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Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain published by Marvel Comics and appearing as the archenemy of the Fantastic Four. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962).

After a failed experiment leaves his face disfigured, the brilliant but arrogant Victor von Doom casts a set of armour and sets out to dominate the world, as well as to destroy the Fantastic Four. He is the absolute patriarch of the fictional European nation of Latveria, which he rules with an iron fist.

Doctor Doom is one of Marvel Comics' most recognizable and archetypal supervillains; the character has fought and opposed more heroes than any other Marvel villain. Wizard magazine rated Doctor Doom the 4th greatest villain of all time. In 2009, IGN also ranked Doctor Doom as the 3rd Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.

Publication history

Creation and development

Like many of Marvel's first characters, Doctor Doom was conceived by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby. With Fantastic Four performing well, Lee and Kirby were trying to dream up a "soul-stirring…super sensational new villain." Looking for a name, Lee latched onto "Doctor Doom" as "eloquent in its simplicity — magnificent in its implied menace." Due to the rush to publish, Doom was not given a full origin in the first issue he appeared in, or even in subsequent stories in which he menaced the Fantastic Four (after issue #5 he appeared in issues six, ten, sixteen and seventeen in succession.) Doom's origins were finally revealed in the Fantastic Four Annual #2, more than two years after his first appearance. While The Fantastic Four had fought villains such as the Mole Man, Skrulls, the Miracle Man, and Namor the Sub-Mariner before Doom's appearance, Doom managed to overshadow them all and became the Fantastic Four's arch-nemesis.

Lee established Doom's origins as the son of gypsies, born decades ago in Latveria when it was ruled by an unnamed nobleman called the Baron. Doom's mother was a witch, a fact his father tried to hide from the young boy; when his father is killed by the Baron's men unjustly, Doom discovers his mother's occult instruments and swears revenge on the Baron. Doom grows into a headstrong and brilliant man, who attracts the attention of the dean of Empire State University. Offered the chance to study in America, Doom leaves his homeland behind and meets a fellow student named Reed Richards, though Doom disregards his peers. Richards tries to warn Doom about continuing an experiment to communicate with the dead with flawed figures, but Doom continues on; the resulting explosion severely damages Doom's face. Expelled after the accident, Doom travels the world, eventually being found by a clan of monks in Tibet. Mastering the monks' disciplines, he becomes their master and forges himself a suit of armor, complete with a mask that can only be removed by him. Doom then returns to menace those he feels are responsible for his accident - including Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four.

Jack Kirby modeled Doom after Death, with the armor standing in for that character's skeleton; "It was the reason for the armor and the hood. Death is connected with armor and the inhuman-like steel. Death is something without mercy, and human flesh contains that mercy." Kirby further described Doom as being "paranoid", wrecked by his twisted face and wanting the whole world to be like him. Kirby went on to say that "Doom is an evil person, but he's not always been evil. He was …but through a flaw in his own character, he was a perfectionist." At one point in the Seventies, Kirby drew his interpretation of what Doom would look like under the mask, giving Doom only "a tiny scar on his cheek." Due to this slight imperfection, Doom hides his face not from the world, but from himself. To Kirby, this is the motivation for Doom's vengeance against the world; because others are superior due to this slight scar, Doom wants to elevate himself above them. Typical of Lee's writing characterization of Doom is his arrogance; his pride leads to Doom's disfigurement at the hands of his own machine, and to the failures of many of his schemes.

During the 1970s, Doom branched out to more Marvel titles, with a battle between Doom and Prince Rudolfo over control of Latveria being featured in Astonishing Tales. Doom also attempts to use the Hulk as his slave during two issues of The Incredible Hulk. The character also made several appearances in the story arcs of Super-Villain Team-Up, starting in 1975, as well as appearances in Marvel Team-Up, beginning with issue #42 (February 1976). Doom's origin was further elaborated on; a childhood companion, Valeria, was introduced and it was established Cynthia von Doom had sold her soul to Mephisto.

1980s-1990s

1981 saw Marvel and DC Comics collaborate on another project. In 1976 the two companies had published Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, and seeking to replicate that success the two companies again teamed the characters up, in Superman and Spider-Man. Marvel editor-in-chief Jim Shooter co-wrote the story alongside Marv Wolfman, and recalled choosing Doom based on his iconic status: "I figured I needed the heaviest-duty bad guy we had to offer — Doctor Doom. Their greatest hero against our greatest villain."

