Doom 2000s cameos

The retrospective has now reached Civil War, which Doom skips almost entirely.
There will be other cameos for the 2000s down the line, but let’s have a look at Doom’s appearances prior to Civil War itself.
For obvious reasons, none of these will receive the usual scores.

---

Amazing Spider-Man vol.2 #15 (2000)
by Howard Mackie & John Byrne

Technically speaking Doctor Doom does not appear in this: it’s explicitly a Doombot.
That, and the fact that this the ABYSMAL Spider-Man relaunch during the era when Byrne had lost his magic touch, is the main reason this doesn’t get a full review.

The premise alone is extremely dumb. In this era Mary Jane was presumed dead because of an explosion on her plane. Spider-Man received an anonymous call stating that she’s in Latveria, and as an ABSOLUTE MORON not only he instantly believes it, but he decides to go there without even asking the Fantastic Four to help.
Even Aunt May, who was basically written as braindead in this era, calls him out on this.

I mean if he was told that Doctor Doom kidnapped Mary Jane, then it would be understandable he’d believe it. But the idea that she was heading to FREAKING LATVERIA for a modeling job is just dumb.

I’m sorry, did I say Aunt May is braindead in this series? I meant to say EVERYBODY IS TOO DUMB TO LIVE HERE.

Spider-Man gets caught in the fight between Doom’s forces and an uprising. This is where things get SLIGHTLY interesting for my retrospective: Spider-Man is shocked at how harshly Doom is repressing this rebellion, because he “mellowed out” over the years.

But we eventually learn it’s because this is a Doombot.

---

Peter Parker: Spider-Man #15 (2000)
by Howard Mackie & John Romita Jr.

WTF is Spider-Man doing with his webbing? He looks like he’s hanging himself!
Come to think of it, the webs don’t look like they’re part of the drawing and were added later. Weird.

This Doombot seems to be more self-aware than the usual model, since he goes through the trouble of blinding his generals so that they can’t see him being repaired.
Also notice the EXTREMELY rare reference to Stryfe having conquered Latveria once.

This Doombot is also supposedly WAY harsher than usual, since the way he represses the rebellion is described as the worst Latveria has seen since Doom took power.

If you though the premise was dumb… this is set while Doctor Doom was supposed to be married to the Invisible Woman. This is stupid on SO many levels!!!
Not only it makes Spider-Man’s decision to not talk to the FF look even dumber, but this is quite bad for Reed as well: HE was playing Doctor Doom at the time, but he didn’t even notice that a Doombot was killing rebels left and right in Latveria!?!?

Yeah it’s hard to reconcile the idea that Reed wouldn’t notice LATVERIA BEING BOMBED while playing Doctor Doom!!!

Yeah, uhm, I think this isn’t covered by the Doombot’s warranty.

Eventually Spider-Man proves to the Latverians that this is a robot, and he military blows it up.

Well that was a waste of everybody’s time.

Next!

---

Black Panther vol.3 #27 (2001)
by Christopher Priest & Sal Velluto

The Priest run is one of the first times that Black Panther really goes into international politics.

This is in the middle of a very complex storyline, but all you really need to know is that Wakanda is not exactly best friends with the United States at the  moment.

When NAMOR is the voice of reason, maybe you’ve gone too far T’Challa.

So what’s going on? Well, the underwater kingdom of Lemuria… the Deviant one… has declared war on Wakanda. And since Black Panther is calling for a summit for superpowered kings, guess who shows up.

Kind of surprising that Latveria managed a non-aggression pact with Atlantis. I guess Doom’s bromance with Namor is deeper than it seemed.

Doom washes his hands of this whole thing…

---

Black Panther vol.3 #28 (2001)
by Christopher Priest & Sal Velluto

…only to show up as a hologram to the meeting. Mostly because he heard Magneto would be there as well, since at the time he was the ruler of Genosha.

Very interesting to see Doom calling out Magneto for referencing his relationship to the Holocaust in order to draw sympathy from the others.
Also, DOCTOR DOOM suggesting to anyone “do not let pride consume us all” is worth the price of the comic.

It’s a surprisingly complex debate that goes deep into the history of all characters involved.

But Doom has already left the building, so… next!

---

Amazing Spider-Man v2 #36 (2001)
by J. Michael Straczynski & John Romita Jr.

You know this one.

This is one of the most infamous cameos, showing several supervillains reacting to 9/11.

I don’t have a problem with the basic concept… it’s not like ALL supervillains would be happy about it. But what makes it clunky is the choice of characters.
Kingpin is the only one who makes sense, since he lives there. Although rather than “this is not right”, I’m inclined to believe he’s thinking “how can I profit from this”.

And I can believe, to a certain extent, that the Magneto of this era would be sad by all this… but it’s still weird to see him standing around doing nothing right next to normal people working on rescuing the injured.
The Juggernaut makes little sense and I believe he’s there just because Romita Jr. likes to draw him.

