| Doctor Doom | |
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Doctor Doom on the cover of Fantastic Four #247 (Oct. 1982). Art by John Byrne. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962). |
| Created by | Stan Lee Jack Kirby |
| In-story information | |
| Alter ego | Victor von Doom |
| Team affiliations | Masters of Evil Terrible Trio The Cabal Intelligencia Future Foundation |
| Abilities | Genius-level intellect, powered armor, skilled scientist and sorcerer, mind transferal, technopathy |
Victor von Doom (also known as Doctor Doom) is a fictional character who appears in Marvel Comics publications . Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962) wearing his trademark metal mask and green cloak. The son of a gypsy witch, Doom is a recurring supervillain, arch enemy of the Fantastic Four, and leader of the fictional nation of Latveria. He is both a genius inventor and a sorcerer, and has served as a primary antagonist and occasional protagonist in the Marvel continuity since his creation. While Doom's chief opponents have been the Fantastic Four, he has also frequently battled Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, the Avengers, the X-Men, the Punisher, Blade, Iron Man, and the Silver Surfer, among others.
Doctor Doom has been featured in other Marvel-endorsed media such as feature films; video games; television series and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards. Doom was ranked as the 4th greatest villain by Wizard on its "100 Greatest Villains of All Time" list.[1] IGN's list of the Top 100 Comic Book Villains of All Time ranked Doom as #3.[2]
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Like many of Marvel's Silver Age characters, Doctor Doom was conceived by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. With the Fantastic Four title performing well, Lee and Kirby were trying to dream up a "soul-stirring…super sensational new villain."[3] Looking for a name, Lee latched onto "Doctor Doom" as "eloquent in its simplicity — magnificent in its implied menace."[3]
Due to the rush to publish, the character was not given a full origin story[3] until Fantastic Four Annual #2, two years after his debut.[4]
Jack Kirby modeled Doom after Death, with the armor standing in for that character's skeleton; "It was the reason for the armor and the hood. Death is connected with armor and the inhuman-like steel. Death is something without mercy, and human flesh contains that mercy."[5] Kirby further described Doom as being "paranoid", wrecked by his twisted face and wanting the whole world to be like him.[5] Kirby went on to say that "Doom is an evil person, but he's not always been evil. He was [respected]…but through a flaw in his own character, he was a perfectionist."[6] At one point in the Seventies, Kirby drew his interpretation of what Doom would look like under the mask, giving Doom only "a tiny scar on his cheek."[7] Due to this slight imperfection, Doom hides his face not from the world, but from himself.[7] To Kirby, this is the motivation for Doom's vengeance against the world; because others are superior due to this slight scar, Doom wants to elevate himself above them.[6] Typical of Lee's writing characterization of Doom is his arrogance; his pride leads to Doom's disfigurement at the hands of his own machine, and to the failures of many of his schemes.[8]- There is also an idea that Doom placed his mask on his face before it was fully cool, burning his face. In some early stories glimpses of his face is shown, in which he seems to be bald.
While the Fantastic Four had fought various villains such as the Mole Man, Skrulls, the Miracle Man, and Namor the Sub-Mariner, Doctor Doom managed to overshadow them all and became the Fantastic Four's archnemesis.[9]
During the 1970s, Doom branched out to more Marvel titles such as Astonishing Tales,[10] The Incredible Hulk,[11] and Super-Villain Team-Up, starting in 1975, as well as appearances in Marvel Team-Up, beginning with issue #42 (February 1976). Doom's origin was also a feature in Astonishing Tales when his ties to the villain Mephisto were revealed.[12]
1981 saw Marvel and DC Comics collaborate on another project. In 1976 the two companies had published Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, and seeking to replicate that success the two companies again teamed the characters up, in Superman and Spider-Man. Marvel editor in chief Jim Shooter co-wrote the story alongside Marv Wolfman, and recalled choosing Doom based on his iconic status: "I figured I needed the heaviest-duty bad guy we had to offer — Doctor Doom. Their greatest hero against our greatest villain."[13]
The same year saw John Byrne begin his six-year run writing and illustrating Fantastic Four in 1981, sparking a "second golden age" for the title[14] but also attempting to "turn the clock back [...] get back and see fresh what it was that made the book great at its inception."[15] Doom made his first appearance under Byrne's tenure with issue #236.[16] Whereas Kirby had intimated that Doom's disfigurement was more a figment of Victor's vain personality, Byrne expressed that Doom's face was truly ravaged; only Doom's own robot slaves are allowed to see the monarch without his helmet.[17] Byrne also emphasized other aspects of Doom's personality; despite his ruthless nature, Doom is a man of his word.[18] However, some stories reveal he actually does not care about his devoted people of Latveria[19] (though they think he does) or his henchmen;[20] returning to Latveria after being temporarily deposed, Doom abandons a scheme to wrest mystical secrets from Doctor Strange in order to oversee his land's reconstruction.[17] Though possessing a tempestuous temper, Doom also occasionally shows warmth and empathy to others; he tries to free his mother from Mephisto and treats Kristoff Vernard like his own son.[17] Byrne also gave further detail regarding Doom's scarring; Byrne used the idea that the accident at Empire State University only left Doom with a small scar that was exaggerated into a more disfiguring accident by Doom's own arrogance; when Doom puts on the armor forged for him when it had yet to cool, however, he truly damages his face.[21]
