#king of latveria

[vertigoartgore]

A badass Doctor Doom (with a freakin' flaming sword) by the great Steve Rude.

[heckcareoxytwit]

The time when Iron Man and Doctor Doom fought a Symbiote-Possessed Santa Claus and his reindeer on the Christmas Eve night.

King In Black: Iron Man/Doom #1, 2020

[imperiuswrecked]

But the hour is getting late. My son. My heir. My legacy. Let us go then, you and I. And I will show you how to save the world.

King Victor Von Doom & Prince Kristoff of Latveria

Thank you to the wonderful @ecairnsart for my Von Doom Royal Family Portrait! I'm once again in awe of your beautiful talent and art. ID and more below the cut~

[ID: Victor Von Doom sits front and center on an elaborately carved wood throne as the King of Latveria, the back of the throne shows a letter D engraving, and there is a detailed open mouthed lion’s head carved into the visible arm, the other side is covered by Doom’s cape which is draped over it. Doom wears a furred cape fastened by detailed decorative clasps, and a fine sash crosses his tunic. The medals on his chest represent his heritage, one is a symbol of the Roma flag, one is a letter W to represent his mother’s symbol, one is a pentagram to represent magic. Doom’s eyes are locked on the viewer from behind his mask. One arm rests on his knee while his other hand holds a unsheathed medieval inspired longsword by the hilt with its sharp end resting on the ground. 

Two black dogs sit at Victor’s feet, while his son, Kristoff, stands to his right and just behind his throne. Kristoff also wears sashes and medals on his suit that represent his heritage and place as Prince of Latveria. He wears a fine cape with the symbol of Doom visible to the viewer. Unlike Victor who is completely armored and wears a hooded tunic and cape, Kristoff’s hood is drawn down, while his face and hair are visible, he wears gloves rather than metal gauntlets. Kristoff’s armor is minimal and the only visible parts cover his neck, jaw, and the lower part of his head. Kristoff’s eyes are also on the viewer while he stands proudly beside his father. His left hand rests on the pommel of a sheathed renaissance era sword. 

The unmasked version shows Victor’s face, the right side of his face shows a jagged scar that runs from under his eye, down his cheek. /END ID]

Artist Notes:

Doom of course is seated front and center, with the dogs at his side and Kristoff at his right hand. The throne is elaborately carved wood and kept relatively dark so that it doesn't draw the eye away from the main figures of the painting.

The portrait composition is inspired by 18th/19th century aristocratic/royal portraits. 

Doom’s sword, inspired by Maleev’s various paintings of Doom featuring a sword, is a medieval inspired longsword. In contrast Kristoff’s sword is a renaissance era inspired weapon, reflecting Victor as the medieval king and Kristoff as his younger heir. 

Victor’s sword and position upon his throne works well as a kind of powerful element, like most royal portraits, it is intended to project a particular image of Latveria's rulers - specifically one of strength, in a bit of contrast to the early portrait representing Doom as a paternal figure and friend to the children of Latveria as represented by a young Kristoff.

You asked me to use some symbolism relevant to their backgrounds for the medals and such: I used a W - like shape from his mother’s chest of magical items in one of Victor’s medals and also on the top of his throne. A wheel-like design (as on the Roma flag) on a medal to represent his heritage, this design is also present in the medallions and on the chest/shoulders holding Kristoff’s cloak. A pentagram symbol on another medal and on the hilt of Victor’s sword to represent his use of magic.

Both of them are wearing somewhat "fancier" versions of typical outfits that we've seen them in from the comics - I've pulled various elements in, (the sashes and medals from Doom's wedding issue) and from Kristoff's appearance in New Avengers. 

Victor’s scar is designed after Jack Kirby’s unmasked Doom drawing. 

Quote Source: Marvel Voices Infinity Comic (2022) #10

This art commission is a companion follow up to a previous Von Doom family portrait art that Ecairnsart created for me, in the older piece Victor and Kristoff have a more whimsical vibe, with Victor reading a book of children’s tales to a young Kristoff while their pet tiger lounges by them.

