The first trailer for “Avengers: Doomsday” appears to end on a startling image: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) hurling Stormbreaker straight at Doctor Doom (Robert Downey Jr.), only for Doom to stop the weapon with unnerving ease. With “Avengers: Secret Wars” already slated for 2027, the moment strongly suggests that Doom may not just challenge Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in “Doomsday” — he may beat them. That would be a major statement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but longtime comic readers know it would hardly be unprecedented. As Looper’s video above explores, Doctor Doom has spent decades proving he can outthink, overpower, and outlast the Avengers and nearly everyone else in Marvel Comics.
The clearest place to start is with Marvel’s two major “Secret Wars” storylines, both of which give Doom some of his most defining victories. In the original 1984 event, Doom seizes Galactus’ Power Cosmic and, working alongside several heroes, helps topple the Beyonder, the godlike being who has trapped the combatants on Battleworld. Doom’s triumph does not last forever, however. After turning his attention toward the heroes, he overextends himself and ultimately loses the immense power he managed to steal.
Doom’s grip is even stronger in the 2015 “Secret Wars” crossover. This time, he steals the Beyonders’ power and remakes reality in his own image, becoming God Emperor Doom and ruling over a patchwork Battleworld. His reign is brutal and consequential, with major figures such as Doctor Strange and Thanos falling during his time on the throne. Reed Richards and Molecule Man eventually strip Doom of that godlike power, but not before he leaves a devastating mark on the Marvel universe.
Doctor Doom has physical and emotional victories over Marvel’s heroes
Esad Ribić/Marvel Comics
World domination is practically a recurring item on Doom’s résumé, and the most unsettling part is that he has occasionally shown real skill as a ruler — at least until ego and obsession take over. In “Avengers: Emperor Doom,” the ruler of Latveria exploits the Purple Man’s mind-control abilities, forcing people to obey his commands. With global leaders compelled to surrender authority, Doom successfully takes control of the planet. Yet once he has everything he claimed to want, he grows bored with ruling and loses interest in the empire he built.
More recently, Marvel’s 2024 “Blood Hunt” event gave Doom another path to power. Facing a vampire invasion, he persuades Doctor Strange to hand over the power of the Sorcerer Supreme in order to save the world. Doom does help end the crisis, but true to form, he refuses to give the power back and uses it to rule Earth again. His magical credentials were already formidable thanks to stories like “Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Trial and Triumph,” in which Doom and Strange descend into the underworld to rescue Doom’s mother’s soul from Mephisto, essentially Marvel’s devil. Through cunning, willpower, and raw mystical force, Doom manages to outmaneuver one of the universe’s most dangerous beings.
Still, Doom’s victories are not always measured in conquest or combat. Sometimes, he aims for something more personal. In 1998’s “Fantastic Four” #54, when Sue Storm is about to give birth and no one else can help, Doctor Doom delivers her child. He then insists the baby be named Valeria Richards and appoints himself her godfather. It is a deeply strange act of assistance wrapped in manipulation, giving Doom a permanent psychological foothold in the lives of his greatest enemies. Few villains can turn a birth into a power play quite like Victor Von Doom.
These examples only begin to cover the most shocking and consequential things Doctor Doom has done across Marvel Comics. For a deeper look at the moments that made him one of Marvel’s most formidable villains, watch Looper’s video above.