But the most controversial cameo of all is of course Doctor Doom, especially because he’s seen crying.

Where do I stand on this? Well I don’t have a problem believing Doom would be sad, and I could go as far as believing he could shed a tear IN PRIVATE. But in public? Come on!!!

Since I assume he’s here because of the Latverian embassy, I think we can all agree this is a particularly sensitive Doombot.

Next!

---

Fantastic Four Vol 3 #50 (2001)
written by Carlos Pacheco & Rafael Marin
pencils by Tom Grummett

This is a cute story about the anniversary of the Fantastic Four’s origin, played completely silent without any dialogue.

Doom “celebrates” the anniversary by doing absolutely nothing.

Next!

---

Captain America Vol 3 #50 (2001)
by Evan Dorkin & Kevin Maguire

Captain America is dead. Again. What does Doctor Doom think about it?

I still wonder why the heck does ANYONE show up at a superhero’s funeral.

At least we get one of the most hilarious panels we’ve had in a while.

Next!

---

Black Panther vol.4 #18 (2006)
written by Reginald Hudlin
pencils by Scot Eaton & Kaare Andrews

The Hudlin run is controversial to say the least. And while he wasn’t the one to develop Black Panther’s relationship with Storm… that happened in the Priest run in the previous volume… he was the one to have them marry, right in the middle of Civil War.

I’m not a huge fan of them as a couple… I don’t think they work well together as characters… but having Black Panther invite both Captain America and Iron Man at the wedding hoping to settle their differences was a good idea.

It doesn’t work because Iron Man is written WILDLY out of character throughout the entire Civil War, but hey, it was a good effort.

Since this is an international event, the heads of states of several countries show up. Typically when this kind of thing happens, Marvel tends to use either obvious stand-ins or to show the leaders in the shadows. Not for Black Panther’s wedding.

Also, the Watcher is there.

The wedding goes fine without a supervillain attack, mostly because SOMEONE was too busy being in Hell to attend the ceremony.
But Doom still manages to send his regards.

Being Doom, he didn’t just send his best wishes but also makes a pitch for a potential alliance.

Maybe he should’ve sent some flowers instead.

Next!

---

Captain America vol.5 #23 (2006)
by Ed Brubaker & Mike Perkins

Speaking of Civil War: during the whole thing, new villain Aleksander Lukin visits the Latverian embassy. Much to the Winte Soldier’s disappointment, SHIELD can’t see inside.

That’s troublesome because Lukin is possessed by the mind of Red Skull (long story), and he’s here to talk with Doom himself.

Doom is shown to have a cordial relationship with Red Skull, which is WEIRD considering they’ve been at war more than once.

Even more weird is the news that Red Skull brings him: the discovery that 500 years in the past, a “Baron of Iron” wielding Doom’s technology was around in Germany.

This is referenced in later stories, but without a true involvement by Doom.
I really wonder where Brubaker wanted to go with this subplot. He’ll be the writer of Books of Doom so naturally he has a good knowledge of the character.

In exchange for this information, Doom agrees to provide a certain device to Red Skull.
We won’t learn what it is until *spoiler alert* Captain America dies AGAIN and is resurrected.

Next!

---

Marvel Knights: Spider-Man #20 (2006)
by Reginald Hudlin & Pat Lee

This is one of the dumbest ideas behind a Spider-Man story I’ve ever seen, WHICH IS SAYING SOMETHING.

It starts with Spider-Man invading Castle Doom with two people wearing some very, VERY old Iron Man armors.

We’re not told immediately who they are, but they’re definitely newbies.

The target is, of course, Doom’s time machine. Which is of course is the only time machine in the world… if you don’t count the fact that THE FANTASTIC FOUR also have a time machine, so why couldn’t Spidey ask THEM?

But the reason this is a truly idiotic story is that the people in the armor are actually MARY JANE AND AUNT MAY.

That’s right. Spider-Man just brought his wife and his 200 year old aunt to Latveria in order to travel back in time and see his parents before they died.

What a stupid, stupid idea for a story.

Oh how I wish I could say this was the worst Spider-Man story in these cameos.

Next!

---

Uncanny X-Men #488 (2007)
by Mike Carey & Mark Bagley

This is set after “House of M”, when Scarlet Witch de-powered the VAST majority of mutants.
In this back-up story, Beast is looking for someone to help restore their powers.

Considering the mutants lost their powers because of a reality-bending spell, you’d think Doom would be the first person on top of this. You probably wouldn’t want his help because his way of restoring powers would probably give him full control over them, but still.

Next!

---

Deadpool/GLI Summer Fun Spectacular #1 (2007)
written by Fabian Nicieza & Dan Slott
pencils by Kieron Dwyer
cover by Paul Pelletier

When Dan Slott recovered Squirrel Girl from obscurity on the pages of Great Lake Avengers, it was only a matter of time before she met Doctor Doom again.
Even now that they have changed their name to the Great Lake Initiative.

