This FAQ is written and maintained by Mickey McCarter. Comments, questions, etc. should be sent to the author via his Internet e-mail address: [email protected].

DISCLAIMER: Dr. Doom and all other characters mentioned in this FAQ are copyrighted by the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. This FAQ is written simply as a guide to enjoying the character, who appears regularly in Marvel Comics. All characters mentioned in this FAQ appear without the permission of the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. No profits can be made through use of this FAQ, although it may be distributed freely.

NOTICE: Often, throughout this FAQ, appearances of Dr. Doom that may actually be Doombots are referred to as 'Doom.' This occurs in instances where it cannot be conclusively proved that the Doom involved actually is a Doombot, and for purposes of keeping the story straight. See the definition of DOOMBOT below as well as Answers (30), (31), and (32).

CONTENTS:

Part One
IMPORTANT NAMES AND TERMS

Part Two
QUESTIONS

1> IMPORTANT NAMES AND TERMS

DOCTOR DOOM: Victor Von Doom was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby for Marvel Comics and first appeared in Fantastic Four #5. Possessed of incredible scientific and mystic skills, Doom hides his scarred face under a metal mask and has been driven by three obsessions: (1) the utter defeat of his arch-rival Reed Richards, (2) the rescue of his mother's soul from the clutches of the demon Mephisto, and (3) the conquest of the entire Earth, by the honest belief the planet would be better off under his rule. See part two for more information.

REED RICHARDS: The leader of the Fantastic Four, and the only mind on Marvel Earth capable of rivaling and/or surpassing that of Doom.

CYNTHIA VON DOOM: The mother of Dr. Doom, who sold her soul to Mephisto in order to augment her own witchcraft. Mephisto cheated her and held her soul captive in his realm for many years.

LATVERIA: The tiny Balkan nation, located in the Bavarian Alps, usually ruled by Doctor Doom. It is prosperous, yet simple, in every way, and its inhabitants treat Doom with a mixture of love, respect, and fear.

DOOMBOTS: To suit his own purposes, Dr. Doom has developed an entire legion of robot facsimiles of himself. These Doombots are often mistaken for the true Dr. Doom as they even believe themselves to be Dr. Doom under most circumstances. These Doombots have stood up to a number of means of detection, including thought probes.

FANTASTIC FOUR: A four member rocket crew that was exposed to cosmic rays and gained extraordinary powers. Reed Richards, his best friend Ben Grimm, Reed's wife Susan Richards, and her brother Johnny Storm are featured as Mr. Fantastic, the Thing, the Invisible Woman, and the Human Torch respectively.

MEPHISTO: A nigh-omnipotent being that dwells in a realm fashioned after a concept of Hell. Mephisto makes an existence of collecting human souls to torture, and successfully kept the soul of Cynthia Von Doom for many years.

With those basics out of the way, let's move on to part two...

2> QUESTIONS

***General

(1) Why is Dr. Doom so powerful?
(2) In what comics has Dr. Doom appeared?
(3) Why does Doom hate Reed Richards so intensely?
(4) Why does Doom hate the Thing?
(5) What kind of person is Doom?
(6) How badly scarred is Doom's face?
(7) What do we know about Doom's armor?
(8) Is Dr. Doom really dead?

***Latveria and Personal

(9) Why does Doom rule Latveria?
(10) When has Doom not ruled Latveria?
(11) Who is Kristoff?
(12) Who is Boris?
(13) Who is Valeria?
(14) What happened to Cynthia Von Doom?
(15) Does Doom have any living relatives?
(16) Who is Crucible?

***Doom in time

(17) Why do the FF claim to have Doom's time machine?
(18) What's the relationship between Dr. Doom and Kang?
(19) Is anything known about Doom's future?
(20) What's the time loop involved in SECRET WARS?

***Doom and foes

(21) What super-villains has Doom used?
(22) What super-villains has Doom created?
(23) How many times has Doom possessed 'the power cosmic?'
(24) What was "Acts of Vengeance?"

***Doom's own titles

(25) What was SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP about?
(26) What was DOOM 2099 about?
(27) How did Doom end up in 2099?
(28) What do we know about Doom's 2099 armor?
(29) Has Doom starred in any other titles?