After Byrne's departure Doctor Doom continued to be a major villain in Fantastic Four, and as the 1980s continued Doom appeared in other comics such as Punisher, The Spectacular Spider-Man, and Excalibur. Under Fantastic Four writer Steven Englehart, Doom became exiled from Latveria by his heir Kristoff, who was brainwashed into thinking he was Doom. Doom would spend most of his time in exile planning his return, but Englehart left the title before he could resolve the storyline. This storyline ultimately ended with the controversial Fantastic Four #350, where writer Walt Simonson had the Doom who had been seen in the book during the Englehart run being revealed to be a Doombot and the real Doom, in a newly redesigned armor, returning to claim his country from his usurper. Simonson's retcon stated that Doom's last real appearance was in the famous "Battle of Baxter Building" though with occasional trips back home, though Doom was shown to be unaware of certain major changes at the time to the Fantastic Four. An urban legend states that Simonson drew up a list of official stories which featured the real Doom and those which did not[22] but this plotline was dropped and never mentioned again by later writers, who ignored Simonson's declaration as subterfuge Doom stated for the sake of blaming past failures on Doombots.[23]
In 2003, Doom was the sole villain in the Fantastic Four story arc "Unthinkable", in which Doom imprisons Franklin Richards in Hell and captures Valeria Richards and succeeds in catching the Fantastic Four. Writer Mark Waid sought to redefine Doom's character in a way that had not been seen before. In Waid's reinterpretation (very controversial for many fans), Doom hates Richards for knowing at his core he was right when Doom was wrong.[24][25] Waid was also convinced that the "truism that Victor Von Doom is, despite his villainy, a noble man" (as suggested in both Lee's and Byrne's run) "is absolute crap. [...] A man [Doom] whose entire motivating force is jealousy is ridiculously petty, not grandly noble. Yes, Doom is regal, and yes, whenever possible, Doom likes to act as if he possesses great moral character, because to him that's what great men have... — but when I hear Doom say it 'does not suit him to' do this-and-such, what I hear is, 'it has nothing to do with my hatred for Reed Richards, so it's not worth my time.'" Waid also stated that Doom "would tear the head off a newborn baby and eat it like an apple while his mother watched if it would somehow prove he were smarter than Reed."[25]
Waid punctuated this reinterpretation of Doom during his "Unthinkable" saga (Vol 2 #66-70 & Vol 1 (restart) #500) as an absolute sadist by having Von Doom ruthlessly murder Valeria, his first love and granddaughter to his long serving faithful retainer Boris. He subsequently attempted to prove his superiority to Reed by giving him the chance to find his way out of a prison that could only be escaped by mastering magic, in the belief that Reed would fail to do so, but with the aid of the astral projection of Doctor Strange Reed learned to master magic by accepting that he could not understand it. This fight resulted in Doom being trapped in Hell until the events of Ragnarok, Thor's hammer Mjolnir falling through dimensions and giving Doom a way out of Hell when it was lost after Thor's apparent 'death'.
In 2005 and 2006, Doom was featured in his own limited series, Books of Doom, a retelling of the origin story by Ed Brubaker.[26] In an interview, Brubaker said the series was a way to elaborate on the earlier portions of Doom's life which had not been seen often in the comics. The series also set out to determine if Doom's path from troubled child to dictator was fated or Doom's own faults led to his corruption — in essence, a nature versus nurture question.[27] Brubaker's version of Doom was heavily influenced by the original Lee/Kirby version; responding to a question if he would show Doom's face, Brubaker stated "following Kirby's example, I think it's better not to show it."[26]
The Mighty Avengers invaded Latveria, Doom's nation, due to his involvement in creating a chemical bomb that would infect people with the symbiote (Although it was recently revealed that this attack was actually set up by Kristoff Vernard to put Doom out of the picture prior to Kristoff's future attempt at a coup).[28] Due to Ultron's interference, the bomb was dropped on Manhattan, but the Mighty Avengers are able to stop the effects on the people. The Mighty Avengers proceed to invade Latveria. During the invasion, the Sentry, Iron Man, and Doom are sent to the past thanks to Doom’s time platform. Eventually, the trio breaks into the Baxter Building and make use of a confiscated time machine to return to the present era, the Sentry taking advantage of the fact he will soon be forgotten by the world to easily defeat the Thing. Doom transports himself to Morgana's castle to summon up a magical army and captures the Avengers, but they free themselves and he is arrested for terrorist crimes against humanity after a brief struggle that culminated with the Sentry tearing off Doom's mask.
