Editing Doctor Doom (section)

==Publication history==
[[File:FF_Doctor_Doom.jpg|269x269px|thumb|left|Doctor Doom's debut in ''[[Fantastic Four|The Fantastic Four]]'' #5, art by [[Jack Kirby]]]]

===Creation and development===
Like many of Marvel's [[Silver Age of Comic Books|Silver Age]] characters, Doom was conceived by [[Stan Lee]] and [[Jack Kirby]]. With the ''[[Fantastic Four (comic book)|Fantastic Four]]'' title performing well, Lee and Kirby were trying to dream up a "soul-stirring...super sensational new villain" for the series.<ref name="bad guys 12">{{Cite book|title=Bring On the Bad Guys! |last= Lee|first=Stan |author-link=Stan Lee |year=1976 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location= New York|page= 12}}</ref> Looking for a name, Lee latched onto "Doctor Doom" as "eloquent in its simplicity — magnificent in its implied menace."<ref name="bad guys 12"/>

Due to the rush to publish, the character was not given a full [[origin story]]<ref name="bad guys 12"/> until ''[[Fantastic Four Annual]]'' #2, two years after his debut.<ref name="bad guys 13">{{Cite book|title=Bring On the Bad Guys! |last= Lee|first=Stan |author-link=Stan Lee |year=1976 |publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] |location= New York|page= 13}}</ref>

In a 1987 interview, [[jack Kirby|Kirby]] commented on Doctor Doom's design. "Dr. Doom was the [[Personifications of death|classic conception of Death]], of approaching Death. I saw Dr. Doom as [[Man in the Iron Mask|The Man in the Iron Mask]], who symbolized approaching Death. It was the reason for the armor and the hood. Death is connected with armor and inhuman-like steel. Death is something without mercy and human flesh contains that element of mercy. Therefore, I had to erase it, and I did it with a mask."<ref>{{cite web | url=https://twomorrows.com/kirby/articles/07violaint.html | title=TwoMorrows Publishing - Ken Viola Interview - Kirby Collector Seventh Issue }}</ref>

Kirby further described Doom as being "paranoid", wrecked by his twisted face and wanting the whole world to be like him.<ref name=death>{{Cite book|title=The Silver Age of Comic Book Art | last = Schumer | first = Arlen |year=2003 |publisher=Collectors Press |isbn=1-888054-85-9 |page= 76}}</ref> Kirby went on to say that "Doom is an evil person, but he's not always been evil. He was [respected]...but through a flaw in his own character, he was a perfectionist."<ref name="kirby collected">{{Cite book|title=The Collected Jack Kirby Collector |last=Morrow |first=John |author2=Kirby, Jack|year=2006 |publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing |isbn=1-893905-57-8 |page= 101}}</ref> At one point in the 1970s, Kirby drew his interpretation of what Doom would look like under the mask, giving Doom only "a tiny scar on his cheek".<ref name="silver kirby">{{Cite book|title=The Silver Age of Comic Book Art | last = Schumer | first = Arlen |year=2003 |publisher=Collectors Press |isbn=1-888054-85-9 |page= 77}}</ref> Due to this slight imperfection, Doom hides his face not from the world, but from himself.<ref name="silver kirby"/> 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.<ref name="kirby collected"/> Stan Lee's writing typically showed Doom's arrogance as his constant downfall, and how his pride leads to von Doom's disfigurement at the hands of his own machine, and to the failures of many of his schemes.<ref name="Marvel Encyclopedia">{{Cite book|title=Marvel Encyclopedia vol. 6: Fantastic Four | last = Christiansen | first = Jeff |year=2004 |publisher=Marvel Entertainment Group|location=New York |pages= 63–66}}</ref>

While the Fantastic Four had fought various villains such as the [[Mole Man]], [[Skrull]]s, the [[Miracle Man]], and [[Namor|Namor the Sub-Mariner]], Doom managed to overshadow them all and became the Fantastic Four's [[archnemesis]].<ref name="greatest villains of the FF">{{Cite book|title=Greatest Villains of the Fantastic Four: Introduction |last= Ashford|first=Richard |year= 1995|publisher= Marvel Comics|isbn=0-7851-0079-2 |pages=ii }}</ref> During the 1970s, Doom branched out to more Marvel titles such as ''[[Astonishing Tales]]'',<ref>{{Cite comic | Writer = [[Roy Thomas|Thomas, Roy]] | Artist =[[Wally Wood|Wood, Wally]] | Story =''Revolution!'' | title = Astonishing Tales | Volume = | Issue =#2-6 | Date =October 1970 – June 1971 | Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]| Page = }}</ref> ''[[Hulk|The Incredible Hulk]]'',<ref>{{Cite comic | Writer = [[Roy Thomas|Thomas, Roy]] | Artist =[[Dick Ayers|Ayers, Dick]] | Story =''Sanctuary!'' | Title =Incredible Hulk| Volume = 2 | Issue =#143 | date =September 1971 | Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]}}</ref> and ''[[Super-Villain Team-Up]]'' (1975). Beginning with issue #42, he also had appearances in ''[[Marvel Team-Up]]'' (February 1976). Doom's origin was also a feature in ''Astonishing Tales'' when his ties to the villain [[Mephisto (comics)|Mephisto]] were revealed.<ref>{{Cite comic | writer = [[Gerry Conway|Conway, Gerry]] | artist =[[Gene Colan|Colan, Gene]] | title = [[Astonishing Tales]] | volume = 1 | issue = #8 | date = 1971 | publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]}}</ref>