***Those darn Doombots

(30) How do Doombots work?
(31) How do I distinguish a Doombot from the real Dr. Doom?
(32) Which appearances of Doom are not Doombots?

ANSWERS

***General

(1) Why is Dr. Doom so powerful?

Dr. Doom is very possibly the most brilliant human being in the Marvel Universe. He was created as the arch-foe of Reed Richards, who has been hailed as the smartest man on Earth, yet Doom is more aggressively active with his genius than is Reed. He has fashioned exotic devices that can do just about everything, and seems to have literally planned for every contigency.

Doom is also a skilled sorcerer. Although he does not flaunt his mystic skills very often (as he believes science is of equal or greater importance), and does not appear to be able to perform major rituals, he has been acknowledged as powerful and quick. He learned everything known by a secret order of monks in Tibet to the point that he became their master, and he also studied for a short period under Dr. Strange. Before those occurrences, however, Doom had access to the possessions of his mother, who was herself a sorceress.

Doom has a singular will, which could not be bent by the likes of the Purple Man, Mephisto, or the Beyonder.

(2) In what comics has Dr. Doom appeared?

Doom has appeared in many Marvel comics over the past four decades. Around the time of Acts of Vengeance, in fact, Doom or Doombots were sighted in just about every major Marvel comic. A complete list of Dr. Doom's appearances would be a major undertaking. However, below is a complete list of Doom's appearances in the Fantastic Four v. 1. (Note: These are only his actual appearances, and do not include issues where Doom was controlling things from behind the scenes.)

Fantastic Four v.1: 5, 6, 10, 16, 17, 23, 39, 40, 43, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 84, 85, 86, 87, 116, 142, 143, 144, 155, 156, 157, 196, 197, 198, 199, 200, 236, 246, 247, 258, 259, 260, 287, 288, 305, 311, 312, 318, 319, 320, 350, 352, 358, 361, 373, 374, 375, 376, 377, 379, 380, 381
Annuals: 2, 3, 15, 20

For some other Doom appearances, see (25) and (26), plus (29), all of which discuss Doom's own titles. Other comics in which Doom appears may be cited throughout this FAQ. However, pay close attention to (32), which cites Doom appearances we know ARE NOT Doombots.

(3) Why does Doom hate Reed Richards so intensely?

Doom and Reed first met back in their college days, at Empire State University. Doom was involved in a scheme to create a machine that would allow his astral self travel to Mephisto's realm in order to locate his mother's spirit. Reed stumbled on to the equations Doom was using and observed that some of them looked wrong. Doom refused to listen to him, and kicked him out of the room. Doom went ahead with his experiment and his machine exploded, scarring his face. Doom was expelled for this.

Doom has several weaknesses, one of which is an overwhelming vanity. He partially blames Reed for the destruction of his face. In order to prove himself better than Reed, he has tried to defeat the Fantastic Four many times, yet those battles often end in a stalemate. While Doom feels the need to overcome Reed Richards, he has also acknowledged that Reed may be the only other man who could understand or appreciate his genius.

(4) Why does Doom hate the Thing?

In Fantastic Four #40, Doom invaded the Baxter Building, headquarters to the Fantastic Four. Confident that he had prepared for all of the FF's powers, he confronted the Thing. Grimm not only withstood Doom's assaults (albeit with great difficulty), he actually physically assaulted and wounded Doom. Doom has never faced a personal attack so severe and has sworn to destroy Grimm for that assault.

(5) What kind of person is Doom?

One thing that you will quickly notice is that Doom can be both protagonist and antagonist in comics. This is because that while he has battled the Fantastic Four and often seeks power, he conducts himself with honor and grace. Never will Doom exploit or attack a weakened or beaten foe. Doom will not tolerate insults or assaults made to his person or those under the protection of his person. Doom keeps his word. Doom is fiercely independent to the point of not asking for or accepting help in almost every instance. Doom is usually of the philosophy "the ends justifies the means."

Any appearance of Doom acting strangely out of character is, in all probability, actually an appearance of a Doombot. See Answers (30), (31), and (32) for more on Doombots.

(6) How badly scarred is Doom's face?

