A lot of supervillains dream of being rulers, but most of them can't even rob a bank successfully let alone manage a city planning meeting. One villain who has proven himself in the ruler department is Doctor Doom. A son of Romani parents, Victor von Doom swore to one day take over the nation that killed his parents. A scientific genius and student of the occult, Doom kept his promise and became the ruler of Latveria.

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Since that day, Doctor Doom has carefully watched over his home country, ruling with a literal iron fist. As the king of a sovereign nation, Doom is granted special status around the world, much to the annoyance of his old college pal Reed Richards and the rest of the Fantastic Four. While the history of Latveria doesn't begin with Doctor Doom, it may well end with him. Here are 10 things fans should know about Latveria...

10 Before Doom

The Kingdom of Latveria, a small Eastern European country, was created in the 14th century by brothers Rudolfo and Karl Haasen. Rudolfo would become the first king of Latveria while his brother was made a baron. The Haasen family ruled Latveria for nearly a hundred years until Baron Karl Haasen III died in 1447 and was replaced by Vlad Draasen. After a civil war, the Haasen bloodline retook the throne in 1544.

In 1588, a castle was built in the Latverian capital of Hassenstadt, as ordered by King Stefan I, the first Latverian ruler from the Fortunov bloodline. During World War II, King Vladimir Vassily Gonereo Tristian Mangegi Fortunov made a deal with Baron Wolfgang von Strucker, agreeing that the Nazis would leave Latveria alone in exchange for technology.

9 The Creation Of Doom

King Vladimir Vassily Gonereo Tristian Mangegi Fortunov was impressed by the leadership of Adolph Hitler and began to implement some of Hitler's beliefs into the way he ruled Latveria. The vilest idea King Fortunov took from Hilter was the concept of genocide.

King Fortunov set out to kill every member of the Zefiro Clan that lived on the outskirts of Latveria. Cynthia von Doom, a user of magic, promised the demon Mephisto her soul if he could give her the power to destroy the Fortunovs. Mephisto gave Cynthia the power, and when she used it, she accidentally destroyed an entire village, killing women and children. Stricken with grief over her own actions, Cynthia did not see the Latverian soldier coming to kill her. At that moment, Cynthia's son Victor von Doom swore to avenge his mother.

8 The Doom Rebellion

Victor von Doom left Latveria and studied the sciences and magic in America. After an accident left his face scarred, Victor traveled to a Tibetan village where he built a suit of high-tech armor. Now calling himself Doctor Doom, Victor returned to Latveria and led the people in a revolt against King Fortunov.

Doctor Doom wiped out the Latverian army at Tammenek Valley before entering Castle Hassenstadt and killing the Royal Family. Doom named himself the new ruler of Latveria and renamed the castle Castle von Doom. From that day on, Latveria became a safe-haven for Romani clans.

7 A Country Guarded By Mountains And A Doomsday Device

Doctor Doom Doombots

Before Doctor Doom became the ruler of Latveria, the country was kept safe from invasion because of the mountains that surround it. Along with the Carpathian Mountains to the north of the country, there is also the Malhela Range to the south. There is also Mount Sorcista, the home of the demon sorceress Pandemonia.

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As humanity created better technology, mountains became less of a problem for invaders. To keep his kingdom safe, Doctor Doom created a weapon of mass destruction that he promised to use on any nation that violates Latveria's borders. So far, no invaders have tested the evil monarch.

6 The Smallest Superpower

Dr. Doom in Latveria

Over the years, Doctor Doom has created a number of weapons to keep Latveria safe, with many of them being weapons of mass destruction. With just 500,000 citizens, Doom has turned Latveria into the smallest superpower in the world with technology that not only equals other superpowers like the United States, China, and Isreal but even surpasses them.

Latveria also has a standing army made up of 2000 citizens and between 500 and 1500 Doombots. Along with a ground army and an airforce, the Latverian Army sometimes includes the elite Doom Squad. The Doom Squad – an elite force of four soldiers in high-tech armor – are charged with keeping the Fantastic Four out of Latverian airspace.

5 A Country That Thrives On Patents

For such a small country, Latveria is a land of wealth. The vast majority of that wealth comes from the patents Doctor Doom has created over the years and the weapons he sells to other countries.

Doom never sells his latest technology to others; he keeps the best stuff for himself and his country. The weapons Doom does sell to other nations all include a self-destruct trigger that only he has control of. He does this to make sure that if anyone tries to use his own weapons against him, they will fail.

4 An Educated Country Is A Safe Country

The people of Latveria are some of the most educated in the world. While very few ever leave the country for further study – Doctor Doom doesn't like it when his people travel to other nations – the schools in Latveria are some of the best on Earth.

Doom's love and respect for the sciences and the arts have made its way to his subjects, ensuring that they too are knowledgable in engineering, literature, and music. Latveria prides itself on how advanced their high school students are. A Latverian citizen is not allowed to graduate from high school unless they can build a Doombot by themselves.

3 Latverian Phrases

Cut off from most of the world, the citizens of Latveria have taken to creating their own slang. For example, if a Latverian says something is "Doomesque" that means it is cool. By law (and according to The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: I've Been Waiting For A Squirrel Like You), Latverians must say "May Doom's terrifying face inspire you to devotedly implement his policies until you die" at the end of every conversation.

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They believe that "goodbye" is an acronym that stands for "Gall, Outrage, and Oppose Doom Because You're Extremelybadpeople." A Latverian citizen is executed if they are reported for saying or caught uttering the name "Reed Richards."

2 Where Is Latveria?

Doctor Doom stands with the Latverian flag in Marvel Comics

Over the years, the exact location of Latveria has been difficult to ascertain. At times it has been shown to share borders with Serbia, Montenegro, Romania, Transylvania, and Symkaria. At other times, the home of Doctor Doom has appeared to be nestled between Hungary, Transylvania, and Serbia.

According to 2007's Marvel Atlas, the Orient Express passed through the Latverian capital of Hassenstadt in 1937. However, for that to have happened, the country could not be south of the Carpathian mountains. There has never been an in-continuity answer to Latveria's changing borders.

1 A Lot Of Doom

Upon taking over Latveria, Doctor Doom renamed Castle Hassenstadt into Castle von Doom, but he didn't stop renaming things there. The capital city Hassenstadt was changed into Doomstadt, the rail station was renamed as Doomstadt Rail Station, the airport is called Doomsport, and the town hall was rebranded as Doomstadt Rathauz.

The forest of Latveria was renamed into Doom Forest, and the lake near Castle Doom was changed into Doom Lake. One of the country's most prestigious schools was renamed Werner Academy after Doctor Doom's father. There is also Cynthia von Doom Memorial Park, named after Doctor Doom's mother.

NEXT: Marvel: Doctor Doom's 5 Most Incredible Feats Of Science (& 5 Best Feats Of Magic)