The same year saw John Byrne began his six-year run writing and illustrating Fantastic Four in 1981, sparking a "second golden age" for the title but also attempting to "turn the clock back get back and see fresh what it was that made the book great at its inception." Doom made his first appearance under Byrne's tenure with issue #236. Whereas Kirby had intimated that Doom's disfigurement was more a figment of Victor's vain personality, Byrne expressed that Doom's face was truly ravaged; only Doom's own robot slaves are allowed to see the monarch without his helmet. Byrne also emphasized other aspects of Doom's personality; despite his ruthless nature, Doom is a man of his word. He also genuinely cares for his people of Latveria, who in turn are devoted to their leader; returning to Latveria after being temporarily deposed, Doom abandons a scheme to wrest mystical secrets from Doctor Strange in order to oversee his land's reconstruction. Though possessing a tempestuous temper, Doom also occasionally shows warmth and empathy to others; he tries to free his mother from Mephisto and treats Kristoff Vernard like his own son.Byrne also gave further detail regarding Doom's scarring; Byrne used the idea that the accident at State University only left Doom with a small scar; when Doom puts on the armor forged for him when it had yet to cool, however, he truly damages his face.

After Byrne's departure Doctor Doom continued to be a major villain in Fantastic Four, and as the 1980s continued Doom appeared in other comics such as Punisher, Spectacular Spider-Man and Excalibur. In Fantastic Four #350, writer Walt Simonson introduced the idea of Doom being on a journey through time and space, only returning to Earth on occasion. Simonson's retcon was done so readers could assume that any of the character's appearances that they found odd were in fact Doombots. An urban legend states that Simonson drew up a list of official stories which featured the real Doom and those which did not.

Modern depictions

In 2003, Doom was the sole villain in the Fantastic Four story arc "Unthinkable", in which Doom imprisons Franklin Richards in Hell and captures Valeria Richards before succeeding in fighting the Fantastic Four to a standstill. Writer Mark Waid sought to redefine Doom's character in a way that had not been seen before. In Waid's reinterpretation, Doom hates Richards for knowing at his core he was right when Doom was wrong. Waid was also convinced that the "truism that Victor Von Doom is, despite his villainy, a noble man" (as suggested in Byrne's run) "is absolute crap. A man whose entire motivating force is jealousy is ridiculously petty, not grandly noble. Yes, Doom is regal, and yes, whenever possible, Doom likes to act as if he possesses great moral character, because to him that's what great men have... — but when I hear Doom say it 'does not suit him to' do this-and-such, what I hear is, 'it has nothing to do with my hatred for Reed Richards, so it's not worth my time.'" Waid also stated that Doom "would tear the head off a newborn baby and eat it like an apple while his mother watched if it would somehow prove he were smarter than Reed."

In 2005 and 2006, Doom was featured in his own limited series, Books of Doom, a retelling of the origin story by Ed Brubaker. In an interview, Brubaker said the series was a way to elaborate on the earlier portions of Doom's life which had not been seen often in the comics. The series also set out to determine if Doom's path from troubled child to dictator was fated or Doom's own faults led to his corruption — in essence, a nature versus nurture question. Brubaker's version of Doom was heavily influenced by the original Lee/Kirby version; responding to a question if he would show Doom's face, Brubaker stated "following Kirby's example, I think it's better not to show it."

Fictional character biography

Origin

Fantastic Four Annual #2 established that Doom's mother Cynthia, a witch, was killed by a demon, and his father Werner, a healer, died after being pursued by the Baron of Latveria because Werner could not save the Baroness from death. The young Victor swears revenge and is raised by his father's friend Boris. He studies his mother's magical artifacts and science, using his skills to swindle the richer Latverians and avoiding soldiers who want to execute him (even using a robotic doppelgänger to escape a firing squad). The Dean of Empire State University in America offers Doom a scholarship. There Doom meets and grows to loathe Reed Richards.

Using the scientific apparatus at his disposal, Victor creates a device to communicate with his dead mother. While Richards warns him his calculations are off, Doom spitefully ignores him activates the machine: he is slightly disfigured (a small scar across his cheek) in the resulting explosion, but to the vain Doom, the scar is unbearable. Refusing to acknowledge his own fault in the matter, Doom blames Richards for the accident, finding it easier to believe that Richards had sabotaged his work out of jealousy than to admit to his own imperfection. Expelled after the accident, Doom travels the world, eventually being found by a clan of monks in Tibet. Mastering the monk's disciplines, he becomes their master and forges himself a suit of armor, complete with a mask. It is this iron mask, which he places on his face before it could fully cool down from the furnace, that burns his face and causes his once slight disfigurement to become truly horrific. After this, Doom returns to his homeland, overthrowing the standing government, and crowning himself king of Latveria. Ruling with an iron fist and an equally strong will, Doom begins to redirect the small nation's resources to help him realize his goals. He also brings the country a new age of prosperity.