In the book ''Superhero: The Secret Origin of a Genre'', [[Peter Coogan]] writes that Doom's original appearance was representative of a change in the portrayal of "mad scientists" to full-fledged villains, often with upgraded powers.<ref name="Comics 166">{{cite web |author=Sanderson, Peter |author-link=Peter Sanderson |date=February 24, 2007 |title=Comics in Context #166: Megahero Vs. Megavillain |url=http://www.asitecalledfred.com/2007/02/24/comics-in-context-166-megahero-vs-megavillain/ |access-date=February 13, 2008 |work=QuickStopEntertainment.com}}</ref> 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]], [[Joker (character)|Joker]], [[Lex Luthor]], and [[Darth Vader]], also fit this description.<ref name="Comics 166" /> Sanderson also found traces of [[William Shakespeare]]'s characters [[Richard III (play)|Richard III]] and [[Iago]] in Doom; all of them "are descended from the 'vice' figure of medieval drama", who address the audience in monologs detailing their thoughts and ambitions.<ref name="Comics 165">{{cite web |author=Sanderson, Peter |author-link=Peter Sanderson |date=February 17, 2007 |title=Comics in Context #165: The Supervillain Defined |url=http://www.asitecalledfred.com/2007/02/17/comics-in-context-165-the-supervillain-defined/ |access-date=February 13, 2008 |work=QuickStopEntertainment.com}}</ref>

===1980s–1990s===
In 1976, Marvel and [[DC Comics]] collaborated on ''[[Superman vs. the Amazing Spider-Man]]'', and seeking to replicate that success the two companies again teamed the characters in ''[[Superman and Spider-Man]]'' in 1981. Marvel [[editor-in-chief]] [[Jim Shooter]] co-wrote the story with [[Marv Wolfman]], and recalled choosing Victor von 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."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Eury|first=Michael|title=The Krypton Companion|publisher=TwoMorrows Publishing|year=2006|page=77|isbn=1-893905-61-6}}</ref>

In 1981 [[John Byrne (comics)|John Byrne]] began his six-year run writing and illustrating ''[[Fantastic Four]]'', sparking a "second [[Golden Age of Comic Books|golden age]]" for the title<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Slings & Arrows Comic Guide | last = Plowright | first = Frank |year=1997 |publisher=Aurum Press }}</ref> but also attempting to "turn the clock back [...] get back and see fresh what it was that made the book great at its inception."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Current Biography Yearbook | last = Mari | first = Christopher |year=2000 |publisher=H.W. Wilson, Co |page= 81}}</ref> Doctor Doom made his first appearance under Byrne's tenure with issue #236.<ref>{{Cite comic | Cartoonist = [[John Byrne (comics)|Byrne, John]]| Story =''Terror in a Tiny Town'' | title = Fantastic Four | Volume = | Issue =#236 | date = November 1981 | Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]] | Page = }}</ref> Whereas Kirby had intimated that Doom's disfigurement was more a figment of Victor's vain personality, Byrne decided that Doom's face was truly ravaged: only Doom's own robot slaves are allowed to see the monarch without his helmet.<ref name="FF#258"/> Byrne emphasized other aspects of Doom's personality; despite his ruthless nature, Victor von Doom is a man of honor.<ref name=religion>{{cite web|url=http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/DoctorDoom.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060310022003/http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/DoctorDoom.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 10, 2006 |title=The Religious Affiliation of Comic Book Character Victor von Doom|date=December 10, 2005|access-date=February 12, 2008|work=Adherents.com|author=Staff}}</ref><ref name="photobucket">{{cite web|url=http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo326/OneDumbG0/Doom%20Fights/DoomPowerCosmic0157.jpg|title=Image: DoomPowerCosmic0157.jpg, (1023 × 740 px)|publisher=i388.photobucket.com|access-date=August 31, 2015}}</ref> Returning to Latveria after being temporarily deposed, Doctor Doom abandons a scheme to wrest mystical secrets from [[Doctor Strange]] in order to oversee his land's reconstruction.<ref name="FF#258">{{Cite comic | Cartoonist = [[John Byrne (comics)|Byrne, John]]| Story =''Interlude'' | title = Fantastic Four | Volume = | Issue =#258 | date = September 1983 | Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]] | Page = }}</ref> Despite a tempestuous temper, Doom occasionally shows warmth and empathy to others; he tries to free his mother from [[Mephisto (comics)|Mephisto]] and treats [[Kristoff Vernard]] like his own son.<ref name="FF#258"/> Byrne gave further detail regarding Doom's scarring: Byrne introduced the idea that the accident at Empire State University only left Victor with a small scar that was exaggerated into a more disfiguring accident by Doom's own arrogance—by donning his newly forged face mask before it had fully cooled, he caused massive irreparable damage.<ref>{{Cite comic | cartoonist = [[John Byrne (comics)|Byrne, John]] | Story =''True Lies'' | title = Fantastic Four | Volume =  | Issue =#278 | date = 1985 | Publisher = [[Marvel Comics]]}}</ref>