When Doom's college experiment to contact his mother's spirit failed, his face suffered a scar along one side. Although the scar was prominent, it did not dominate his entire face. Doom felt the scar was completely disfiguring to the degree that he could not withstand the sight of his own face. After he travelled for some time and became the leader of the Tibetian monks, they fashioned him a suit of armor. Feeling that his face was already scarred beyond repair, in his impatience to begin his new crusade, Doom placed the still-hot metal mask to his face, completely burning and scarring his entire face.

Those who have seen Doom's face have all gasped in horror at what they have seen, yet Doom's face has never been revealed in a comic. There is wide speculation on whether Doom's face remains scarred, considering Doom's own advances in science should long ago have been capable of repairing his shattered countenance. However, it is quite likely that in his obsessions, Doom no longer considers his face to be among his first priorities.

(7) What do we know about Doom's armor?

Doom's armor is packed with weaponry and defenses, most notably the energy blasters in his gauntlets and his impenetrable force field, which has withstood attacks from the likes of Thor. Unlike many armored villains, Doom could survive perfectly well without his armor, even though he is almost always depicted in it. Besides his energy beams, Doom has incorporated various other weapons into his armor over the years, some of which have been used a few times, and some of which make only one appearance. The armor is also equipped with extraordinary sensory equipment that allows Doom to analyze and study everything. Doom's armor is said to be able to lift approximately two tons. It is powered by a nuclear energy pack.

Doom's first armor was forged by the monks in Tibet, although he has surely remade it himself over the years. Doom has made several appearances in Prometheum armor that he gained in Magik's Limbo.

(8) Is Dr. Doom really dead?

Doom plays for high stakes, and when his plans do not succeed, he is often caught in the afterburn. Departing heroes will often speculate that Doom has been destroyed, but he is always prepared and always returns. Recently, in "Heroes Reborn: The Return" #4, Doom attempted to subjugate Franklin Richards to his will, planning to use the boy's powers to control an entire world Franklin had created. Reed Richards rescued his son as Doom was hurled away by the norse god Thor. Thor opened a dimension rift and deposited both he and Doom into it and an unknown fate. Thor has resurfaced in Avengers v.3 #1 with no memory of what became of Doom. This is probably an indicator that Doom successfully evaded the thunder god and is home in Latveria.

***Latveria and Personal

(9) Why does Doom rule Latveria?

Doom is of gypsy lineage and his home has always been in the region of Latveria. Doom intended to reclaim Latveria, which was usurped from one of his ancestors long ago, and use it as his base of operations once he returned from Tibet. Once he was certain that he was indeed the rightful ruler of Latveria through his blood lineage, he confronted the then-ruler Prince Rudulfo and demanded he abdicate. Rudulfo refused and was killed in the ensuing battle he ordered against Doom.

(10) When has Doom not ruled Latveria?

There have been two primary instances wherein Doom has not been the ruler of Latveria. In Fantastic Four #200, after a long battle, the Fantastic Four and a man named Zorba deposed him. (Actually, Reed did in a battle that rendered Doom catatonic.) Zorba became ruler of Latveria and the FF left thinking they had made everything wonderful. However, Doom returns in FF #246 to reveal to them that Zorba has become a despot and has been unable to sustain the country's prosperity under his rule. While the FF run some interference for him, Doom returns to his castle and eliminates Zorba, retaking Latveria.

Also, in Fantastic Four Annual #20, Doom is apparently deposed by Kristoff (this occurs after FF #305). Kristoff appeared to rule Latveria until FF #350, when it is revealed that he deposed a Doombot and has done nothing to affect the true Doom in any way. For more on Kristoff, see the next question and answer.

It is also noteworthy that in the year 2099, Latveria was ruled by Tiger Wylde, a cybernetic tiger-man, until Doom returned to Latveria in that year. In Doom 2099, it was revealed that Tiger Wylde was actually an agent of Doctor Doom, but circumstances forced the two against each other.

(11) Who is Kristoff?

Originally, Kristoff Venard was a young boy that Doom took into his custody upon his return to Latveria in FF #247. Doom took the boy because his mother was killed by Zorba's forces while she was under his protection. Kristoff was not much older than Franklin, and he was schooled in Castle Doom under Doom's supervision.

