Avengers: Doomsday Trailer’s Most Controversial Scene Is Causing a Vocal Backlash: Viral Reaction, Explained
Since the Avengers: Doomsday trailer dropped, the much-hyped MCU movie has been examined from every possible angle. However, the thing that is really breaking the internet is Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Doctor Doom.
In the new Doomsday trailer, we get a glimpse of many of the MCU characters that have taken us through the Multiverse saga, including members of the New Avengers and Fantastic Four, Shuri as the Black Panther, Namor, and even Shang Chi. This time around, it looks like Thor is taking on a leading role in what may well be a new generation of the Avengers. We're also reunited with other familiar faces like Charles Xavier and Magneto along with other X-Men members like Mystique. The trailer was cameo central, with Steve Rogers and his new swoopy hair also popping by, but the thing that is most significant is the way the trailer gives us our first in-depth glimpse of Doctor Doom.
Based on the Avengers: Doomsday trailer, he doesn’t seem like someone you’d want to mess with, with the clip featuring a voiceover that presumably comes from the villain. But, the menacing monologue didn’t land the way the House of Mouse probably wanted it to, with the internet mercilessly bullying Robert Downey Jr.’s voice work.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Doctor Doom Voice Raises Eyebrows
In the trailer, the man we can assume to be Doom says: “Something's coming. Something we may not be able to deter. Before the day is done, we shall be faced with an unthinkable decision.” Pretty standard superhero movie trailer stuff, right? The thing is, he says this with a thick Slavic accent.
While this might not be a surprise for comic book fans, it left Marvel movie buffs more than a little unimpressed. “RDJ’s accent for Doctor Doom…” one X user wrote. “Can we have a voice actor dubbing him because what was that?”
“Literally had no idea this was supposed to be the RDJ Doom voice,” a second said. “It's the way the accent goes from Nandor to Liverpool accent to white South Africa.”
While a third user, in response to another fan praising the accent asked: “Is the Eastern European accent in the room with us?”
Over on Reddit, users were similarly tickled, with many of them making Doctor Dolittle jokes. In one post on the r/MCUTheories subreddit, one said: “I should have put the pieces together when they said he was going to have an accent. I had to play the trailer multiple times only when he speaks and some scenes from Dolittle... yep the same voice, same accent; I'm not even kidding you.”
“Doctor Dolittle is a Doom variant, confirmed,” a second quipped. Meanwhile, a third posited that RDJ is also taking inspiration from some of his other roles. “Bit of his Sherlock mixed in as well,” they said. “Ohh tell me he dips into Tropic Thunder when he goes into monologue with the battles. HUH!”
Is Avengers: Doomsday Getting Doom Wrong?
While the choice to give Doctor Doom an accent is divisive, it actually makes a lot of sense: suggesting that the Russo brothers are actually tying the MCU closer to the comics than other directors and showrunners have arguably done in the past.
In the comics, Doctor Doom rules the fictional Eastern European nation Latveria. As well as this, the character also canonically has Romani roots. So, to put it simply, Avengers: Doomsday seems to be aiming to be more comic-accurate than previous adaptations, which suggests a strong commitment to getting that character right.
Still, there is a difference between trying and succeeding. It is difficult to judge the accent properly from a trailer alone, but based on audience reception, it doesn’t seem the accent is believable enough for certain fans.
Why People Are Making Doctor Dolittle Jokes
Back in 2020, when he was finally free from the shackles of Marvel, Downey Jr. decided to expand his repertoire by starring in the movie Dolittle: a reboot of the much loved Doctor Dolittle franchise. While the pandemic meant it was the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2020, it was actually a critical and commercial failure, even being nominated for six Golden Raspberry Awards.
One of the most notable aspects of the film was the bizarre Welsh accent the actor employed for the role. Needless to say, not everyone was a fan of that accent. So, now the king of accents has returned, netizens are having a lot of fun comparing Doctor Doom to Doctor Dolittle. Or should that be Doctor Doomlittle?