After his debut, Doctor Doom remained a key villain in ''Fantastic Four'' throughout the 1980s, appearing in titles as ''[[Punisher]]'', ''[[The Spectacular Spider-Man]]'', and ''[[Excalibur (comics)|Excalibur]]''.  During Steven Englehart's run on ''Fantastic Four'', Doom was exiled by his heir, Kristoff, but this storyline was left unresolved when Englehart departed. [[Walt Simonson]]'s ''Fantastic Four'' #350 controversially revealed that the Doom seen during Englehart's arc was a robotic imposter, with the real Doom returning in new armor to reclaim Latveria. Simonson's retcon suggested the last true appearance of Doom was in the "Battle of the Baxter Building," but later writers often disregarded his interpretations, leading to further revisions of Doom's character and history.<ref>''Fantastic Four'' #357</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=October 2024}}

===2000s–2010s===
Mark Waid began to redefine Doctor Doom in the 2003 "Unthinkable" storyline (''Fantastic Four'' vol. 3, #66-70 and #500), where Doom forsakes technology for mysticism. He kills his first love, Valeria, to gain powers from demons and imprisons [[Franklin Richards (Fantastic Four)|Franklin Richards]] in Hell. Doom challenges Reed Richards to escape a magical prison, but with Doctor Strange's help, Richards succeeds, causing Doom to be dragged to Hell. Doom remained there until the 2004 "Ragnarok" storyline in ''Thor'', where Thor's hammer, [[Mjolnir (Marvel Comics)|Mjolnir]], provided his escape.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} In 2005–2006, Doctor Doom starred in the limited series ''Books of Doom'', written by [[Ed Brubaker]]. This retelling of his origin explored the early, less-seen parts of Doom's life and questioned whether his path to dictatorship was fated or due to personal faults—a nature versus nurture debate.<ref>{{cite web |author=Tramountanas, George |date=October 7, 2005 |title=Brubaker of Deflowering Doctor Doom |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&old=1&id=6014 |access-date=February 13, 2008 |work=[[Comic Book Resources]]}}</ref> Brubaker's portrayal was influenced by the original Lee/Kirby version, and he chose not to show Doom's face, following Kirby's example.<ref name="books of doom interview">{{cite web |author=Brady, Matt |date=October 27, 2005 |title=Brubaker on ''Books of Doctor Doom '' |url=http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Nov_previews/BruDoom.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511200829/http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Nov_previews/BruDoom.htm |archive-date=May 11, 2008 |access-date=February 14, 2008 |work=[[Newsarama]]}}</ref>

In ''Spider-Man/Fantastic Four'' #4, the Mighty Avengers invaded Latveria due to Victor's involvement in a chemical bomb plot involving the [[Venom (character)|Venom]] [[Symbiote (comics)|symbiote]], which was actually orchestrated by Kristoff Vernard.<ref>''Spider-Man/Fantastic Four'' #4</ref> In the [[Siege (comics)|''Siege'']] storyline, Doctor Doom initially supports Norman Osborn's attack on Asgard but later withdraws.<ref name="Siege: The Cabal">''Siege: The Cabal'' #1</ref> He also stars in ''[[Doomwar]]'' written by [[Jonathan Maberry]],<ref name="Richards-12-09">{{cite web |last=Richards |first=Dave |date=October 12, 2009 |title=MABERRY DECLARES "DOOMWAR" |url=http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=23285 |access-date=October 3, 2010 |website=Comic Book Resources}}</ref> where he allies with the isolationist Desturi to seize control of Wakanda.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gaber |first=Nabeel |date=2020-11-15 |title=Doomwar: A Complete Guide to Black Panther's War With Doctor Doom |url=https://www.cbr.com/doomwar-doctor-doom-black-panther-wakanda/ |access-date=2025-03-10 |website=CBR |language=en}}</ref>

