The Pacheco run on Fantastic Four, despite being miles better than the Claremont run and boasting some gorgeous artwork, doesn’t really have a huge impact on the series… with one gigantic exception, which fortunately for us involves Doctor Doom.
Fantastic Four v3 #52 (2002)
Doom shows up at the very end of this second part of a four-issue storyline.
It’s a pretty complex storyline involving growing hostility towards aliens, some mutates who were experimented on by the Nazis, and the Inhumans looking for sanctuary.
The only thing that you need to know is that the Royal Family of the Inhumans needs a new place to stay, and guess who offers a nice view of the Latverian mountains.
Fantastic Four v3 #53 (2002)
plot by Carlos Pacheco & Rafael Marin
dialogues by Karl Kesel
pencils by Mark Bagley
cover by Mike Wieringo
As I mentioned, this is a four part storyline (though I’m really covering only two). That was an opportunity to have each cover depicting a member of the team, something I’m highlighting because we’re not far from Wieringo becoming the regular artist.
Back to Doom, he’s interrupting Reed’s speech at the United Nations.
We’re often told Doom is going to the UN, but it’s very rare to see him take the podium.
Possibly because people remember that one time he hypnotized the General Assembly into attacking the Fantastic Four.
Doom immediately pivoting to one-up Reed is peak Doom.
You have to give it to him… when Doom says he’s a great orator, he’s not exactly wrong.
Doom’s pitch is that Earth has been the target of alien threats too many times to just let superheroes handle everything. Obviously he’s downplaying the results of the heroes, but again, he’s not exactly wrong… Earth SHOULD be doing more to protect itself.
Since Doom is a ruthless dictator, his next move is to sound compassionate towards the plea of the Inhumans.
This is also probably the first time Doom doesn’t exclusively refer to his people as gypsy, but also as Romany (as far as I can tell, a less frequently used spelling of Romani). This is around the time when popular culture started to retire the use of “gypsy” because it’s sometimes considered a slur by Romani people.
(again: as far as I can tell)
One of the things that doesn’t go anywhere in this run is Franklin going to a boarding school.
It’s a pity it was dropped, because it’s an occasion to have people associated with the FF have some perspective from normal people.
This is the Marvel Universe, of course people immediately rally against the Inhumans.
Naturally the Inhumans don’t trust Doctor Doom, but they’re starting to get second thoughts.
Also, something that’s going to be very important soon: Susan has been pregnant for a while.
The mutates I mentioned earlier (those tortured by Nazis) have mind powers, so Reed has a hunch they might be acting behind the scenes to increase Earth’s xenophobia.
Considering the Baxter Building loses power without explanation, Reed might be onto something.
This is yet another run when the Human Torch doesn’t get to do much, but this got a chuckle out of me.
Thing escalate quickly when the government sends a squadron of Guardsmen… basically law enforcement guys with Discount Iron Man armor… to arrest and deport the Inhumans.
Reed is a no-show, since he’s currently busy with one of those mutates with mind powers.
Even worse: when Susan tries to use her powers in battle, the baby doesn’t agree.
So it’s probably time I talk about the pregnancy, since it’s BY FAR the most enduring part of the Pacheco run… because Susan didn’t get pregnant the normal way.
Her second pregnancy resulted in a miscarriage way back in the John Byrne run. But during the Pacheco run, some multiverse nonsense basically reset her to the original pregnancy… because.
I’m not enthusiastic about that plot point… couldn’t Susan just get pregnant again?
I know Byrne originally said that she wouldn’t be able to conceive again, but come on, doctors get wrong on that kind of stuff all the time. Perhaps Pacheco thought the miscarriage was a bad idea for the series? Who knows.
For what it’s worth, while I’m not a fan of how it was done, I can definitely see Pacheco still has respect about that story because he doesn’t downplay the seriousness of the situation.
With both Reed and Ben busy with the mutates, it’s up to the Human Torch to fix the situation.
Despite having trouble of his own, because lately he’s been having some difficulty keeping his powers under control.
Fantastic Four v3 #54 (2002)
plot by Carlos Pacheco & Rafael Marin
dialogues by Karl Kesel
pencils by Mark Bagley
cover by Mike Wieringo
The Human Torch takes the lead at the start of the story, which mostly impact Susan, and Reed will have several scenes.
Which of course means the the Thing is the one on the cover.
The fact that I haven’t talked much about the villains of this storyline should tell you something about my opinion on them.
They are the Hidden Ones, led by the telepathic Senso, and they are mutates with Inhuman ancestry that have been… well, hidden since they were tortured by the Nazis.
Interesting that they’ll never show up after this storyline, because Marvel will use people with Inhuman ancestry as an alternative origin story instead of using mutants.
