#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. 

[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

[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?

[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.

[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.

[vertigoartgore]

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

[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

[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 .

[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!

[lit-works]

What if?...There was no Mr.Fantastic

Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom first met as graduate students at Empire State University. There, Reed had discovered that Victor was building a device that would allow him to travel astrally, so that Victor could travel to the netherworld to find the spirit of his deceased mother. Reed was in Von Doom's room, studying his personal papers, when Victor entered in a rage.

"You'd better double-check some of these equations," Reed warned. "You're off a few decimals in some places, and that could mean…"

"Give me that!" Victor roared, and snatched the papers from Reed's hands. "Now get out! Did you hear me? Get out!!"

-

In the Earth-616 timeline, Victor's arrogance dominates his reactions. Victor proceeds with his experiment, with disastrous results, scarred by the resulting explosion, expelled from the college for his unnatural and unethical studies, and made an outcast by his arrogance, pride, and thirst for vengeance against the world. Victor became Doctor Doom, the greatest foe of The Fantastic Four, and threat to all the civilized world.

-

Victor reexamined the papers and considered Reed's words. In a series of events, known only to Victor Von Doom and his wife Valeria, Victor consulted Reed in a hesitant, less threatening manner, and the two soon decided to pool their efforts. Reed was correct; Victor's calculations were off, but they were easily corrected. With Reed Richards as his assistant, Victor commanded his experiment to begin – and his soul was cast into the Astral Plane.

However, a horrible discovery awaited him. Victor's mother, Cynthia Von Doom, was a witch in the ancient nation of Latveria, and she was slain before she could repent. Her spirit now suffered in the hellish realm of Mephisto, Lord of Evil. Agonized by the discovery, Victor's spirit returned to the material world.

But now, the machinery that had propelled Victor's Astral being through space had exploded. Reed Richards, one of the greatest prodigal geniuses of his Time, died. Victor Von Doom, equally brilliant but slightly more lucky, survived.

Victor was then expelled from the university, hated by his classmates for his involvement in Reed's accidental death. The young Latverian, his face lightly scarred in the explosion, pondered his future. He decided to become a force for good and dedicated himself to three tenants and goals to shape his future. One : he returned to his Latverian people and became their king, since he learned from his mother's cursed spirit that he was the rightful heir to the throne of Latveria. Two : he carried on the eternal fight for goodness and justice, in memory of and to honor Reed Richards. Three : he secretly vowed to one day free his mother's spirit from the clutches of Mephisto. Reed's death had taught Victor caution; he avoided rash action that would evoke Mephisto's wrath. Instead, he began to lay his plans…

-

Ben Grimm and Susan Storm grew closer in the wake of the tragedy that robbed them of their best friend. Ben Grimm joined the Air Force and became a test pilot.

No special rocket program was developed in Central City, California.

-

Then came the attack of the Mole Man against the world's nuclear power plants. Now, it was the armored hero named Victor, champion of Latveria, who led the fight against the Subterraneans. He triumphed, winning great fame in subsequent battles with a wide assortment of super-powefed villains – but then came the Skrull invasion, which proceeded unhindered without Reed's interference, and Earth became a conquered planet, a subject world in the Intergalactic Skrull Empire.

Heroes among humanity quickly appeared. Ant-Man (Hank Pym), Wasp (Janet Van Dyne), Iron Man (Tony Stark), Thor, and The Incredible Hulk (Bruce Banner) formed the nucleus of a resistance force known as The Defenders. The international super-organization S.H.I.E.L.D. was created to coordinate secret attacks against the Skrull occupiers. Sporadic fighting broke out across the globe as more heroes and villains filled the ranks of The Defenders and S.H.I.E.L.D., and as Victor's robot armies spread and prepared for the final battle with the Invaders.

At last, a messenger came to Earth from space. The Silver Surfer warned that The Eater of Worlds, Galactus, was coming. The Defenders convinced the Silver Surfer to join forces with them, and Spider-Man (a determined youth whose uncle was slain by a Skrull patrol) managed to get aboard the flagship of the Skrull fleet in the solar system. There, he got the attention of Galactus by causing the flagship's guns to fire on him, signaling the start of a revolution.

As world war raged between the Skulls and their human subjects, Galactus attacked and consumed the entire Skrull fleet. Earth's armies, The Defenders, S.H.I.E.L.D., and Victor's Doombots destroyed their Skrull overlords in a vicious 10-day conflict. Sated, Galactus left with his herald in search of other worlds to devour. With the death of the Skull's fleet came Spider-Man's death as well, and he and Professor Charles Xavier (slain by a Super-Skrull) became heroes for all time, immortalized in memory.