After Ev presented this piece I knew that I needed an art that showed them in later years, that it needed to be something more somber and austere than the fanciful family portrait of Kristoff’s youth. I wanted to show that years have passed, how the hardships and their personal choices have created a sort of invisible gulf between them but they have a deep bond as adopted family that they can’t ever fully sever. Both are dressed in their best clothing and armor, their portrait shows the image they’ve created for themselves, this is how they present themselves to the world. In contrast to the older portrait there are no colors nor fantastical tiger, instead there are two dogs that give off an almost cerberus vibe, guard dogs instead of a powerful but tamed tiger. Kristoff is waiting just outside of the shadows as Victor’s heir to take his place on the throne of Latveria while Victor sits at the ready to swing his sword in defense of his beloved country and people.

The call back to Victor being the “Lion of Latveria” is in the engraved lion’s head which I thought was another brilliant idea from Ecairnsart. I love how much thought they put into every detail of their work, and how they brought in Victor and Kristoff’s Romani heritage. Ecairnsart also created an unmasked Doom version which I absolutely love as much as the masked version. I love how Victor’s unscarred side is the one he presents to the viewer while the scarred side is hidden a bit more, how he might be uncomfortable being seen unmasked and that perhaps this version of the portrait is one he keeps only in family living spaces in the castle while the other masked version is prominently displayed in the public spaces of the castle. I’ve been a big fan of Ecairnsart’s work for years now and every new piece they create only reminds me how wonderfully talented and dedicated they are to their craft.

I love Victor & Kristoff very much and I’m overjoyed to have another family art of them to cherish. 

[doomreed]

Also to the anon who linked the meme in my asks yesterday: sorry I deleted your message while clearing out my inbox (my own fault for trying to navigate it while half asleep) but it's definitely spot on for their movieverse dynamic.

Ironically, in the comics it's different because Victor starts out very poor, he's Romani and living under an oppressive regime but gets a full scholarship to State U (Reed gets a scholarship as well but doesn't financially need it) and then after getting kicked out of school and learning magic, he takes over the village he was raised near, kills the ruling family there that was responsible for his parents' deaths, and becomes a benevolent dictator/king who turns Latveria into a nation where Romani people (and others) can thrive (freedom of religion, free healthcare, in one of the novels we meet the current head of the royal guard, who is a cis woman married to a trans woman, so safe haven for LGBTQ+ people as well) -- the Doom you get in the movies really is a very Americanized wash of the character, though if Reed & Co experienced another bout of hardship in the comics I'm sure that version of Doom would have the same response to Reed coming to him for funding help.

[elvain]

Performance of the Dead

… I find that my days are incomplete. There is something missing that I cannot see or recognize. But the gap that it has left behind is enough to tell me that it was dearly important. –  excerpt from the private journals of Prince Namor of Atlantis, the Avenging Son, and the Scourge of the Seven Seas

            Namor did not like Latveria even after all the time he had spent traversing its lands and dealing with its ruler. Having once been a King himself, Namor understood well the burden of a Kingdom. But he knew, too, that Doom was not like the sort of King that Namor had been. Where Namor’s heart and soul had forever beat for the fate and future of his people, there was something else that motivated Doom. Something besides the binding loyalty of a King to his people.

            Once, that loyalty had been enough for Namor. He had lost his mother, yes, he had lost many of his friends and family in Atlantis, but he was still the King. For all that a King bore the burden of the fate of his people, he was never alone. But at a certain point, Namor had needed to admit that the grief was too strong to be overcome and the losses too heavy to be carried.

            Namor was no King now. His loyalty to his people had not been enough, in the end, to carry him through the maelstrom of suffering he had endured. He felt alone – utterly and entirely.

read the rest on AO3. this is the last chapter of this fic, written for @namorweek. thank you all for the support and thank you excelsiorfics for the tracked tag.

taglist below. +/- open.

@brw @greerbaiting @makeminemarvel @hawkzeyes @cherlawa-panna @sovaharbor

[badguysgalore]

The CEO of Lexcorp matches up against the King of Latveria. Jokes and feats and preferences aside, who do you think is smarter?

[trashbetweenthestars]

I'm not deeply knowledgeable in Marvel Comic lore but I have an non-obsessive-deep interest for Doctor Doom. So my question to all of you who know shit, a question I've had for years:

According to Wikipedia Latveria is here, right?