However, in FF #278, Doombots enact a contigency plan after Doom's apparent death in FF #260. They brainwash Kristoff to believe that he is Doom to a point that Reed Richards could not cure him. Kristoff, always proclaiming to believe himself to be the true Doom although everyone else knew he was not, was held in the custody of the Fantastic Four for a short time until he freed himself in FF Annual 20. Kristoff then "took" Latveria from a Doombot and everyone assumed that he actually ruled it until the true Doom's return to Latveria in FF #350.

Kristoff clashed with the Doombot many times in several titles during his false reign over Latveria. He believed the Doombot to be an imposter who somehow usurped his body and trapped him in the body of a child. To the relief of many, Kristoff was apparently killed by Justice Peace in FF #352 when Doom sneakily put Kristoff in his place after Doom's battle with Reed that issue. Kristoff was revived in FF #397 and allied himself with the Fantastic Four for a short time. Since FF #350, Kristoff has had complete knowledge of who he really is, but he retains all of the scientific knowledge and analytical prowess of Victor Von Doom up to a point several months after the formation of the Fantastic Four. Due to the interruption of the process that gave him this knowledge, it is unlikely Kristoff is skilled in any of the science Doom has refined over the past ten years. Kristoff helped Susan Richards mount an attack on an alternate future, where they found Doctor Doom and Reed Richards both held prisoners by a being named Hyperstorm. Upon completion of the rescue operation, Doom and Kristoff returned to Latveria.

During the course of this storyline, it was revealed that Nathaniel Richards fathered Kristoff during one of his roaming adventures. Thus, Kristoff is not only Doctor Doom�s sidekick, but he�s Reed Richards� half-brother as well.

(12) Who is Boris?

Boris is the faithful servant of Doom. He has been by Doom's side since he was young, and was even a friend of his family before his parents died. He may be the only person living for whom Doom cares, as demonstrated in FF #247, when he releases Boris from Zorba's dungeon. Boris generally does not do anything but make arrangements for Doom and keep him company. In Doom 2099 #1, Doom refers to Boris as "the one man I called friend." Fortune, the gypsy administrator that Doom employed in 2099, is the great- great-granddaughter of Boris. Boris may be the grandfather of Valeria.

The Tomorrow Man masqueraded as Boris between FF #397 and FF #405.

(13) Who is Valeria?

Valeria is significant because Doom, as a young man, was said to be in love with her. They grew apart over the course of Doom's quest for power. She serves as the standard "past love" of Doom's tortured life. It is unclear at this point what has happened to her. In Beauty and the Beast #1, Doom exiles from Latveria a woman that claims to be carrying his son. It is unclear if that claim was true and unclear if that woman was Valeria. In What If? #22, the tale of an alternate reality, Doom marries Valeria and makes her queen, but she ends up in Mephisto's realm and he maintains a quest to save her instead of his mother.

(14) What happened to Cynthia Von Doom?

Cynthia Von Doom, Doom's mother, was a sorceress of some degree of power. In order to become more powerful, she made a pact with Mephisto. Mephisto tempted her with promise of a homeland for her gypsy people. Upon making her pact, however, her powers ran rampant, as Mephisto had not granted her any control over them. She was soon killed by soldiers. Mephisto claimed her soul after cheating her and kept her in his realm.

Every midsummer's night's eve, Doom would conduct a ritual in which he would battle the minions of Mephisto's realm for the soul of his mother, and every year he would fail. Finally, in a contest against Dr. Strange conducted by the Vishanti, Strange became beholden to Doom, whereupon Doom told him of his mother's soul. Strange agreed to help and returned to Latveria with Doom. They spent some weeks in training before launching themselves into Mephisto's realm. Through a string of feints and attacks, they were able to give Cynthia Von Doom's soul the chance to redeem herself and pass beyond Mephisto's realm, although Doom did so with the apparent loss of her love. A hurt, but successful, Doom returned with Strange to Latveria, where they parted company.

(15) Does Doom have any living relatives?

Both of Doom's parents are dead. Werner Von Doom, Doom's father, died while fleeing from a noble. As a physician, Werner Von Doom was called upon to heal the noble's ailing wife. Von Doom realized she would die, but did everything he could to save her. The noble threatened to kill Von Doom if he did not heal her. Knowing his treatment would fail, Von Doom fled with the young Doom into the freezing, snow-covered mountains nearby. He died by freezing and exhaustion, and young Doom and his father's corpse were recovered by Boris.

