Warning: SPOILERS for Doctor Doom #1
Doctor Doom’s new comic series has officially begun… with the entire world declaring war on the monarch of Latveria. Some might say it’s overdue, since Doctor Doom has been one of Marvel’s most powerful supervillains since his introduction. But his scientific genius–an intelligence rivaling Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four–and his mastery of the mystic arts on par with Doctor Strange won’t save his nation from the rest of the world.
While best known to mass audiences as a villain, Doom is also tyrant king of Marvel’s fictional country Latveria, located in Eastern Europe. Doom overthrew the previous ruler and established his own monarchy, but Doom has seemed to truly to care about his homeland. He genuinely believes that he is the only one competent to rule it, and that he alone knows Latveria’s best interests. As a result, Doom crushes all dissent and opposition with brutal force. Until now, that is.
In his new series Christopher Cantwell and Salvador Larroca have launched an unusual, unexpected look at Victor Von Doom as the protagonist. The first issue sees Doom framed after the destruction of a major scientific project, at the cost of some 3,000 lives. Doom seems to be under sustained attack, with strange visions granting him a glimpse of other timelines in which he lived a happier life. Distracted by these apparent hallucinations, he doesn’t realize that someone has managed to hack into Latveria’s defense systems. Latverian missiles are launched at the scientific installation, with the terrorists responsible flying the Latverian flag. Suddenly, Doom is the world’s most wanted man.
To Doom’s growing horror, the world mobilizes itself against Latveria. The United States authorizes unilateral action, and NATO units within Romania and Hungary are activated. Latveria’s defenses are switched off by the unknown hacker, and missiles successfully strike munitions storage facilities and air bases. Doom orders a full surrender as soon as he learns the city of Relaskic–population 65,000–has been hit in the attack. Doom steps down as ruler of Latveria, intending to surrender, and passes the throne on to his second-in-command Zora before granting full control to NATO. Which means Doctor Doom’s worst nightmare has come true.
Someone has completely outmaneuvered him, penetrating his computer systems and even toying with his mind. The monarch of Latveria has effectively been overthrown, and will now be held responsible for a terrorist attack that even he finds horrific. The only question is what he will do next. A cornered tiger is the most dangerous creature of all, and Doom is most certainly a savage and relentless foe, with power beyond almost anybody in the Marvel Universe.
He may have given himself up for now, but there is no way Doctor Doom will allow himself to be beaten. It’s just a matter of time before he begins to strike back against this unknown foe.
Doctor Doom #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics.
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