This miniseries is the whole reason I bothered to cover the Marvel Adventures stuff. I believe this should have been in the main continuity.
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #1 (2009)
written by Paul Tobin
pencils by Patrick Scherberger & Jacopo Camagni
cover by Roger Cruz
With a title like that, obviously Doctor Doom first teams up with the Sinister Six.
I have no idea what Doom’s pose is supposed to mean.
And we do begin with the Sinister Six, after they’ve just stolen a Vibranium weapon from the Louvre.
The strength of this first issue is definitely the characterization of the Sinister Six, who really come off as old friends. They’re typically NOT this close in the main continuity, but I’m a sucker for supervillains who act like buddies.
They know we’re not here for them.
You wouldn’t think Doctor Doom would have something in common with Spider-Man, but there’s one rule that applies to both.
When they’re not constantly talking… BE AFRAID.
Well make that TWO things: they’re both great at knocking down the Sinister Six.
Doctor Octopus is the only one who manages to land a couple punches.
I would never have guessed Mysterio would be the smartest of the bunch.
As for why Doom would even NEED the Sinister Six… keep guessing.
It’s important to note that he took the time to give them a power-up…
…which they desperately need, considering they’re going after Iron Man and DOCTOR STRANGE.
This is something that I don’t think has even been tackled properly in the main continuity. Mysterio is all about stage magic, but in a universe where there’s REAL magic, is he going to be any good?
His plan is to separate the heroes, with a crazy illusion for Stark…
…and convinces him to handle the tech they’re trying to steal to the take Strange.
Long story short (we have A LOT of stuff to cover!), it works despite Mysterio being terrible at lying.
Iron Man and Doctor Strange versus the Sinister Six is so unfair it’s not even funny.
Which makes it even more impressive that MYSTERIO TRICKED THEM.
Doctor Doom promises to give power-ups to the Sinister Six, but he’s already jumping to his next team-up.
Does any of this show up in regular continuity?
I WISH.
Silver Age-ness: 2/10
As much as I love it, it’s slightly Silver Age that Mysterio manages to actually trick Doctor Strange.
Does it stand the test of time? 9/10
The artwork is a bit too distracting at times, but this is right up my alley.
I’ve always thought that the Sinister Six should fight other superheroes more often, as they’re a VERY dangerous team when they put their mind to it.
Placing them against two heroes who are WAY out of their league… especially when swapping Electro with Chameleon… is a neat idea, as it makes them the underdog.
Weirdly enough Electro DOES exist in this continuity, so I wonder if they weren’t allowed to use him for some reason or if they thought Chameleon would work better.
Mysterio is BY FAR the best one. His whole deal is misdirection, so it doesn’t matter whether the hero is significantly stronger than him. And he really sells you his desperation against going up against a real magician… which is, of course, at the core of his tactic.
It probably wouldn’t have worked against Strange if it wasn’t for Doom amplifying this illusions, but you do have that explanation.
I’ve complained before that I don’t like when Doom steals technology from the heroes, but if you have to do it… this is the best approach. He CLEARLY considers the theft way beneath his notice, so you don’t run into the typical question “why doesn’t he build this on his own?”: he’s just taking Stark’s version out of convenience.
The rest of the Sinister Six are completely useless in the fight, but you do have the constant banter between them so they don’t feel like a meaningless addition.
Number of superheroes who have fought Dr. Doom: 13
Adding Doctor Strange.
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #2 (2009)
written by Paul Tobin
pencils by Patrick Scherberger, Jon Buran, & Scott Koblish
cover by Roger Cruz
The Masters of Evil need a better agent: first they were upstaged by the Sinister Six, now the Circus of Crime!
Admit it, you NEVER thought Doctor Doom would recruit the Circus of Crime.
Doctor Doom is after the key to immortality, and he knows that the Masters of Evil are as well.
So he’s recruited the Circus because he can’t be bothered to deal with the Masters alone.
Now THAT feels like a Doom thing to do.
Doom is making no secret that he doesn’t really NEED them.
Long story short… again, we have a lot to cover… Enchantress kidnaps the Circus’s cowboy.
The cowboy, Live Wire, is from the main continuity… where he debuted as a minion of Psycho-Man (of all people!) before moving to the Circus.
As far as minor characters go, he’s even LESS notable than the Circus itself… and naturally absolutely no match for Enchantress.
I never, EVER thought I’d see Radioactive Man and Baron Zemo fight the Circus.
I’ve mentioned before that I have a soft spot for the Circus Of Crime but that their major weakness is that they REALLY suck at fighting superheroes.
Turns out they also suck at fighting supervillains.
Radioactive Man is another story, since he’s a true heavyweight who is able take blows from Thor’s hammer and who CANNOT SHUT ABOUT IT.
Doom knocks him out with a robotic insect and a one-liner.
Stuff like this is why even supervillains are typically terrifying of going up against Doctor Doom.
Notice that we have a LITERAL NAZI like Zemo experiencing the sins of his past… and yet it’s the sins of Melter that send chills down your spine.
Even the Clown doesn’t find this funny!
Executioner is the one to bring Doom right to the headquarters of the Masters of Evil, thanks to Princess Python of all people.