Assessments were made of the toll taken on humanity and it's allies. S.H.I.E.L.D. now wielded greater power than any one world government, and dominated the western hemisphere and reached into every national government. The Inhumans of Attilan and The Atlanteans were nearly wiped out, save for a few. The Defenders ranks were swollen with dozens and dozens of superhumans, as were the forces of S.H.I.E.L.D. Victor was the hero of Europe. New hero groups splintered off from The Defenders, and in the mid-70s, the Defenders split into branches like The Defenders East, based in New York City, and The Defenders West in Los Angeles.

Mutants, once regarded with suspicion, were finally welcomed into the ranks of humanity, since mutant heroes played such a crucial role in the insurrection of the conquest. The Skrulls' capture and killing of the handicapped Professor X, revealed after the rebellion to have been a major force within the Defenders and an Omega-Level mutant himself, garnered enormous sympathy for mutants everywhere. Government sponsored programs (called X-Academies) were established for educating and training mutants, and being a mutant became a symbol of being special and unique. Evil mutants still existed, of course, but they did little to tarnish the shining reputation earned during the overthrow of the Skrull oppressors.

The Acme Atomic Corporation layed off many of it's human workers – among them a technician named Owen Reese, who faded into obscurity thereafter. No Molecule Man appeared, there was no Beyonder appearance shortly after, and the events of the Secret Wars never occured.

The world, as it was, was at peace. But unknown to the world at large, Victor Von Doom still planned for the release of his mother from the domain of Mephisto. He built up his Doombot armies without limit or restraint, in preparation for the day when he conducted the rituals to free his mother's spirit, then led his tremendous armies on an invasion of the infernal realms of hell –to slay the lord of Evil! Sensing something was afoot with Victor, SHIELD, and the Defenders grew worried. What were all his Doombots for? Did the strains of the Skrull war drive him mad with paranoia? 

[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.

[non-tyrannical-usa]

have you considered handing your country over to latveria’s glorious king Victor Von Doom?

have you considered handing your empire over to the glorious United States of America?

[doomreed]

Prompts this year:

Sun (29) - college era (alt: applying science to magic)

Mon (30) - seduction attempts (alt: duel)

Tues (31) - camping in snowy mountains (alt: time loop)

Wed (1) - one gets injured protecting the other (alt: king & consort)

Thurs (2) - Victor teaching Reed to cook (alt: Reed in Latveria/Victor at the Baxter Building)

Fri (3) - Reed finding letters Victor wrote but never sent (alt: dancing)

Sat (4) - Freeform!

Feel free to use either or both prompts or combine the two, the sky's really the limit on these. The main thing is just to have fun.

(art by dissapaintment on Twitter)

[thebibliomancer]

Universe X #1

Which, uh, it’s good that the X is huge and placed behind Universe. When the title is in all caps and with poor spacing it reads as UNIVERSEX.

Which is probably not happening. Universex only happens when Eternity and Kismet get some quiet time together.

Anyway, we have a cover giant cosmic dead Mar-Vell, living child Mar-Vell with Cap’s shield, the circus-tier new X-Men, Wyatt Wingfoot Redwing, gorilla Hulk and child Banner, Namor the Half-Human Torch, May Parker Venom with the eye-watering costume, and Vision maybe? Are any of them relevant to this issue? Or do they just have to go somewhere on the big picture all the covers make? Yes.

Last times in Universe X: Mar-Vell was reborn as baby and between him and his dead self still in the afterlife, he has Big Plans. Part of which involved resurrecting Invisible Woman from Mr Fantastic’s arm.

Also, there’s something going on with the multiverse that Aaron Stack, Machine Watchman, has to look into. And saving Earth from the Celestials last series has just caused severe climate disruptions as the planet has tilted weird on its axis.

Child Mar-Vell has gone from being raised in secret to Atlantis, moved to Latveria to help resurrect the Invisible Woman, and is now in a frozen New York with Captain America to start off an epic fetch quest.

Cap is here because he really needs a new purpose. Democracy is basically dead. America has a marshal instead of a President and the climate change and food shortages mean that order has sort of broken down. Cap is here because he’s an old soldier and Mar-Vell has promised to end war as a concept.

Which, hmm, might be an ominous thing to declare. Especially since he also declared he was going to save everyone, whether they liked it or not. But let’s see where he’s going with this.

Where he’s going with this is an old woman wrapped in a familiar blue blanket being mugged by some bandits that think they need the warmth more.

And then the blanket eats them. Because the blanket is Cloak’s cloak and the old woman is Dagger.

Cap saves one of the dinguses but the rest get eaten.

