Doomwar #2 (2010)
by Jonathan Maberry & Scot Eaton
cover by John Romita Jr.
This miniseries has great covers, but this one has a very distracting perspective that ruins it.
Also: this scene does not happen in the story.
In the ending of the previous issue Shuri murdered the head of the Desturi, the xenophobic group that staged a coup.
Turns out that she slaughtered the entire council (!!!), something that Nightcrawler is NOT okay with.
It should be noted that T’Challa is okay with this. Shuri is normally depicted as WAY more extreme than him in this period, but he’s dangerously close to her position now.
Meanwhile, Doom is at the very last lock he needs to open to gain access to the Vibranium vault.
Storm can’t help him anymore, not even with him threatening T’Challa’s mother.
It’s very jarring to see Doom with a regular handgun! If he was holding the regular one that he typically carries around and NEVER uses, it would be one thing! But it’s clearly a modern gun.
Doom is showing an unprecedented level of respect for T’Challa. He’s always respected him as a person, but now he’s even going as far to say that they’re “perfectly matched”.
HUGE compliment from Doom.
And for once, I have to say that Doom is kind of right for calling out T’Challa for being too arrogant for his own good… seriously, his ego during the Hudlin run was as bad as Doom’s.
Who of course has never had any trouble with his own ego.
This is why I love this miniseries. The fight between Doom and Black Panther isn’t really about who can fight better: it’s a contrast of minds and philosophy.
Also: THIS is what really sets apart Doctor Doom from most supervillains. Even with his gigantic ego, he’s not above losing a specific fight as long as he can win the war.
(he also always loses the war in the end, but that’s another thing)
Meanwhile, the Wakandan Civil War is in its most brutal phase.
Shuri is enjoying this a little too much, to the point that it’s starting to creep out the heroes.
Nightcrawler is one thing, but when FREAKING WOLVERINE is worried that you’re going too far, that’s a red flag!!!
Since Storm is no help, Doom is studying the last lock on his own. And it comes with a riddle.
In a surprisingly subdued scene, Doom reflects on this without saying much.
I especially like the splash page which juxtaposes his reflection with the war, without a single word.
Nightcrawler continues to argue with Shuri about her bloodlust. It’s a nice contrast between the two: he’s thinking like a hero…
…and she’s the heir of an absolute monarchy with a shockingly militaristic mindset.
I kind of miss this version of Shuri: her post-movie characterization is fine, but her being a borderline psycho was very unique.
By now T’Challa has reached the Vibranium vault, with Doom holding a still powerless Storm hostage.
So Doom issues his ultimatum: it’s either Storm or the Vibranium.
It’s a very tense scene, with T’Challa willing to sacrifice her to save his country.
But don’t worry about her: Doom doesn’t really need to kill her…
…because HE ALREADY WON.
Yep! That’s right: Doom stole all the Vibranium from the vault BEFORE T’Challa came to Storm’s rescue.
The only reason he threatened her was to show off!!!
We will learn next issue exactly how Doom bypassed the “purity test” of the vault, and it will be a great character moment.
But even without it, in this issue Doctor Doom has already shown how he’s still…
PURE.
UNADULTERATED.
BADASS.
Doom significance: 3/10
As per the previous issue.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
Nope!
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
I swear that I’m trying my best to keep my Doom bias in check.
I don’t love this miniseries just because Doom is at his coolest, but because everything connected to his plan makes perfect sense AND because it’s an amazing contrast between him and Black Panther.
T’Challa is the hero, but the more the war continues the more he’s using tactics normally associated to villains. And the way Shuri is not even considering the rebels as true Wakandans, or even as real people, is fascinating.
It was a Doombot all along
We will learn next issue why this absolutely MUST be the real deal.
Crazy tech
Nothing stands out this time. In fact, his victory has nothing to do with either technology OR magic this time!