Adding Robert Downey Jr. in 'Avengers: Doomsday' Repeats DC Films' Mistake of Adding Batman to 'Man of Steel 2'

A successful 'Avengers' film starring the former Iron Man as Doctor Doom won't help move the needle for introducing new heroes into the post-Avengers: Endgame MCU

The big news out of SDCC this past weekend was not Marvel spoiling all of the big Deadpool & Wolverine cameos just as the film was opening nationwide. Nor was Harrison Ford doing a comedic “hulk out” on stage to promote the least secret “secret” since Anakin Skywalker turned to the dark side in Revenge of the Sith. The big mic drop was Robert Downey Jr. waltzing on stage in “costume” to proclaim that he would be playing Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (RIP The Kang Dynasty) and Avengers: Secret Wars. No word whether Victor Von Doom will have completed his PhD in time for an alleged Fantastic Four post-credits tease. RDJ has just under a year to hit the books. The move seemed more about winning Comic-Con than solving any longer-term MCU problems (some real, some imagined). That is why it reminded me of when Warner Bros. turned Man of Steel 2 into what would become Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice almost on a dime to “win” the 2013 SDCC. They did, but at a heavy cost.