I guess they weren’t interesting after all.
Since he’s been imprisoned by the Hidden Ones, Reed can’t show up to help Susan.
While it sucks to remove him from such a pivotal moment, I think it was the right storytelling decision to up the stakes.
Both of Susan’s previous pregnancies were dangerous, but only to her and the baby… THIS pregnancy is dangerous to everyone else!!!
I haven’t talked about Doom for a while. How’s he taking the situation?
He’s having the time of his life.
When the Human Torch proclaimed he’d make a deal with the Devil to save his sister, guess who he had in mind?
The Torch doesn’t have patience for Doom’s usual shtick.
Damn, Doom, that’s COLD. Even for you!
But it’s only because Doom is presuming that Reed is ready to intervene.
It might sound strange to have the Torch reach out Doom, but… the other “big brains” who helped Reed deal with Susan’s pregnancy during the Byrne run were Bruce Banner and Morbius.
Doom doesn’t give a straight answer, but he’s clearly conflicted about it.
But of course he decides to move to the Baxter Building and actually help Susan.
He’s STILL using the occasion to convince the Inhumans to accept his proposal!!!
And so we get to THE moment of this entire storyline: Doctor Doom is going to help Susan give birth.
Poor Susan. Just imagine: she’s already in terrible pain, she’s defenseless, she’s alone, AND she’s suddenly confronted by the man she probably fears the most.
Eventually Reed and Ben get free from the Hidden Ones, and they hear about their history as an offshoot of the Inhumans.
After being tortured by the Nazis, they went underground and used their mental powers to influence people like Bill Clinton and Pope John Paul II, at least according to the artwork.
Reed hasn’t been all that exceptional throughout this story, but he does have a nice moment: he’s recorded the entire speech, and he vows to make sure the Hidden Ones won’t stay hidden forever.
Like I said we never hear from the Hidden Ones again, so… did Reed’s plan work or not?
With that business being taken care of, Reed finally returns to the Baxter Building.
It makes sense that he’d namedrop fellow super-scientist Hank Pym, but… Jane Foster (who had recently returned to Thor’s supporting cast) is just a regular nurse, so it’s kind of odd he’d think she’d be qualified for such a bizarre pregnancy.
This leads to the full-page reveal of Doctor Doom holding Reed’s newborn daughter.
This, folks, is why Doctor Doom is so awesome. Not only he saved Susan and the baby, but he ALSO ended the subplot about the Torch having problems with his powers.
It’s also a nice moment for Reed: he’s so relieved about his wife and daughter being safe that he doesn’t care in the slightest about the scientific process utilized by Doom.
This is simultaneously Doom at his best behavior AND at his pettiest. Can you imagine talking to a woman about to die in childbirth and, while she’s in tremendous pain, insist that you’ll only help if she lets you name the baby!?
Hilariously, Doom is genre-savvy enough to joke about people thinking he’d name the kid “Dooma”. Although “Victoria” would’ve been acceptable, there’s only one name he could reasonably come up with.
That’s the beginning of the very complex, and surprisingly sweet, relationship between Doctor Doom and Valeria Richards.
This is probably THE greatest victory Doom will ever have on the Fantastic Four.
The best part is that they genuinely don’t care.
With the exception of the Human Torch.
Doom didn’t interact with the Hidden Ones, and he doesn’t have a great opinion of them.
And once again… is he really wrong?
Doom significance: 9/10
While the Hidden Ones storyline goes nowhere, Valeria Richards remains a permanent and important part of the Fantastic Four lore to this day. And her relationship with Doom will be explored at length over the years.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Not really.
Does it stand the test of time? 7/10
Everything involving Doom and the pregnancy plot is fantastic (pun intended). Like I said it showcases his more benign side, but we never really lose sight of his pettiness even when he’s doing the right thing. If that was the only part of the story, it would be a 10/10.
However… aside from the last issue, it’s not a huge part of the storyline. And the whole Hidden Ones part is a major letdown; there’s nothing to really distinguish them from a dozen other hidden races. Even the only thing that could potentially set them apart, them being experimented on by the Nazis, is glossed over despite repeated flashbacks.
As for the Inhumans, the only reason they’re here is to restore them to their old status quo of living on the Moon, after being lost in space for a while. Crystal gets a couple of nice moments, but otherwise they’re extremely forgettable here.
It was a Doombot all along
It’s possible that the Doctor Doom that we see at the United Nations, or even the one to confront the Human Torch, could be a Doombot. But the one helping Susan is DEFINITELY the real deal.
Crazy tech
There’s apparently sorcery involved, but apparently Doom has SOMETHING that can channel cosmic energy between people.