This is a bit of a bridge her earlier appearances…

…and a satire of the tryhard idiocy that was turning Speedball into Penance during Civil War.

We will unfortunately have to revisit Penance because there’s a full Doctor Doom story in his own series, but this is a good introduction to the fact that this development made NO SENSE.

The fact that SQUIRREL GIRL is the one trying to inject some sense into this idiotic idea is just amazing. You just can’t take Penance seriously after this has been pointed out (not that he could be taken seriously to begin with).

Seriously, this is one of the best parodies of the whole “you have to be dark to be serious” idea that I have ever seen.

But the whole reason I’m covering this is that Squirrel Girl needs Doom’s time machine, so she makes a detour to Latveria.

Good thing that eventually other writers got to write Squirrel Girl because Slott can be very, VERY one-note with his running gags.

And why DID she need the time machine? So that she could travel to an alternate future where Speedball was still a decent character (this is following a different storyline too long to discuss here)…

…only to be recruited by the Great Lake Initiative to deal with an insurmountable problem…

…kicking out Deadpool, who had been squatting at their HQ the entire time.

Okay that’s a moderately funny finale, but thank God they gave Squirrel Girl to someone else because at this point Slott was already VERY tiresome.

Next!

---

Sub-Mariner Vol.2 #4 (2007)
written by Peter Johnson & Peter Johnson
pencils by Phil Briones

One of the many problems caused by Civil War is that Namorita died at the very beginning, so some else is using it as an excuse to cause a war between Atlantis and America.
Namor calls someone for help, and I don’t understand why comics always try to disguise Doom when it’s OBVIOUSLY him.

You have to love Doom’s professional jealousy.

---

Sub-Mariner Vol.2 #6 (2007)
written by Peter Johnson & Peter Johnson
pencils by Phil Briones

 After a complex storyline involving an illegitimate son of Namor attempting a coup and an invasion of the surface world, Namor evacuates the entirety of Atlantis and BLOWS IT UP.
The series concludes with Latveria accepting the scattered Atlanteans as refugees.

This is basically forgotten by his next appearance. So I guess the Atlanteans just stayed for the night or something?
I just find it funny that Latveria ends up being the refuge of the Inhumans, the Atlanteans and the Asgardians at some time or another. I fully expect to see Black Panther bring the Wakandans there at any time.

Next!

---

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24 (2007)
by J. Michael Straczynski & Joe Quesada

And finally let’s finish the Doom cameos with the storyline that ruined Spider-Man for years.
The jury’s still out if forever or not.

I could speak VOLUMES on everything in this storyline that either makes no sense or that fundamentally misunderstands both Spider-Man and the very concept of a superhero.
But going into the details would most likely make me too angry to type.

What’s important is that Aunt May has been shot, and Spider-Man asks Doctor Strange to help her. Because according to this story Strange is basically useless…

…he casts a spell that will make Spider-Man contact several people simultaneously.

But NOBODY IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE CAN HEAL A GUNSHOT WOUND.

Not Curt Connors, who created a serum that re-grows limbs but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Doctor Octopus, who once created the cure for drugs AND WHO LOVED AUNT MAY but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Wizard, who once built a room that alters probabilities but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Beast, who cured the Legacy Virus but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Black Panther, who will some day merge science and magic to create Shadow Physics but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Hank Pym, will some day be declared Scientist Supreme by Eternity himself but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Mr. Fantastic, who can cure Galactus by using Thor’s hammer to perform dialysis on him but who can’t cure a gunshot wound.

Not Dead Girl from X-Statix, who… okay she’s a good character but she’s only here because there was one miniseries where she was teased as a potential love interest for Strange, right? She has no healing powers or scientific knowledge whatsoever.

Not Morbius, who let’s face it always kind of sucked even before the memes.

And most importantly of all… not DOCTOR DOOM.
The man who invented time travel, who will soon reverse-engineer Asgardian biology, who cured Sharon Ventura from being She-Thing, who cured Storm from third degree burns, who cured Shadowcat from dissolving into individual molecules… can’t cure a gunshot wound.

You can’t even give the argument that he could but won’t do it since Aunt May is beneath his notice: Spider-Man is basically begging everyone he meets to help.
You will never make me believe Doom would ever turn down the perfect way to show he’s smarter than anyone else, HE GETS OFF ON THAT CRAP!!!

It wasn’t enough to assassinate Peter Parker’s character by making him completely unable to accept the fact that his million year old aunt would die.
You just HAD to show that THE ENTIRE MARVEL UNIVERSE was powerless to save a single life, didn’t you?

---

Doom significance: 0/10
The only cameo with the slightest bit of significance is the meeting with Red Skull, but even that can be easily skipped.

It was a Doombot all along
The first two Spider-Man stories explicitly feature Doombots, but all of these could VERY easily be Doombots anyway.
Any chance we could reveal that the Spider-Man in “One More Day” was a robot? It would be FAR from the dumbest thing that happens there and at this point I’d take it.