The following contains spoilers for Marvel 2-in-One #6 written by Chip Zdarksy, drawn by Jim Cheung, and inked by Walden Wong, in stores now.
The Fantastic Four are just a few months away from returning to the Marvel Universe, but they've already shifted back into the spotlight. The mystery of their disappearance, and unintentional search for Reed, Sue and the rest has been at the heart of Marvel 2-in-One. With their powers fading, Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm have been traveling the multiverse to find their family (though Ben is convinced they';re actually dead), and their old enemy Victor Von Doom has tagged along for the ride.
Doom has gone through a radical transformation over the last few years. After achieving true godhood during Secret Wars, a change that included healing his facial scars, the Latverian ruler has been trying his best to turn over a new leaf. In the wake of Tony Stark's coma at the end of Civil War II, Doom decided to become the new Iron Man, much to the confusion of the rest of the Marvel Universe. He's been doing a fine job, even receiving the tepid approval from several members of the hero community, but his heroic turn appears to be getting closer to its end.
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The latest issue of 2-in-One may be set before the recently released Invincible Iron Man #600, but they both converge one the same story point: Doom simply cannot escape his past.
Using the Multisect, a device Reed left behind so Johnny and Ben could explore the Multiverse, the three -- along with scientist Rachna Koul -- hopped over to a universe where the Fantastic Four were unable to stop Galactus from consuming the Earth. This reality's Doom was the architect of the entity's defeat, swapping bodies with the Worldeater and going on a cosmic binge throughout the galaxy before returning to Earth to finish what he started. 2-in-One #6, appropriately titled "Our Doom," primarily deals with heroic Doom, Johnny and Ben working with the Reed, Sue and Johnny of this Earth, in tandem with Alpha Flight and the Silver Surfer, to defeat the world eating Doom.
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While Ben is grown to giant size using Pym Particles so he can fight Worldeater Doom, heroic Doom fights Doombot Heralds alongside Johnny before he has to save the young Torch thanks to his dwindling powers. Doom, being who he is, attempts to dispatch this world's Emma Frost and depowered Norrin Radd, convinced that he's the only one that can use the technology capable of bringing Worldeater Doom down for good. Fed up with Doom's constant arrogance, Johnny dresses the Armored Avenger down and reminds him why the Fantastic Four have beaten him time and time again: They trust each other, while Doom wallows in his ego.
It's what Doom needs to hear, and he allows Emma to take the shot and depower the Worldeater back to human size while her brain inhabits Galactus. As the transfer completes, she collapses in Doom's arms and tells him (and in the background, Johnny) what he never wanted to hear: The Fantastic Four will return to the Marvel Universe. And when that happens, he is doomed to forever be their villain. In short, by attempting to do the right thing, Doom is told he's destined to be the bad guy, that making the selfless decision rather than a selfish one is a futile move.
If that weren't bad enough, Invincible Iron Man #600 deals an even greater blow to his attempted heroism. During a fight with the Hood, Doom winds up face to face with the powerful demon that's long been a part of the crime lord and is forced to use some kind of forbidden spell on the demon. We don't see the complete process, but the end result is the return of the scars that marred his face for decades prior to Secret Wars. All it'll take to complete the process will be for Reed and Sue to return, and Doctor Doom will inevitably have another catalyst to propel him back to the side of evil.
2-in-One ends not with the three men continuing on their multiversal adventure, but with a funeral held for Galactus, whose mind is in the buried body of Victor. Seeing his own grave has shaken Doom to his core, and the whole ordeal has no doubt reminded him of how he once had complete control over the universe. Even though he's been fated to return and menace superheroes again for some time, Victor's slow burn fall from grace is still a tragedy, one in which readers have found themselves actively cheering for his redemption, even if he'll ultimately be remembered as a more Infamous hero than Invincible.
The next step Doom takes in returning to his villainous roots arrives Wednesday, June 13 in Marvel 2-In-One Annual #1, by series writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Declan Shalvey.