During Dark Reign when Norman Osborn is in charge, Doom is released and sent back to Latveria. However, Morgana le Fay engages him in a magical battle, which he is losing until the Dark Avengers rescue him. He then magically rebuilds his kingdom.[29]
The character is also featured in Siege storyline[30] and is the lead antagonist in the five issue mini-series Doomwar written by Jonathan Maberry.[31]
Doom soon allies himself with the isolationist group known as the Desturi, to take control of Wakanda. He attacked and wounded T'Challa, the current Black Panther, maiming him enough to prevent him from holding the mantle again. Doom's main objective was to secure Wakanda's store of vibranium, which he could mystically enhance to make himself unstoppable. Doom was also a part of the supervillain group known as the Intelligencia, but was betrayed when they captured him to complete their plan.[32] With the help of Bruce Banner, he escaped, and returned to Latveria. He appears to have been damaged by this experiences.
At the start of the story arc Fantastic Four: Three, Doctor Doom felt that he needed to be "reborn" and was making plans to abdicate his throne and give it to Kristoff when Valeria teleported to his room unexpectedly asking for his assistance to help her father. Valeria quickly notices that Doctor Doom has suffered brain damage and makes a deal with him to restore his mental capacities if he helps Reed and the Fantastic Four. Doom agrees to her proposition.[33] Later, Doctor Doom appears among those in attendance at Johnny Storm's funeral.[34]
Due to the agreement, Doctor Doom was recommended by Nathaniel and Valeria Richards to be a member of the Future Foundation.[35] Objecting, Thing attacks Doom out of anger, but the fight was stopped by Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who welcomes Doctor Doom to their group.[36]
Victor von Doom was born decades ago to a tribe of Latverian gypsies under the rule of an unnamed nobleman called the Baron. Victor's mother was a witch named Cynthia who died by Mephisto's hand while Doom was young. Victor's father, Werner, was the leader of the tribe and a renowned medicine man who kept his wife's sorcerous life quiet in order to protect Victor from a similar fate. Soon after Cynthia's death, the Baron's wife grew incurably ill from cancer and Werner was called to the capitol to heal her. When she succumbed to illness, the Baron labeled Werner a murderer and called for his death. Werner escaped with young Victor, having realised the night before the women would die, only to die of exposure on the mountainside, cradling the boy in a final embrace and giving him his garments to keep him warm. Victor survived and, on return to the gypsy camp, discovered his mother's occult instruments and swore revenge on the Baron. Victor grew into a headstrong and brilliant man, combining sorcery and technology to create fantastic devices to keep the Baron's men at bay and protect the gypsies. His exploits attracted the attention of the dean of Empire State University, who sent someone to the camp.[37] Offered the chance to study in America, Doom chooses to leave his homeland and his love, Valeria, behind. Once in America, Victor met fellow student and future nemesis Reed Richards, who was intended to be his roommate, but Doom disliked him and asked for another roommate. After a time, Victor constructed a machine intended to communicate with the dead. Though Richards tried to warn him about a flaw in the machine, seeing his calculations were a few decimals off, Victor continued on with disastrous results. The machine violently failed and the resulting explosion seemingly severely damaged his face.[37] Expelled after the accident, Victor traveled the world until he collapsed on a Tibetan mountainside. Rescued by a clan of monks, Victor quickly mastered the monks' disciplines as well as the monks themselves. Victor then forged himself a suit of armor, complete with a scowling mask, and took the name Doctor Doom.[37] As Doom, he would go on to menace those he felt responsible for his accident—primarily, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four. He succeeded in taking over Latveria, taking an interest in the welfare of the Roma.
