WHY I'm (Cautiously) Optimistic About a Doctor Doom Film!

So, I'm pretty excited to write this post. Why? Because it gives me the opportunity to write about Doctor Doom and that's basically my favorite thing to do. If you need proof of it, you should check out the first part of a series I'm working on here. Interestingly enough, I started working on it when I first heard that they were making a film about Doctor Doom. I jokingly told my friend that I would write it and send it to the Director so that he could perhaps incorporate my own vision into his story - but, since then, it's turned into a passion project of sorts and I'm hoping that one day I can publish it with Marvel's consent. Dream big, right? But, who knows. I would have never thought they'd attempt a solo Doctor Doom film, and yet here we are. 

That previous article from Cinemablend tells it's audience that they should be excited for the impending, untitled Doom film.. but I'm not so sure I agree with that claim. While the idea of a Doom film sounds interesting in theory, I can't say I'm completely on board with the concept. And, since this is "The WHY," of course I'm going to tell you why I feel this way. So, let's dive into the cinematic history of the man himself.. Doctor Doom! 

Image by Comic Vine

Doom has had a very strange cinematic history. His first appearance never saw the light of day, as the 1994 Fantastic Four film was never released. Based on the clips, it seemed like it would have been, at the very least, an unique film for its time. It wasn't until eleven years later that Doctor Doom was officially introduced to the cinematic world, in the 2005 Fantastic Four film. Julian MacMahon delivered an interesting take as Doom in both the original film, as well as the sequel, and, in all honesty, I don't have many qualms with his performance. Was it perfect? Far from it. But considering the fact that it was the first film made in an era where Comic Book films did not carry the level of clout and prestige that they do now.. I can't say that I'm really disappointed with what they produced. 

But, the latest iteration of Doom - the one that was created in a post MCU era, has me absolutely terrified of what direction they might take the character in. If you haven't seen Fant4stic, just don't. Seriously. I've said it before, and I'll say it again; that movie is a monstrosity of the highest accord. And in a post MCU era, wherein you can literally make a movie about talking Raccoons and Sequoias and have it sell millions of dollars, it's completely unacceptable. What they did to Doctor Doom was an honest tragedy. 

Image from Dateline Movies 

The image above is strange because while I can see the word "DOOM," I don't actually see Doctor Doom anywhere. Weird, huh? That movie was such a mess that I would have actually have preferred they gone with the original rumors of a female Doom; a Victoria. That would have been immensely more interesting than the ridiculousness that was this film. Truthfully, I might not have had such a problem with the character had they referred to him as something other than Doctor Doom. Hood-Guy or Melted-Face or something. It would be like if they made a movie about  Superman and took away his alien lineage and the fact that he could fly, and still called him Superman. That's something, sure, but it definitely isn't Superman. 

In all honesty, though, I actually kind of hope we someday see a story that revolves around a female Doom, though. I feel it could be interesting for multiple reasons. For one, it could lead to a story that shows the difficulty Victoria has being taken seriously in Latveria as a Queen, and her struggle to prove herself worthy. Or, we could see a very different relationship between her and Reed Richards. Perhaps a story showing how she wants his level of intelligence, and he wants her heart; or something to that effect. I don't know, I'm just spit-balling here. Regardless, it could lead to something new and interesting and I know Marvel is all about that in their comics these days. But, I digress. 

Image from Reddit 

What's strange about the idea of a Doom film is the fact that he will essentially be receiving the Spider-Man treatment, meaning that this will be the third iteration of this character since he first appeared in the 2005 Fantastic Four. And the last reboot was only two years ago. What makes it even more bizarre is that he wasn't even necessarily the main character of the film, as was the case with Spider-Man. I mean, what if they gave Green Goblin his own movie after you saw him in the 2002 Spider-Man and the 2014 Amazing Spider-Man 2. Granted, the Goblin does not carry nearly the same amount of prestige as Doctor Doom, but still. It's just a weird route to take, from a company perspective; but then, Fox isn't a stranger to weirdness when it comes to the F4. 

But, I'm not completely worried about this film. From what I've heard, the director, Noah Hawley, seems to be an excellent candidate for the show- as he has worked on Marvel properties in the past. I suppose, if anything, I'm more focused on the Screenplay and where they take it. I really hope they pull from Books of Doom, especially since they apparently won't be using any members of the F4 for this film - which could either be really bad, or better overall. Only time will tell, really. 

Image from Giphy 

So all in all, I feel I'm more justified in my caution, than I am in my optimism. But, who knows. Maybe I'll be presently surprised. Maybe they'll give me a Logan-esque version of Doctor Doom - one that will be a genuinely pleasant experience. I can only hope, really. But, until that time I'll take pleasure in re-watching this fan-made film by Ivan Kander. If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend checking it out - I'm sure you won't regret it!

Whether you liked this post, or hated it, feel free to leave a comment with your thoughts on the untitled Doom film. And, once you're done with that, feel free to look around the rest of my blog for more posts that you might find interesting!