Doom had no other relatives, thus he was the last Von Doom. In the series Beauty and the Beast, there is a man named Alexander Flynn who claims to be Doom's son, but that claim has gone unproven.

(16) Who is Crucible?

In Fantastic Four v.3 #4, an ambitious fellow by the name of Crucible makes his first appearance, with a plan to alter the intelligence quotients of the most brilliant scientists in the world. In a battle that culminates in the following issue, Crucible oddly succeeds. Reed Richards was somehow a victim of Crucible's technology, but that poorly conceived plot has been concluded as of FF v.3 #12.

During the initial battle with Crucible, Reed observes that the villains' technology appears to be less sophisticated versions of Doctor Doom's own equipment. That and Crucible's haughty demeanor lead to the stray thought that Crucible may have been Victor Von Doom, but Reed quickly discarded the thought. Crucible is quite aware of who Doctor Doom is and does not like comparisons to him. In fact, in Crucible's first appearance, he killed Doom's order of monks in Tibet.

FF v.3 #12 reveals that Crucible is really the Enclave. Given Crucible's motivations and revelations along the way to this issue, his actual identity as a group of scientists makes little sense. However, that was the best Chris Claremont could do with Scott Lobdell's leftover plots.

***Doom in time

(17) Why do the FF claim to have Dr. Doom's time machine?

In the Fantastic Four's first encounter with Doom, he held Sue hostage while he sent the other three back in time to recover the Merlin Stones from Blackbeard the Pirate. The FF cheated Doom and caused him to retreat. After that encounter, however, Reed Richards revealed that he constructed a duplicate of Doom's time machine. Reed's time machine looks much like Doom's machine, and has been referred to many times as "Dr. Doom's time machine." The FF may have used Reed's time machine for the first time in FF #152, although they use Doom's time machine again in FF #19. Reed's time machine remains one of the prominent pieces of equipment in his labs. It is worth noting that in Fantastic Four #271, Reed discovers that his father, Nathaniel Richards, may have invented a time platform long before Doom did. (This machine is the same kind of device as we learn in Marvel Two-In-One #100 that travelling into the past always deposits one in an alternate reality.)

(18) What's the relationship between Doom and Kang?

In a very early meeting between Dr. Doom and Kang the Conquerer, the two speculated that they may in some way be related. This has led to wide speculation that Kang might be a time-divergent Doom, or one of Doom's descendants or something.

However, it has later been shown that there is NO relationship betweent the two. Kang is a descendant of Nathaniel Richards through one of Reed's brothers in an alternate timeline that Nathaniel brought from war to peace. Bored with his existence, Kang used Nathaniel's time machine to become Rama- Tut and do all of the other villainous things he has done over the years.

(19) Is anything known about Doom's future?

There are several alternate future timelines that have spoke of Doom. First, in Iron Man #250, he confronts a future version of himself that has become more metal than man and is weak and pathetic. Doom destroys his future self, vowing never to become such a disgrace. It seems improbable that this future will even remotely come to pass. Of course, Doom was also in the title DOOM 2099, which charts a decidedly different future. In the history of that book, Doom mysteriously vanished at some point 50 to 100 years ago (referencing the year 2099) to become a shadow ruler of the entire world. In 2099, he retakes Latveria and rules it once again.

Also, for reference sake, Doom's fate in the convoluted "Days of Future Past" timeline is unknown (see xbooks). It has been revealed, however, that the Sentinels controlling North America were developed by the piracy of the technology of Reed Richards.

(20) What's the time loop involved in SECRET WARS?

In Secret Wars 1, the very powerful Beyonder gathered heroes and villains and put them on Battleworld to watch them fight. This occurs around the time of FF #265, while Doom was presumed dead just five issues earlier, and, in fact, his body was destroyed. Doom had transferred his mind into the body of Norman MacArthur, an innocent bystander at the scene of the battle. Therefore, the Beyonder was unable to locate Doom and pulled him from some point in the future since he wanted Doom to participate in the Secret War.

