It’s hard to think of an actor managing his career after leaving a franchise better than has Robert Downey Jr. And that makes his announced return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe — in which he’ll be playing the villainous character Dr. Doom in forthcoming “Avengers” sequels, as announced this weekend — come as a surprise.
Downey’s “Iron Man” kicked off of the MCU in 2008, and his character Tony Stark’s death, in 2019’s “Avengers: Endgame,” was a climax of sorts. “Endgame” represented a culmination of all Marvel storytelling to that point: Downey’s definitive departure meant that this particular set of stories, in which wisecracking defense contractor sat at the emotional center, was done.
What immediately followed his departure was a major hiccup, with his film “Dolittle” bombing critically and commercially in early 2020. It was an attempted franchise-starter, and a cynical one: Downey has said since that he was…
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