Comic fans, Robert Downey Jr. may not be able to save the MCU

Fans have been in a waiting period after The Fantastic Four: First Steps was released. Consumers are geeked about Spider-Man: Brand New Day. People believe the film will be a success because of interest in the characters and sound storytelling. Not the same can be said for Avengers: Doomsday, and that is problematic for Disney.

Robert Downey Jr. was the cornerstone for the MCU. His touching character portrayal of Tony Stark made superheroes relatable. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremey Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Chadwick Boseman, Clark Gregg and Samuel L. Jackson combined that formula and their talent to further solidify the MCU as a successful box office juggernaut. They were the building blocks that allowed for the universe to expand. Avengers: Endgame was the pinnacle of the MCU's success. It was built upon their hard work. Then Disney got greedy.

Marvel has a large library of characters. The Mouse started to believe that all they had to do was roll out another character and then back up the dump trucks to collect their profits. That was not the case. Consumers beyond the diehard comic fans wanted more. They wanted such things as character development, a good plot, and a fresh take on characters that went beyond cosmetic improvements. Talented actors were given flawed projects. What once was a magnificent carriage turned back into a pumpkin. Now the MCU needed to find it's magic again.

The MCU needed Robert Downey Jr. The problem was how could this be done. Iron Man died a hero. His return would only trivialize his death. The solution was to cast RDJ as the cornerstone of the Marvel's villain universe... Dr. Doom. The next hurdle to overcome was how to introduce his new character. Robert's return to the MCU could not be done in a simple way. Doom had to be fully introduced in the same scope as Iron Man was taken from fans. It had to be a grand moment. Their answer...Avengers: Doomsday.

Sometimes people see a flaw and then still choose to plow through regardless of dangers. Kevin Feige knew the MCU was expanding at such a rapid pace that viewers were getting confused. He said it best when he told Variety "But nobody knew that title and many of those characters were from a [TV] show. Some [audiences] were still feeling the notion of, 'I guess I had to have seen the other shows to understand who this is." . He also added in the Variety article that "For the first time ever, quantity trumped quality." Feige had diagnosed the MCU's illness and then...

The MCU is a part of the landscape of current moviegoers. Feige saw cracks in the current MCU that prevented future success. Marvel considers Avengers: Doomsday to be a reset of up to 25% of the MCU. Possible areas that need fixing could be the parentage of the Scarlet Witch, the involvement of Kang, the integration of mutants, and other plot holes. The issue now is that Feige seems to be ignoring his quantity vs. quality analysis. Around 30 heroes have been confirmed to appear in the film. This does not even include a possible appearance by the merc with a mouth in Avengers: Doomsday. How do so many characters get anything more than a small cameo on film, much less contribute anything significant to the plot? The buildup for this film is great but overpacking it with eye candy is not how the MCU was built. This is something even the great talent of Robert Downey Jr. cannot overcome.

The casting of Robert Downey Jr. was something fans like me loved. His dedication to the universe was more than a mere check. Iron Man allowed him to be seen as a bankable and reliable star. His connection with the fans was inspiring. Visits to hospitals with sick fans was something all fans could support. Many may laugh at this belief, but this writer believes RDJ's attempt to come back to the MCU is an attempt to breathe life back into his greatest masterpiece, still...

Fans are not moving to ANY keys with ties to Avengers: Doomsday. Minor keys from the likes of Ant-Man, John Walker, Namor, Shang-Chi, Torres (Falcon) and others are not moving much. The reason is because this reset is not being perceived to be the industry mover that the Avengers: Endgame was for casual fans. The buzz was already baked in with the prior films. Now even the leaks like Deadpool vs Doom is not moving the needle much in book traffic. A quick review of GoCollect's Collectible Price Index reveals a downward trend for comics across the board. If you lost the excitement of comic book fans it does not look good.

Excitement is different from compulsion. FOMO will be rampant in the next year. More and more news about the project will be leaked and comic book sites will hype books as "cannot miss" issues. Do not lose your head. Buy low on books but do not pay a premium on ANYTHING where the needle has moved rapidly upward based upon prior movie news. Rumors of Mr. Sinister and Apocalypse being the next big players in the X-Men and MCU have already been making the rounds. Going on a tilt and making impulsive purchases or sales because of a perceived "missed" opportunity is not the way to go.

Feige is betting it all on RDJ. Robert Downey Jr. is one of this author's favorite actors and I do hope he succeeds in reviving the MCU. After several successes the MCU demonstrated that comic book properties' appeal to more than just comic book fans. Hobbyists saw an influx of consumers and dollars invade the hobby they love. Then the MCU failed to match their own prior bar of accomplishments. Cost cutting and mass production was selected over quality. Those same new fans started to leave both the theatres and the hobby.

Avengers: Doomsday is a chance to reset the film universe as well as the hobby. Fans should not jump in whole-heartedly because, unlike Disney, you cannot afford great losses. Buy and sell wisely. Many will say this is a second chance but redemptions are rare. Review the GoCollect numbers and make informed decisions. Finally, remember Kevin Feige's words even if he forgot them... Quality is better than quantity. Chose quality books rather than books that have high volatility but with no real measurable attributes. If not, you too may find your doom.