In his first appearance, Doom travels back in time to steal the enchanted treasure of Blackbeard and conquer the world, but he is fooled by Reed Richards, who swaps the treasure with worthless chains.[38] Returning to Earth after learning the secrets of an advanced alien race, Doom exchanges consciousnesses with Mr. Fantastic; Richards, inhabiting Doom's body, switches the two back, and Doom ends up trapped in a micro-world.[39] Doom takes over the micro-world and returns before being thrown into space.[40] Doom is saved by Rama-Tut, and he returns to Earth to destroy the Fantastic Four by turning each member against the other using a special berry juice. Richards outwits Doom by using the hallucinogenic juice against the villain. Doom, believing he has killed Richards in a test of willpower, departs certain of his victory and superior intelligence.[41]
During the 1960s, Doom tricks Spider-Man into joining forces with him,[42] and he also menaces the Avengers when Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch travel to Latveria to find a long-lost relative.[43] He steals the Silver Surfer's powers in 1967, but he loses them after breaching a barrier Galactus set for the Surfer on Earth.[44][45]
During the 1970s, Doom branched out to more Marvel titles, with a battle between Doom and Prince Rudolfo over control of Latveria being featured in Astonishing Tales.[46] Doom also attempts to use the Hulk as his slave during two issues of The Incredible Hulk.[47] The character also made several appearances in the story arcs of Super-Villain Team-Up, starting in 1975, as well as appearances in Marvel Team-Up, beginning with issue #42 (February 1976). In August 1981, Doctor Doom also made an appearance in Iron Man when the two travel to Camelot.[48]
During John Bryne's run in the 1980s, Doom attempts to steal cosmic powers on Terrax, but Doom's body is destroyed in the resulting fight between Terrax and the Silver Surfer.[49] Doom survives by transferring his consciousness to another human, and is returned to his original body by the Beyonder.[50]
In the 2000s, Doom rediscovered his mystical heritage, using his powers in an attempt to destroy the Fantastic Four after making a deal with a group of demons called the Hazarath Three, but later is consigned to a hell dimension after Richards manages to trick him into rejecting the idea that the demons aided him. He escapes and attempts to claim Thor's mystical hammer Mjolnir for himself, after the rift the hammer created as it fell to Earth following the destruction of Asgard allowed him to escape. The plot fails due to his inability to lift the hammer, and Doom returns to Latveria to rule once again.
Later, a Doombot was taken down by Reed Richards, Henry Pym, Iron Man, She-Hulk and others in New York City. Whether or not it was sent by Doom himself remains to be seen, as does his role in the overall conflict. Doom was not invited to the wedding of Storm and the Black Panther. However, he did send a present: an invitation to form an alliance with Latveria, using the Civil War currently going on among the hero community as a reason to quite possibly forge an alliance between their two countries. When Black Panther, on a diplomatic mission to other countries with Storm, did show up in Latveria, he presented them with a real present, and extended another invitation to form an alliance with Black Panther. He demonstrated behavior very uncharacteristic of him, however, which may or may not become a plot point later. Panther spurned the invitation, detonating an EMP that blacked out a local portion of Latveria before Doom's robots could destroy his ship. Later on, Doctor Doom is then shown collaborating with the Red Skull on a weapon which will only "be the beginning" of Captain America's suffering. Doctor Doom gave the Red Skull the weapon because the Red Skull gave Victor pieces of technology from an old German castle. The castle was owned by a "Baron of Iron" centuries prior, who had used his technological genius to protect himself and his people. The map the Red Skull used to find the castle bore a picture of Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom states that the technology the Red Skull gave him is more advanced than what he currently has, and that he will become the Baron of Iron in his future. The Red Skull is currently in the process of reverse-engineering Doom's weapon for multiple uses, rather than the single use Doom agreed to.
At the end of the first chapter of the X-Men event Endangered Species, Doctor Doom is among the supervillain geniuses that Beast contacts to help him reverse the effects of Decimation. He spurns Beast by stating that genetics do not number among his talents.
In Spider-Man: One More Day, Doctor Doom was among those that Spider-Man contacts to help save Aunt May.
Doctor Doom also makes Latveria into a refugee camp for the Atlanteans following the destruction of their underwater kingdom[51] as well as becoming allies with Loki in his plot to manipulate Thor into unwittingly release his Asgardian enemies.[52]
Doctor Doom later defends Latveria from the Mighty Avengers, following a revelation that it was one of Doctor Doom's satellites that carried the 'Venom Virus' released in New York City.[53] In a battle with Iron Man and the Sentry, the time travel mechanism within his armor overloads, trapping Doom and his opponents at some point in the past. Doctor Doom continues a relationship with Morgan le Fay using his time machine.[54] He and Iron Man managed to get back to the present, but Doctor Doom has left Iron Man in his exploding castle. Despite this, Doctor Doom ended up incarcerated at The Raft.
During the Secret Invasion storyline, Doctor Doom was among the villains who escaped the Raft when a virus was uploaded into its systems by the Skrulls.
