Dr. Doom

Real Name: Victor von Doom

First Appearance: Fantastic Four #5 (July 1962)

Powers: Genius in Physics, Genetics, and Bio-Chemistry. Dr. Doom is skilled in robotics and weaponry. He can exchange minds with others and is imbued with mysticism.

Affiliation: Cabal, Acts of Vengeance

Enemies: Fantastic Four

Did You Know: Doctor Doom has been played by multiple actors on the ‘Big Screen’.

A Little History

Much like most comic book characters, Victor von Doom had a troubling childhood. His mother died at the hands of a soldier, and he died while attempting to keep him safe. As a method to free his mother’s soul from the Marvel Universe’s incarnation of Satan, Mephisto, Victor began to learn sorcery. This not-so-simple task established Victor as a character with a thirst for knowledge and a desire to avenge.

As a young man, Victor’s intellect caught the attention of the Empire State University in New York. Upon his arrival at University, he was immediately met by who would become his arch-nemesis, Reed Richards. While at University, Victor worked around the clock to create a machine that would rescue his mother’s soul. He came so close that, at one point thought he had achieved it. Warned by Reed not to use the machine, he went ahead and used it only to have it blow up in his face…literally.  He was left with a few scars and a University expulsion.

It wasn’t the expulsion that caused him grief, but rather it was the scars, as he now thought he was hideous.

After the expulsion, he left University and headed for Tibet.  While in Tibet, he forced a bunch of monks into becoming his slaves. The monks made him a suit of armor and a mask. Before the mask could cool, he had it pressed against his face, thus ensuring that his face was, in fact, hideous.

Victor turned his sights to his homeland of Latveria (which, by the way, is one of the few fictional places within the Marvel Universe) and made short work of those in charge.  Upon his taking over, he did a few things:

  1. Made it a paradise
  2. Nobody threatens war on it
  3. Made all who reside there praise him
  4. Created Doombots

Suddenly in control of a country, Victor set 3 goals:

  1. Free his mom
  2. Prove he is better than Reed Richards
  3. Conquer the world