Doom obviously recognizes that Enchantress is the only one who could give him trouble, even if he dismisses her abilities. I kind of wonder who are the two humans that he considers better sorcerers than her… obviously one is Doctor Strange, but who’s the other? Agatha Harkness?
He would phrase it differently if he was counting himself (maybe he thinks it’s too obvious).
We don’t truly get to see him fight Enchantress though, because this entire thing was a wild goose chase that is part of a needlessly complicated plan.
For most villains, the quest for immortality would be the goal. For Doctor Doom, IT’S PHASE ONE.
Also Doctor Doom is TOO COOL FOR IMMORTALITY.
This is a bit contradicted in the main continuity, when sometimes Doom does express the wish to live forever.
This entire thing was a test for both teams of supervillains… and the Masters of Evil won.
So to recap, up to this point Doom’s plan has been:
1) recruit the Sinister Six to steal a Stark device
2) become immortal (!!!)
3) trick the Circus of Crime and the Masters of Evil to fight each other
4) recruit the Masters of Evil
5) recruit Princess Python
How more insanely complicated is his plan going to get?
Does any of this show up in regular continuity?
I’m reasonably sure he’s never even MET the Circus of Crime, and the only member of the Masters of Evil he’s met is Enchantress (mostly thanks to Secret Wars).
I can’t think of a moment when Doom becomes immortal without also gaining cosmic powers.
Silver Age-ness: 4/10
Even if they lose, it’s hilarious that the Circus lasted THAT LONG.
Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
A bit weaker than the previous chapters, considering both supervillain teams lack any sort of cameraderie or charisma. And the artwork seriously deteriorates in the latter half of the story.
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #3 (2009)
written by Paul Tobin
pencils by Patrick Scherberger & Esdras Cristobal
cover by Karl Kerschl
After two supervillain teams you never expected to meet Doctor Doom, Blastaar makes more sense.
The recap page is a spoof of Shaft’s theme. More comics should start like this.
We’ll later see that Doom did have a reason for recruiting Princess Python, but let’s be honest: she’s completely useless in a fight.
Doom was VERY specific in not having her fight.
Well he’s LITERALLY A NAZI, so probably no?
This series is WILD to say the least, considering it has Princess Python recruited to fight aliens in another dimension!
The entire reason for the first issue was to give Doom a slight power-up.
This is the ORIGINAL Baron Zemo, so it’s quite impressive that Doom manages to get respect from him.
This issue has the same weakness of the previous one, since these supervillains are not particularly deep… but Zemo does manage to make a good point.
The battle has caught the attention of several powerhouses, as well as some kind of new version of Destroyer I guess? Who’s the last guy supposed to be?
The story won’t explore this, but I do wonder what Princess Python thought was going to happen. Did she follow Doctor Doom because she thought she’d be the boss’s woman? Does she like him back?
Yeah I don’t think BARON ZEMO is the best one to talk about this stuff, Princess.
Doom has been after this mysterious figure called Quinn, who supposedly knows how to find the Infinity Gems.
Doctor Doom had a SECOND reason for employing the Sinister Six: take Mysterio’s gas and modify it so that it could work on alien robot spiders from another dimension.
I cannot believe I just wrote that sentence.
Doom does get the alien he’s after, but since this is taking place in the Negative Zone it means Blastaar is contractually obligated to show up.
Have I ever mentioned Blastaar in the past five years? I don’t think I have.
He’s not exactly a big name and not really the most interesting villain, but he’s the kind of guy the Fantastic Four tend to struggle with.
Meaning even Doctor Doom can’t one-shot him.
Blastaar ends up fighting the ENTIRE Masters of Evil…
…and Doctor Doom would leave them alone, if Princess Python didn’t guilt-trip him.
So Doom hands the alien back to Blastaar…
…or not. Blastaar is a powerhouse but not the brightest tool in the Negative Zone.
Doctor Doom leaves Blastaar to deal with the other cosmic beings that wanted Quinn, and Princess Python has ALMOST figured out why she’s here.
To recap, this is what we now know about Doom’s plan:
1) recruit the Sinister Six to steal a Stark device
2) improve Mysterio’s gas
3) become immortal
3) trick the Circus of Crime and the Masters of Evil to fight each other
4) recruit the Masters of Evil and Princess Python
5) fight his way through alien robot spiders from another dimension through a combination of Stark’s tech, Mysterio’s gas and the Masters of Evil
6) kidnap the guy who the spiders were protecting
Does any of this show up in regular continuity?
Doom had already fought Blastaar once, on Fantastic Four #318.
Silver Age-ness: 6/10
Alien robot spiders from another dimension!!!
Does it stand the test of time? 8/10
Same of the previous one but with a more satisfying finale and slightly better artwork. Who ever guessed Baron Zemo could be so insightful?
Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil #4 (2009)
written by Paul Tobin
pencils by Patrick Scherberger & David Baldeón
cover by Roger Cruz
It should be noted that the Masters of Evil are in the title but they only show up in HALF the issues.
