Catch me up: Why is Val with Doom?

[Charles RB]

I do love this idea Marvel has that the ranting dictator who talks in the third person, works on bizarre mad-science weaponry, likes blowing stuff up & committing atrocities depending on the writer, and is half-driven by a constant seething hatred for his old college roommate, that a guy who has all of this pettiness and psychopathy in him, is also a great ruler that most people would do well under if he dominated an entire world. The third-person nobility fetishist would not be a brutal tyrant that kills people and thinks he's making things better.

Honestly, I can buy everything about Doom except that he's a competent ruler. Nothing about the character says that to me.

[Ant-manic]

I do love this idea Marvel has that the ranting dictator who talks in the third person, works on bizarre mad-science weaponry, likes blowing stuff up & committing atrocities depending on the writer, and is half-driven by a constant seething hatred for his old college roommate, that a guy who has all of this pettiness and psychopathy in him, is also a great ruler that most people would do well under if he dominated an entire world. The third-person nobility fetishist would not be a brutal tyrant that kills people and thinks he's making things better.

Honestly, I can buy everything about Doom except that he's a competent ruler. Nothing about the character says that to me.

maybe he has a split-personality; like the Sentry or South Park's City Sushi-Guy.

[Charles RB]

This is his improve-the-world montage: for this to work, Doom has to be an unparalleled expert in agriculture, economics, and the distribution of goods. Interest rates lowering isn't impressive since Doom can say "lower interest rates" and boom. The stock market works on competition and speculation, none of which work in a world where everyone does & thinks what one guy says and everyone's singing in Stepford harmony; shouldn't the markets just stay sluggish? Is Doom telling them to rise? Why is Doom handing "rule of South Africa... to the black majority" (which sounds like white and Indian South Africans are out of government) if any South African government will do what he tells them anyway and it doesn't matter who "runs" it? (Who are the sworn enemies of Ethiopia with the tech to make deserts bloom? Maybe Wakanda, I guess)

He then grants independence to Puerto Rico. But he owns Puerto Rico and the rest of the world. Why is he doing that? Is it just for the ego?

[Mark]

Tricky.
Doom has in the past tried to kill the FF and once sent all of them to hell (including Franklin) where they were tortured.
Reed helped build the negative zone prison where the captured superheroes were going to locked up for life.
Doom has traded the only woman he ever really loved to demons for magical armor in his attempt to kill the FF.
Reed helped create and maintain the Thor clone for use against the heroes in cw, not really minding at the time that his creation killed someone.
Doom once kidnaped Franklin and offered him to Mephisto in exchange for his mother's soul.
Reed and the Illuminati are blowing up worlds.

It's not like Sue has good choices on where to put Val at this point.

[Sardorim]

It makes NO SENSE whatsoever that one of Sue and Reed's kids are with Von Doom!

You can write whatever you wish to write but it is just plain stupid. The FF (if they really existed) would never let Doom baby sit their real kids!

I bet you're one of those readers that didn't catch on that Dr. Doom was a member of the Future Foundation for awhile and that he's very protective and fatherly towards Val.

[zlbenson]

The only thing better than Val being with Doom would be if Bentley-23 was there too. Kickin' Doom's enemies in the nuts. I wonder if I wish hard enough, this will come into existence?

[Iron Maiden]

It's probably good that Val went to Doom anyway since the kangaroo court took the kids away to Camp Hammond where I doubt the accommodations are up to what the kids had at the Baxter Building. Will Reed and Sue even be allowed to visit Franklin??

[Iron Maiden]

This is his improve-the-world montage: for this to work, Doom has to be an unparalleled expert in agriculture, economics, and the distribution of goods. Interest rates lowering isn't impressive since Doom can say "lower interest rates" and boom. The stock market works on competition and speculation, none of which work in a world where everyone does & thinks what one guy says and everyone's singing in Stepford harmony; shouldn't the markets just stay sluggish? Is Doom telling them to rise? Why is Doom handing "rule of South Africa... to the black majority" (which sounds like white and Indian South Africans are out of government) if any South African government will do what he tells them anyway and it doesn't matter who "runs" it? (Who are the sworn enemies of Ethiopia with the tech to make deserts bloom? Maybe Wakanda, I guess)

He then grants independence to Puerto Rico. But he owns Puerto Rico and the rest of the world. Why is he doing that? Is it just for the ego?

