AVENGERS 25 (1966)
by Stan Lee and Don Heck
Doom has mostly been fighting the Fantastic Four so far, but after fighting Spider-Man he really steps it up a notch with his first published encounter with the Avengers.
We begin in Doom’s lair, where he’s talking to himself (of course).
Interestingly, once again he refers to Reed Richards as his equal. It happens a lot in this period, but in future stories the most he will be able to admit is that Reed is “almost” his equal.
Even more interestingly, he points out that he considers Avengers villain Kang the Conqueror to be his superior, because he comes from the future.
Enjoy a scene where he says this because you won’t see Doom say something like this often.
He’s still fixated on the ludicrous idea that Kang (which he’s already met in his previous identity of Rama-Tut) could be a future version of Doom instead of one of his descendants.
As I’ve said multiple times, this comes out of nowhere and it makes no sense that anyone would immediately suspect this.
Kang is actually the only reason why Doom is now interested in the Avengers, since they fought Kang during the previous Avengers issue.
Meanwhile, in the Avengers mansion, the Scarlet Witch has the hots for Captain America.
I forgot this was a thing in her very early stories with the Avengers. She’ll get over this crush rather quickly. I don’t even think Captain America ever noticed.
He’s too busy feeling down because he’s a man out of time, having skipped several years of his life in suspended animation.
And this was in 1966, when he lost a little over 20 years. Thanks to Marvel time, today he must’ve lost like 60.
But the plot REALLY starts when Scarlet Witch picks up a letter that states that someone has found a living relative of her and her brother Quicksilver.
This is years before we’re told their father is Magneto.
We take it for granted, but with was a rather late discovery: Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver were introduced in 1964, and although there were several hints here and there, they wouldn’t be officially confirmed as Magneto’s kids until 1982 !
Anyway, back to the story: the letter they received says that they have an aunt in Latveria.
When Latveria was introduced, the world did not know that Doctor Doom was its leader. Didn’t the Fantastic Four say anything to the Avengers about it!?
Speaking of Latveria, we get another glimpse:
Much like its previous brief appearance in Doom’s origin story, they seem to love him.
Although for the first time we learn that there’s still some level of dissent.
Doom’s plan has worked: all the current Avengers have arrived in Latveria, with Captain America and Hawkeye joining Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver.
Apparently the Fantastic Four are not the only team that will go anywhere if you send them an invite by mail.
The Avengers are arrested immediately after setting foot in Latveria…
…and only NOW they suddenly remember that Doctor Doom is the leader of Latveria!?
WTF!?
How is that NOT the first thing every superhero learns about this place!?!?
Naturally, placing the Avengers in a regular jail goes exactly as you’d imagine.
Doom’s reaction to this? Pull a lever that activates A GIGANTIC DOME that surrounds the entire country!
The dome is supposed to protect Latveria from atomic bombs (!!!!!), so the Avengers can’t leave the country. And they can’t trust the locals to help them, because they’re considered enemies of the state.
But this was all just an appetizer. The Avengers finally reach Castle Doom for the main course… a fight with the doctor himself.
Doom explains his plan: he wants to capture the Avengers… to use them as bait for a trap against the Fantastic Four.
He gets the upper hand rather quickly, tearing through all the guys…
…and even nullifying the Scarlet Witch’s power.
Then it’s Hawkeye, of all people, to get the first hit.
Doom retreats to change his armor, which apparently takes him 30 minutes (???), when he’s contacted by some Latverians who need him to lift the dome to save a child.
I’m not a fan of this. If it was strictly a choice between defeating the Fantastic Four and saving the child, maaaaaybe Doom would let him die. Maybe. But to prevent the Avengers from escaping, despite the fact that he repeatedly points out they mean nothing to him? I’m not buying it.
We also have a brief cameo by the Fantastic Four, with Don Heck doing a pretty decent imitation of Jack Kirby’s style.
Just like Doom’s appearance in the Spider-Man book, I find it interestingly that for the second time in a row we get a cameo of the Fantastic For when Doom fights another hero.
Also, in another nice touch, the Fantastic Four are prevented by the government from attacking Doom to rescue the Avengers because they don’t want to cause an international incident.
Back in Latveria, the Avengers (who have escaped from Doom’s castle) learn the whole situation about the sick boy.
Unexpectedly it’s Quicksilver, not Captain America, who suggests that the most honorable thing to do would let Doom capture them.
He does have a point… Doom is not threatening to kill them, just to keep them hostage.
But instead Captain America leads them back to Castle Doom, where Cap takes on Doctor Doom alone…
…with Doom catching Cap’s shield and throwing it back at him, WITHOUT USING HIS ARMOR.
Badass.
So far Doom has been facing each Avenger alone… but when they start working as a team, he’s in trouble.
He even thinks that the Avengers are as difficult to defeat as the Fantastic Four.
Though I’m sure he’s basically rationalizing his defeat at the hands of Hawkeye and his SNEEZING ARROW.
With the dome now retracted, the Avengers are able to escape Latveria.
“Another disappointment” indeed, Quicksilver. I was hoping for something more for the first fight between the Avengers and Doctor Doom, but this was rather meh.
Historical significance: 2/10
Nothing in the story itself will be expanded in future issues, but there is some minor historical significance: the reason we’ll be given for why the Avengers are not in New York during the first arrival of Galactus is that they were in Latveria during this issue. The Fantastic Four cameo during this story complicates things a little bit.
Doom significance: 1/10
First fight between Doom and the Avengers… until Avengers 1.5 is published, of course, but neither story is referenced again. Even Doom’s sudden interest in Kang won’t amount to anything, as the two characters will meet VERY rarely.
Silver Age-ness: 8/10
On the Marvel scale, that sneezing arrow alone is half of the points. The Avengers realizing that Doctor Doom is the leader of Latveria only after they set foot in the country is just inexcusable.
Does it stand the test of time? 5/10
Some of the banter between teammates hasn’t aged particularly well (Hawkeye is particularly unlikeable in this issue). The point about surrendering to Doom to save the kid is rather interesting, but it’s immediately pushed aside. Doom is a rather generic villain within the story; while he does provide a challenge to the Avengers, he should’ve made more progress considering that their lineup doesn’t include any major heavy hitter. Don Heck’s art is fine, but he’s not the guy you need when you have an epic fight.
It was a Doombot all along
No Doombots are used. Given the way he acts about the whole dying sick boy situation, I’d much rather think this was a Doombot. The real Doom would either open the dome to save the kid, or more likely decide that he’s better than any surgeon on the planet and decide to do the operation himself.
Destroy the FF!
He wants to use the Avengers as bait to attack the Fantastic Four, so it definitely counts.
Crazy tech
Doom utilizes the standard range of deadly weapons, but the only one that stands out is the device that he uses to block the Scarlet Witch’s powers. We don’t even get an explanation on how THAT works.
The real winner, however, has to be the gigantic dome that can withstand a nuclear warhead!
The doomy land of Doom
First signs of resistance from Latverians. Intriguingly, Doom seems to be aware that he’s not universally beloved by his subjects but at the same time doesn’t act violently towards signs of dissent.
Superhero count: 15
Adding another four Avengers to the number of heroes who have fought Doom so far.