#joseph culp

[doomrichards]

Joseph Culp as Dr. Doom in The Fantastic Four

I've been seeing mentions of Doom getting white-washed for the fourth time: Fantastic Four (1994) - Joseph Culp, Fantastic Four (2005-2007) - Julian McMahon, Fantastic Four (2015) - Toby Kebbell, and the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday (2026), Avengers: Secret Wars (2027) - Robert Downey Jr. I wanted to share Mr. Culp's interview on his performance Dr. Doom in the Fantastic Four movie, whose budget was 2 million dollars. He realized the responsibility he had as the first time any actor was going to play Dr. Doom on screen, and gave the comic books their due, investing in Victor's backstory not mentioned in the script, including his Romani background and the loss of his mother, Cynthia von Doom. That background ties directly into the persecution which Victor and his family faced in his country driving his need for power and control and to fulfill his destiny as ruler. It makes him DR. DOOM. Three decades later and the Marvel Cinematic Universe with its 80 million dollar salary to a stunt casting that white-washes and subsumes Dr. Doom's character with Iron Man's actor and its associations is an insult. Joseph Culp put an operatic, Shakespearean take on Doctor Doom and carried him with the gravitas due, as well as knowing how important his relationship to Reed Richards is--that of a wounded lover.

Source: josephculp.com

Transcript under cut.

INTERVIEW WITH JOSEPH CULP FOR FANSITE VICTORVONDOOM.COM by Joshua Hicks (2008) First off your performance as both Victor and Doctor Doom felt very genuine. What type of preparation did you do for the film? After I was cast in the role, I started by going back through all the issues of Doom in the comic books and I realized just how important a task this was. This would be the first time any actor was going to play Dr. Doom on screen, so I got more excited and also realized what a responsibility I had to try to do something that would honor the glory and grandeur of the character. There were limitations of time and budget, and so much came down to what I could do without special effects. . I definitely wanted to capture his classical style, the villainous "panache", in his voice and physicality, but I also wanted to know what kind of inner life drove him. Doom is right up there with some of the classic archetypal villains who are filled with contradictions: The gifts of genius, the lust for control and power, but the desire to be loved. I invested a lot in Victor's backstory, even if it wasn't mentioned in the script. The loss of his g---- mother, the desire to contact her through mystic arts, the need to fulfill a destiny as the rightful ruler of his country. I wanted to show in the beginning scenes with Reed, that he had a softer side and even valued the friendship, which later his madness transformed to bitterness and feelings of betrayal. Not all these ideas are supported by the comic, but I felt they would give a fuller human picture. I wanted to try to bring out some of his pain and suffering even as he pursued power and the destruction of others. I also saw a wicked sense of humor in the comics, (as is befitting a tortured genius!), so I wanted to give him moments to tease, be sarcastic and enjoy his power, reveling in some moments of explosive mad laughter. But if you listen, the laughter is also full of rage and sorrow as well. In preparation, I remember spending some time in a ski-mask to see what feelings would emerge from living in a "mask" and armor. The sense of affliction, imprisonment, of not being truly seen, and also permission and power. Lots of improvisation, physical and vocal exercises and finding my own personal link to the extreme qualities of this character.

━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━���━━━━ DOOMSAYER Magazine Article

Actor Joseph Culp puts a Shakespearean twist on the FF's arch nemesis, Doctor Doom. [Picture of Doom taking off the mask to reveal dark curls and a handsome face with a small scar by Jack Kirby]