In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Doctor Doom is a member of the Dark Illuminati alongside Norman Osborne, Emma Frost, Namor, Loki's female form, and Hood. At the end of this meeting, Namor and Doctor Doom are seen having a discussion of their own plans that have all ready been set in motion.[55]
Doom soon allies himself with the isolationist group known as the Desturi, to take control of Wakanda. He attacked and wounded T'Challa, the current Black Panther, maiming him enough to prevent him from holding the mantle again. Doom's main objective was to secure Wakanda's store of vibranium, which he could mystically enhance to make himself unstoppable. Doom was also a part of the supervillain group known as the Intelligencia, but was betrayed when they captured him to complete their plan. With the help of Bruce Banner, he escaped, and returned to Latveria. He appears to have been damaged by this experiences.
At the start of the Siege storyline, Doctor Doom is with the Cabal discussing the current problems with the X-Men and both Avengers teams. Doom demands that Osborn at once reverse his course of action against his ally Namor, to which Osborn refuses, saying that he and Emma Frost had "crossed the line" with him. Doom, loathing Thor and the Asgardians all the more due to his recent defeat at their hands, claims that he will support Osborn's "madness" should Namor be returned to him, but Osborn refuses. Osborn's mysterious ally, the Void, violently attacks Doctor Doom, and an apparently amused Loki tells the Hood that he should go, as there is nothing here for either of them, which the Hood, now loyal to Loki due to his hand in the restoration of his mystical abilities, agrees. However, it is revealed that "Doom" is actually an upgraded Doombot, which releases swarms of Doombot nanites against the Cabal, tearing down Avengers Tower and forcing its denizens, such as the Dark Avengers, to evacuate. Osborn is rescued by the Sentry, who destroys the body. When Osborn contacts Doom, Doom tells him not to ever strike him again or he is willing to go further.[30]
It has been revealed that the Scarlet Witch seen in Wundagore Mountain is actually a Doombot which apparently means that the real one has been captured by Doom sometime after the House of M event.[56] It is revealed that Wanda's enhanced powers were a result of her and Doctor Doom's combined attempt to channel the Life Force in order to resurrect her children. This proves to be too much for Wanda to contain and it overtook her. With Wiccan and Doctor Doom's help, they seek to use the entity that is possessing Wanda to restore mutantkinds' powers. This is stopped by the Young Avengers (who are concerned at the fall-out that would ensue if the powerless mutants are suddenly repowered) only to find out Doom's real plan: to transfer the entity into his own body and gaining Wanda's god-like powers for himself.[57]
At the start of the story arc Fantastic Four: Three, Doctor Doom felt that he needed to be "reborn" and was making plans to abdicate his throne and give it to Kristoff when Valeria teleported to his room unexpectedly asking for his assistance to help her father. Valeria quickly notices that Doctor Doom has suffered brain damage and makes a deal with him to restore his mental capacities if he helps Reed and the Fantastic Four. Doom agrees to her proposition.[33] Later, Doctor Doom appears among those in attendance at Johnny Storm's funeral.[34]
Due to the agreement, Doctor Doom was recommended by Nathaniel and Valeria Richards to be a member of the Future Foundation.[35] Objecting, Thing attacks Doom out of anger, but the fight was stopped by Mister Fantastic and the Invisible Woman, who welcomes Doctor Doom to their group. When Valeria asks Doctor Doom if he has a backup for restoring his memories, he reveals that Kristoff Vernard is his backup. Afterward, Mr. Fantastic, Spider-Man, Nathaniel, Valeria, and Doctor Doom head to Latveria to meet with Kristoff and request his help. Mister Fantastic sets up a brain transfer machine in order to help restore Doctor Doom's memories and knowledge, which is successful. When Kristoff wants to return the throne to him, Doctor Doom states that it is not time yet because of a promise he made to Valeria. When Mister Fantastic asks what promise Doctor Doom made to Valeria, Doctor Doom states that he made a promise to help defeat Mister Fantastic.[36] Doctor Doom decides to hold a symposium on how to finally defeat Reed Richards. The Thing and the evolved Moloids give an invitation to the High Evolutionary. Dragon Man and Alex Power give an invitation to Diablo. Upon receiving an invitation from Spider-Man, Mad Thinker is convinced to take part in the event. Bentley 23 even gives an invitation to his creator, the Wizard, along with two A.I.M. lieutenants. However, it is subsequently revealed that the 'Richards' they have been invited to defeat are actually members of the "Council of Reeds" (alternate versions of Reed who were trapped in this universe by Valeria a while back, possessing Reed's intellect while lacking his conscience).[58] While Spider-Man and Invisible Woman make sandwiches for the kids, Mister Fantastic, Doctor Doom, Valeria, and Nathaniel Richards meet with the supervillain geniuses and Uatu the Watcher about what to do with the Council of Reeds.[59]