In 1969, Doom's childhood companion Valeria was introduced. It is revealed she and Doom parted ways after he left Latveria to study in America: symbolizing his abandoning of human love and compassion for knowledge and power. In 1971, it was established Cynthia von Doom had sold her soul to Mephisto. In 1985, John Byrne gave further detail regarding Doom's scarring. The story uses the idea that the accident at Empire State University only left Doom with a small scar; when Doom puts on the armor forged for him when it had yet to cool, however, he truly damages his face. Ed Brubaker's 2007 Books of Doom further revealed Doom was sent to learn in America after being drafted by the military to create weapons: after his accident he destroyed all his inventions. He was also pursued by the KGB before being advised to come to Tibet. The series also confirmed Doom led his people to revolt against the Latverian government. According to issues of 'Fantastic Four' published in 2008-2009, Doom was also at some point instructed in the Black Arts by a figure known as the Marquis of Death, who took him on as a protégé in the hopes that Doom would conquer the world. The Marquis himself then began a genocidal sojourn between dimensions, slaughtering everyone in them, until his return to Earth.

Supervillain

In his first appearance, Doom travels back in time to steal the enchanted treasure of Blackbeard and conquer the world, but he is fooled by Reed Richards, who swaps the treasure with worthless chains. Returning to Earth after learning the secrets of an advanced alien race, Doom exchanges consciousnesses with Mr. Fantastic; Richards, inhabiting Doom's body, switches the two back, and Doom ends up trapped in a micro-world. Doom takes over the micro-world and returns before being thrown into space. Doom is saved by Rama-Tut, and he returns to Earth to destroy the Fantastic Four by turning each member against the other using a special berry juice. Richards outwits Doom by using the hallucinogenic juice against the villain. Doom, believing he has killed Richards in a test of willpower, departs certain of his victory and superior intelligence.

During the 1960s, Doom attempts to trick Spider-Man into joining forces with him, and he also menaces the Avengers when Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch travel to Latveria to find a long-lost relative. He steals the Silver Surfer's powers in 1967, but he loses them after breaching a barrier Galactus set for the Surfer on Earth.

During the 1970s, Doom branched out to more Marvel titles, with a battle between Doom and Prince Rudolfo over control of Latveria being featured in Astonishing Tales. Doom also attempts to use the Hulk as his slave during two issues of The Incredible Hulk. The character also made several appearances in the story arcs of Super-Villain Team-Up, starting in 1975, as well as appearances in Marvel Team-Up, beginning with issue #42 (February 1976). In August of 1981, Doctor Doom also made an appearance in Iron Man when the two travel to Camelot, the first of numerous encounters of the armored monarch against his similarly equipped and skilled counterpart.

During John Bryne's run in the 1980s, Doom attempts to steal cosmic powers on Terrax, but Doom's body is destroyed in the resulting fight between Terrax and the Silver Surfer. Doom survives by transferring his consciousness to another human, and is returned to his original body by the Beyonder.

In the 2000s, Doom rediscovered his mystical heritage, using his powers in an attempt to destroy the Fantastic Four after making a deal with a group of demons called the Hazarath Three, but later is consigned to a hell dimension after Richards manages to trick him into rejecting the idea that the demons aided him. He escapes and attempts to claim Thor's mystical hammer Mjolnir for himself, after the rift the hammer created as it fell to Earth following the destruction of Asgard allowed him to escape. The plot fails due to his inability to lift the hammer, and Doom returns to Latveria to rule once again.

