Let’s begin the last Doctor Doom storyline of the 2010s, which is appropriately on Fantastic Four.
There are some cameos and minor appearances in-between, but I will leave them for later.
And after that, the retrospective will change format a bit once we hit the 2020s.
Fantastic Four v6 #1 (2018)
by Dan Slott & Simone Bianchi
cover by Esad Ribić
This is the series that reassembles the Fantastic Four, after the events of Secret War.
Reed will keep the beard for a bit, but luckily the Thing won’t keep THAT face.
Doctor Doom does not appear in the main story of the book, which includes something that will change the team’s dynamic for the rest of the Slott run… and to my delight, even after that.
But it’s the second story that is set in Latveria.
And that’s when we meet a woman who infiltrates Castle Doom, which is supposed to be empty.
She’s intercepted by a bunch of Doombots…
But she’s then greeted by a Doctor Doom in an… unusual attire, to say the least.
The woman is a true believer, begging Doom to take back his throne.
Doom has had enough after the way Infamous Iron Man ended, and really, can you blame him?
He was also scarred again at the end of Iron Man #600 by… uhm… I still don’t get WHAT scarred him, but if the artwork means anything I think he’s turning into Killer Croc.
But like I said, the woman is a true believer.
This is a good scene, with Doom realizing what I’ve thought for ages: that at this point the mask IS his true face.
It’s a bit mangled by the artwork not being all that convincing with the way those hands are drawn.
So the woman leads other Latverians into copyright infringement.
Despite the mention of a new president, Latveria seems to still be under military rule.
Until Doom shows up, insisting on using only his magic to take back the country.
We don’t actually see him do that.
Fantastic Four v6 #15 (2018)
by Dan Slott & Aaron Kuder
cover by Esad Ribić
It’s not a dream, it’s not a hoax and there are no alien shapeshifters: the Thing marries Alicia.
It is still an imaginary story, like all Fantastic Four ones.
There are two things about the latest status quo that I have to mention, since they will show up later.
One is that the Richards were traveling the Multiverse for a while: that’s the explanation for why the kids are visibly older now. It’s especially noticeable with Valeria.
I don’t recall a specific number being dropped, but she’s around 12 at the very least.
The other is that Franklin has finally, FINALLY hit puberty! Not only that, he’s developed a rebellious streak and dyed his hair to infuriate his mother.
I’m with Johnny on this one: there were too many blondes in the family.
Everything seems to go pretty well with the wedding…
…if SOMEONE wasn’t jealous of the spotlight.
I’m referring of course to Galactus, who has just arrived in Latveria.
Well what did you expect, a superhero wedding WITHOUT a supervillain attack?
Well, YES, thanks to Reed’s wedding present!
So the Thing and Alicia get their wedding and we’re getting our advanture.
Everybody wins!
Well, hopefully not Doctor Doom.
Fantastic Four v6 #6 (2018)
by Dan Slott & Aaron Kuder
cover by Esad Ribić
You’re just jealous you were not invited, aren’t you Doom?
Doom’s fight against Galactus is going remarkably well, judging from the fact that Latveria still exists.
The Fantastic Four arrive during the fight… in their own way…
…but they run into Doom’s latest ally.
This is Victorious, the woman we met in issue 1 after being given powers by Doom, and who will call herself his herald.
She causes the Fantasticar to crash, and to nobody’s surprise the Latverians are not happy to see the heroes.
Johnny is busy flirting and fighting with Victorious. I have my doubts on which one takes priority.
She tells him her origin story: in addition to what we already saw, we learn that Doom gave her cosmic powers by using a technology very similar to what he used to steal Silver Surfer’s powers.
Obviously he didn’t give her THAT much power, though.
Meanwhile, how is Doom’s fight with Galactus going?
Yeah that’s about what I was expecting.
Oh I don’t mean Doctor Doom losing, because HE DOESN’T.
In fact, Doom uses Galactus’s own technology to make him retreat!!!
And this is being broadcasted to every television on the planet.
I’d watch that.
However, it turns out that the only reason why Galactus retreated was because he wants to feed on the energy Victorious is emitting.
Which is EXACTLY what Doctor Doom wanted.
Doom significance: 6/10
As of 2026 Victorious is still part of Doom’s trusted lieutenants, so even if later stories diminish her role she seems to have stuck.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Not really.
Does it stand the test of time: 8/10
The Slott run has its fair share of detractors; I don’t think the criticism is entirely without merit, but I found the vast majority of complains to be incredibly overblown.
With regards to the changes to the Fantastic Four and their family, while I would have preferred to wait a bit longer before aging Valeria it doesn’t change her dynamic with other characters that much. I absolutely love what he does with Franklin: not only him being a teenager is waaaay overdue, but he FINALLY develops into a character that is not entirely defined by his power and his family. In fact, Slott’s examination of Franklin’s self-doubts will be my second favorite aspect of his run. It only makes sense: the kid created a universe when he was FIVE, he’s destined to be a god AND he has to live up to his family’s legacy… can you blame him for acting out?
The best part of the Slott run is undoubtedly allowing Ben and Alicia to finally get married; we’ve had DECADES of exploration of the Thing’s depression, I just want to see him be happy for a while. And come on, who doesn’t love the Thing?
Well, speaking of someone who doesn’t: Doom is a return to the classics here. A bit too abruptly for my tastes (which cost a full point on the score); making him return to do Doom stuff was inevitable, but it would have been at least remotely gradual.
Victorious is a good introduction into Doom’s world; while we don’t see her much here, she’s will get her chance to play off Doom’s personality.
She’s the third second-in-command we ever see, and you can see a bit of evolution between them.
First we had Fortune from Doom 2099: a non-powered Latverian woman who wasn’t a Doom fanatic but who respected him enough to follow him, and who tried her best to keep his most villanous instincts in check.
Then we had Lancer from Heroes Reborn: basically Fortune but with superpowers and not Latverian.
Now we have Victorious: she has powers like Lancer, she’s latverian like Fortune, but she IS a Doom follower. She’s not going to keep Doom in check like the others, but I see a bit of similiarity.
For a man who can be quite sexist, Doom seems to prefer to have a female second-in-command.
Supervillains created by Dr. Doom: 24
While a somewhat atypical supervillain, as Doom’s herald Victorious qualifies.
Times Doom has saved the world: 24
Destroy the FF! : 62
Both categories don’t get new points, but spoiler alert: this is the actual reason Doom is doing this.
Shocking, I know.
Times Latveria has been conquered: 18