Doctor Doom is at the top of many Marvel fans’ minds, especially after his starring role in the One World Under Doom event series. Emperor Doom rules all, and is the predominant villain in the Marvel Universe and in some fans’ minds, the best villain overall. There’s a lot to like about Doctor Doom, from his unique visual look to his supreme overconfidence. But even lifelong fans of Doctor Doom are bound to have unresolved questions about the Latverian dictator. Every one of Doom’s choices and decisions aren’t 100% foolproof, and they often raise more questions than answers.
Trying to understand everything about Doctor Doom can come across as a fool’s errand. Doctor Doom is a very complicated man, which is a trait that many iconic villains possess. Their goals have to seem somewhat relatable to make us almost root for them. And yet, their deeds remain evil to the core. This all pretty much summarizes Doctor Doom, but there are a few things I can’t let slide or ignore without questioning. In fact, I’d wager you’ll be glad I brought these five things about Doctor Doom to your attention.
5) Doctor Doom’s Relationship With Morgan Le Fay
Marvel typically doesn’t spend much time on villainous love affairs, but sometimes exceptions are made, like with Doctor Doom and Morgan Le Fay. The two villains are masters of the mystic arts, though a major difference is that Doctor Doom is also a student of the sciences. When it came time for Doom to look for a teacher of the dark arts, he turned to Morgan Le Fay, traveling back in time to study with her and also have a love affair.
Doctor Doom also tasked Morgan Le Fay with helping him save his mother’s soul in Hell. Even with them becoming lovers, Doom couldn’t stop himself from betraying Le Fay. And once she found out, Morgan Le Fay crossed space and time to get herself some retribution. Their relationship has always been a complicated one, and on the surface, they should be allies. But Doctor Doom just can’t help himself when it comes to betraying those close to him, with one exception we’ll get to later.
4) Why Doesn’t Doctor Doom Heal His Face With Magic?
Doctor Doom wears a mask to hide his disfigured face, never allowing the world to gaze upon the one thing he’s self-conscious about. This is an understandable reaction, and the only time we’ve seen Victor Von Doom’s face in his flashbacks to his time in college with Reed Richards, or when he became the Infamous Iron Man and his handsome face was returned to him post-Secret Wars.
After Doctor Doom’s face was scarred in a battle with The Hood, he chose to leave it disfigured. With as powerful a sorcerer as Doctor Doom is, it should have been easy to heal himself, yet he refuses to do so. You could say it would remove one of the cool parts about Doctor Doom’s costume (the mask), but that’s a copout. He’d still look menacing with his Doctor Doom armor and green cape flapping in the wind.
3) Obsession With The Fantastic Four
In the pantheon of hero/villain rivalries, the one between the Fantastic Four and Doctor Doom has to rank pretty highly. It all started with Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom being college rivals, with Reed always besting Victor at every turn. The two are always in competition with each other, with the Fantastic Four always responding to whatever threat Doom is posing. It wouldn’t be superhero comics if the Fantastic Four didn’t have a mortal enemy like Doctor Doom to go against.
[RELATED: Marvel Teases Doom’s Dark Secret (and a Fantastic Four Member Knows It)]
If anything, Victor Von Doom and Reed Richards are more equals than one being smarter than the other. There will be times when Reed’s genius will win the day, and others when Doom comes out on top. But while the Fantastic Four don’t waste their time worrying 24/7 about Doctor Doom, the same can’t be said for Doom. The FF are always top of mind, much to his detriment.
2) Being The Godfather of Valeria Richards
While Doctor Doom and Reed Richards are mortal enemies, the same can’t be said for Doom and his relationship with Reed’s daughter, Valeria. In a surprising twist, Doctor Doom had a hand in delivering Valeria and naming her. Sue Storm had a turbulent pregnancy with Valeria, and even Mister Fantastic couldn’t save her. It was only when Doctor Doom combined science and magic that Valeria could be born safely. The Fantastic Four showed their gratitude by allowing Doom to pick her name, where he chose the name of his childhood love.
Even though her family in the Fantastic Four is always in constant combat with Doctor Doom, she’s still managed to have a legit bond with him. Doctor Doom serves as Valeria’s godfather, and she’s one of the few people in the world he truly respects and values the opinion of. It helps that Valeria has an intellect that rivals Doom’s. But it’s still astounding that Valeria and Doom can remain as close as they are when Doom continues to wage war against her family in the Fantastic Four.
1) If Doom Is As Great As He Says He Is, Why Does He Always Lose?
If you were to ask Doctor Doom, he would tell you that he is the be-all and end-all. Everything flows through Doom. He’s even managed to outwit Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in One World Under Doom. As of now, he has declared himself Emperor Doom, but even now, cracks are starting to show in his well-thought-out plan. It will be interesting to see whether Doom can maintain all of the power that he has accumulated. We’ve seen Doom steal power and influence before, and it never lasts.
Just look at how Doom created Battleworld in Secret Wars. Just like with One World Under Doom, Victor Von Doom ruled over Battleworld with an iron fist, but once again, Reed Richards and other survivors of Earth-616 were able to defeat him. Doom is good for a solo victory here and there, but he can never seal the deal permanently.
The post 5 Things I Still Don’t Understand About Doctor Doom appeared first on ComicBook.com.
