brandon Davis, Feige said, “The Thanos buildup has built up in people’s heads over the years. He sat on a chair at the end. He pulled a gauntlet out and said, ‘I’ll do it myself.’ And he yelled at Ronan on a video screen briefly, that was kind of it.”Feige recalled how Thanos himself became the subject of internet jokes before Infinity War finally put him front and centre. “I remember the memes making fun of Thanos for just sitting on a chair … with ‘Infinity War’ we said, this is really the introduction of Thanos to people, that’s how that movie was built, that’s what were doing with Doctor Doom [with ‘Doomsday’].”
Kevin Feige SLAMMED by fans
However, Feige’s explanation prompted strong reactions across social media, with many fans arguing that Thanos’ influence extended far beyond his limited screen time. Slamming Feige, one fan wrote, “This is dumb as hell considering that it’s literally called ‘The Infinity Saga’ because the plot of almost every movie involves Thanos’ motives/quest for the infinity stones. Meanwhile doom is like ‘yeah doom is here.‘”Another fan argued that the character’s presence was felt throughout the Infinity Saga, “Kevin Feige is right in that Thanos only had a few minutes of screen time, but he’s WRONG in that Thanos wasn’t built up because nearly half the films relied on the introduction and collection of Infinity Stones on the path to some cataclysmic event. Thanos was always there. Now, let’s look at how this DOES NOT work for Dr. Doom. Since Endgame, Phases 4-6, what do we have that signaled Dr. Doom besides a post-credit appearance in last year’s underperforming Fantastic Four? Nothing. MCU’s second saga was all about the multiverse and timeline variants. Alternate realities, alternate timelines, and the threats those alternates contain. Dr. Doom is not associated with the multiverse in any unique or singular way.”Another fan criticised Feige’s assessment, insisting audiences naturally embraced Thanos’ long-term introduction. “This is such a maddening answer from #KevinFeige. The effectiveness of the Thanos rollout wasn’t built up in our heads. We’re not all under some mass hypnosis believing that we liked it. We ORGANICALLY liked it. So accusing the fans of overstating its effectiveness is a ridiculous answer. You’re ironically trying to manipulate or even gaslight fans into believing a new false narrative about the Thanos rollout after accusing THEM of concocting a false narrative about it. Come on now.”Others argued that Doctor Doom’s arrival appears to be the result of Marvel changing direction following the studio’s original plans for Kang the Conqueror following Jonathan Majors’ controversial exit. “This argument would hold more water if we didn’t know Doctor Doom was a last minute pivot when the Kang Dynasty plans fell apart, Doctor Doom hadn’t been a virtual non-entity in their Fantastic Four film, and the obvious stunt casting of RDJ in the role.“Another post read, “What a lie… Literally every movie since the MCU has been laying the groundwork for a big future threat… And every movie focusing on one of the Infinity Stones… Thanos was set up from the very beginning…Dr. Doom had zero buildup.”Still another pointed to recurring references to the Infinity Stones and Thanos saying, “he is ignoring the infinite gems showing up in multiple movies thanos multiple cameos gamora and nebula acting as his heralds loki being tortured by him thor and tony’s visions foreshadowing the end? undermining a well built up saga for this doomsday slop whatever man.”‘Avengers: Doomsday’ that marks the final two chapters in the Multiverse saga, is set to premiere on December 18. The film will be followed by ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’, set for a December 2027 release.
