Is Marvel Doomed?

At Comic-Con, the superhero studio showed it's still living the past.

Ten days ago, I wrote how Marvel Studios wanted to make it 2019 again by bringing back directors Joe and Anthony Russo to helm the next two Avengers movies. At Comic-Con last night, Marvel showed its commitment to living in the past by trotting out its former Iron Man, Robert Downey Jr., as the new big bad of the franchise, Doctor Doom.

Robert Downey Jr. on stage in Hall H at the 2024 San Diego Comic-Con | Image via Melissa Molina

I’ve thought about this casting and the rehiring of the Russos, and I keep trying to find a way to be excited for what Marvel has coming. I come up with nothing. This may seem like a way to rain on a triumphant weekend for Marvel where Deadpool & Wolverine broke box office records and previews of the studio’s upcoming movies received waves of enthusiasm from the 6,000 fans inside Hall H. Perhaps this is when Marvel turned a corner and reestablished itself as a dominant force in blockbuster cinema.

But I’m skeptical.