Doctor Doom is a polymath scientific genius. Throughout much of his publication history, he has been depicted as one of the most intelligent humans in the Marvel Universe -- second only to his archrival Reed Richards. He has constructed numerous devices in order to defeat his foes or gain more power, including a time machine, a device to imbue people with superpowers, and numerous robots; Doom's calculating and strategic nature leads him to use "Doombots," exact mechanical replicas of the real Doctor Doom, for many missions, typically those where he fears defeat. Sometimes the Doombots even believe themselves to be Doctor Doom.[17] The character has also used his scientific talents to steal or replicate the power of other beings such as the Silver Surfer, or in one case the Beyonder. Doctor Doom also possesses considerable mystical capabilities due to teachings from Tibetan monks, and tutoring from his lover Morgan Le Fey. He is capable of energy projection, creating protective shields, and summoning hordes of demonic creatures.[60] The alien Ovoids taught Doom the process of psionically transferring his consciousness into another nearby being through a simple eye contact, as well as showing him other forms of technology[61][62] which Doom uses to escape from incarcerations and to avoid getting killed;[63][64] however, if his concentration is broken, it can transfer his mind back, and he rarely uses this power unless absolutely necessary due to his own ego about his apearance. Doom can exert technopathic control over certain machines, most notably, the Doombots. In addition, Doom has a remarkably strong will, as demonstrated in the graphic novel, Emperor Doom when he dared his prisoner, the mind controlling Purple Man, to attempt to control him and he successfully resists. Also, without his armor he proved himself to be a skilled bare-handed fighter, capable of killing someone and even a lion with a single hit.[65][66]
Doom's armor augments his natural physical strength to superhuman levels, to the point where he is able to hold his own against Spider-Man in hand-to-hand combat.[67] It is also highly resistant to harm, at one point even surviving heat levels equal to that of the sun. Doom's armor has been shown to hold its own against Iron Man's. In addition, the armor can generate a defensive force field [68] and a lethal electric shock killing anyone who might come in contact with Doom.[68] The armor is self-supporting, equipped with internal stores and recycling systems for air, food, water, and energy, allowing the wearer to survive lengthy periods of exposure underwater or in outer space.
As the absolute monarch of Latveria, Dr. Doom has diplomatic immunity- allowing him to escape prosecution for most of his crimes- and total control of the nation's natural and technological resources, as well as its manpower, economy, and military.
In Fantastic Four 566-569 Doctor Doom received a significant power upgrade. He was thrown back in time (perhaps about 50 million years) by the Marquis of Death. Doom then fought through time and space to get back to present to seek revenge on the Marquis of Death. Doom stated, as he killed the Marquis, he had rebuilt every molecule of his being and increased his power all to destroy the Marquis. In later issues this seems to have been ignored however, with writers treating Doctor Doom the way they have always before in terms of power (Although it may be that he had to expend his power to destroy the Marquis).
Doom is known for the frequent plot device wherein it is revealed the his actions were actually those of a "Doombot", one of Doom's many robot doubles, either working on his behalf or as a result of rogue artificial intelligence.
On many occasions, Doom's only real weakness has been shown to be his arrogance, Layla Miller once reflecting that Doom is incapable of accepting that he himself might be the reason for his failures. While his high opinion of himself is generally accurate, possessing sufficient resources to stand up to virtually every hero and villain in the Marvel Universe and walk away despite their greater natural powers, he is notably generally unable to accept when others may have a better understanding of a situation than he does – although he has been noted to have enough respect for heroes such as Reed Richards or the Thing to at least listen to their recommendations about threats that he himself has not encountered rather than dismiss them instantly – and even when forced to team up with others to defeat a greater threat Doom has been shown to be willing to try to gain a personal advantage when the more expedient course of action would be to stick to the plan and try for greater rewards later, such as when he tried to steal the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos during the heroes' initial assault against the Titan rather than adhere to Adam Warlock's plan of attack and attempt to acquire the Gauntlet after Thanos had been defeated.
Doom adheres to a strict code of honor at all times, so much so that it is accepted by nearly every character in the Marvel Universe that he always keeps his word, no matter what the cost to himself or his plans may be. It is also understood that Doom will keep his exact word, which may or may not be beneficial to the person to whom he has given his promise. For example, Doom may swear that he will not harm an individual, but that only means he will not personally harm that person, it does not mean he will prevent others from harming that person. If someone saves his life, Doom will set aside any personal gain or goal in order to repay that debt. He once saved Captain America from drowning, despite the fact that Captain America had thwarted his plans many times in the past, because Captain America had earlier saved his life. On another occasion he thanked Spider-Man for saving him from terrorists attacking him in an airport by allowing him to leave despite Spider-Man subsequently insulting him. His code of honor also means that he will not attack a respected opponent who is weakened or at a severe disadvantage, as he regards any victory resulting from such circumstances as hollow and meaningless. He has even on several occasions battled opponents who were intent on killing the Fantastic Four, for no other reason than the fact that he does not want the ultimate defeat of the Fantastic Four to come from anyone's hands but his own.
