Doctor Doom, easily the most recognizable Marvel villain of all time. Since his creation by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Doom‘s modus operandi has been his envy. While being the benevolent leader of his own country, there are things always out of his grasp. It’s what drives his hate for the Fantastic Four, especially Reed Richards. But after 2015’s Secret Wars Doom goes through a period of development. Starting as a supporting character before becoming the Infamous Iron Man, he gets everything he has ever wanted. But by the time the FF return, Doom seems to revert back to his old self. That is until readers notice that Doom’s motivations are more prideful than before.
Doctor Doom: According To Jack Kirby
As the video above states, neither Kirby or Lee consider Doom to only be a supervillain. Doom considers himself the smartest and most capable person in the room. But a blemish as minor as a scar on his face is why he wears a mask. Doom envies everyone else around him for having everything he could ever want: loving families, respect in the scientific community, and no scars. It’s why Doom tries his absolute hardest to be the best at everything, from class to politics. His home of Latveria has become a haven under Doom’s rule, after taking it over.
But this envy is also what makes him so dangerous and terrifying. Doom loathes Reed Richards because he has everything Doom could ever want, despite critical miscalculations. The origin of the Four for example, it was because Reed didn’t account for radiation shielding for cosmic rays. Ben Grimm practically gets the worst of this change and yet still considers Reed his best friend. To Doctor Doom who had to push himself to the very limit to make up for his shortcomings, this is a grave insult. So Doom goes to lengths where he steals parts of Mr. Fantastic’s life including a closer relationship to Reed’s Daughter Valeria. All because Doom believes he can do better than Reed.
Witness The (Stolen) Power of Doom!
Of course, why limit Doom’s envy to Mr. Fantastic and his Fantastic Four? Doom has a reputation of stealing great power from others and empowering himself to god-like levels. What does he do with that power? Usually he wastes it on ego trips or discards it all; in Doom’s own words:
Doom’s reasons are his own. Do not question them.
Doctor Doom
Or in the case of 2015’s Secret Wars, Doom gets an epiphany. All of the great power and he didn’t fix his own face. So when the power is stripped from him and his face is restored, he reflected on his ego. Realizing how unfulfilling it was to have ultimate power, Doom tries something new.
The Infamous Iron Man
For a while Doom was ready to turn over a new leaf as a hero. He gives up his throne on Latveria while trying to allow it to become a free state. Then he allies himself with another genius he secretly admires, Iron Man. But when Iron Man ends up losing his cool, Doom takes it upon himself to take up the mantle. The Infamous Iron Man allows Doom to make peace with some people; this includes the mother he already helped save herself and earning Ben Grimm’s respect. That is until an old trauma of Doom’s is triggered, the burning of his face.
Is An Old Shame
In Doom’s shame, he finds that his attempts to be a hero and belief in others backfired. So Doom returns to being a conqueror after one of his followers inspire him. Naturally that includes trying to one-up the returning Fantastic Four. Not to mention his envy that he has scars while everyone else doesn’t. Which eventually brings us to the Doctor Doom solo series where Doom comes to terms to what he really wants.
Doctor Doom Redefined
Spoilers ahead.
In Christopher Cantwell’s Doctor Doom, Victor Von Doom is pushed to his very limits. His rule of Latveria gets compromised by a political affair and he finds the life he always wanted. In that other universe, Doom is happy ruling the world with his family and working with Reed as equals. But the other Doom also reveals a few hard truths; Doom has the means to restore his perfect face and his power armor is a shell. Doom insulted, kills his other self and destroys this other universe in retaliation.
Now on first glance this looks like Doom’s attempt at personal progress until subverting it. But on a closer look, it shows an authentic character arc. At first Doom’s envy looks like it’s on the way to giving him fulfillment. Because who better to aspire to other than your best self? But Doom’s interactions with this other self reveals a crucial part of her personality. Despite his slip-ups, Doom takes pride in his faults as they allowed him to push him beyond his limits.
The Mask Is The Real Face of Doom!
Doctor Doom’s legacy as a supervillain may have been built on envy, but finally getting what he wanted reveals what fulfills him. Doom values his merits more than his image, hence why he considers his mask his real face. It’s also why Doom can never accept the praise of his equals; Doom values his perfections as much as his imperfections. It’s a neurotic duality that makes him a compelling villain after so much stagnation.
For Doom it’s no longer about ultimate power he can steal, that’s just a means to an end. Neither does Doom want to take the mundane if healthier way to get a utopia through compromise. Instead Doom wants to build his power and influence by transcending his humanity through his own hands.
But the ink’s not dry yet so keep your attention on Doom! Thanks for coming to the end and as always remember to look between the panels.