When Doom went to reconstruct his body, he called upon the power of the Beyonder to do it. The Beyonder, insulted by Doom's treatment, threatened to destroy him until Reed explained that Doom had not yet participated in the Beyonder's Secret War. Tricked into believing he could not survive the destruction of "history," the Beyonder instead sent Doom on his way to the Secret War in FF #288. The FF and the Beyonder both departed before Doom returned from the Secret War moments later.

***Doom and foes

(21) What super-villains has Doom used?

Doom likes to triumph over others who arrogantly proclaim their power, especially others who have battled the Fantastic Four. Over the years, and especially in SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP, Dr. Doom has used a number of other villains to suit his needs. They include: Namor, the Red Skull, Magneto, the Purple Man, the Puppet Master, Dormammu, Ultron, the Wrecker and the Wrecking Crew, the Absorbing Man, the Enchantress, the Molecule Man, the Kingpin, Doctor Octopus, Terrax, Kang, Mr. Jip, and many others.

(22) What super-villains has Doom created?

Besides using various other villains in encounters with them, Doom has also created a few super-villains. Besides miscellaneous robots or androids that have gone berserk (most notably the Doomsman), Doom was responsible for the creation of Darkoth (from Grimm's old friend Desmond Pitt), and Volcana and Titania (during the Secret War). At one point, Doom healed and revitalized Terrax the Tamer to use him against the Fantastic Four. Doom's schemes were also responsible for Kristoff, who battled many heroes while he believed he was Doom.

(23) How many times has Doom possessed 'the power cosmic?'

There have been several times when Doom has usurped the power of a cosmic being and absorbed it into himself. The first time was in Fantastic Four #57, when he stole the power of the Silver Surfer. He was defeated then when he flew into the barrier that kept the Surfer trapped on Earth, allowing the Surfer to regain his power when Doom was repelled.

In Secret Wars #10, Doom absorbs the some of the power of Galactus, and then the Beyonder, perhaps becoming more powerful than he has ever been at any other time. He used the technology of Galactus' worldship to achieve that goal. However, Doom lost his grip on reality and was finally defeated by Captain America and the Beyonder.

Finally, in Fantastic Four #375, Doom absorbs the power of the rogue Watcher Aron which he uses to battle the Fantastic Four. Doom loses his power through a device that Reed creates to defeat him.

(24) What was "Acts of Vengeance?"

Doom participated slightly in a crossover called "Acts of Vengeance," which, if nothing else, caused a lot of Doombots to appear in a lot of Marvel titles. Loki had developed a scheme to eliminate the do-gooders of Earth by having them fight foes they had never encountered before. Doom was supposedly one of the six core villains recruited by Loki to serve in this scheme. "Doom" appeared regularly in the Avengers, Punisher, and Spectacular Spider-Man at this time, with cameos in several other titles. However, the other core villians discovered that the Doom with whom they had been dealing was merely a Doombot, and not Dr. Doom at all. In the Fantastic Four, Doom uses a Doombot and an army of inept villains to demonstrate the foolishness of the entire Acts of Vengeance.

***Doom's own titles

(25) What was SUPER-VILLAIN TEAM-UP about?

SVTU was a comic that featured Dr. Doom every month. It showed him as he sought to consolidate his power in Latveria and expand it across the world, usually by seeking to use other super-powered individuals as his lackeys. He had a long-running alliance with the Sub-Mariner that began back in FF #6 and continued throughout this series during which the two helped each other achieve certain goals. The series had seventeen issues and two giant-size specials.

(26) What is DOOM 2099 about?

In one future timeline, Doom mysteriously disappeared about 50 to 100 years previously, but seemed to return in the year 2099. When he returns, he cannot remember what has happened to him, plus his face has been restored. A confused Doom, with a severely underpowered armor (as noted by the lack of his incredible force field), is easily dispatched by the ruler of Latveria, a ferocious cyborg named Tiger Wylde. Over the course of the first four issues of the series, Doom rebuilds himself and conquers Latveria once more.

Throughout the first 25 issues of the series, it becomes unclear whether or not Doom 2099 is actually Victor Von Doom, or the son of a ruler of a rival nation who believes he is Doom. In the double-sized issue 25, it is revealed that the two were actually transposed. The false Doom has taken the side of a woman who Doom shares power with as a "shadow ruler" of the world, while Doom, with his confused past and memories, was stripped of his power and sent into the field in a power game of cat and mouse. Doom, then, turns out to be the true Victor Von Doom, and reinvigorated by his experiences, he disposes of his one time ally and her underling.

