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Eric Young has mixed feelings about Robert Downey Jr. playing Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
One of, if not the biggest announcement of the summer happened at San Diego Comic-Con when Robert Downey Jr. officially returned to the MCU as Doctor Doom. The announcement was polarizing; some immediately loved it while others wondered how it would all work since Downey previously played Tony Stark/Iron Man.
TNA Wrestling‘s Eric Young recently sat down with WrestleZone’s Managing Editor Bill Pritchard. Young is a self-proclaimed “comic nerd,” and he’s also known to wear a Doctor Doom-style mask in the ring. When asked about Downey’s return, Young said as a comic nerd he doesn’t feel like Downey should be both Iron Man and Doom. However, he knows it’s the movie business and Downey is one of his favorite actors, so he’s interested in how they’ll pull it off.
Eric Young on RDJ’s Return To The MCU
“He’s incredible. It’s cool for me because I’ve been a comic guy,” Eric Young said. “I have been a die-hard comic fan for 30-plus years. And I had thousands and thousands of trades. And I’ve known this is an amazing medium for over 30 years. It is really cool to see the whole rest of the world being like, ‘Oh man, comics are amazing. And the characters are amazing, and the stories are amazing.’ It is real-life human emotion put into these kind of wild, over-the-top, not-realistic characters. And Robert Downey Jr. changed the game, changed his life for the better, and became one of the most recognizable people by playing Iron Man.
“Now he is Doctor Doom. I think the comic nerd in me is like, ‘Well, you can’t be both.’ I’m also a person that understands that they are trying to make money and they want people to watch the movies and putting Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom is amazing.”
Young joked that he didn’t get a cease and desist for wearing the Doom mask yet, but he’s waiting on it since Doom is going through a resurgence in popularity. The mask was a gift from Robert ‘RD’ Evans and Young loves how it looks on TV, although it can present some travel issues.
“I’ve got a Casey Jones mask, I’ve worn different hockey masks because hockey’s such a big part of my life. I’ve had a Gary Cheevers mask. I think [Doom] was my favorite, but carrying it through the airport can be a bit of an adventure. It’s metal and they are always like, ‘What is this?’ And they have to pull it and look at it. It can be a wild ride at the airport sometimes.”
RDJ is one of Eric Young’s favorite actors of all time
Despite his reservations as a comic book fan, Young believes Marvel and Downey will figure it out.
“Me too. I guess they got the messed up timeline and all that stuff. They’ll figure it out. They are smarter than me. And Robert Downey Jr. rules. He’s one of my favorite actors of all time. He’s been one of my favorite actors since he played Charlie Chaplin in the [1992 biographical] movie Chaplin.”
Young is also happy because Downey’s comeback story is a heartwarming one.
“I don’t know. It’s just cool to see the resurgence. And it’s a cool story to see. He was rock bottom and then fixed his life, fixed his career and it’s really cool to see, it’s never too late. And second chances could be beautiful and that’s got nothing to do with this interview but I think it’s amazing. It’s just a really cool thing to see. And I’m open to him being Doctor Doom. Not that he cares or they care, but I am open to it.”
You can check out our complete interview with Eric Young in the embedded video below.
READ MORE: Eric Young Believes TNA’s Current Success Has Been Years In The Making
What do you make of Eric Young’s overall comments? Are you excited for Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the MCU as Doctor Doom? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
If you use any of these quotes, please credit WrestleZone with a link back to this article for the transcription.
