RDJ is back for Avengers: Doomsday, this time as Doctor Doom. It is strange casting, slightly desperate casting and, judging by the attention it received, extremely effective casting. After years of audiences being asked to care about variants, timelines and characters scattered across films and Disney+ shows, Marvel only had to put RDJ in a green cloak to get everyone talking again.

Which raises an awkward question: is he singlehandedly keeping the MCU alive?

The MCU after Endgame has had good movies. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 was a strong farewell, Loki made the multiverse worth caring about, and Thunderbolts* showed that Marvel can still make its less famous characters interesting. The problem is not that Marvel suddenly forgot how to make good productions, rather that they stopped feeling connected to something audiences absolutely had to see.

The Infinity Saga rarely had that problem. Peter Parker could annoy Tony Stark in one movie while Doctor Strange wanders into another universe, but sooner or later everyone would meet up to fight a purple man over some colourful rocks. Ridiculous, yes, but there was a destination.

Since then, Marvel has introduced Shang-Chi, Moon Knight, Ms. Marvel, Kate Bishop, She-Hulk and the Eternals, among others. Some were great. Some were not. Most have spent so long in separate corners of the MCU that it is easy to forget they are supposedly part of the same story. Shang-Chi debuted in 2021 and, five years later, we are still waiting to properly see what Marvel plans to do with him.

That is where RDJ becomes useful.

You do not need to have watched six Disney+ shows to care that the face of Iron Man is now Doctor Doom. Even someone who checked out after Endgame can immediately understand why that is weird. Will the Avengers recognise him? Why does Doom look like Tony Stark? Is there some multiverse explanation coming, or did Marvel simply know exactly which face would sell the most tickets?

Probably a little of both.

Marvel is leaning into familiarity elsewhere too. Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and the actors from the old X-Men films are back, and the Russo brothers are directing Doomsday. For a franchise that spent years introducing the next generation, its biggest event in years is starting to look suspiciously like the alumni reunion.

And that is the real issue. RDJ is not the only thing keeping Marvel alive. Spider-Man certainly does not need rescuing, with Brand New Day already grossing around $2 billion worldwide. The X-Men and Fantastic Four give Marvel plenty to work with. Marvel has enough beloved characters to keep releasing films for another decade if it wants to.

The harder question is whether people will feel like they have to watch them.

That is what RDJ brings back. People who stopped following Marvel are curious again. Doomsday feels less like another date on Marvel’s release calendar and more like something you might actually get spoiled for if you do not see it opening weekend. You may have absolutely no idea where Moon Knight has been since 2022, but Tony Stark’s face trying to destroy the universe? Fine. We are listening.

Marvel spent years making its universe bigger and somehow made it easier to ignore. So, when it finally needed the Avengers to feel unavoidable again, it went back to the actor who helped make the MCU unavoidable in the first place.

Apparently, even dying in Endgame cannot get you out of a Marvel contract.