WARNING: The following contains spoilers from Maestro: War & Pax #4, by Peter David, Javier Pina, Jesus Aburtov & VC's Travis Lanham, on sale now.
There isn't a lot of competition for the Maestro's throne in the world of "Future Imperfect." The evil genius future version of the Hulk rules over the ash heap of a dying world, but a few super-powered survivors stepped forward to resist him as he tried to claim this apocalyptic wasteland in his name. While the demigod Pantheon may have had more noble intentions, their new partner Doctor Doom certainly did not.
Now that the Maestro is out of the way, Doctor Doom settles in to do what he does best: proclaiming himself the uncontested ruler of the Earth in Maestro: War & Pax #4.
Little is known about this alternate future version of Doctor Doom, other than that he utilized his time travel technology to save himself from the nuclear apocalypse that plagued the world. It should come as no surprise that the villain's motivations were sinister, and Doom doesn't waste time getting to work in this issue.
Doom and the Pantheon's initial plan to dispose of the Maestro was at least temporarily successful. Although seemingly killed in the previous issue after reverting to his human form, the Maestro recuperates as Doom claims the vacant throne for himself. In a scene that is almost comical Doom finds that his new subjects are not eager to trade one despot for another. Wen Doom informs the Maestro's advisor that he has a new master the advisor shrugs it off. He's fairly certain that the Maestro will come back, and he warns Doom that the future Hulk won't be pleased when he discovers his seat has been taken.
Even though Doom is fairly confident that his newfound position cannot be usurped, he has severely underestimated the Maestro. Incapable of killing the future Hulk for good, the Pantheon instead resolves to encase his body in a prison comprised of the world's strongest metal. But when Maestro awakens, he bursts free from the prison stronger than ever, launches missiles that destroy the remains of M.O.D.O.K. and his cohorts, and obliterates the Pantheon and their base.
With Maestro setting out to reclaim his throne, it is clear that a clash with Doom is inevitable. Maestro previously claimed his titles from the post-apocalyptic Hercules, whose strength surpassed the Hulk, and it is only fitting that in the wake of overcoming such a physical threat that the Maestro is now faced with the intellect of one of the smartest men to ever walk the face of the earth.
Doom's characteristic confidence and abundance of skills will likely make him just as challenging as Hercules, if not moreso. With the Maestro's resources now available to Doom, it would not be difficult for him to utilize the ray gun shown previously to hurt Maestro or to turn his Dogs O' War against him. Whatever he may be planning, Doctor Doom is positive that he will emerge victorious, even though the Maestro is convinced otherwise.