Doctor Doom Appreciation 2023 - Scientist, Sorcerer, Romani King

[DoomScribe]

Oh the writing of Warren Ellis on Doom 2099 ....! ! ! So magnificent.

Anyway, onward to another last page appearance that is a bit strange (why the armor change to this monstrosity is beyond me). It's an alternate universe/zombie tale from a 2012 4 issue limited series, Marvel Universe vs The Avengers issue #1. (Doom does feature in all four issues of this series)

Marvel Universe Vs Avengers 1 pg 21 Doom appears last page.jpg

In the following issue, Doom manhandles the Avengers quite handily.

[Iron Maiden]

Marvel revealed the cover to Fantastic Four #7 (also legacy #700)



From the article:

Making his first appearance in North and Coello’s run, Doom will attempt to use his unmatched expertise to fix the fatal misstep that kicked off the Fantastic Four’s new era. Still haunting the team and causing a dramatic rift between Marvel’s first family, readers are only just starting to put the pieces of the mystery together.

After it’s fully revealed later this month in FANTASTIC FOUR #4, the team will be reunited at last just in time for Doom to rock their world once more! The iconic villain will embark on an epic journey across space and time to reverse the damage that his most bitter foes have unleashed on the Marvel Universe. Will he be able to succeed where Reed Richards failed? Or will his meddling make matters far, far worse?

The over-sized spectacular will also see the Fantastic Four reach their new base of operations—not knowing that their greatest threat has made it there first! As their knowledge of LANGUAGE ITSELF begins to melt from their minds, the Four are in disarray as their existence hangs in the balance... and the greatest villain of all time finally seals their DOOM.

“I feel privileged to be writing the Fantastic Four at any time, honestly, but getting to have a big milestone issue happen on my watch is certainly lucky—and it's an opportunity I didn't want to waste,” North said. “A big anniversary issue like this demands a similarly big story, something meaningful, impactful, and memorable. And given that it's a supersized issue with more room to play, everything aligned to do a story with the Fantastic Four's most meaningful, impactful, memorable, and supersized villain: Doctor Doom.”

“Doom demands nothing less than the biggest issue of the year being dedicated to him, and I dare not defy Doom,” he continued. “It's a big twisty story that brings the Fantastic Four to their new home and views what's happened to both families over the past year in a new light. The Fantastic Four are down, but not out, and Doom senses an opportunity...”

I assume this will be a multi issue arc. Looking forward to Ryan North's story....and hoping it's better than Dan Slott's

[FRC Coazze]

That’s great news (and great cover)! This year’s starting really strong Doom wise. I was left pretty dejected by the end of 2022, now I feel the hype rising again: looks like Doom’s retaking his place as one of Fantastic Four main characters and Marvel’s greatest antagonist. The premises for Fantastic Four #700 seem very promising:

"The iconic villain will embark on an epic journey across space and time to reverse the damage that his most bitter foes have unleashed on the Marvel Universe. Will he be able to succeed where Reed Richards failed? Or will his meddling make matters far, far worse?"

From the look of it, looks like Doom’s gonna do what he does best: to be the hero of his own story, who’s an antagonist but not necessarily a villain which I really do like. He's in his own league, he follows his own path which sometimes brings him to clash with the heroes and other times to work together with them. If this is the Doom we're going to get from North, I'll be very pleased

[Iron Maiden]

I am looking forward to this and was also very disappointed with a lot of the Doom appearances last year. Now all I have to do is stay away from all of those YouTube videos promoting all the Kang stuff. It worries me that it looks like Kang will be taking over some classic Doom arcs like Secret Wars. Of course, the folks running the MCU might be keeping Doom under wraps for now and don't want to reveal so much. We still don't have a Fantastic Four cast yet.

[DoomScribe]

This wasn't a last page appearance, but a dramatic entrance nonetheless for the Doom Supreme (or Doom above all) in this massive Avengers crossover event, this was in Avengers Forever #13 this past week

Avengers Forever 13 pg 19.jpg

I agree with Iron Maiden and FRC Coazze, we are long due a proper Doctor Doom portrayal and this new Fantastic Four arc sounds very promising. The Doom supreme of the latest multiverse and time travelling saga does absolutely nothing for me. But I've never been fond of these huge arcs where the battle seems to be the point rather than the characters. So, looking forward for a better 2023 and will also hope that the MCU isn't ignoring Doom, just keeping it under wraps for the surprise reveal. Hopefully ... soon.

[Iron Maiden]

Tonight I was browsing for something to watch on TV and this popped up today on HBO Max....a documentary about super villains! It was made in France and it is in French with subtitles. They covered most of the main DC and Marvel supervillians and various writers and artists were interviewed. Many were French and then they also had interviews with Gerry Conway and Mark Waid. I think it was unfortunate that Mark Waid was the writer they chose to talk about Doctor Doom with only a brief scene with Gerry Conway. I had to shake my head when Mark Waid gushed about how Unthinkable was his "love letter" to Doctor Doom. I'd hate to think what he would have written if he didn't like the character.