Doctor Doom's status as one of the Fantastic Four's greatest villains[9] has led to his appearance in many of Marvel's alternate universes and spinoffs, in which the character's history, circumstances and behavior vary from the mainstream setting.
Doctor Doom has been included in almost every media adaptation of the Fantastic Four franchise, including film, television, and computer and video games.
Doctor Doom appeared in the Marvel Secret Wars line of toys, in 1984, with cloak and tunic redesigned based on the comic book. The Secret Wars line of action figures came with a shield with interchangeable art inserts that changed when tilted from one side to the next. The Doctor Doom toy also included a pistol and a rifle. In addition to those accessories, there was also a Doom Cycle, a Doom Chopper, and a Doom Tower/Fortress released concurrently.
Doctor Doom with power driven weapons was part of the Marvel Superheroes line, released by Toy Biz in 1993. Toy Biz also released Dr. Doom with shooting arm action as part of the Fantastic Four collection in 1994. The same figure was released as part of the Marvel Universe line. A deluxe edition Dr Doom, ten inches tall, was released by Toy Biz in 1994. Also in that line were the Human Torch, Silver Surfer, War Machine, Mandarin, and Iron Man. Die-cast Metal Dr Doom appeared from Toy Biz in different versions and combinations in 1995. Toy Biz released Famous Covers Dr Doom in 1998, an 8-inch ulta poseable toy doll with cloth tunic and cape.
Toy Biz released Marvel Legends Dr Doom in Series II, and Series VIII in 2002 and 2004 respectively. Both versions included a castle rampart that could be used as a wall mounted display stand, and a comic book (a reprint of Fantastic Four #247, a classic John Byrne tale). There were versions released in Canada that had a variant gold bordered comic book and were labeled in French and English. There were different versions also released where the face under the removable mask was not horribly scarred, and one where the face was scarred all over. The Series VIII version was a Doombot, and was packaged with a reprint of a Spider-Man comic under the Marvel Age banner. The face under the mask of the Doombot was a robot face.
A Marvel Legends Icons Series Doctor Doom 12-inch figure was released in 2006.
Several versions of Doctor Doom have appeared in Marvel Heroclix from WizKids, including an Ultimate Dr Doom, Dr Doom in leather armor, Kristoff Vernard as Doom, Classic Doctor Doom, Doom 2099, and Secret Wars Dr Doom. There is a Doctor Doom in the Clobberin' Time set, and Dr Doom appeared as part of a Heroclix starter set with the four members of the Fantastic Four and two Doombots in 2008.
Dr. Doom has appeared as part of Marvel Comics Minimates sets, including a Secret Wars Doom, and a Doctor Doom with golden chalice. There is also a version of Doctor Doom with a pistol, and a Doctor Doom without a mask. The latest sets were released in 2009.
A Kubrick Doctor Doom from Medicom was a chase item in Series I in 2002.
There is a Mighty Muggs Dr Doom released in 2009. There is also a Bobble Head Dr Doom.
Doctor Doom is the Black King in a chess set released by Marvel toys.
Marvel Superhero Squad toys include Dr Doom, packaged in the first series with the Invisible Woman. The second wave of figures packaged Doctor Doom with Reptil and appeared in 2009. There was also a Battle for Doom's Castle package released with a third version of Doctor Doom. A fourth version of Doctor Doom was released from Hasbro with and Iron Man and The Mayor as a special edition at the San Diego International Comic Convention in 2010. The SDCC Doctor Doom was featured in a red robe, alligator slippers, and holding a mug of tea and a newspaper.
Several Doctor Doom action figures were released from Toy Biz for Marvel in conjunction with the first Fantastic Film in 2005. Those included Dr Doom with traffic Light and Mask, Two-Faced Dr Doom with light and sound rocket launcher, and Electric Power Dr Doom with lightning bolt blast. For the second movie tie-in (Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer), there was a Slashing Action Dr Doom released in 2007. In addition, there were two versions of Dr Doom that appeared as toys with the Burger King movie promotion. There is also a Marvel Studios 12-inch version of the movie Dr Doom, one with an unmasked face modeled after actor Julian McMahon, who plays Doctor Doom in both movies.
Two versions of Dr Doom appear in the Figure Factory series, a Doom with a hood and one without, released in 2005.
Marvel Selects Dr Doom, with Dr Doom sitting on a thone with flags and optional chalice hand and holster with gun was released in 2005 from Diamond Select Toys and Toy Biz.
