From Saving The Multiverse To Harvesting Latverian Souls For Magic, Here Are 5 Times Doctor Doom Deserved Some Love And 5 Times He Deserved All The Hate In The Comics
The MCU finally introduced Doctor Doom in the post-credits scene of The Fantastic Four: First Steps, and while he is a villain, he has another side that Marvel comics fans understand very well.
Victor Von Doom is arguably the deadliest villain in the Marvel Universe, but there is a lot more to this force of nature that is the MCU’s new big bad than meets the eye. At his core, Victor Von Doom is the ruler of Latveria, a scientist, a sorcerer and, when need be, a surprisingly principled antihero. He rarely ever does the right thing, but that doesn’t mean he is a run-of-the-mill bad guy.
Doctor Doom is a multifaceted villain whose actions, even bad ones, often have a reasonable, albeit selfish, backstory, which is why he is the Marvel Universe’s most iconic villain. While he is better known for his dark side, he does have a long list of redeeming qualities too, hence his equally shared love/hate relationship with the comics fans.
Loved: He saved the Multiverse (Secret Wars, 2015)
Saving the Multiverse from destruction by creating and shielding Battleworld is by far the most heroic thing Doctor Doom has ever done. It all happens in Secret Wars, where Doom uses the power of the Beyonders to salvage whatever is left of the disintegrating multiverse into one planet called Battleworld, which is, of course, ruled by him. Now, Battleworld is clearly not the best of places to live in the Marvel Universe because Doctor Doom, having become “God Emperor Doom,” rules it with an iron fist.
However, his tyranny is the only thing that keeps what is left of the multiverse from descending into anarchy so, while he isn’t exactly the shining light, he is the hero. Fortunately, Reed Richards comes back and restores order to a more reasonable degree, but without Doctor Doom, there would be nothing left to restore.
Hated: He harvested millions of souls to power his magic (One World Under Doom, 2025)
One World Under Doom is one of Marvel’s latest releases, and it portrays the darkest side of Victor Von Doom yet, after he becomes the Sorcerer Supreme. In the series, Doom finally turns the whole world into one country called Grand United Latveria, a welfare state in which war — among other Doom-like laws — is illegal.
He then fools everyone with his external appearance as a benevolent leader and a man of the people. However, Reed Richards, seeking to expose him, infiltrates Latveria and discovers that the powerful spells being cast by Doom to keep the world under his grip are achieved by harvesting the souls of millions of his subjects, including children.
Loved: He saved Valeria Richards (Fantastic Four Vol 3 #54, 2002)
It is hard to imagine that Doctor Doom is Valeria Richards’ godfather, considering the rivalry between the Fantastic Four and the ruler of Latveria. However, when Sue went into labor while Mr. Fantastic was trapped in Space in Fantastic Four Vol.3, Johny Storm sought Doctor Doom’s help to deliver the baby.
As always, Doctor Doom always has a price for his services, and after safely delivering the baby, he asked that he be the one to name her, calling the baby Valeria as he became Uncle Doom. He even cast protective spells around the baby to keep her safe in one of the most honorable acts he has ever done.
Hated: He attacked Wakanda just for Vibranium (Doomwar #1-6, 2010)
One of the most satisfying moments in the comics is when T’Challa and the X-Men invade Latveria, defeat Doctor Doom, and thwart his plans to create the ultimate armor after stealing Wakandan Vibranium. However, before this, Doctor Doom hatched a complicated plot, working with the Wakandan rebel group Deasturi to overwhelm the country’s defenses and steal Vibranium.
He actually hurt T’Challa in the process and left him comatose, which led to Storm becoming the queen of Wakanda for some time. His selfish actions caused the devastation of the Wakanda Royal family, putting the nation on the brink of collapse.