Civil War

Later, a Doombot was taken down by Reed Richards, Henry Pym, Iron Man, She-Hulk and others in New York City; whether or not it was sent by Doom himself remains to be seen, as does his role in the overall conflict. Doom was not invited to the wedding of Storm and the Black Panther. However, he did send a present: an invitation to form an alliance with Latveria, using the Civil War currently going on among the hero community as a reason to quite possibly forge an alliance between their two countries. When Black Panther, on a diplomatic mission to other countries with Storm, did show up in Latveria, he presented them with a real present, and extended another invitation to form an alliance with Black Panther. He demonstrated behavior very uncharacteristic of him, however, which may or may not become a plot point later. Panther spurned the invitation, detonating an EMP that blacked out a local portion of Latveria before Doom's robots could destroy his ship. Later on, Doctor Doom is then shown collaborating with the Red Skull on a weapon which will only "be the beginning" of Captain America's suffering. Doctor Doom gave the Red Skull the weapon because the Red Skull gave Victor pieces of technology from an old German castle. The castle was owned by a "Baron of Iron" centuries prior, who had used his technological genius to protect himself and his people. The map the Red Skull used to find the castle bore a picture of Doctor Doom. Doctor Doom states that the technology the Red Skull gave him is more advanced than what he currently has, and that he will become the Baron of Iron in his future. The Red Skull through Armin Zola reverse-engineered Doom's device for use of freeing his soul from the body of a Russian general. This was well beyond the one use Doom warned of when he gave Red Skull the device. The plan to free the Red Skull was foiled by the new Captain America but Doom's device is still being used to maintain the Skull's essence while Armin Zola works on a permanent solution to the problem.

Post-Civil War events

Following the destruction of their underwater kingdom, Doctor Doom makes Latveria into a refugee camp for the Atlanteans as well as becoming allies with Loki in his plot to manipulate Thor into unwittingly release his Asgardian enemies.

In the wake of Civil War Iron Man leads S.H.I.E.L.D forces and the Mighty Avengers to Latveria when it is discovered that one of Doctor Doom's satellites carried the 'Venom Virus' released in New York City. In the battle with the Mighty Avengers, Doctor Doom, Iron Man and the Sentry, stumble through an open time travel portal, trapping Doctor Doom and his opponents in what looks to be the mid-1980's Marvel Universe. Doctor Doom and Iron Man manage to return all three to the present, but The Sentry subdues Doctor Doom and he ends up incarcerated at The Raft.

Doctor Doom is released from the prison by the Fantastic Force, a group from the distant future returned to the present. The Fantastic Force kidnap Doom and Human Torch to use them as a power source for a time travel device that is made of the dead body of Galactus. The whole plan of the Fantastic Force was led by the future Sue Storm. In the end Reed Richards and Sue Storm not only find a home for the future refugees, but also free Doctor Doom and the Human Torch. In what should be a happy ending Doctor Doom kills the future Sue Storm, to "restore his honor."

Currently in Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom is incarcerated in the Hague awaiting trial for crimes against humanity, while the Masters of Doom, a secret duo that claim to have taught Doom all he knows about villainy, ominously approach from another dimension.

Dark Reign

In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Doctor Doom is a member of the Dark Cabal alongside Norman Osborn, Emma Frost, Namor, Loki and Hood. At the end of this meeting, Namor and Doctor Doom are seen having a discussion of their own plans that have all ready been set in motion.

Doctor Doom will be an omnipresent force during the storyline battling everyone from Black Panther to Captain Britain. He has already appeared in the pages of Thor offering safe haven for the reborn gods of Asgard, possibly assassinating Black Panther for his insults during Civil War, and being attacked by Morgan le Fey requiring the Dark Avengers' aid. Due to Doom's status, Dracula approached him to secure a non-aggression pact - both with Doom and the Cabal - before attacking Britain; Doom was shown to loathe Dracula and refuses to acknowledge his regal standing.

Doctor Doom began a romantic relationship with Morgan le Fay in exchange for her tutelage in the mystic arts which was reveled in the pages of The Mighty Avengers 9-11. This arrangement was interrupted by the Mighty Avengers after they arrested Doctor Doom and incarcerated him for crimes against humanity. Morgan le Fay has now traveled to present day Latveria to combat Doctor Doom for the interruption of his end of their bargain. The Dark Avengers in their first combat mission have gone to Doctor Doom's aid after Morgan le Fay defeated Doctor Doom in magical combat. Norman Osborn as the Iron Patriot rescued Doctor Doom from mystical paralysis. After the rescue the two armored warriors had to link their armors to access Doom's time cube to go back in time and face Morgan le Fay in her own time, even her own potent spells powerless against the duo. Doom cannot or will not destroy le Fay, despite having the power to do so, because her future and his are intertwined. So instead Doom sends her back in time to battle her way back to her present, thus distracting her from fighting Doom and the Dark Avengers. Doom shows contempt for Osborn and his "ignorance" to the time stream and goes back to the present and undoes all that le Fay had done to the Dark Avengers, as well as magically restoring Latveria. After they leave Doom rebuilds his castle with use of the time cube. Doom and Osborn survive the confrontation and meet again as the Cabal gathers on a psychic plane, Doom monarch once again.