[Iron Maiden]

Thor #33





(W) Torunn Gronbekk (A/CA) Nic Klein


All roads lead to... Doom! The time storm threatens all of existence past, present and future! While Doctor Doom hunts for Bor's weapon, which will allow him to claim Latveria, Earth and the whole of the universe as his own, Thor and Jane Foster hunt for Doom - deep in the past. But what IS the weapon Bor created? And with Doom hell-bent on controlling free will itself, what does that spell for Thor's sister Laussa, trapped in time between the present and the future?
Rated T+

[Doom Answers to No Master]

I am looking forward to this and was also very disappointed with a lot of the Doom appearances last year. Now all I have to do is stay away from all of those YouTube videos promoting all the Kang stuff. It worries me that it looks like Kang will be taking over some classic Doom arcs like Secret Wars. Of course, the folks running the MCU might be keeping Doom under wraps for now and don't want to reveal so much. We still don't have a Fantastic Four cast yet.

I have posted this on some other boards...I really want to believe Marvel has a grand plan for Doom in the MCU...but I am equally afraid, they won't use him. You are correct that Kang is stepping in and taking the spot Doom should have. I've done a pretty good job at looking for interviews with Feige throughout the last few years and not ONE, not even a hint alluded that Doom was mentioned by him or his love/hate of the character. It almost seems like he is a "non character" which could be worse, a character of irrelevancy. Feige has expressed his love for the Fantastic 4. Only when Noah Hawley was suppose to write the Doctor Doom show did Noah discuss Feiges approach to him.

I just feel like Doom won't have a place in the MCU that makes sense anymore. I mean Kang or a variant could easily step in and be Reed Richards new nemesis...I guess there is nothing stopping Marvel from not even using the character. I mean why haven't they even name dropped Latveria yet? What harm would it be to mention it? I mean the Black Widow screenwriter said that he actually had it in the draft and they told him to remove it. It could have easily been part of the "United Nations" scene in Wakanda Forever when Queen Ramonda was talking to the various countries...could have panned over and saw a Latverian rep sitting with the countries name on a nameplate. We also made the assumption that the country that Moon Knight lands in the first episode was Doomstadt...I mean lets be honest it was about spot on as it could be...a castle up on the hill, small village below...easily could have been Latveria.

That's the problem...all these would have should have could have moments and NO actual proof/evidence that the character nor his nation even exist in the MCU....

I would have prioritized Doom and Latveria the MINUTE the rights were in Disney's hands. That is just me.

[DoomScribe]

I would have prioritized Doom and Latveria the MINUTE the rights were in Disney's hands. That is just me.

Yes, 100% agree. The longer that Doom is absent, the more worried I get. A bad portrayal is bad, but ignoring him into irrelevance is criminal.

[Iron Maiden]

Unfortunately both Doom and The Fantastic Four had the misfortune of being picked up by Fox back in the days when Marvel wasn't doing a very good job at getting their IP into films and they were scattered all over. We had 4 low quality FF films and ergo 4 bad versions of Doom. Julian McMahon and Toby Kebbell were both miscast as Doom.At least the Roger Corman movie never got released and but they did make a more sincere attempt at it.
The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Hero will probably end up being better than MCU Doom.
Lately I have been watching the old Superhero Squad cartoon show on Disney plus and that show had a more accurate take on Doom than those movies! It's all done for comedic effect of course but here are a few things they get right

1. Doom's armor
2. An episode were he goes back to his castle in Latveria
3. His mother's name Cynthia Von Doom although she prefers to be called Coco
4. Not only that, we got a version of Doom rescuing her from Cthon's realm, who you can see as a stand in for Mephisto

I doubt we will get any of this in the MCU anytime soon.

[DoomScribe]

Just saw this art on etsy, thought I'd share. Don't know who the artist is, but I love the vibe of it. Dr Doom vs Galactus. Awesome.
Dr Doom vs Galactus art.jpg

[Iron Maiden]

If only this were a sneak peek at Marvel's Fantastic Four movie

[DoomScribe]

A little quiet here lately, so I'll share my progress on the 1991 Horizon Dr Doom vinyl model. I fixed the old model (I did not do any repainting other than touch-ups from my rather poor paint job from 1999) by supporting the ankles and securing it to a modified base. Plus added terrain to the base including some weighted bits at the back to try to rebalance it. I also used the hot air from a hair dryer to soften the vinyl and twist it ever so slightly back towards center. We'll see if that holds for the long run.

For the new model, I've built up the base to not only make him more centered, but more upright as well. Here's the two side by side. The new one is unfinished and I will also be adding paint and texture to the base parts. With the new one I'm also going to fix the lower legs to the base with some wire rods. Also with the new one, I made additional modifications to the mask, a little more detailed than what I did in '99.

2023-02-10 12.26.56.jpg

2023-02-09 16.38.59.jpg

The old one is ok. I'm hoping to do much better on the new one.

2023-02-10 Horizon model Dr Doom 1999.jpg

[DoomScribe]

And it's about time for another LAST PAGE Dr Doom appearance. More into the modern era now, Uncanny Avengers #18 from 2014 features Doom 2099!

Uncanny Avengers 21 page 18.jpg

This was a five issue arc, from #18 to #22, but sadly Doom 2099 appears only briefly in the last three issues. Such a let down after a promising beginning.

[DoomScribe]

This was a great last page appearance in Invincible Iron Man #1 from 2015, as Iron Man hunts Madam Masque in Latveria
Invincible Iron Man 1 pg24.jpg

Victor Von Doom pops in an out of Tony's pages through issue #13.
Here's another last page entrance, in this one Victor Von Doom comes to the rescue of Tony Stark, who is with some SHIELD agents in Invincible Iron Man #12 from 2016.

Invincible Iron Man 12 pg21 Doom appears last page.jpg

This was a frustrating run of appearances with Victor popping in and out and no real resolution to many subplots, especially after the infamous Iron Man run.