Loved: He killed a deadlier future version of himself (Iron Man #250, 1989)
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Doomquest (Iron Man #150) is one of the most interesting team-ups between Iron Man and Doctor Doom in the comics. It features one of those rare heroic acts by Doctor Doom as the two travel back in time to help King Arthur save Camelot. In Iron Man #250, Marvel revisited this storyline, taking Doom and Tony Stark to the future version of Camelot in 2093, where the world is under a deadly threat.
Teaming up with Merlin — who proves to be a better sorcerer than Doom — Iron Man and Doctor Doom set out on a mission to stop a ruthless future Doctor Doom who seeks to wipe out most of humanity so he can control the surviving population. As expected, Doctor Doom would never allow anyone else, even his future self, to best him, so he gladly destroys future Doom; saving the world in the process.
Hated: He disfigured his face over a minor scar (Books of Doom #6, 2005)
Doctor Doom’s obsession with perfection is actually one of the most disappointing qualities about him. While there are multiple versions of the cause of his disfigurement, the most interesting one comes in the Books of Doom #6, written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Pablo Raimondi.
In this version, after suffering a minor scar after a laboratory accident at the Empire State University, Doom goes for a mystical armored mask from Tibetan monks. However, he doesn’t wait for the mask to cool properly before wearing it, causing the extensive, grotesque scarring of his face as the hot mask fused permanently onto his skin.
Loved: He saved his mother from hell (Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph And Torment, 1989)
After winning a boon (a request that cannot be denied) from Doctor Strange during a contest, Doctor Doom asks Strange to accompany him to hell and rescue his mother’s soul. The request, in itself, was a noble gesture by Doctor Doom, who would normally seek to control the world. When they reach Hades, Doom does the Doomest thing possible by trading Doctor Strange for his mother’s, but not without giving Strange a way out.
Fortunately, it all works out in the end as Doom’s mother proves her purity; taking her out of Mephisto’s shackles and straight into heaven while Strange and Doom get to go back to Earth alive. In the end, Doom gets to save his mother, although he loses her love in the process.
Hated: He condemned Franklin Richards to Hell (Fantastic Four Vol 3 #67-70, 2003)
Doctor Doom’s obsession with getting control of Franklin Richards’ powers plays a major part in his rivalry with the Fantastic Four, but it hardly gets darker than it does in this arc in Mark Waid’s run of Fantastic Four. In the story, Doom captures Franklin and Valeria Richards during his usual magical experiments. However, instead of using Franklin’s powers to twist Mephisto’s powers, Doom chooses to trade Franklin to Mephisto instead.
His actions are extremely depraved, considering the twisted nature of Mephisto’s torments, which have caused Doom himself to fight for his mother’s release from hell for most of his life. Fortunately, Reed Richards swoops in to save the day, and Franklin proves himself to be a better man than Doom as he doesn’t condemn the Latverian to the same fate when the tables are turned.
Loved: He liberated his country (Books of Doom #5, 2005)
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Some call it the making of a dictator, but Victor Von Doom’s rise to becoming the absolute ruler of Latveria is actually pretty heroic. The nation was dwarfed under the oppressive leadership of a baron when Doctor Doom rose in rebellion and liberated it. While he isn’t everyone’s ideal leader, the lives of Latverians became a lot better under him.
He brings stability to the nation, fosters technological advancement and, most importantly, protects Latveria from chaos. His patriotism is actually one of Doom’s best redeeming qualities because he remains loyal to the nation and its people, albeit for the most part, in the comics.
Hated: He took over Reed Richards’ body (Fantastic Four Vol. 1 #10, 1963)
Doctor Doom’s habit of swapping bodies to infiltrate his opponents is one of the most despicable things about him. In the comics, he uses his machines to swap bodies with multiple characters, but none of them is as devastating as Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Fantastic Four, when he takes over Reed’s body and infiltrates his family.
He then starts sabotaging the team while in Reed’s body and skin, forcing the team to literally plot their own destruction; all while poor Reed is trapped in Doom’s armored body. Doom’s actions are psychological warfare at disturbing levels as he invades the team’s privacy and uses their love and trust for one of their own against them.
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