Victor von Doom took over the world (One World Under Doom No. 1). He didn’t do it with an assortment of weapons and Doombots. As far as we know, the leaders of the world gave their power to Dr. Doom willingly. The only ones who resisted were Baron Zemo and Red Skull and they were killed for being murderous Nazis. Everyone else (including Wakanda) decided that Doom’s new rules were the ones to live by. What’s more important is the public seems to love it and Earth is thriving. However, that isn’t enough for Victor. He needed to prove it to his goddaughter and child of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, Valeria Richards.
After telling her parents that she’s going to New York to see her friend, Valeria meets with her “Uncle Doom” to find out what he’s doing. During their trip around the world and then into space, Valeria questions everything, and Doom answers without hesitation. The big query came when she asked how he justified it to himself. Every reader must have expected some B.S. explanation but received the truth like only Doom can deliver. He simply says, “I seek glory.”
"There is no greater motivation, no greater proof that my methods are sincere. In uniting the world, I’ve already done what others have long said was impossible."Victor von Doom
There wasn’t a pause to give himself enough time to respond in a way that would make his goddaughter agree with him. He was straightforward. Yes, it was still boastful, but you have to respect Doom’s honesty. Then again, it’s rare that he’s anything except sincere.
Everything he says he believes in his heart. Sometimes his actions are aggressive and violent, yet, in his way, he means well. So far, One World UNder Doom has shown that Victor’s reign is what the world needs especially with the Avengers working with M.O.D.O.K, Arcade, Dr. Octopus, and other members of the Masters of Evil.
Back in Marvel Comics’ Civil War, Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. worked with some of the worst villains ever. Among them were murderers like Bullseye and Lady Deathstrike. Almost twenty years later things haven’t changed in this crossover. The heroes are willing to work with the scum of the universe to prove Doom is wrong. For the love of Kratos, M.O.D.O.K. just tried to kill mutants and take over the world (X-Men: Fall of X). Plus, they’re unironically called the Masters of Evil. That should be more than enough for the Avengers to sit back and go, “This isn’t a good idea.”
Without T’Challa around, there’s no voice of reason (T'Challa left in Avengers No. 19) and, shockingly, Thor is going along with this (if it’s even Thor and not his son. Read Immortal Thor for more on that). We also need to consider that Dr. Doom is messing with everyone. He locked himself away for months, returned, and then ruled the world in less than a day. After that, the heroes that oppose him begin acting unlike themselves. The Avengers publically working with villains will certainly hurt their reputation while making Doom look great.
While we think Doom is up to something, we should be concerned that he didn’t do anything wrong. That would mean he was right and the heroes' irrational actions are their own. That should scare every reader because this series is far from over.
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