This never-before-published drawing of Doctor Doom reveals that the vain villain wore a mask to hide just one tiny scar. Doom was for me an operatic dip into my own latent sadomasochistic tendencies," says the intense actor. And Joseph Culp means it. When pressed to talk a little about his personal life, he refers to himself as one of Doom's "impersonators." Culp, who grew up in California, had starring roles in Dream Lover and Monte Hellman's Iguana. However, his role of Doctor Doom is one that he takes very seriously. "As a kid, the FF was probably the only comic I really cared about." In this journalist's opinion, genre actors are not as appreciated as dramatic actors. In science fiction, fantasy and horror, the actors are expected to bring believability to unbelievable characters and impossible situations. There was no doubt in Culp's mind that he was up to the task. "I have some Shakespearean training. Doom is a very operatic character, a glorious tyrant king. This was a very challenging role because I was incarcerated in an iron suit most of the time, which was very grueling, frustrating and maddening." Does Culp have any interesting body scars himself? "I got a scar on the crook of my left leg from wearing the suit. It dug into me suppose my motivation could have been brought on by actual pain during the performance." Doctor Doom has never been unmasked in the comics. However, Jack Kirby's interpretation of the face behind the iron mask is that Victor Von Doom hides only one tiny facial scar because he is so vain. Culp offers his own insight. "Doom is a narcissist to the extreme. I believe he is completely scarred and mutilated. Being such a brilliant scientist, he could certainly reconstruct his face. But he chose to keep his scars as a living testament to his vengeance on the world and, specifically, Reed Richards.

"With Doom you really can't go too far. He's a raging ego and a wounded lover."' -Joseph Culp, the actor playing Doctor Doom [Picture of Victor von Doom during college in the Fantastic Four (1994) movie] Above: Joseph Culp plays Victor, Reed Richards's college buddy who falls victim to a terrible accident. Right: Culp as the operatic Doom. "Reed stands for everything Doom wishes he could have acceptance from the world, good looks, a sexy girlfriend. He's very envious of Reed and felt betrayed when their experiment went awry. He always wanted to be Reed's best friend, and when everything went wrong and he nearly died in the experiment, Reed went on to collect all the laurels that he might have had. So there's a lot of jealousy involved in his relationship. I think that deep down he actually loves Reed Richards. The person you love the most is the one you hate the most. Doom's inner sorrow and frustration-a kind of unbridled psychotic rage-propels him to do the things he does." Culp ends our conversation with a very serious diatribe on the depths of the demented Doctor. "Remember that Doom is all that we wish to be and all that we cannot face. From the depths of our fear he is the towering Freudian id. With Doom you really can't go too far. He's a raging ego and a wounded lover."

[vertigoartgore]

According to IMDb, the 1994 Fantastic Four movie turns 30 today. Feel old yet ?

"United States : May 31 1994 (only known showing)"

[prettywitchiusaka]

Actually, speaking of Doctor Doom, I recently re-watched the Tim Story Fantastic Four films and...yeah, I feel like I owe their take on Doom an apology.

People often talk about how Doom hasn't been properly depicted on screen. And while I agree, I do think the filmmakers got one thing right about him; that Victor von Doom is a petty, egotistical control freak who likes to lord over people how awesome he is and how they should never forget it. Oh, and that he's also a backstabbing little bitch who'll steal other people's powers for his own. Because no matter how high the body count, nothing must stand in the way of Doom's benevolence.

Also, Julian McMahon wasn't a bad casting choice and I feel like, had they made a more comic accurate Doom, he would've been a good fit. Not unlike how I think Nicholas Cage would've been a great Dr. Tenma with a better script for the Astro Boy movie.

So yeah, not the greatest on-screen depiction of Victor von Doom, that still goes to Joseph Culp from Roger Coreman's FF film, but not the worst either. I mean, it could've been worse; it could've been the FanFourstic take (if you wanna call it that) on Doom.

[2013venjix]

Dr. Doom (Victor Von Doom)

[cultfaction]

Surge of Power: Where There's Smoke to make World Premiere at Tarzana International Film Festival

Surge of Power Enterprises is excited to announce that the Tarzana International Film Festival will host the August 24th 2024 World Premiere of Surge of Power: Where There’s Smoke, the latest feature in the 20 year-running and groundbreaking franchise. Creator Vincent J. Roth returns to the cape-clad title role of Surge, cinema’s first out gay superhero. Roth is joined by a star-studded cast…

[vintage1981]

The Original Doctor Doom: Interview with Joseph Culp

The original Dr. Doom, Joseph Culp, joins us to discuss his acting process and extensive comic research for the role of Marvel's great supervillain. Stay tuned for Joseph reprising his role for us and performing the "Doomworld" monologue by Jonathan Maberry.