Doom 2099 ran for forty-four issues before it was cancelled along with the rest of the 2099 line.

(27) How did Doom end up in 2099?

He never left!

In Doom 2099 #25, it is revealed that Doom disappeared from the public eye as he became a shadow ruler of the world. As �shadow ruler,� Doom controlled whole nations and dictated global commerce. He was stripped of his power and memories by a game played with his female cohort. Unfortunately for her, the defeats he suffered served to invigorate Doom, and when he had fully regained his power and memory, he was more deadly than ever. The passion of conquest had been reignited within him, and he abandoned the alliance and administrative status in which he had spent the last century.

There was some speculation that the events in Fantastic Four v.1 #381 lead into the events of Doom 2099 #1; however, that was illogical. The Doom in 2099 remembers the decline of the age of heroes, and remembers vaguely events that have not yet occurred by the time of FF #381. The idea became weightless once Doom 2099 #25 provided the answers and Doom returned in Fantastic Four v.1 #405.

(28) What do we know about Doom's 2099 armor?

The full capabilities of Doom's armor in 2099 have yet to be revealed, and, in fact, he is constantly improving it as much as he can throughout the 2099 saga so far. The details revealed to date are few: he constructed it at a Pixel facility he later destroyed with the help of Dr. Celia Quinones; its shell is made of adamantium lanxide; the armor is actually interfaced with Doom's brain; it has phasing capabilities (undoubtedly inspired by Shadowcat from the Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men 1-4); it has upgraded gauntlet blasters; and its gets reserve power through a satellite broadcast beam.

(29) Has Doom starred in any other titles?

Yes. Doom was one of the subjects of the comic Astonishing Tales from issues one to eight. He has also supported issues of Marvel Super-Heroes and Marvel Fanfare. He was the major antagonist of the series the Fantastic Four vs. the X-Men. He is the subject of two graphic novels. The first is Emperor Doom, in which he takes control of the world through the power of the Purple Man. Doom makes the world incredibly prosperous, but in the end gives it up out of boredom. The second is Dr. Strange & Dr. Doom: Triumph and Torment, in which Doom and Strange release the soul of Doom's mother.

After the story in Emperor Doom, it is quite possible that Doom is not interested in immediately resuming control of the world anytime soon. His recent pursuits seem to be along the lines of research, exploration, and enhancement of his personal power. Contrary to some speculation at the time, Triumph & Torment occurred in continuity shortly after its release as a Dr. Strange letters column once said the story takes place "fifteen minutes after Doom regains Latveria" (plus drastic changes occurred in the character of Dr. Strange in his own title, making him a different person than he is in this graphic novel).

Fantastic Four #258 is also worth mentioning here since Doom is the subject of this issue in which none of the FF appear.

Doom has made appearances from early in his career recently. He shares an annual with the X-Men in X-Men/Doctor Doom Annual '98. In this annual, Doom explores the timeline of Magneto shortly after Doom dons his armor for the first time.

Doctor Doom appears in Marvel Universe, the new series, from around the same time in his life in the first Invaders arc. There, Doctor Doom has traveled back in time to study Nazi Germany, and unintentionally allows Baron Strucker to travel into the future.

***Those darn Doombots

(30) How do Doombots work?

Doom is a master of robotics, and as such has created a legion of Doombots who cannot be distinguished from his true self. Some Doombots can pass some of the most sophisticated means of detection. There are some that "think" and whose thoughts can be psionically scanned. These Doombots believe themselves to be Dr. Doom, except in the presence of other Doombots or Doom. Some Doombots even have a face under their masks and some may be able to duplicate Doom's aura. In Fantastic Four Annual 20, a Doombot managed to complete a mystic summoning ritual that brought Mephisto to Castle Doom. There seems to be no limit to the degree to which a Doombot could imitate their master.

In addition, there are at least two occasions where Doombots have developed an artificial sentience of their own. The Doombot of FF Annual 20 believed itself to be Doom even in the presence of other Doombots, and carried on an extensive battle with Kristoff. This robot was eventually destroyed by the true Doom. Also, in early issues of the latest Deathlok series, a Doombot became sentient, and eventually went as far to declare it would attempt to survive in society before it was destroyed by Ultron.