And according to Wikipedia (again) it was first mentioned in 1964. Has Latveria always been sandwiched in between Hungary and Romania? If yes, wtf was that country up to in the cold war? I read on marvel.fandom.com about WWII but it's right in the eastern block? Like? Just a Monarchy chilling there? From 1945 to 1989 with a king?

And if no; where was that country before?

[magnetic-regent-magneto]

GREAT MAGNETO PROMPT MASTERPOST (includes Music, Theme, Verse and Place Prompts)

↪     MUSIC 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ,

PLOT BASED ON A SONG

↪     THEME/ERA 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ,

Plots based on a Magneto-related theme, verse or era. Plot Roulette for quick access. Add (*your muse/my muse*) for adjustments -- updated 24.06.24

001. Spionage Era .

002. Acolyte Uprising .

003. AnarchyX Revolution .

004. Future of X-Men Blue .

005. Asteroid M's Final Stand .

006. Savage Land Philosophies .

007. The White King of the Hellfire Club .

008. Brotherhood Noir .

009. Dark Fantasy .

010. Apple of Krakoa .

011. Elden Ring/Lords of the Fallen .

012. League of Legends .

013. Kree and Shi'ar War of Kings .

014. War of Arrako .

015. Peace of Arrako .

016. Resurrection on Krakoa .

017. Political Intrigue of Krakoa .

018. Legacy Virus .

019. Mothervine .

020. Mysterium Metal .

021. Secret Wars with Avengers .

022. Headmaster Magneto .

023. Magneto Protocols .

024. X of Swords .

025. Civilisation on Saturn .

026. Chimera Plots .

027. Chimera Magneto .

028. Quiet Council Secrets .

029. Uprising .

030. Paradise Genosha .

031. Ruins of Genosha .

032. Lives of Moira X .

033. Black Vault .

034. Machine Forge .

035. Expedition .

036. Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse .

037. Cosmic Cerebro .

038. Mutant Purge .

039. Broken Magnet .

040. Black Ops .

041. Game of Thrones .

042. Legacy of M .

043. Avalon Sanctuary .

044. Terrorist .

045. Brotherhood .

046. Morlocks .

047. Anomaly .

048. Riddled Alliance .

049. Civil War .

050. Lost .

051. Celebrations .

052. Studies .

053. Rebirth .

054. Family .

055. Rise of Magneto .

056. Cosmic Event .

057. Reforming Mars .

058. Living Earth .

059. Reluctant King .

060. Betrayal .

061. Corruption .

062. Imprisoned .

063. Sacrifice .

064. Infiltration .

065. Annihilation .

066. Negotiation .

067. Survival .

068. Experiment .

069. Invasion .

070. Art .

071. Judgement .

072. Banishment .

073. Assassination .

074. Forgiveness .

075. Eclipse .

076. Quantum Electromagnetism .

077. Heart of a Star .

078. Nimrod .

079. Resonance Chamber .

080. Control (Game) .

081. Blackest Night .

082. Destruction of London .

083. Boss Fight .

084. Series 97 .

085. Golden Tracks AU .

↪     PLACE 𝑷𝑹𝑶𝑴𝑷𝑻𝑺 ,

001. Genosha .

002. Asteroid M .

003. Savage Lands .

004. Island M .

005. Wundagore Mountain .

006. Poland .

007. Berlin .

008. Krakoa .

009. New York .

010. Madripoor .

011. Dark Dimension .

012. Limbo .

013. Mars .

009. New York .

010. Madripoor .

011. Dark Dimension .

012. Limbo .

013. Latveria .

014. Underground Cities .

015. Atlantis .

016. Morlock Tunnels .

017. Xavier Institute .

018. Avalon .

019. Muir Island .

020. Research Facility .

021. Museum .

022. Astral Plane .

023. Bermuda Triangle .

018. Mojoverse .

019. Vault .

020. Jungle .

021. Phalanx .

022. Saturn .

023. Space .

018. Outerspace .

019. Eternals .

020. Avengers Tower .

021. Study .

022. Quantum World .

023. Hellfire Club .

024. Apocalypse .

025. Titan .

026. Hell .

[vertigoartgore]

Doctor Doom by Carlos Magno and Espen Grundetjern. From 2021's Kang the Conqueror Vol.1 #3 (by Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing).