[ultraericthered]

Still the best live action cinematic Doom.

Russo Bros. and Robert Downey Jr., the ball's in your court now!

[streamondemand]

The original 'The Outer Limits' – sixties SF TV on MGM+

Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We have control of your streaming app. We have provided you with access to The Outer Limits (1963-1964), the original incarnation of the TV science fiction anthology series. It wasn’t the first such program and it was always in the shadow of its more literate (and more popular) cousin The Twilight Zone, but the hour-long The Outer Limits made its mark on the…

[dalekofchaos]

Doctor Doom gets ruined AND WHITEWASHED AGAIN!

4 attempts to get Doctor Doom right

4

And we STILL can’t get this right

A master of magic and science. A man who rivals Doctor Strange and Reed Richards as the most powerful sorcerer and the smartest man alive. He rules an entire country with an army of Doombots. Considered to be one of the greatest Marvel villains. And they still can't get him right. They have to make him a fucking Tony Stark variant. Tony Stark is not Victor Von Doom and Doom is above Tony Stark.

Victor wearing the mask always is integral to his appeal and aura like Vader's mask. It not only hides his vain scars he caused due to his failures, but it closes him off from humanity and makes him believe he’s beyond it.

As far as I'm concerned Marvel Ultimate Alliance and EMH are the only good adaptations of Doom

Doctor Doom being a romani man with a background CENTERING his family's racial persecution. with his ethnicity at the forefront of his motivations and his tragedy. and they really just brought back Robert Downey Jr.

Being romani is INTEGRAL to doom’s character and without that he’s not doom. he NEEDS to be romani and played by a romani character. full stop, don't believe me? Read Book Of Dooms.

Since 1964 Victor von Doom has been established as a Romani character. His childhood was filled with antiziganism and his parents deaths were caused by it. This later led him to become Doctor Doom and overthrow the Latverian government to protect his people

I am so fucking sick and tired of this whitewashing bullshit and the ethnoerasure of Marvel characters.

The Maximoff Twins, The Ancient One, Moon Knight and now fucking Doom.

God fucking forbid an actual Romani actor PLAYS A ROMANI CHARACTER.

But no they pulled another fucking multiverse shit all so RDJ could return and it all feels like blackface from Tropic Thunder

I DON'T GIVE A FUCKING SHIT ABOUT ANTHONY STARK FROM EARTH-11029 OR INFAMOUS IRON MAN

If you wanted evil Iron Man so fucking bad, why didn't you just do Superior Iron Man?

The LAZIEST, DUMBEST, most CONTRIVED BULLSHIT casting ever, Marvel continues to not beat the whitewashing allegations. Doctor Doom deserved better.

Romani actor Charlie Clapman was right fucking there AND HE ENDORSED IT!

I'd even suggest Romani actor Óscar Jaenada as Doom. Again another Roma actor who's actively interested in playing Doom

And you know what? As bad as the 1994 movie was, Joseph Culp the first actor to play Doom in the Fantastic Four (1994) movie by Oley Sassone & Richard Corman. Culp was also white but he very clearly cared for the comics background of Victor von Doom

and you also know damn well they're going to erase everything about Magneto too that makes him who he is… which is his entire fucking background. how horrible of a person do you have to be to repeatedly disrespect the minorities who created these stories?

Doctor Doom is Roma Romani. He is not white. The MCU loves to whitewash its Roma and Jewish characters and it’s time we called them out for it. Dr Doom is not a white man, he is Roma!