Marvel Legends Showdown Dr Doom booster pack was part of assortment 2 released in 2005. It was part of a game that included playing cards, from Toy Biz International.
Marvel Legends Dr Doom was part of the build a figure collection, one of 8 figures needed to build Ronan the Accuser series, released by Hasbro in 2007. The Doctor Doom figure included the cape for Ronan.
Additional toys include Titanium series die-cast Doctor Doom, Micro Machines, released in 2006, has a brown platform that the figure stands on, appearing to be firing weapons from a gold and silver gauntlet. A Marvel Legends Titanium Doctor Doom stands on a round platform like the floor of a castle, and gestures as if daring fools to attack.
Doctor Doom is included in the tiny Handful of Heroes toys released in 2010. There are other smaller PVC versions of Doctor Doom, including one holding a chalice, one pointing to the sky, and a mini-manga type Dr Doom. Two of these were manufactured in Spain, possibly without license. There is also a rubber painted Dr Doom from Brazil.
Doctor Doom was also released under the Marvel Universe line as not a one, but a two-pack along with the Absorbing Man. His only accessory was a pistol. He also came with Secret Wars #10.
For vehicles, there is a Doctor Doom Hummer from Maisto, a Doctor Doom Corvette track car from Carrera in 2005, and an appropriate Doctor Doom Ambulance Ultimate Marvel die-cast collection car in 2002. An older version Dr Doom driver has Doctor Doom sticking his head out of the sunroof of a buggy-like plastic car. There is also a Buddy L Doctor Doom race car.
American Hip Hop artist Daniel Dumile is known by one of his many stage names as MF DOOM, where the "MF" stands for Metal Fist, Metal Fingers, or Metal Face. This is a clear reference to the Dr. Doom character, he also has included album artwork which reflects this. In addition Dumile released two albums under the separate stage name Viktor Vaughn, again a clear reference to Dr. Doom's alias Victor Von Doom. In the first album there are many audio tracks that conflate the origin of the Dr. Doom character with Dumile's Viktor Vaughn. Dumile has also notably created acclaimed music with a focus on comic book Villian, i.e. the albums Madvilliany and the Mouse and the Mask. Another American hip hop artist, Kool Keith released two albums, First Come, First Served and Dr. Dooom 2, under the alias "Dr. Dooom". Although the spelling is different, the influence comes from Dr. Doom.
The Acacia Strain used the title Dr. Doom on its 2008 album, Continent.
Dr. Doom is mentioned in the song "Super Villain" by Powerman 5000.
In the book Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre, Peter Coogan writes that Doctor Doom's appearance was representative of a change in the portrayal of "mad scientists" to full-fledged villains, often with upgraded powers.[75] Doom is also emblematic of a specific subset of supervillain, which comic book critic Peter Sanderson describes as a "megavillain".[75] These supervillains are genre-crossing villains who exist in adventures "in a world in which the ordinary laws of nature are slightly suspended"; characters such as Professor Moriarty, Count Dracula, Auric Goldfinger, Hannibal Lecter, and Darth Vader, also fit this description.[75] Sanderson also found traces of William Shakespeare’s characters Richard III and Iago in Doctor Doom; all of them "are descended from the 'vice' figure of medieval drama", who address the audience in monologues detailing their thoughts and ambitions.[76]
Described as "iconic",[77] Doom is one of the most well-received supervillains of the Marvel universe, as well as one of the most recurring;[77] in his constant battles with heroes and other villains, Doom has appeared more times than any other villain.[9] The comics site Panels of Awesome ranked Doom as the number one villain in their listing of the top ten villains in comics;[78] Wizard Magazine went a step further by declaring Doom the fourth greatest villain of all time.[79]
Comic Book Resources ranks Doom as their fourth favorite Marvel character. Journalist Brent Ecenbarger cited him being able to "stand up against entities like Mephisto, the Beyonder, and Galactus and often come out on top", as well as the tragedy of any "other number of circumstances could have led to Doom being a savior, but as it is, instead he remains Marvel’s greatest villain." Fellow journalist Jason Stanhope called his "master[ing] of sorcery and technology an unusual combination", and also felt "his inner sense of nobility sets him apart from lesser villains, in a similar manner to Magneto."[80] Doom has also been favorably regarded by those who wrote for the character; Stan Lee declared Doom his favorite villain, saying "[Doom] could come to the United States and he could do almost anything, and we could not arrest him because he has diplomatic immunity. Also, he wants to rule the world and if you think about it, wanting to rule the world is not a crime."[81] Mark Waid echoed Lee's assessment of the character, stating that Doom "[has] got a great look, a great visual design [and] a dynamite origin."[82]
A ride called Doctor Doom's Fearfall is located at Islands of Adventure in the Universal Orlando Resort.[83]
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