[yes-i-write-fanfiction]

The only thing about Marvel I know about is the older non Tom Holland Spider-man movies and the first Avenegers movies, but I'm loving the Doom posts. Whomst is this man that must toot, why isn't he in more things?

I am not sure why Doom isn't used more. It may have partially to do with the absolutely terrible Fantastic 4 movie reboot that came out 2015. When I tell you it sucked ass, I mean it. Made the terrible mistake of watching it in theatre and left mad.

Doctor Doom is an interesting character because he's just so extra. He's one of the most intelligent people in the world, terrifyingly competent and has access to a massive amount of resources but he's also so overdramatic. He's stubborn, prideful and has a major superiority complex. He thinks himself above normal people. But he's not without a heart. Doom would do anything for the people he loves and is loyal to his country, which he actually rules really well. The people of Latveria loves their king!

I hope that in the future, Doctor Doom and the Fantastic 4 as a whole will get an adaptation that actually does them justice.

[hautsreadsmarvel]

Marvel’s first mutant… and VICTOR VON DOOM!

“The Man in the Sky!” (1961)

Much like the Ant-Man stories so far, The Man in the Sky does not have its own solo printing. I wanted to show the cover for the whole thing because, well, “Amazing Adult Fantasy” sounds like something your adblocker is supposed to get rid of, not a “magazine that respects your intelligence”. Putting the lie to that tagline is the “most unexpected surprise ending” of the leading story, Beware the Giants, which is that the story is told from the perspective of leprechauns and the giants are humans. Duh. Sorry to spoil, I know y’all were clamoring to read that one in $curYear. Here’s the REAL cover for The Man in the Sky:

First Marvel hero I’ve never heard of, “Tad Carter”. Perhaps his name will not echo across history…

...but this appellation will! Behold, Marvel’s first mutant! (Apparently Namor is often said to be Marvel’s first mutant. I didn’t see anyone calling him that, though, so this is the guy as far as I’m concerned.)

Thru his childhood, he develops telekinesis and mind-reading, and when he tries to “teach” these abilities to others, first by proving that he has them, the others react with fear and attack him for reading their private thoughts. He is then rescued by a distant, unseen enclave of mutants who make themselves known to him, and cause him to fly to their secret realm.

Neat-o! I can’t wait until the first actual X-Men story. It’ll be in… 75 issues, according to this reading order. Phooey.

“The Fantastic Four” (1961, issue 5)

DOOM! Surprisingly, DOOM is actually pretty recognizable by today’s standards. He lives in a castle, he has a time travel machine, he is a master of the sciences and the mystic arts, he’s an arrogant egomaniac blowhard (granted, this is true of all villains so far, excepting Namor : )), he uses Doombots, he and Reed were collegemates… the only things that are missing are Latveria and wanting to best Reed specifically.

Oh, I don’t like that. Put. Put your nasty-ass hands in some gauntlets already. Ew, gods

I wonder if, at this time, the writers were seriously thinking about unifying the canons of all these runs or not. Maybe at this time they were like “the Hulk is fictional in the Fantastic Four’s ‘verse”, or maybe they were thinking of making a Marvel Graphic Universe already, or maybe they were just foolin’ around and any crossovers would just be one-off fun little rewards to readers of multiple series. Anyways these two are always five minutes away from beating the stuffing outta each other.

Asbestos* makes its triumphant return. If you ever need to inconvenience 60s-era Torch, you can just claim [object] is asbestos. Gosh, that miracle material, what can’t it do? (You or your loved ones may be entitled to financial compensation…)

DOOM has a shark-copter, and apparently “contact[ing] the netherworld” is a “forbidden experiment”, implying it’s a subject which warranted serious scientific consideration in the first place. DOOM correctly identifies the Invisible Girl as the most harmless member, and takes her hostage to secure the compliance of the other heroes.

He wants the heroes to time-travel back and secure Blackbeard's treasure chest, which apparently contains the mystic gems of Merlin, and will therefore enable him to conquer the world. The rest of the adventure is pretty fun. In the past, the Terrific Trio get taken in by pirates - find the treasure - and replace the chest's treasure with heavy chains to dupe DOOM. I’ll highlight some alternative power uses, like the Torch skimming the water around a pirate ship to raise clouds of steam and prevent it from seeing another ship, or Reed turning himself into a really long gangplank.

