New Avengers 31 *spoilers*

[Rosebunse]

It's not a case of Marvel planning every detail. They do get together to plan and share the outlines of these major event plots a couple of years in advance though, so a lot of the writers know what's coming, and Ewing is one of the few modern writers who takes care to reference events in the rest of the Marvel U.

God bless Ewing, who must just be giddy as a school girl with secrets!

Very very likely given some of the quotes in F4. It is possible that Marvel made him pick Dr. Doom as the big bad, but Doom was always at least tied in with this.

Which is sort of funny. I honestly thought it would be Ultron considering that Age of Ultron is coming out this summer. But nope, it's Dr. Doom. Guess this means the X-Men aren't doomed.

[Chainsaw Vigilante]

I knew it'd tie into an FF character somehow, just not sure if it was Reed, Doom, Valeria, Franklin, or Galactus. I'm glad it's not a creator's pet new threat, they rarely work out; we've also had plenty of them in recent years (Mikaboshi, The Exterminators, Clyde Wyncham, The First Fallen, to name a few).
Wondering if the deceased universe is the one of The Beyonder or the one Doom made in Hickman's FF.

[Andy]

Im okay with Doom being Rabum Alal, but this issue was terrible in terms of content. Should've just done the reveal on the first few pages, given some good revealing exposition on how he got there and such in the following pages, and shown the multiverse teams encounter with the the ivory kings in the rest of the book.

3.99 just for the last four pages of the book. Disappointing.

[SickAlice]

Liked it. Like many I assume I over hyped myself with speculation here and really I think many of my own theories would have made for a messy plot in the long run. Two questions answered with one here for me (who is Rabum Alal and what were Doom and Owen up to). I'm also glad to have all that wrapped either way. A mystery is fine for awhile but at some point I just want things to move along. Can't wait to see where we go from here. Also I like Strange's energy sigils. Him and Lyssa Drak should hang some time. They both have a great fashion for clubbing.

[Kirby Krackle]

Words cannot really describe how happy and excited this reveal has made me. If you've been reading since Hickman's Fantastic Four, it's like the ultimate pay off. Doom has always been one of my favorite characters and Hickman has done something... something wonderful. I'm more excited for Secret Wars than I ever have been. To sum it up. ALL HOPE LIES IN DOOM!

[robreedwrites]

For the record, I liked the reveal. It demands some explanation, but it sounds like we're getting that soon based off of this interview:
http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/03/...ew-avengers-30

Anyway, I also enjoyed the Strange vs. Swan conflict, as it gave a good idea of what they were up against. I also liked the designs Walker put into Rabum Alal's library (though, if this is a gift from the Ivory Kings, why is he here?). I don't know, maybe it's because of some of the other comics I've read recently, but I didn't think this was slow.

[Biclopcicle]

People are never satisfied! I thought it was an awesome reveal!!!

Yeah, I mean, I understand wanting someone new since this had been built up for so long and we havent "met" Rabum Alal before. But I thought, plot-wise, it tied up the loose end of "what happened to Doom and MM as they went down the rabbit hole?" (yes we still dont know what happened, but we know the end result)

Also, I like the juxtaposition of Reed, Tony, T'Challa, Beast, Namor, Pym, etc struggling to find a solution, and then there's DOOM who just says, "Whatevah, I do what I want!" and becomes RABUM ALAL while those nancy pants are crying about the beyonders... As previous posts have mentioned, VERY strong parallel to the original SW storyline. I think it's great.

[ROSA13]

IGN: So did this future Doctor Doom cause the incursions?

Brevoort: That's definitely still a "wait and see" question, but the answers are coming pretty fast right now. Certainly, a lot of people seem to think that he is the one responsible, the one behind everything.

IGN: Doctor Doom at the table, he seemed a little surprised about what Namor was telling him, like that was the first time he'd about the incursions. Is that right?

Brevoort: Right, that is right. But that is effectively a younger Doctor Doom than Rabum Alal.

If you think of this -- the parallel is something like Rama-Tut becoming Kang. Rama-Tut is Rama-Tut, and then eventually he goes and lives out his life in the Timestream and becomes Kang. Then eventually Kang lives out his time in the Timestream and becomes Immortus.

They're all effectively the same guy; it's just, in this case, Rabum Alal is still Doctor Doom. He's still wearing some version of the same clothes and using the same name. But if you think of them as Rama-Tut and Kang, it's that kind of thing.

[itspopularnowitsucks]

IGN: So did this future Doctor Doom cause the incursions?

Brevoort: ...Certainly, a lot of people seem to think that he is the one responsible, the one behind everything.

Wait, that means he wasn't? Black Swan was lying again?

[davew128]

Wait, that means he wasn't? Black Swan was lying again?

More like she was indoctrinated to believe he was. She would have no personal knowledge either way.

[hawkeyefan]

Does anyone think they are not?

I don't think they are. They're far too faith based for Valeria, who is so scientifically inclined. And I don't really see Doom being able to trick that many Valerias with his Great Destroyer schtick. Val questions everything.

I suppose it's possible. The fact that she is trying to save her family lends some credence to it...the family is important, and the FF is the most important family we know, so I think that's the only bit that makes me think that it's possible.

Words cannot really describe how happy and excited this reveal has made me. If you've been reading since Hickman's Fantastic Four, it's like the ultimate pay off. Doom has always been one of my favorite characters and Hickman has done something... something wonderful. I'm more excited for Secret Wars than I ever have been. To sum it up. ALL HOPE LIES IN DOOM!

I love that he flat out said it years ago. I only just started re-reading all my Hickman stuff in anticipation of the end of this epic, and I feel like if I'd gotten to that issue and read that line I would have realized it was him. I mean, it was obvious Doom was going to play a big role, but to actually be the Great Destroyer is a surprise.

I'm definitely stoked for the reveal of how this all came to be more so than the reveal that it was actually him. I think that's why some folks feel let down...they saw Doom and said wow big deal....but how it actually can be Doom, and how many hints that it was him have been dropped along the way is what is really interesting.

And I know some are complaining that they said it was a new character, but I couldn't care less about that, and I expected that was BS all along. I mean, they've been building up to the revelation of who is Rabum Alal for months. What kind of revelation would it be if it was not a character with whom we were already familiar? Did people expect the curtain to be pulled back and the character Rabum Alal is actually.....Rabum Alal!!!!

It wouldn't be a "revelation" in any sense. It had to be a character we knew.

I love it and looking forward to the explanations.

[Teste]

I'm a bit disappointment, too. I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been Isaac Newton from SHIELD.

I also strongly dislike the art in this comic. Look at that Thor!

But the IGN interview was promising, at least.

[Daeron]

Hoping to see Doom and Reece help Strange create the Black Priests after this moment to really screw with my linear thinking.

[teepee]

Can I claim a first on this?

http://community.comicbookresources....l=1#post895306

http://community.comicbookresources....l=1#post895602

[Reviresco]

Loved the reveal.

Hated Strange falling for a trap and getting punked.

Marvel better get Grant Morrison and painted pages by Simone Bianchi for Strange's ongoing after all this.