WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Fantastic Four #6, from Dan Slott, Aaron Kuder, Marte Gracia, Erick Arciniega and VC’s Joe Caramagna, out now.

The final moments of Fantastic Four #5 showed us that the Marvel Universe was once again under threat by Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Surprisingly, however, the arrival of one of the FF’s greatest enemies is being challenged by another: Victor Von Doom. As Galactus arrived in Latveria, Doom's home country, Reed's longtime nemesis interrupted the wedding of Ben Grimm and Alicia Masters to declare that he alone would be saving the world from being eaten. In this week’s Issue #6, however, we see that he’s not quite doing it on his own, as a new character introduces herself as Victorious, Herald of Doom.

As Reed Richards notes, the only thing worse than dealing with the arrival of a massive purple space god who’s come to eat your planet is being forced to simultaneously contend with the equally massive ego of Doctor Doom. As the FF fly the Fantasti-car into Latverian airspace, they are intercepted by a being that Reed declares possesses the Power Cosmic, aka, the universal energy usually imbued on beings by Galactus to make them his Herald. Silver Surfer has it, as do other former Heralds like Terrax and Frankie Raye. Reed and the team are a bit thrown, then, when the spear-wielding warrior destroys the Fantasti-car mid-flight and introduces herself as Victorious, declaring that she serves not Galactus, but Doctor Doom.

Why Doom would require a Herald is, at this point, unclear. Galactus employs Heralds like Silver Surfer so that they can travel across the galaxy and find planets for their master to consume in order to sate his immense hunger. Presumably, Doom has other plans for his Herald, and clues to his motivations may be found in the origin of this new Latverian warrior.

Victorious' real name is Zora Vukovic, proud daughter of Doomstadt, first introduced in a back-up story in Fantastic Four #1. In “Our Day of Doom & Victory,” by Dan Slott, Simone Bianchi and Joe Caramagna, Doom had retreated to the ruins of his castle in Latveria following his decision to abandon his identity as the Infamous Iron Man. Doom was lost and without purpose, until a young woman broke into his castle demanding an audience, stating that the lives of all of his subjects depended on it. Fending off a squadron of Doom-Bots, Zora Vukovic soon found herself in the presence of the real Victor Von Doom, who lamented his current position, talking about how he had been a God. He had played at being a hero, and was “paid handsomely for it,” a reference the newly obtained scars that once again covered his face. What Latveria needs to see, Zora told him while holding up the iconic mask of Doctor Doom, is his “true face.”

Returning to this week’s Fantastic Four #6, we see in a flashback that Zora, at that moment, was the one to end Doom’s self-exile. Since then, Doom led a rebellion against the current rulers of Latveria and has once again become the nation’s ruler. As a reward for helping him regain what he sees as his rightful place, Doom bestowed upon Zora the Power Cosmic, renaming her Victorious in a shining moment of narcissism, and remaking her as the Herald of Doom.

With a long history of dealing with the Power Cosmic, Galactus and Doom’s ego, the Fantastic Four know all too well what Victor has done. By using the Power Cosmic in this way, Doom has turned Zora into a sort of beacon, one that has lured Galactus to Earth. The question now is whether this was another accident created by Victor's infamous ego, of if it was Doom's plan all along.