Another great and terrifyingly relatable moment from the Thing. I love him so much already : \

Tragically, a storm sinks Blackbeard’s ship, and with it, the Thing’s hopes of being a pirate king. He reunites with the others, they return to their normal time, Sue is useful and saves them from asphyxiating in a trapped room, and they chase off the devilish Doctor.

[linkspooky]

Thanks for your response to my ask on antagonists that weren’t really villains now I don’t read that many x men comics so I don’t really know that much about magneto aside from the basic(backstory goals etc) so what about magneto is “always right”

(P.s to keep thing’s balanced I’ll elaborate on my side if you don’t want to read it you can ignore this part of the post.

(Doom is an interesting case where you could argue that the villain is more heroic than most of the heroes themselves and that’s due to his goals and the fact that when he succeeds it’s almost always for the better dooms goal is to take over the world so he can make it into a better place and when he does it actually is a better place a prime example is his hometown of latveria because when he other throws the previous king it becomes the closest thing to a perfect place you can get there’s no crime no disease no poverty and it’s run by a pretty reasonable schedule during his brief stint as iron man almost all crime in the world dropped either due to him or out of fear of him even Stan lee argued that doom wasn’t really doing anything wrong(wanting to rule the world mind you) and his hatred for reed Richards is pretty justified when you think about what doom has done and that reed is smarter than him and hasn’t done what doom has)

No, I agree with your argument anon, Doom is a way more compelling character than Reed Richards.

(Sadly the only comics I've ever read with Doom in them are the distant epilogue of Spiderman 2099 and Young Avengers the Children's Crusade, neither of which I think are good examples of his character).

However, I'd say that Magneto is the hero of his story for basically the same reasons that you listed Doom as the hero of his. You know how you listed all of those super compelling character traits for Doom, and then Reed Richards is kind of just a jerk.

That is essentially the same as the Magneto and Professor Xavier rivalry. Magneto's one of the most compelling characters in comics driven by his overwhelming empathy for the suffering of his people and then Xavier is just kind of a jerk.

If you know Professor Xavier and what he's done at all it's hard to consider him a good guy even if you find his ideals more agreeable and less extreme than Magneto's. Xavier is a manipulator and a groomer, basically raising the students at his school to be tools to his political agenda even though they're literally just kids.

Things Xavier has done:

Once reprogrammed an amnesiac Wolverine's brain into thinking he came to rejoin the X-men in Wolverine Origins #29.

Designed a bunch of robots called the Xavier protocols to kill his students if they ever got out of control.

Literally joined an organization called the illuminati and plotted to kill Scarlet Witch once among other things.

Literally erased the memory of Scott's brother from his mind. Like. Just made Scott forget that he had a brother to cover up the mistake he made when he sent a team on a mission to an island and all of them died with the only exception being Scott's younger brother Gabrielle.

This isn't to knock on Xavier's character. All of these things are what make Xavier interesting, because the Xavier and Magneto rivalry blurs what the definition of hero and villain is. He's also I think a pretty realistic depiction of what I think someone with Xavier's mutant abilities would act like, giving that much mental power to one person would be too tempting no matter how good your intentions are.

[imperiuswrecked]

Has Namor ever reclaimed the McKenzie name? I remember he rejected it or something. Why everyone keeps using it?

The surface dwellers use his human name, Namor McKenzie or they call him The Sub-Mariner. He uses it too, but it's mostly on the surface world.

All New Invaders (2014) #10 - Prince Namor McKenzie

In the ocean and Atlantis Namor goes by many titles:

Prince Namor

Namor the First

The Avenging Son

The Sub-Mariner

Imperius Rex

Namor Fen-Son

Namor, Son of Fen

Son of Atlantis

Prince of the Blood

Prince of Atlantis

Prince Namor the First

Prince of Destiny

Scion of the Seas

Sea Lord

King Namor

King Namor the First

King of the Seas

Sea King

Phoenix King

Avenger of the Deep

Lord of the Seven Seas

Sovereign Monarch of Atlantis

Lord of the Undersea World

Emperor of the Deep

Supreme Commander of the Undersea Legions

As you see Names & Titles are important in Atlantean Society. A notable comic about his names: Namor, The Sub-Mariner (1990) #37 - Namor is called Namor McKenzie (the Atlanteans pronounce it Mak Kenzee) by Suma-Ket, the Ancient King of Atlantis. (He also has a few titles: Suma Ket, Prophet King of Ancient Atlantis, Lord of the Old Ones, The Dark King, The Devil-King).