Of course comics are going to handle politics, economic engines, etc in a simplified manner. Just think of the CEO of a large corporation. Corporate giants like a Bill Gates and his partners had to not only know their technology but became business men also, or they put people in place to handle that role. But the company policies, etc are still guided by them. A CEO may make the decisions, come up with strategies, make policy etc. In the same respect Doom lets his underlings take care of the details and he's done this before. He even had Reed along with some other scientists unknowingly work for him to implement his plans on the Solartron complex in FF#196-200. It's also consistent with how he handled things in Doom 2099 when he returned to Latveria and then briefly became President of U.S.

[Patchmadripoor]

It makes NO SENSE whatsoever that one of Sue and Reed's kids are with Von Doom!

You can write whatever you wish to write but it is just plain stupid. The FF (if they really existed) would never let Doom baby sit their real kids!

Doom delivered Valeria during birth, even gave the girl her name and is mystically bonded to the girl. Valeria has a unique place in Doom's heart that the one on else in the Marvel Universe has. Franklin has no such love, but Doom has a soft spot for Valeria. Doom also owes Valeria much recently, as she was able to bring him back to his full glory and power after Doom's debacle against the Intelligencia.

[pageturner]

Tricky.
Doom has in the past tried to kill the FF and once sent all of them to hell (including Franklin) where they were tortured.
Reed helped build the negative zone prison where the captured superheroes were going to locked up for life.
Doom has traded the only woman he ever really loved to demons for magical armor in his attempt to kill the FF.
Reed helped create and maintain the Thor clone for use against the heroes in cw, not really minding at the time that his creation killed someone.
Doom once kidnaped Franklin and offered him to Mephisto in exchange for his mother's soul.
Reed and the Illuminati are blowing up worlds.

It's not like Sue has good choices on where to put Val at this point.

Reed gave the world Velcro come on he is a god among men.

[xcoijoi]

See, I'm the opposite.
I like Val being independent and doing what she wants.

Her intellect has allowed her to supersede her parents wishes.
It's also made for interesting storytelling IMO.
In the real world it may not work... but here it's cool.

Yeah, If I were super-smart, I'd definitely have a different perspective on all kinds of authority. Could still be diplomatic and kind -

"Thanks for your opinion, Dad/Coach/Officer/Mr. President/buddy, but I'm better qualified to figure this one out. Yeah, I know it's possible to make mistakes, but I'm also better qualified than you, to make my own mistakes and learn from them. Love ya anyway, see ya...."

[Iron Maiden]

Reed gave the world Velcro come on he is a god among men.

I think he got a lot of character damage in Civil War which Dwayne McDuffie tried to address a bit when he was on a brief but very good FF run. I blame it on Millar ... he had a chance to address it when it was his turn on the FF and he really didn't. Bill Foster was a good friend of Ben's but they neglected to deal with that on the FF side of things. Tony got his clock cleaned by Thor for his part in that whole Thor clone business.

[XPac]

I think he got a lot of character damage in Civil War which Dwayne McDuffie tried to address a bit when he was on a brief but very good FF run. I blame it on Millar ... he had a chance to address it when it was his turn on the FF and he really didn't. Bill Foster was a good friend of Ben's but they neglected to deal with that on the FF side of things. Tony got his clock cleaned by Thor for his part in that whole Thor clone business.

Tony may have gotten his clocked cleaned, but Reed got his too. He was forced to go on beach vacation with his wife ... that'll show him.

Maybe after Sue finds out about the incursion, they can go skiing or something.

[Ant-manic]

Doom delivered Valeria during birth,

Plot Induced Stupidity with a dash of mary sue-ing

Valeria has a unique place in Doom's heart that the one on else in the Marvel Universe has.

yes, she is a weapon to use against the Fantastic Four that they have no defense against. it's like I said, Doom is Miss Havisham.

Doom also owes Valeria much recently, as she was able to bring him back to his full glory and power after Doom's debacle against the Intelligencia.

proof of Val's immaturity

[Ant-manic]

I bet you're one of those readers that didn't catch on that Dr. Doom was a member of the Future Foundation for awhile and that he's very protective and fatherly towards Val.

perhaps you didn't catch on that he was there as a sacrificial lamb and that they didn't actually trust him. in case anyone forgot, Doom murdered a teenager in cold blood.