(31) How can I distinguish a Doombot from the real Dr. Doom?

One possible answer to this is that the true Dr. Doom is all of those appearances of Doom that you like, while all of those you dislike have been Doombots.

However, there are certain appearances that have been revealed to be Doombots much later, and these cannot be discounted. Moreover, in Fantastic Four #350, the man who reveals himself as the true Victor Von Doom implies that a majority of his appearances have been Doombots. Therefore, it is useful to establish some sort of guidelines. Here are some general guidelines that help prove that you are dealing with the true Doom and not an imitation, although there are exceptions to these. You most likely see the real Doom if (a) Doom is using complex magic, (b) Doom is utilizing anything similar to the Ovoid mind transfer process he learned, and possibly (c) Doom is well-written, in- character, competent, and/or doing something that is connected to his past that is not repetitive. More on this in the next question.

It should be noted that Doom has used the Ovoids' mind transfer process thrice. First, in FF #10, he swapped bodies with Reed Richards. Then, in FF #260, he used to process to swap bodies with Norman MacArthur in order to avoid being killed in the Surfer-Terrax clash of that issue. The most recent time was in FF #408, when he escaped imprisonment at the hands of Hyperstorm by trading minds with Hyperstorm's lackey, the Tomorrow Man. The Ovoids are a race of aliens rarely seen, but most recently spotted in Sensational She-Hulk 47-49, where She-Hulk was the victim of the only other time the Ovoids' process has been used in comics. Apparently, Doom somehow learned this skill from the aliens in his travels.

(32) Which appearances of Dr. Doom are not Doombots?

There are a number of appearances that we know for certain are the true Dr. Doom, and not a Doombot. Many of Doom's appearances outside his own titles and the Fantastic Four can probably be promptly dismissed as appearances of Doombots. Within the Fantastic Four, we can safely assume the following:

(a) All Doom appearances through Fantastic Four #60 are indeed the true Dr. Doom. This includes issues 5, 6, 10, 16, 17, 23, 39, 40, 43, 57, 58, 59, 60. Issue 5 is the first appearance of Dr. Doom, but we know that he uses a Doombot for the first time in one point in that issue. In issue 6, Doom begins his longtime alliance/rivalry with Namor, which has been referred to in other appearances of the true Doom. In 10, Doom uses the Ovoid mind transfer process to swap bodies with Reed, so that is undoubtedly the true Doom. Issues 16 and 17 involve Doom in the microverse after he was sent there at the end of issue 10. Doom has a battle of wills with Reed in 23, which ties into the storyline of 39, 40, and 43, which are proven to be the true Doom based upon what he says upon his return in 350 (which retcons a few things). The storyline of 57-60 involves Doom getting his first taste of the power cosmic, and is surely an appearance of the true Doom based upon his later actions.

(b) That Fantastic Four Annual #2, continuing the origin of Dr. Doom, along with Incredible Hulk #155 and Marvel Super-Heroes #20, are certainly the true Dr. Doom.

(c) Most likely 196-200 and Annual 15 involve the true Doom considering he cloned himself and was rendered catatonic, later to be revived by Hauptmann, Doom's former chief scientist. Therefore, 246 and 247 likely involve the true Doom retaking Latveria after being ousted by Zorba.

(d) In 258-260, Doom's body is destroyed and, in 287-288, it is restored. These along with Doom in Secret Wars 1 (where he was disected and gained the power of the Beyonder) are bound to be the true Doom.

(e) Doom in 350 and 352 are the real Doom, as that appearance serves to retcon a number of other appearances, and keeps in line with a number of other true Doom appearances. In these issues, Doom returns after a long leave of absence, and one might speculate that he was away exploring and seeking to gain power as in cases of his appearances in Excalibur and the Infinity War.

(f) All other appearances of Dr. Doom in the Fantastic Four cannot be proven to be the true Doom. It is worth noting that any Doom trying to reclaim Latveria from Kristoff Venard is definitely a Doombot, as well as any appearance where Doom explodes. All appearances of Dr. Doom in his own titles and graphic novels can most likely be assumed to be the true Doom as well, for purposes of those stories if nothing else.