Doctor Doom has gone through this INCREDIBLY complicated plan, now recruiting both Magneto and some reprogrammed Sentinels… just to fight X-Men villain Selene.
It is a bit weird to see Magneto on the same side of the Sentinels, though.
I’m reasonably sure this is the first time we have EVER seen Doctor Doom drink coffee.
Of course he drinks it black, sugar is for peasants.
Okay why is Doctor Doom here, and what was the point of all those adventures?
Surprisingly he’s not after the Infinity Gems… he’s used the alien he rescued to locate a mystical place that can tap into the power of the gems to make ONE wish.
And that just happens to be beneath Selene’s house.
I did warn you that Doom’s plan was insanely complicated, and spoiler alert: he’s not even done!!!
Honestly I’ve never really liked Selene as a villain. She’s too much… an immortal energy vampire who knows some magic and can occasionally raise the dead feels out of place as an X-Men villain.
Here, her abilities and ESPECIALLY her magical expertise are seriously amped up.
I think what is selling this version of Selene is that she’s effortlessly menacing and charming, while the regular one always tries too hard for my supervillain tastes.
This is obviously a different continuity, and I’m not very informed on the X-Men of this timeline… but having Magneto join like this is a big waste.
If there’s a chance to make a reality-altering wish, why would he EVER trust Doctor Doom with it!? Wouldn’t Magneto want to wish for something like removing hatred against humans, or turning everyone into mutants, or even just rule humanity like his Silver Age self?
I do like how Selene is literally sitting on her wish because she already has everything she wants.
And so we move to the battle, where Selene would defeat Magneto rather easily without Doom.
The fight is quite spectacular, with Selene tapping into the same power source that will allow the wish.
If you have to make Doctor Doom interact with other villains, you should always choose those with more sense of humor than him.
Doctor Doom has been several steps of Selene THIS ENTIRE TIME.
Now THIS is how you write a supersmart character with access to “prep time”!!!
Selene retreats back to Scotland, where Doctor Doom planned to use the Sentinels…
…AGAINST MAGNETO.
There’s cold.
There’s absolute zero.
And then there’s DOCTOR DOOM.
Surprisingly Doom loses the fight with Selene!
But that’s okay, because Doctor Doom’s plan all along has been to hit on Selene.
AND IT WORKS.
Selene agreed to let Doom get his wish only because she knows he will die before making it… which is WHY DOOM MADE HIMSELF IMMORTAL IN THE FIRST PLACE.
Which means, and I cannot stress this enough, BECOMING IMMORTAL WAS JUST STEP ONE.
Now Doctor Doom is going to make his wish, and it’s VITAL that Princess Python is there.
So what if Doctor Doom doesn’t want immortality, what is he going to wish for?
World domination?
Ultimate power?
Restore his face?
A decent movie adaptation?
No, he wishes to BECOME EVEN MORE OF A MONSTER.
This is easily the greatest compliment any version of Doctor Doom will give to Reed Richards: acknowledging that he needs an adversary to push him.
At this point you might be wondering: why exactly did he insist on bringing Princess Python along?
To remind himself of not falling into temptation!!!
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you: the most unnecessarily complicated Doctor Doom plan EVER.
1) recruit the Sinister Six to steal a Stark device
2) improve Mysterio’s gas
3) become immortal
3) trick the Circus of Crime and the Masters of Evil to fight each other
4) recruit the Masters of Evil and Princess Python
5) fight his way through alien robot spiders from another dimension through a combination of Stark’s tech, Mysterio’s gas and the Masters of Evil
6) kidnap the guy who the spiders were protecting
7) recruit Magneto
8) reprogram some Sentinels
9) use the guy he kidnapped to find a place where he can make a magic wish
10) fight Selene with Magneto
11) have the Sentinels defeat Magneto
12) fight with Selene and lose
13) hit on Selene
14) survive Selene’s trap by losing his immortality
15) no more guilt!
And that’s how we end!
Does any of this show up in regular continuity?
IT SHOULD HAVE!!!
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
Charming Selene is a plot point!
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
This one really, really, REALLY should be part of mainstream continuity.
It’s Doctor Doom at his best: cold and calculating, occasionally snapping but quickly recollecting himself, ten steps ahead of everyone, without an ounce of empathy, and TRULY on top of the supervillain food chain.
On a technical level his plan is WAY more complicated than it has any reason to be, but it’s a surprisingly tight script: so many tiny details are scattered across the miniseries for seemingly little reason end up playing a part in the finale.
Speaking of which, it’s one of the most memorable endings for a Doctor Doom story and a great payoff of taking Princess Python with him. All this time she thought she meant something important to him, but she’s dismissed like anyone else the second she’s no longer useful.
She WAS right at the end of issue 3, saying Doom took her to act as his conscience, but forgot that Doom has his own VERY SPECIFIC form of conscience.
My only real complain are that Magneto’s presence is kind of wasted. But on the other side, this is BY FAR my favorite Selene story! The real one pales in comparison, in my opinion.
Paul Tobin has written a lot of stuff for Marvel, but mostly it’s either Marvel Adventures and What If. I really hope someone eventually lets him write the main Doctor Doom, because this one was a masterpiece in my book!!!