Last year's San Diego Comic Con saw Marvel Studios return to Hall H, announcing the now titled Avengers: Doomsday will be directed by the Russos and will star Robert Downey Jr. as Victor von Doom. The former have proven they can handle the Marvel sandbox and could even bring order to the Multiverse, like they did with the help of physicists in Avengers: Endgame. Response to Doom has been mixed though, with only 20% of this site's poll voters loving it. As part of that 20%, I will try to explain why I think the move makes sense to me. Even if I already made my case once for the Kangs.
Why it works (or not)
It's no secret that it didn't work out with Kang and the MCU had to pivot to another villain. However, any villain needs build-up. Even Thanos appeared before Avengers: Infinity War. With limited time to establish a new threat, Marvel has chosen a familiar face: Robert Downey Jr. Seeing him as the ultimate villain immediately invokes a sense of ''oh shit, that's trouble'' and raises intrigue about his transformation. Given Stark's arc and morally ambiguous actions he made, it's not difficult to imagine how a character like that turns into a villain. Even if he believes he's the hero.
Like Tony Stark, Victor von Doom is an ego-driven technological genius. Downey Jr. already portrayed the ultimate hero, and it would be a shock to Avengers and audience alike that the ultimate villain is wearing the face of Earth's Mighiest Hero. This grabs the audience's attention, but a narrative reason is what keeps them engaged. For example, this Doom could steal Stark's face to mess with the Avengers and strengthen his claim as God Emperor. Same goes for the title. In this case, Doomsday could refer to literal doomsday (incursions of the Multiverse) or as Doom's day.
Ofcourse, it's also easy to see this as an act of desperation. Reception to Kang and the MCU wasn't great, so a new route had to be taken. Recasting Kang would've been easy, but might not have generated much interest given the character's initial lackluster impact. Moreover, many fans have pointed out Doom has a rich, layered history that deserves more build-up. While the general audience (i.e. the real target demographic) might not care for this depth, they could still be distracted by Downey Jr. in role that isn't his most famous one. Especially if they're less familiar with the Multiverse.
What it means for Doomsday
Regardless of what we think of it, it's a choice by Marvel Studios we have to accept. I wasn't a fan either of the casting initially, but when I started thinking about the possibilities my hype skyrocket. Although Feige nor the Russos confirmed where Doomsday would be based on (since there's no comic with that name), it could be base on Time Runs Out, the prelude to Secret Wars (2015). The namechange could imply that this time around the story is told from the perspective of Doom. And why wouldn't they with one the most famous and versatile actors in te movie portraying him?
In terms of story, Time Runs Out sees the Cabal purposely destroys worlds to keep theirs from being next, while the Avengers and Doom seperately look for solutions. It is Doom that discovers that the Beyonders are responsible, and uses their own weapon (a Molecule Man-bomb) against them to steal their power to create Battleworld and rule it as God Emperor. In the movie, the Council of Kangs can take the Beyonders' place, with Doom quickly defeating them to establish he means business. While Molecule Man doesn't appear in the MCU, the Scarlet Witch could take his place as the bomb.
We've also seen in Thunderbolts and Fantastic Four that Doom comes into contact with Franklin Richards, and the Fantastic Four's ship arrives on MCU-616. It could be that Doom uses Franklin's Power Cosmic to create Battleworld, crown himself God Emperor and heal his face. After he kidnaps Franklin, he steals Fantastic Four's ship and goes to MCU-616, possibly because it's the best universe to build his Battleworld. It's only here where he is met by the Avengers. Like Thanos in Infinity War though, Doom succeeds and takes Loki as the battery for Battleworld (instead of Molecule Man).
So, these are just a few reasons I could see it work. I think Doom is a better choice and a quicker route to Secret Wars than Kang or the Beyonder ever was, and that Marvel can make it work. Secret Wars always needed Doom, so might as well pull him forward. And a phenomenal actor like Oscar-winner Robert Downey Jr. has the chops to make it a unique performance. Or maybe there is no reason at all, and it is as simple as Human Torch looking like Captain America in Deadpool & Wolverine. Anyway, yhis is only my perspective, so feel free to disagree in the comments below.