Namor asserts he is "Namor, Son of Fen"

Suma-Ket once again calls him, Namor Mak-Kenzee after capturing Namor.

Namor shows his true strength and breaks free to fight Suma-Ket. Who is surprised because he thought Namor was weak (bc he's half human).

Namor once again asserts his princely birth and says he's the Annointed Avenging Son (because his mother named him Namor which means "Avenging Son" in Atlantean)

When Namor's true strength/power is shown Suma-Ket calls him, Fen-Son. Acknowledging his legitimacy.

So Namor has always gone by his father's (Captain Leonard McKenzie) last name but he was raised by his mother, Princess Fen, alone and views himself more closely tied to his mother and Atlantis. Do he is Namor Fen-Son, much like how Fen is called Daughter of Tha-Korr or Andromeda is called Andromeda Attumasen (Her father is Attuma)

I love Fen's other titles too

Princess Fen

Princess of the Blood

Beautiful Goddess of the Seals

Queen of Sharks

Empress Fen

As I was writing this out I recalled another time where his name came into question and I think this must be what you were asking about:

In The Order (2007) #7 Namor renounced the name McKenzie.

In my opinion people shouldn't read too much into this comic because it's clear the writer set up Namor to be used for the main character's plot of being the new guy who has to handle high profile situations.

Namor rarely, if ever lies, in 90% of his comics, he's one of the most honest and brutally in your face about speaking the truth characters in comics. The other 10% percent is when writers don't know his character. lol.

It's clear in this comic that Namor is angry because his people have no home again and he wants to embrass Tony Stark (due to the events of Namor (2007) limited series) and he wishes to become a political prisoner to further his plans to help the Atlanteans (it makes no sense to me at all plus at this time Namor was living in Latveria with Doctor Doom, this comic just ignores that I guess) and he is being difficult on purpose (more than his usual difficult self, lol) and rejects his human name even lying about the events of his mother and father's meeting. The main character calls Namor out for the lies and ends up saving the day.

So while I do enjoy Namor being abrasive mostly this comic just doesn't fit with the rest of his character history but I understand that sometimes writers do things for the sake of the plot.

So I guess to wrap up your question: Namor never actually rejects the McKenzie name (really The Order is the only time I remember this happening), however he views himself more as his mother's son, and a Son of Atlantis, than he does as his father's son. He does acknowledge his father and that he is his father's son but it's not as important to his character as his mother is.

Everyone uses McKenzie because it's his name and I guess it's shorter than his many titles. lol. People call him Namor or The Sub-Mariner more often. Honestly I only see his last human name used sparingly in all the hundreds of comics he has.

Namor's struggle with his human/atlantean parentage is always interesting to read about.

[doomrichards]

Doctor Doom and Mister Fantastic in Marvel Multiverse Role-Playing Game: Core Rulebook (2023)

DOCTOR DOOM Art by Gabriele Dell'Otto

Rank: 5 / Karma: -- / Health: 90 / Damage Reduction: -2 / Focus: 120 / Damage Reduction: -2 / Speed: Run: 5 Climb: 3 Swim: 3 Jump: 3 / Initiative Modifier: +4 Abilities Ability Score Melee: 2 / Agility: 3 / Resilience: 3 / Vigilance: 4 / Ego: 7 / Logic: 6 Defense Score 12 / 13 / 13 / 14 / 17 / 16 Non-Combat Checks +3 / +3 / +3 / +4 / +9 / +7 Damage Melee Marvel x 6 Multiplier + 2 Ability Agility Marvel x 5 Multiplier + 3 Ability Ego Marvel x 7 Multiplier + 7 Ability Logic Marvel x 6 Multiplier + 6 Ability

