The countdown ends in just a few months, and finally Doomsday will arrive. This December, the Marvel Cinematic Universe faces what is promised to be its deadliest, most diabolical challenge yet: a newcomer to the MCU, Doctor Doom, in Avengers: Doomsday.
The former big bad Thanos was a formidable foe, to say the least, wiping out half of existence with just a snap of his fingers, so how can Doom possibly be a bigger threat than that?! While we still don’t know what he has in store for our heroes, let’s look back at comic book history and see the atrocities Doom has committed, ranked by how evil and sinister they are.
Captured Purple Man and Forced Him To Mind Control The World
In the “Emperor Doom” storyline, Doom kidnaps The Purple Man, who can control other people’s minds, and amplifies his powers to control every mind on Earth, forcing every world leader to accept Doom as the world’s leader. Due to his superhuman willpower, Doom is the only one immune to the mind-control pheromones; even the Avengers bow to his will. The irony here is that Doom becomes an efficient ruler, eliminating all wars, and reducing crime to almost zero. Bored with his newfound peace and with no challengers, he lets the Avengers break free of his control and challenge him, basically letting them win to give his life meaning again.
Once Killed Doctor Strange
You will see events from 2015’s “Secret Wars” storyline pop up a few times on this list, as it was one of the most important moments in Doom’s career. When Doom remakes the multiverse into a singular world called Battleworld, he appoints Dr. Strange as his sheriff, and Strange only accepts this role to help preserve what little life is left after the convergence. When Strange secretly helps Reed Richards and other heroes escape Doom’s clutches, the Battleworld God obliterates the good Doctor Strange when he refuses to tell him where they escaped to.
Slaughtered the Tibetan Monks That Saved His Life
It is common knowledge to comic book readers that Doctor Doom wears an iron mask because of a failed experiment that left his face horribly disfigured. One aspect of that story that many didn’t learn until 2005, in the “Books of Doom” series, shows how cold and ruthless Victor Von Doom can be.
After his accident, Doom flees into hiding in Tibet where he is taken in by an order of monks. They nurse him back to health and even help him build his armor and mask that he wears to this day. Before he leaves, Doom realizes these monks know too much about him and his history, so without a second thought, he destroys the monastery, killing the peaceful monks and the entire order.
Possessed the mind and body of The Thing, Forcing Mr. Fantastic to Murder His Best Friend
Another example of Doctor Doom’s ruthlessness is when he transferred his consciousness into the best friend of his greatest rival, Reed Richards. Doom takes over the body of Ben Grimm, The Thing, and goes on an unstoppable rampage using the powerhouse as his destructive vessel. When Reed realizes that nothing he can do will remove Doom’s control over the Thing, he comes to the horrible conclusion that he must kill The Thing. This act would probably be higher on the list had the Thing not been revived later on in the series, but forcing your enemy to kill someone they consider a brother is just purely blatant evil.
Is a Legit Dictator
One of Doctor Doom’s biggest crimes against humanity is perhaps the easiest to explain:, he is an absolute, full-send dictator. After overthrowing the previous monarchy of the country Latveria, he made himself supreme ruler gaining complete authority over the entire nation. Latveria has no elections, no opposing political parties; his metal face is plastered over everything, and complete loyalty to Doom is not only expected but enforced, punishable by death. What makes this aspect of Doom’s character interesting is that since he rules the country with a literal iron fist, there’s no crime. Not only that, but because Doom is one of the smartest people in the Marvel Universe, Latveria actually prospers as a society, though with very few freedoms for its people.
Literally sent Frankling Richards to Hell
You’d think sending a child to Hell would be higher on the list, but that’s just how evil Doctor Doom can be; this is just the halfway point on our list. After gaining powerful sorcery powers, Doom gains the ability to send Reed Richards’ son, Franklin, to Hell, where he is subjected to the torture and horrors of the damned.
While Doom’s greatest weapon is his mind, he knows embracing power beyond science will help him defeat his enemies, and since Richards is a man of science, he can’t bring his son back. Despite the fact that Franklin is a powerful entity himself, Doom doesn’t feel threatened by Franklin and only does this to do unthinkable damage to his longtime nemesis, his father.
Ripped out Thanos’ Spine and Skull
If the Avengers fear Doom more than they did Thanos in the upcoming Doomsday film, this moment should provide some context.
Going back to the events of “Secret Wars,” after Doom gains immense power from the Beyonders, he converges the multiverse into one reality called Battleworld and rules it as a God. One person who refuses to bend the knee is, of course, Thanos. Thanos mocks Doom, questioning if he is truly worthy of the newfound power he possesses. Thanos may have underestimated how powerful Doom has become because, in a matter of seconds, Doom jabs his hands into Thanos’ body, ripping out his spine and skull, brutally ending Thanos in one swift act. There wasn’t a prolonged battle, not one punch exchanged, just a quick, violent death.
Causes The Death of His Only Love, Valeria, to Gain The Ability to Send Franklin Richards To Hell
Going back to the previously mentioned atrocity of sending a child to Hell, let us dive into exactly how Doom attained the ability to do so. Realizing that he wouldn’t be able to defeat Reed Richards relying on science alone, Doctor Doom turns to the art of black magic. In order to do so, Doom must sacrifice something that he genuinely loves, and thus he seeks out Valeria, someone he loved earlier in his life and possibly his only true love. He tricks Valeria into thinking that he will give up his old life to spend his life with her, only to offer her to a group of demons who horrifically murder her, thus giving Doom newfound mystical abilities.
Used Refugee Asgardians for His Experiments
Now we are getting down to the truly awful, despicable actions of one Victor Von Doom. After the events of “Secret Wars,” displaced refugee Asgardians were offered sanctuary in Latveria. Of course, this seemingly noble action had its sinister hidden agenda. Interested in the physiology of Asgardians, namely their immortality and super strength, he abducts various Asgardians for medical experiments and even dissects a few to learn what about them makes their godly biology different than humans. In Doom’s twisted way of thinking, he doesn’t see this as a crime but as a way to further his intellect and power, which is a fair sacrifice in his pursuit of ultimate power.
Destroyed An Entire Universe Because He Disliked That Version Of Himself
It perfectly summarizes the character of Doctor Doom: his perhaps most evil atrocity is also his most petty. When Doom discovers a variant of himself in another universe, he sees that this version of himself is basically the antithesis of what he is. In this world, Doom has abandoned his evil ways and redeems himself by helping create a peaceful, prosperous world through his influence, not his tyrannical rule. Disgusted with this version of himself, Doom steals an Infinity Gauntlet from another universe and uses it to wipe out the entire reality, killing billions in one simple act. Yes, Doom killed countless people just because an alternate version of himself bugged him.