They will never nail down the complexity of Victor Von Doom

Every year Doom goes to hell to fight Mephisto to rescue the soul of his mother. He finally won her soul with the help of Doctor Strange only for her to reject him.

No evil Stark replicant will ever fucking match the complexity of Victor Von Doom.

I don't care if this is a one time thing for RDJ. They specifically chose to do this when the fans were begging for a fucking Romani actor. It also doesn't fucking help that Marvel has erased nearly EVERY fucking ethnic character has been whitewashed.

Scarlet Witch & Quicksilver: Erased Romani heritage and whitewashed. Moon Knight & Wiccan: Casted non-Jewish actors. Sabra: Featured in anything at all, and actress is an IDF soldier to make matters worse.

The MCU is full of ethnic erasure, military propaganda & racism. it’s disgusting this is continuing with Dr Doom’s casting. remember to continue to boycott marvel, because of the genocide they support by casting an iof solider to play a character from the zionist terrorist occupation

Dr Doom is one of those villains that it should be IMPOSSIBLE to fuck up but wasting him on a cheap Iron Man nostalgia casting pop might be the way

[hexhomos]

Sorry, I'm asking here because asks aren't on your doomreed account, but do you have any fic recs for them ? You and vinnies art have intrigued me 😭 they both seem like such wet cats in different ways, and I love that

help i didnt know asks were off fixed that now thank you... I have two fics i keep in my back pocket as like, exemplary distillations of their whole thing (one in college vs one of their usual superhero stuff,) these are;

Supersymmetry and Night Blooms

Rly good examples of their usual shenanigans, the second one is directly based on a canon comic issue that *feels* like fanfic by a prolific yaoi author, the first is set in a modern-time re-imagining of the fantastic four where they meet in a supergenius internship thinktank for gifted youngsters. There's other fics that are good but i think they might be super confusing without canon context! which leads me to my second point. After you read these fics...

A lot, and i mean A LOT of official doomreed stuff feels straight up like fanfic. Either because its so beautifully woven or insane in concept (doctor doom points a gun at the real life Jack Kirby and Stan Lee to get himself written back into reed's life in his 3rd ever classic appearance, in the 60's, THAT'S the bodyswap issue)

or because the literal authors themselves come out to say 'they're soulmates' or 'they're in love' and Im talking abt this:

(^joseph culp, the first ever doom actor from 1994)

(^fantastic four (2019))

I've got even more stuff under the cut!! AND recs!!! CLICK! v v v

(^jonathan hickman, author of arguably the best FF saga & Secret Wars (2015)!!!)

(^Cantwell, author of the Doctor Doom comic!!)

These are excerpts from the canon fantastic four book, DOOMGATE:

There's even an RPG INSTRUCTION MODULE based on the idea of an earth where Reed & Victor partner up in college, Reed dies a tragic death (via their lab experiments) and Victor assumes such a traumatized widow role in his honor that he grows up to be a golden hero and protector of earth LOL (still a bit nuts):

This is not even to touch on the breadth of all their comic issues and little moments together. Victor canonically delivers Reed's second child and he chooses her name! Shes treated like his child too and calls him uncle doom!!

...Victor even asks Reed out on candlelit dinner dates for a yearly Latverian holiday!

In fact, that's the great starter doom/reed issue i keep recommending: read [ My Dinner With Doom right here. ]

If you enjoy that, check out my [ broader post guide for doomreed reading. ]

Still on the fence? try out these single comic issues:

Doctor Doom:

*Fantastic Four (1961) annual 2 (Classic origin of Doom issue) *Some call it MAGIC (the introduction of Doom's struggle w/ the devil for his mother's soul)

Doomreed:

*Marvel Two-in-One (2017) annual 1 *Marvel Two-in-One (2017) #11 (2nd fic i linked is based on this!!!!!!!!!) *'Duel Intentions' short story *Doom 2099 (2019) *Fantastic Four #700 special *Shame Itself (noncanon satire mini)

Anyway I've had a lot of fun reading these series generally and their big, year-spanning arcs are incredible. People hype up Secret Wars for a reason, Hickman's fantastic four builds up a really compelling doom/reed epic of cosmic divorce proportions. And its about love! And Forgiveness!