BIOGRAPHY Real Name: Victor Von Doom Height: 6' 2" Weight: 225 Ibs. Gender: Male Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown Size: Average Distinguishing Features: Heavily scarred face, suit of armor Occupation: Leader Origin: Magic: Sorcery Teams: Intergalactic Council, Savage Avengers, Terrible Trio Base: Latveria HISTORY Born to a poor Romani family in the far-flung country of Latveria, Victor Von Doom first encountered Reed Richards while in college on scholarship. The two were instantly bonded as intellectual rivals and compatriots. However, Doom quickly grew tired of Richards upstaging him, purposefully ignoring a mistake in his experimental calculations just because Richards pointed it out. Doom's experiment blew up in his face, permanently scarring him. Bent on revenge, Victor quit college and obtained a powerful suit of Tibetan armor, becoming the dreaded Doctor Doom. He conquered his homeland of Latveria, declaring himself king. Ever since, he's been a monstrous threat to Reed Richards, the Fantastic Four and the world at large. PERSONALITY Doom's defining feature is his ego. Be it science or sorcery, he wishes to believe that he is the best at everything he does, and he is deeply angered by any evidence which would point to the contrary.

TRAITS & TAGS TRAITS • Combat Expert • Font of Information • Inventor • Iron Will • Piloting • Presence • Tech Reliance TAGS • Authority • Extreme Appearance • Lab Access • Linguist: English, German, Hungarian, Latverian, Romani • Powerful • Public Identity • Sorcerous • Supernatural • Villainous POWERS BASIC • Brilliance 1 • Discipline 2 • Flight 1 • Mighty 1 • Sturdy 2 • Uncanny 2 ELEMENTAL CONTROL (ENERGY) • Elemental Barrier • Elemental Blast • Elemental Burst MAGIC (SORCERY SET) • Astral Form • Crimson Bands of Cyttorak • Dispel Spell • Flames of the Faltine • Summon Portal MARTIAL ARTS • Attack Stance • Defense Stance TELEPATHY • Machine Telepathy • Telepathic Link

MISTER FANTASTIC Art by Chris Samnee

Rank: 4 / Karma: -4 / Health: 120 / Damage Reduction: -2 / Focus: 60 / Damage Reduction: -- / Speed: Run: 10 Climb: 6 Swim: 5 Glide: 20 / Initiative Modifier: +2 Abilities Ability Score Melee: 2 / Agility: 4 / Resilience: 4 / Vigilance: 2 / Ego: 2 / Logic: 7 Defense Score 12 / 14 / 14 / 12 / 12 / 17 Non-Combat Checks +2 / +4 / +4 / +2 / +2 / +11 Damage Melee Marvel x 4 Multiplier + 2 Ability Agility Marvel x 4 Multiplier + 4 Ability Ego Marvel x 4 Multiplier + 2 Ability Logic Marvel x 8 Multiplier + 7 Ability

BIOGRAPHY Real Name: Reed Richards Height: 6'1" Weight: 180 Ibs. Gender: Male Eyes: Brown Hair: Brown, gray Size: Average Distinguishing Features: None Occupation: Scientist Origin: Weird Science Teams: Fantastic Four. Future Foundation Base: New York City

HISTORY Brilliant young physicist Reed Richards gambled his family's considerable fortune on an experimental space mission, during which he and his crew were bombarded by cosmic rays, giving them super-powers. Back on Earth, with Richards as their leader, the crew formed the Fantastic Four.

Richards' intellect is just as critical a component of his heroism as his powers. With eighteen separate doctorates, he is arguably the most brilliant scientist on the planet. Richards later married one of the crew--Susan Storm (Invisible Woman)-- with whom he has two kids, and nothing is more important to him than his family and friends. PERSONALITY Richards' intense and calculating nature occasionally puts him at odds with his more outwardly emotional teammates, but at heart, he is a humanitarian. He believes that science has the potential to solve all of humanity's problems, and nothing frustrates him more than an unsolvable problem. TRAITS & TAGS TRAITS • Combat Reflexes • Famous • Font of Information • Gearhead • Inventor • Scientific Expertise • Weird TAGS • Enemy: Doctor Doom • Headquarters: 4 Yancy Street • Heroic • Lab Access • Public Identity POWERS BASIC • Brilliance 4 • Combat Trickery PLASTICITY • Body Sheet • Body Sphere • Bounce Back • Coiling Crush • Extended Reach 2 • Flexible Bones 2 • Flexible Fingers • Reverse Punch • Rubberneck • Slip Free • Stilt Steps

[doctorofmagic]

Doctor Strange #1 review

It’s all about subtleties.