Doctor Doom is listed as a probable candidate for the role of Sorcerer Supreme, having come in second to Strange during the Trial of the Vishanti and possessing deadly magical talent (in a What If? divergent reality Doom was the one who became the Ancient One's pupil and the Sorcerer Supreme, as noted by Uatu), gathering dark mystic secrets and learning long-forgotten hidden dark arts throughout time that Doctor Strange himself admitted to Wiccan even he possesses no knowledge of. Strange tells Wiccan that he hopes dearly Doom will not become the Sorcerer Supreme, believing his ways are too corrupt, but admits it may well be his own "wishful thinking". Doom is shown upon the cover of New Avengers #51, and has been stated by Marvel to be a son of a gypsy witch and scion of a mystic heritage, Doom's witnessed weirdness that'd turn your hair white, yet his dubious moral code, past demonic collaborations, and excessive orientation in pure technology has limited the likelihood. The Hood, the fellow Cabal member of Doom, is seeking to destroy all possible candidates for the office. Marvel has stated the odds of Doom becoming the new Sorcerer Supreme are 50-1. The new Sorcerer Supreme has been chosen for years to come, having passed the initiation. However, Doom is eventually not chosen as the new Sorcerer Supreme, and the successor joins with the New Avengers, seeking Spider-Man's guidance, as the Avengers loses their powers due to the cunning of their new enemies.

After a co-starring role in Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch's run of the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom has taken the forefront in the Masters of Doom story running through issues 566-569. A mysterious inter-demensional traveler the Marquis of Death has arrived appearing to be the one who taught Doctor Doom in the ways of villainy, having such power enough to slay even an extradimensional version of the Watcher Uatu. When the Marquis arrived Doom was at first "exhilarated" to see his mentor but that faded quickly as the Marquis attacked him for failing to kill his enemies.

During this storyline, Doctor Doom will star in his own (non-canon) series called "Doctor Doom and the Masters of Evil".

Powers and abilities

Doom's most dangerous weapon is his intellect. A true genius, he is considered to be one of the most intelligent human beings in the Marvel Universe, second only to his arch-nemesis Reed Richards. He has extensive knowledge of all sciences, and is an expert in robotics, genetic engineering, weapons technology, bio-chemistry, and other fields. Doom is depicted constructing numerous devices in order to defeat his foes or gain more power, including a time machine, a device to imbue people with superpowers, and numerous robots. Doom's calculating and strategic nature leads him to use "Doombots," exact mechanical replicas of the real Doctor Doom, for many missions, typically those where he fears defeat. Doom also possesses a limited amount of magic ability. This ability is due to knowledge of the mystic arts learned during his time with Tibetan monks and from his mother. His magical talents are limited by his lack of humility and refusal to admit that he is not a master of all arts. Doom recently considerably increased his magic skills from tutelage by his lover Morgan Le Fay, and can now project mystic blasts, use shielding spells, or summon hordes of demonic creatures, potent enough to harm the Sentry with a Spirit Reversal spell. The alien Ovoids teach Doom the process of psionically transferring his consciousness into another nearby being, which Doom uses on several occasions, including to escape death at the hands of Terrax. Doom also uses his scientific talents to steal and replicate the power of Galactus' heralds such as the Silver Surfer on several occasions.

Doom's armor, originally designed to hide his face from the world, is both menacing and powerful. As a defensive measure, his armor is built to generate a massive electric shock, disabling anyone who might come in contact with Doom. The suit is highly resistant to damage, and has the additional defense of a force field generated by the armor. The armor's exoskeleton augments Doom's natural physical strength, granting him low level superhuman strength. The armor is self-supporting, equipped with internal stores and recycling systems for air, food, water, and energy, allowing the wearer to survive lengthy periods of exposure underwater or in outer space. For weapons, Doom utilizes blasts of energy from his gauntlets, as well as some mystical powers like the ability to cast bolts of electric energy.

