The career of Robert Downey Jr. went down infamously in the 1990s due to substance abuse and addiction. He was arrested several times and struggled to get insurance for the works. Thankfully, Downey overcame his illness and his career flourished in the 2000s. The fact that he was considered for a role in blockbusters like “Fantastic Four” was a sign of an upturn to come. However, the movies won’t be the career start he needs. They received poor reviews and average box office returns. Maybe RDJ gives them extra charm because Doom will give them a boost, but he can only do so much on his own.
Long-term ramifications can also be negative. Imagine the world where RDJ Can’t Join “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” because of a scheduling conflict with “Fantastic Four” or one in which he had to turn down “Zodiac” because he had a reservation to shoot the sequel, “Rise of the Silver Surfer.” RDJ’s great performances in those films were a big bonus in restoring his reputation.
Now, the elephant in the room: Can RDJ still play Iron Man with Doom on his resume? There’s no denying it – after all, Chris Evans has gone from the Human Torch to the MCU’s Captain America. However, time will cut it. “Rise of the Silver Surfer” was released in 2007, just a year before “Iron Man”. Perhaps the RDJ will not be able to accommodate both schedules. Maybe he had a bad experience with the Fantastic Four and decided not to star in another superhero series.
These possibilities are better not known. However, this little tidbit about casting really makes Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s “Infamous Iron Man” a comedic read in which a reformed Doom becomes the new Iron Man.