In ''Fantastic Four: Three'', Doctor Doom seeks to be "reborn" and plans to abdicate his throne to Kristoff. Valeria von Doom visits him, notices his brain damage, and offers to restore his mental capacity in exchange for his help with Reed and the Fantastic Four.'''<ref name="Fantastic Four #583">''Fantastic Four'' #583. Marvel Comics</ref>''' A humbled Doom later attends Johnny Storm's funeral,'''<ref name="Fantastic Four #588">''Fantastic Four'' #588. Marvel Comics</ref>''' and is recommended for the Future Foundation.'''<ref name="FF #1">''FF'' #1. Marvel Comics</ref>''' Leading up to ''Secret Wars'', Doom usurps the power of the [[Beyonders]],'''<ref name="[[Secret Wars (2015 comic book)|Secret Wars (2015)]]">''Secret Wars (2015)''. Marvel Comics</ref>''' creating a new [[Battleworld]] where he assumes the role of God. However, Reed Richards and a group of heroes challenge Doom, and with the Molecule Man's help, they restore the multiverse. Reed ultimately uses the Beyonder's power to heal Doom's face and purify his soul.'''<ref name="Secret Wars #9">''Secret Wars'' #9. Marvel Comics</ref>'''{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=October 2024}}

Doom returns to his kingdom, saving Tony Stark from Latverian rebels and claiming to be a new man.<ref name="Invincible Iron Man #1">''Invincible Iron Man'' #1. Marvel Comics</ref> He relinquishes his dictatorship, entrusting Tony with a Wand of Watoomb to defeat Madame Masque. When more rebels appear, he teleports Stark to the Bronx Zoo,'''<ref name="Invincible Iron Man #2">''Invincible Iron Man'' #2. Marvel Comics</ref>''' and they later confront Madame Masque in Chicago.'''<ref name="Invincible Iron Man #4">''Invincible Iron Man'' #4. Marvel Comics</ref>''' After discovering she's possessed, Doom helps Tony trap her in his armor and exorcises the demon. He then vanishes before Tony wakes up.'''<ref name="Invincible Iron Man #5">''Invincible Iron Man'' #5. Marvel Comics</ref>''' Doom later interrupts Tony's breakfast with Amara, trying to prove he has changed, but Tony remains distrustful.'''<ref name="Invincible Iron Man #6">''Invincible Iron Man'' #6. Marvel Comics</ref>''' Following Stark's coma caused by [[Captain Marvel (Marvel Comics)|Captain Marvel]], Doom takes up the Iron Man mantle, faces [[Mephisto (Marvel Comics)|Mephisto]] disguised as [[Ultimate Mister Fantastic|the Maker]],<ref name="cbr.com">{{cite web |date=July 8, 2016 |title=EXCLUSIVE: Doctor Doom is Marvel's "Infamous Iron Man," from Bendis & Maleev |url=http://www.cbr.com/exclusive-doctor-doom-is-marvels-infamous-iron-man-from-bendis-maleev/ |website=Comic Book Resources}}</ref> joins the [[Avengers (comics)|Avengers]],<ref name="Avengers #8 June 2017">''Avengers'' #8 (June 2017)</ref> and eventually conceives a child with Dr. Amara Perera.<ref name="Infamous Iron Man #12">''Infamous Iron Man'' #12</ref>

When Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm seek their teammates to restore the Fantastic Four's powers, Doom follows them into parallel universes to assist an alternate Reed Richards against a version of Doom who has merged with Galactus.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Meanwhile, [[Gwenpool]], unaware of Doom's reformation, tries to attack him using an AI Doombot named Vincent. Doom easily captures her but is amused by her taunts.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Gwen escapes, believing Doom is still a threat, and attacks again, releasing an earlier version of Doom.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}} Doom defeats his doppelganger to save Gwen, who realizes her mistake and hopes for reform. Later, she enlists Doom, Vincent, Doctor Strange, and Terrible Eye to help her friend Cecil regain human form.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Doctor Doom was featured in his first solo series in 2019. Doom is framed for a Moon space station explosion he had warned about, while also experiencing random encounters with rival supervillain [[Kang the Conqueror]] due to a theorized quantum entanglement.<ref name="auto">''Doctor Doom'' #1</ref>