[thealmightyemprex]

@ariel-seagull-wings @themousefromfantasyland @theancientvaleofsoulmaking

@the-blue-fairie @princesssarisa @amalthea9

@countesspetofi @barbossas-wench @filmcityworld1

[izunias-meme-hole]

Random question, but favorite Doctor Doom adaptation?

Honestly it's a fistfight between these five...

Clive Revill did a phenomenal job voicing the character in Ultimate Alliance, which only enhanced what was by far the most true to the comics adaptation of Doom yet, complete with the power of Odin himself. He's gets more egomaniacal than normal once he obtains that power.

The 90's Marvel Animated Universe also had a pretty true to the comics iteration of Doom, though he unfortunately had several voice actors (The best one was Simon Templeton). Still a he's pretty great adaptation of how Doom was earlier in the comics, complete with some refinements.

Earth's Mightiest Heroes was my second introduction to Doom, and honestly he left a good first impression by sweeping the Avengers and Fantastic Four, telling them to leave after he got the results that he wanted, and just being the guy who knew about the Skrulls way before the main cast ever did. He's a magnificent bastard and Lex Lang's subdued vocal performance helps get that vibe across.

Capcom had a fun and iconic iteration of Doom. Sure he was only in three games, but his Marvel Super Heroes sprite is a great visual representation of him complete with a perfect moveset, and he's an icon in MVC3.

And finally here's my favorite Doom adaptation....

Roger Corman didn't make a great Fantastic Four film, but its iteration of Doom is both true to the comics and completely off his rocker. Joseph Culp brought a level of ham, gravitas, and chaotic energy that I genuinely love. He's the best Live Action Doom so far, and even though his competitors are already at the bottom of the barrel, it's a genuine surprise to see how Culp both gets Victor as a character and uses that knowledge to craft this familiar yet distinct enough iteration of Latveria's dictator.

[poppetsisters]

What did you think of the 90s fantastic 4 movie

I am really embarrassed to say this:

I haven't seen it.

It's literally saved on my hard drive, I just never got around to watching it. All I can say is that I think the costumes, cheap as they look, are still the best live action fantastic four costumes I've seen (barring cosplay, you people are crazy awesome)!

Other things I like are The Thing. The facial animatronics look really good! They're the best special effect in the movie by a mile!

Joseph Culp, Doctor Doom's actor, was the strongest performance in the clips I've seen. I just wish they recorded his voice lines separately, the mask is doing his delivery no favours.

The music is kinda good too, I hum the main theme sometimes while reading the comics.

That's about all I can say until I see the movie proper. I think I'd need a watch party of other F4 nerds to get through it.

[andersonvision]

Surge of Power Enterprises is thrilled to announce the world premiere of Surge of Power: Where There's Smoke at the Tarzana International Film Festival on August 24th. This latest installment marks a significant milestone in the 20-year groundbreaking franchise, bringing back the beloved out gay superhero, Surge. Vincent J. Roth returns to his role as Surge, joined by a stellar cast of heroes and villains. This feature includes one of the final performances of the legendary Nichelle Nichols (Star Trek: The Original Series), alongside Robert Picardo (Star Trek: Voyager), Joseph Culp (Fantastic Four), Shannon Farnon (Super Friends), Michael Gray (SHAZAM!) and Bruce Vilanch (Hollywood Squares). The cast also welcomes new faces like Tim Russ (Star Trek: Voyager), Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon), and John Davey (SHAZAM!). Event Details: Location: Regal Cinemas at Sherman Oaks, Galleria, 15301 Ventura Blvd, 3rd Floor, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 In Surge of Power: Where There's Smoke, Surge teams up with guest hero, The Smoke (played by former pro wrestler Eric Moran), to unravel a sinister plot by The Council. The film delves into the mysterious character of Falling Apple, a vigilante avenging her father's murder, and her connection to the Council's evil schemes. Watch as cinema’s first out gay superhero forms an unlikely alliance with straight allies to combat crime. After its world premiere at the Tarzana International Film Festival, the film will continue its journey across various film festivals and fan conventions, including FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention, Los Angeles Comic Con, and Urban Action Showcase in New York City. For updates on future Surge of Power screenings and more information, visit www.surgeofpower.org.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Santa's Slay (2005)

