What Robert Downey Jr.’s Return to Marvel Means for Blockbuster Cinema

While I’m admittedly not the biggest comic-head or superhero fan, exploring Comic-Con this year has been a blast—and a real eye-opener into the super fandom surrounding all things Marvel. So it’s no surprise to me—or anyone I’m sure—that Marvel revealing Robert Downey Jr.’s return to the franchise was about the biggest news to ever rock the San Diego Convention Center.

And while it’s exciting for sure, and despite some obvious story and plot points that might still need to be resolved for RDJ to return to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as anyone other than reprising his Iron Man role, it also very much signals that Marvel blockbuster cinema is not done just yet.

With Deadpool & Wolverine also being a major focus of Comic-Con 2024 and doing extraordinarily well at the box office already, let’s take a look at what this big news for Marvel can forecast for the future of the film industry—and how blockbusters and indies alike might fare these new tent poles.

Will Marvel Continue its Dominance?

Walking around Comic-Con can teach one a lot about who the most popular superheroes are and, specifically, what costumes might be the most fun (or at least the most cooling) to dress up as it also simply reinforces the idea that blockbuster superhero movies work for a reason as these fandoms are already very much baked in.

And, after catching Deadpool & Wolverine at Comic-Con too, as Ryan Reynolds’ quips about Marvel’s recent struggles hit home, it does appear like this weekend, in particular, has been a major step forward in settling the Marvel ship and returning it to blockbuster market dominance.

With two Avengers films on the horizon now (and both being helmed by the Russo brothers again), it would certainly appear that Marvel should be able to rebound and bring—at least somewhat similar—blockbuster numbers the likes of their previous Avengers films.

How Will the Film Industry Change Overall?

Now, the big question is just how much will any blockbuster resurgence trickle down to the rest of the industry. In this current superhero lull (if you could call that) there have been some standout blockbusters based on unexpected IP like Twisters and Barbie. We’ve also seen huge success with original stories like Oppenheimer—yet for the most part the big earners haven’t been too dissimilar to years past.

If anything, some big RDJ-led (or at least supported) Marvel blockbusters might simply help to push the top end of the box office earnings even higher, which could result in theaters doing well—and perhaps even newer ones opening again.

However, as we’ve covered before, the mid-budget film is still dying, and having these tent pole superhero films on the docket doesn’t do much to help anything but themselves. Still, having more people going to the movies is never a bad thing perhaps, so hopefully as the industry continues to evolve, having bigger films bringing in bigger audiences—and providing new innovations like 4DX—might give opportunity for creative filmmakers to find new ways to entice these growing audiences.