WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fantastic Four #34 from Marvel Comics, on sale now.

The rivalry between Reed Richards and Doctor Doom has been one of the greatest in comics throughout the years, ranking alongside those of Superman and Lex Luthor, Batman and the Joker, and Professor X and Magneto.

The antagonistic role that Doctor Doom plays against the Fantastic Four has always centered on his personal relationship with Reed. The two were famously classmates in college and constantly competed against each other, with Victor determined to prove that he possessed the superior intellect. This sentiment was amplified into a full-blown feud after the infamous accident that left Doom irreversibly scarred and forever bitter.

Having said that, there has always been an unshakable link between Doom and Reed, an inexplicable undercurrent of respect and lost friendship that was just revisited in Dan Slott, R.B. Silva, Jesus Aburtov, and VC's Joe Caramagna's Fantastic Four #34. This is something that is almost unique in the very nature of their rivalry. Very few other hero/villain rivalries have this same element. Peter Parker does not respect Norman Osborn, nor does Batman respect the Joker, even if in both cases, the hero sometimes acknowledges their nemesis as a looming figure in their life.

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With Reed and Doom, it's different. There's long been a sense that, had the explosion not occurred, Doom and Reed might still be good friends. In fact, even with everything that has transpired between them, Doom is the godfather of Reed's daughter, Valeria, although a unique situation led to that turn of events.

Regardless, Doom has been undeniably connected to the personal lives of the Fantastic Four, more so than most other villains. He attended Johnny Storm's funeral, he delivered Reed's daughter, and in the case of this most recent arc, not only invited Reed and the rest of the FF to his wedding but asked Reed to be his best man.

What's more surprising though is that Reed seemingly reciprocates that bond. When Reed was originally asked to attend the wedding and be Doom's best man, he justified to the rest of the team that they should go for a tactical reason. Under Latverian tradition, those who attended Doom's wedding would be forgiven of all prior transgressions. In other words, Reed and the FF would be given a clean slate in regards to their relationship with Doom, a tempting offer to say the least. After the events of the most recent issue, though, it seems that Reed had a different reason for accepting the invitation.

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Reed expresses a sense of disappointment and loss when he says that Doom will never again "concede to calling him his best man." This suggests that Reed might still want to be Doom's friend, a point driven home by the obvious remorse he feels here.

That's part of what makes the events of the last few issues of Fantastic Four so tragic. Not only was there a chance for Dr. Doom to change his, but there was also a chance for Reed and Victor to finally acknowledge that they would rather be friends than enemies.

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