Other versions

Doom's status as one of the Fantastic Four's greatest villains has led to his appearance in many of Marvel's alternate universes and spinoffs. Doom appears as a superhero in the Mutant X dimension, with Mr. Fantastic as the villain. Doom also appears in the Marvel 2099 universe, which takes place in an alternate future; this Doom believes he is actually the original, although he has no idea how he came to be sent to the future. Still a ruler at heart, Doom returns to Latveria to free his people from a futuristic robber baron. This version, created by Robert Kirkman, was well-received.

Doom first appears in the Ultimate Marvel series in Ultimate Fantastic Four. This series, originally written by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Millar, radically changed Doom. In this universe, the character is known as Victor van Damme, a descendant of Vlad III the Impaler; caught in the same accident that creates the Fantastic Four, his flesh transforms into metal and his body reshapes into that of a faun. In the graphic novel Marvel 1602 and its follow-ups, Doom (named Otto in this universe) is disfigured when trying to use an item from the future against the Fantastic Four, and later appears in the Marvel 1602: Fantastick Four spinoff.

In other media

Doom has appeared in the cartoons The Marvel Superheroes, Fantastic Four (1967-70), Fantastic Four (1978), Spider-Man (1981), Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends (1981), Fantastic Four (1994-96), The Incredible Hulk (1996-97), Spider-Man (1997) and Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (2006 onwards). Doom has also appeared in ten video games: he made his debut in Spider-Man and Captain America in Doctor Doom's Revenge (1989). He is the main antagonist in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006). There is also a ride called Doctor Doom's Fearfall at Islands of Adventure in the Universal Orlando Resort.

Doom has appeared in all three Fantastic Four films, including the unreleased 1994 film. In the 2005 film and its 2007 sequel, Doom is a Latverian-born billionaire, who is imbued with metallic flesh and the ability to conduct electricity after being caught in the same accident that created the Fantastic Four. Similar to the comics, the film version of Doom captures the Silver Surfer's board and steals the Power Cosmic. Golden-Globe nominated Australian actor Julian McMahon portrays Victor Von Doom in the 2005 film Fantastic Four and the 2007 film sequel Fantastic Four: Rise Of The Silver Surfer.

Cultural impact

In the book Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre, Peter Coogan writes that Doctor Doom's appearance was representative of a change in the portrayal of "mad scientists" to full-fledged villains, often with upgraded powers. Doom is also emblematic of a specific subset of supervillain, which comic book critic Peter Sanderson describes as a "megavillain". These supervillains are genre-crossing villains who exist in adventures "in a world in which the ordinary laws of nature are slightly suspended"; characters such as Professor Moriarty, Count Dracula, Auric Goldfinger, Hannibal Lecter and Darth Vader, also fit this description. Sanderson also found traces of William Shakespeare’s characters Richard III and Iago in Doctor Doom; all of them "are descended from the 'vice' figure of medieval drama", who address the audience in monologues detailing their thoughts and ambitions.

Described as "iconic", Doom is one of the most well-received super-villains of the Marvel universe, as well as one of the most recurring; in his constant battles with heroes and other villains, Doom has appeared more times than any other villain. The comics site Panels of Awesome ranked Doom as the number one villain in their listing of the top ten villains in comics; Wizard Magazine went a step further by declaring Doom the fourth greatest villain of all time.

Comic Book Resources ranks Doom as their fourth favorite Marvel character. Journalist Brent Ecenbarger cited him being able to "stand up against entities like Mephisto, the Beyonder, and Galactus and often come out on top", as well as the tragedy of any "other number of circumstances could have led to Doom being a savior, but as it is, instead he remains Marvel’s greatest villain." Fellow journalist Jason Stanhope called his "master of sorcery and technology an unusual combination", and also felt "his inner sense of nobility sets him apart from lesser villains, in a similar manner to Magneto." Doom has also been favorably regarded by those who wrote for the character; Stan Lee declared Doom his favorite villain, saying " could come to the United States and he could do almost anything, and we could not arrest him because he has diplomatic immunity. Also, he wants to rule the world and if you think about it, wanting to rule the world is not a crime." Mark Waid echoed Lee's assessment of the character, stating that Doom " got a great look, a great visual design a dynamite origin."

Daniel Dumile, an underground American hip hop artist, performs under the persona DOOM (formerly MF DOOM (Metal Face Dumile)), an identity influenced by Doctor Doom. Dumile performs in a metal mask akin to Doom's, and he commonly references comic books in his lyrics. He has also performed under the persona Viktor Vaughn, in parody of Doctor Doom's real name.

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External links

• Doctor Doom at the Marvel Universe Wiki
• Doctor Doom at the Comic Book Database

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