Santa’s Slay is almost good. Writer/director David Steiman tries - and fails - to make a movie that's "so bad it's good" on purpose but when he indulges in holiday-themed puns and gruesome slayings, you'll have a good time. Call me sick, but seeing people drowned in eggnog, skewered with candy canes, blown up with trick presents and run by Santa's sleigh, it’s ghoulish fun. All that’s missing is a story worth watching to bring all the Yuletide carnage together.

The result of a virgin birth through a woman and Satan, Santa Claus (Bill Goldberg) indulged in yearly massacres from which Christians protected themselves using Christmas Mass. In 1005 A.D., an angel defeated him in a curling match and sentenced him to be nice and deliver presents for 1,000 years. Now, it’s 2005 and he’s eager to indulge in his bloody ways again.

The film’s highlights are the various killings. Some of them you see coming. Others take you by surprise. Cinema had to include someone getting skewered by a menorah eventually and if that’s the sort of thing you want to see, you’ve got it here. There is also a rather charming homage to the ‘60s Rankin/Bass Christmas specials that’s sure to put a smile on your face. It’s so ridiculous it actually works.

Every other aspect of the film disappoints. The special effects are dodgy but that’s ok. You wouldn’t mind so much because they can - at times - enhance the dark humor. The insurmountable issue is the “plot”, which should’ve been tossed away and redone completely. For the most part, there is no story. Santa randomly shows up and kills everyone in sight while making puns - if I never hear "ho ho hoes" again, it will be too soon. It’s funny (for the most part) but not so original that audiences won’t be left wanting more. When Mr. Claus isn’t leaving bloody footprints in the snow, we follow Nicholas Joseph Yuleson (Douglas Smith) and his girlfriend, Mary McKenzie (Emilie de Ravin) trying in vain to warn everyone in the town of Hell of what’s happening. It gets repetitive fast.

I know what you’re thinking. Santa came from a virgin birth. The other principal characters (other than Nick’s grandpa, played by Robert Culp) are “Joseph” and Mary, the hero’s first name is Nicholas. There’s got to be some connection between them, some twist at the end that proves these people were destined to battle, right? No, there isn’t. This is why I'm complaining about the writing. The names seem to have been chosen out of a hat at random instead of serving a satisfying purpose. In fact, when you look at the big picture, you’ll realize Nicholas has no impact on this story whatsoever. The dialogue is clunky, meandering and primarily included to pad out the movie - "say anything, as long as it helps us reach feature-length running time". At 78 minutes, Santa's Slay is more of an elongated sketch than a proper film. The ending is abrupt and unsatisfactory and the film is sloppy. A great example comes right at the beginning. The picture opens with pages of illuminated manuscript detailing through illustration the “true” story of Santa Claus but the text surrounding the drawings isn’t even Greek; it’s just random characters with occasional cast member names thrown in. At least it sets your expectations appropriately.

Santa’s Slay is bad but not so bad you can’t have somewhat of a good time with it. If you throw this on the TV during your holiday get-together, your guests can occasionally look at what's on the screen, rub their eyes in bewilderment and instantly have something to chat about. Sitting down and paying attention would only mean becoming appalled by the sloppy execution. If you choose to watch Santa's Slay, stick around for the admittedly cleverly done end credits, particularly if you’re a fan of the WWE. (November 27, 2020)