I think issue #1 is a perfect start, not because of the possible mystic threats and glorious magic fights. It’s perfect because it’s just Stephen being Stephen. More than that, it’s just Stephen being happy and doing good on a regular basis. It’s simple, but it sums up everything he represents as a hero.

And all the team got it right, whether it’s the story, art or colors. It’s sweet and colorful, even though not everything is sunshine and roses (which gives the right, believable tone to Clea and Stephen’s relationship, after all).

But first, this is my remark that we were SO RIGHT to assume these two would f* like rabbits. So yeah, it’s canon hehe not that we needed any confirmation but... 👀

Now, back to the subtleties. They speak of a lovely couple teasing one another.

(Clea and Marc’s friendship is unbreakable now btw)

They speak of Stephen’s compassion towards his friends.

They speak of domestic life.

And fluffiness.

And peace of mind.

But they also speak of important matters like the crisis we have to face in order to fight for human rights and equality.

(if this metaphor is not clear, this IS a criticism towards the way the world has been treating war refugees, especially those of color)

In addition, those subtleties speak of injustice.

As well as conflict.

In short, this is the essence of Doctor Strange. If you want to learn who Stephen is, this is the perfect issue to illustrate it all. His kindness, compassion, duty, his conflicted heart, love and life, patience, altruism, stubbornness, weaknesses, flaws, maturity. He’s just a human with incredible mystic abilities and a powerful heart.

It’s not a dramatic story, it’s just... light-hearted in its own way. There’s conflict but the focus is a man who is finally learning happiness again. It’s an accurate portrayal of life, in which nothing is perfect but there’s beauty and joy. A well-deserved happiness after so much suffering and loneliness.

Plot-wise, I’m pretty sure Clea didn’t murder Aggamon. It’s probably just a device to create conflict in their marriage, which was expected by the interviews and solicitations. My heart is at peace because I know Jed wouldn’t reunite Stephen and Clea just to split them afterwards.

There’s also Wong’s new role as an agent of W.A.N.D., and he does have his own unique style to reach out to others -- through peace and compassion as well. I confess I’m in love with Wong in this uniform and I’m just so excited to see more of him and Pandora. He’s finally his own character, having his own life and personality. And I couldn’t be more grateful.

Looking forward to Nightmare and the mystery that surrounds Aggamon’s death. If DODS taught me anything, the culprit is closer than we suspect.

I’m also expecting some healing in the future issues. I know there was a tension between Stephen and Victor (a deserved one after DODS, if I may add) and an apology it’s out of question for a character like the king of Latveria, but a team-up would be nice to go past that. Also, Jed has been cooking Marc’s apologies for a while now (in both his MK’s run and DODS, as well as teased in the sneak peek). You know me, I’m always down to emotional bonding cause I’m hopeless 💜

Verdict: amazing issue! 10/10!

[latveriastrong]

Rewatched/listened to Hadestown last night, I had forgotten how hard some of the Hades verses really hit for Doom:

King of mortar, king of bricks

The river Styx was a river of stones

And Hades laid them high & thick

With a million hands that were not his own

And a million feet that fell in line

And stepped in time with Hades' step

And a million minds that were just one mind

Like stones in a row, stone by stone,

Row by row, the river rose up

Like. Victor and his Doombots. Or hell, at this point, the grip he has on his people--Latveria as the Underworld and Victor as Hades would fit well too, except that Victor has always been obsessive about ecology and keeping his land clear of pollution. And his people love him more than fear him (they acknowledge he's a monster, but he's *their* monster; the Doom mask represents hope to Latverians--otoh, they'd do whatever he asked without much question. Wall? Pfft. They'd rebuild his castle with their bare hands, they've literally done it before)

Heavy and hard is the heart of a king

King of iron, king of steel

The heart of a king loves everything

Like the hammer loves the nail

Idk, definitely some parallels, I'd say.