Mar-Vell convinces Dagger to give him the cloak by telling her that Cloak is fine in the afterlife and is talking her up. Dagger then turns into a being of pure light and fucks off.

I have so many questions and Universe X will either never answer them or belabor the answers.

I do have to say that Mar-Vell looks pretty rad in such an oversized Cloak cloak.

On Mar-Vell’s scavenger hunt list, he also has the Orb of Agamotto but unfortunately it's missing. And Marv doesn’t want to deal with that right now. But they still have to go the Sanctum Sanctorum to borrowsteal some tomes of Strange’s.

Where the two find: no tomes, no Wong watching Strange’s body, no Strange, and just a ton of Mindless Ones. Also, a depersoned Loki.

So a little explanation. Earth X revealed that the Asgardians were a tier 3 empowered people, some alien race that also had their genetics manipulated by the Celestials. They had evolved to the point where they were incredibly powerful reality warpers but also incredibly susceptible to outside perception. Loki was the evil trickster Loki because someone expects there needs to be a Loki and he should be an evil trickster because the stories say so.

This Loki has stripped himself of almost every bit of his former identity. He doesn’t want to be trapped in preconceptions, that’s why he’s glad Cap didn’t recognize him. And presumably why he regresses a little when Cap stresses what a villain Loki is.

So this is neat follow-up to the revelation last series. And it also gives Cap and Marv their next destination. The magic books they’re looking for were hidden by formerly Captain now King Britain.

In another plot thread, Latveria.

Reed is feeling pretty good with his wife not dead anymore. He shaved off his sorrow beard and changed out of his sorrow Doom armor.

And then Pope Immortus comes calling.

I have no idea why he’s a pope now.

But he’s here to make the case that Reed should NOT try to cure the mass terrigenesis mutation of humanity.

As far as Immortus is concerned, humanity’s destiny is to spread throughout the stars. Reed protests that no, that’s dumb and bad. For one, with Earth undergoing a climate crisis, humanity needs to work together to resolve it and the increased aggression of the inhumaned humans makes that kind of cooperation impossible. Which leads to point 2: an aggressive empowered Earth exodus would be conquest. Inhumanity would spread throughout space and subjugate all other peoples. Making some sort of Universe X, I guess, but nobody title drops. Cowards.

Pope Immortus darkly warns Reed that with his cooperation or not the Human Torches will be extinguished within a year.

I have almost no idea why Immortus is in this story, taking this role. Almost no idea.

Busiek’s Avengers Forever came out the same year as Earth X and had as a big plot point that Immortus was shepherding the 616 timeline to a future where humans dominate all of space, thanks to a proliferation of superpowers. I’m guessing Earth X writer Krueger was a fan and wanted to weave that into what he was doing.

In another other plot thread, Peter Parker is a cop now.

You hates to see it.

He’s also over his depression from Earth X so his personality has fully returned to jokey Peter.

I don’t know how to feel about it. It is character development but it’s development back to quo, making it feel unlikely that Peter will have any more development in this. But he’s going to get an entire tie-in focus issue so I hope there’s something for him.

Anyway, one of the plot points from Earth X was that Black Bolt set off the Terrigen bomb to turn all of humanity into Inhumans so the Attilan Inhumans could live amongst them without getting the treatment mutants get.

That was a plot point but this is the first we see of some of those Inhumans in plain sight. And they are dicks. They’re trying to raid the limited food supplies in New York on the basis that they’re original Inhumans and therefore deserve it more.

Cop Peter tries to stop them but what really resolves the situation is Spiders-Man giving the unruly Inhumans a vision of bountiful food and luring them off to join Immortus’ flock.

Finally, Aaron Stack. He has a long conversation with Uatu in the issue’s appendix. And wow, it is good to have this incredibly toxic relationship happening again. Uatu is such a dick! But it’s more interesting to read than the new narrator duo of Nighthawk and Gargoyle. And having usurped Uatu already, Aaron is only taking the abuse because Uatu has information he wants.

Uatu tells Aaron that his devices showed Franklin!Galactus Franklin’s Days of Future Past death because they were responding to Aaron’s need for an answer to satisfy Galactus and showed him another universe.

Which leads Aaron to another question. Why is Nighthawk having visions of Aaron digging up under the Kree ruins on the Moon? And for that question, Uatu is more cagey and insulting about what might be found there.

So Universe X is throwing a lot of puzzle pieces on the table and right now it’s hard to see what single picture it will come together to form.

Mar-Vell’s plans in the afterlife and his scavenger hunt in life. The multiverse. Pope Immortus. The threat of Inhumanity spreading to the stars. Earth still being doomed. A lot.