Ever since Marvel Studios publicly announced that Robert Downey Jr. would be returning to the MCU as Doctor Doom, fans have been divided. Many, however, were excited and completely invested in the new direction Marvel seemed to be moving toward after abandoning the Kang Dynasty that they were just starting to build.
Downey's involvement meant Marvel could expand its ever-growing universe even more by introducing different dimensions and timelines on a broader, grander stage (much like what we saw with the introduction of the TVA and Deadpool & Wolverine). As if the title of the movie didn't give it away, Avengers: Doomsday was already looking promising, signaling our heroes would be facing Doctor Doom.
But it wasn't until this March that audiences would learn just how huge the cast would be. From the likes of the Fantastic Four (with Pedro Pascal listed at the very end of the line before Downey) and the Thunderbolts, to previously-seen Avengers like Thor, Captain America (The Falcon), and Ant-Man, the hype was growing.
And then the names of X-Men started appearing, such as Kelsey Grammer, James Marsden, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, and Rebecca Romijn. Well, then things got a whole lot more interesting.
But ever since rumors swirled that filming would begin in April of this year, there hadn't been many updates until recently.
We just got a disappointing update about Avengers: Doomsday
During this year's San Diego Comic-Con, Romijn, who will be reprising Mystique from the X-Men films of the early 2000s, was asked about the status of filming for Doomsday, and her response is troubling: “The script hasn’t – they haven’t finished writing it. It’s been very, very fun, and we don’t know yet. They keep everything very close to the vest themselves in an effort to keep everything under wraps.”
Initially, this doesn't sound good, but it leaves me feeling conflicted. On the one hand, the lack of a finished script means one thing to me: Is Marvel waiting to see how well The Fantastic Four: First Steps performs at the box office?
Three Marvel films were released this year, with the first two (Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*) underperforming financially. Rumors emerged that Captain America, previously The Falcon, would be the leader and face of the Avengers, or at least one of three Avengers teams. But will that change?
If Marvel was waiting to see how much money The Fantastic Four makes, then it goes without saying, they do not have confidence in themselves to write and create something fans would enjoy.
The other part of me views the lack of a finished script as a good thing, as it could signal that Marvel Studios wants to listen to what the fans are saying and take notes on where they went right to avoid another failure.
But let's be honest: there is no room for error anymore. Avengers: Doomsday needs to be as epic, grand, and successful as their previous Avengers installments.
The good news is if Marvel was waiting to see how The Fantastic Four: First Steps does before proceeding further with the script, then they are in luck because the film is performing at an incredible level. We're talking, as of July 27, $118 million at the box office.
The box office success makes sense. The film kept all its promises, choosing a perfect cast placed within a story that thrilled comic book fans, breathing fresh air into the MCU, and reminding fans that this studio is far from over.
At the end of the day, after watching The Fantastic Four over the weekend, I'm now more excited than nervous about Avengers: Doomsday—but the fact that they're not done with scripts is a bit concerning.