Doctor Doom is a top Marvel villain and for many readers, he's the best. Victor Von Doom may be the Fantastic Four's arch-enemy, but he's become a foe that the entire Marvel Universe fears and respects. Doom has gone through many changes over the years, going from a stereotypical Silver Age villain to a complex modern villain whose histrionics became his hallmark.
Doctor Doom's character growth has made him a villain unlike any other in comics. He's been an important part of the Marvel Universe since the early Silver Age but Marvel and its creators have improved on his initial prototype considerably over the years.
10 Giving Doom Magic Made For An Interesting Juxtaposition
The Sorcerers Supreme are Earth's magical protectors. Many have held the title, with Doctor Strange being the most important of the modern era. However, Doom is also always in the running for the position. Doom's magical ability is amazing. Doom set out to master magic like he masters everything. It's made him that much more of a formidable opponent.
It's also a great juxtaposition. Doom's genius is where magic and technology intersect. Magic is so fitting for a character like him. Doom would want to master everything he could, in order to prove to himself and others that he is the master of every discipline. It also fits his old-world motif and draws on the mysticism established through his mother's heritage.
9 Giving Doom New Heroic Arch-Foes Shows How Dangerous He Can Be
Doom's grudge against Reed Richards is easily among the most storied in Marvel history. It says a lot about both characters. However, Reed isn't Doctor Doom's only arch-foe. The Latverian monarch has enough hate for everyone and has forged some pretty impressive rivalries with other heroes.
For example, Doom has a more professional rivalry with Doctor Strange, based on his desire to become Earth's Sorcerer Supreme. He and Iron Man also have an antagonistic relationship, as both try to create technology that trumps the others. Each of Doom's rivalries springs from different sources, showing just how multi-faceted this villain can be.
8 Doom Is An Unusually Noble Villain
An interesting development in Doom's personality is his nobility. In Latveria, Doom is an actual hero. He left the country as a child to gain as much knowledge as he could before returning to overthrow the Baron's oppressive government. He's freed his people and looks out for them, treating them like a noble king of old.
Even against his foes, Doom's nobility is obvious at times. While his rage can sometimes get the best of him, making Doom a noble, even honorable, villain showed off more versatility than the typical evil monarch. It gave his character nuance, preventing him from becoming a weak stereotype.
7 Doom's Design Is Amazing
Looking at the early Doctor Doom design, it's obvious that Jack Kirby hadn't perfected it yet. His trademark hooded cloak and tunic were different, and the details on his armor weren't the same. However, once Kirby got it down, the artist gave Doctor Doom a look that ranked among the best Marvel villain designs of all time.
A key to making a great villain in comics is to give them an amazing design. Doom may not have started out perfect, but once Kirby got the design right, it cooked the competition. Doom would be a great villain regardless of what he wore, but his awesome design puts him over the edge.
6 Doom Has The Best Toys
Marvel villains have amazing gadgets, but few can match Doom's. To begin with, his armor contains some of the most advanced technology on Earth. It's even arguable that it is the most advanced, with features that no other devices in Marvel Comics have. For example, it has a built-in power siphoning system that can drain the powers of gods, making Doom even more formidable.
Doom has a time machine, he's created various weapons technology, and was able to imprison Galactus. Doom is a prolific inventor like his arch-nemesis Richards, and this has allowed creators to give him all kinds of impossible tech. It's made him one of Marvel's greatest, most interesting threats.
5 Doom Loves As Much As He Hates
Some Marvel villains are motivated by love, an emotion that has played a huge role in Doom's life. The seeds of his hatred for Reed Richards and his villainy were forged in love, as he created a machine he hoped would pluck his mother's soul from Hell. The machine exploded, something Reed predicted, and he blamed Richards for what happened.
Love set Doom down many paths in his life and set him apart from his fellow villains. Doom demonstrated his pragmatic attitude toward love when he sacrificed the love of his life Valeria, but the fact that he could love at all was a miracle.
4 Doom's Tragic Backstory Makes Him Just Sympathetic Enough
The tragic backstories of many Marvel villains make them much more interesting. Doom's origin has definitely done that for him. A young Romani, his mother was a sorceress who tried to use magic to free Latveria, which cost her soul. His father died not long after, dying to protect the young Victor from his nation's cruel Baron.
Doom's life was marred by tragedy, which molded him in the years to come. This origin has made Doom a sympathetic character, allowing readers to empathize with him at times. This sympathy has made his villainy feel more acute, as it's sometimes hard to rationalize his evil with his tragedy.
3 Doom Hates His Fellow Villains As Much As He Hates Marvel's Heroes
Doom doesn't just think he's better than the heroes. The Latverian monarch has teamed up with his fellow villains before but he looks down on all of them, using them as needed to fight his enemies. He's also known for his grudges against them. His only true ally is Namor, as much because they both hate Reed Richards as his usefulness as an ally, and he's often at odds with his world's other villains.
For instance, Doom's betrayed Morgan Le Fay enough that she visited the present to attack him. He and Kang, who is one of Doom's probable descendants, have an epic rivalry. The two of them are constantly trying to one-up each other but still work together, as they respect each other's abilities even if they hate each other.
2 Doom Proved He Could Be A Great Hero As The Infamous Iron Man
Marvel villains have gotten great face turns and Doom received one no one expected. After Secret Wars, he was given a new lease on life by Reed Richards. He laid low until Iron Man went into a coma, paying homage to his old foe by taking on Iron Man's name and fighting evil, targeting the Fantastic Four's worst foes.
As Infamous Iron Man, Doom foiled a scheme by Mephisto while also proving to SHIELD and the Thing that he was serious about his heroism. He worked with Human Torch and the Thing, as well, as much to prove he was better than them as anything else. He did go back to villainy, but this face turn again showed his versatility.
1 Doom Has Won
Only the best Marvel villains get to win, which explains why Doom has celebrated a few victories. His greatest win came during the Incursions. As The Illuminati fumbled around destroying alternate Earths, Doom focused on gaining godlike power, which allowed him to save as much of the Multiverse as possible. He became God Emperor Doom, the savior of reality. Of course, he made himself an all-powerful dictator, but that's just who he is.
Doom eventually gave up his power when he realized that Reed Richards would have done a better job as reality's master. That wasn't his only victory, as Doom defeated many heroes and villains, including the Beyonder. Allowing Doom to win, and win big, showed just how formidable he could be.