The Daily Think

Doctor DOOM takes on Galactus in a Second Battle for the Ages but will he Win? Sanford Greene and Jonathan Hickman come together to create one of the hottest books of 2024 in DOOM #1 a one shot in which the Marvel Universe is plunged into a What If style story of the end of their universe. Hickman and Greene have always expressed their love of Doctor DOOM and in this homage and letter to DOOM they are tapping into their childhood fandom of the Doctor from the Secret Wars days. The book makes several assumptions, that you know about the Marvel Universe, and Doctor DOOM, but also accept that this is a one-shot story and not part of canon.

SPOILERS AHEAD
SUPER HIGH LEVEL SYNOPSIS
Doctor DOOM Vs. Galactus ’nuff said. In this universe, something has snapped in Galactus where his planet consuming hunger takes over his needs and he attempts to eat every planet he can. His power becomes so rampant that everyone in the universe from superhero to villain to Celestial attempt to defeat him. His ultimate goal is to create a new universe in which he can continue eating that universe as well. But there is one problem with Galactus’s plan, a miscalculation in the form of DOCTOR DOOM.

DETAILED LEVEL ANALYSIS
Valeria Richards starts us off by locating the Doctor’s body after a very explosive battle between him and Galactus. DOOM is near death, but survives due to his magical and mystical powers. Victor is slowly revived, and the plot unfolds of why we got here. All the powerful superheroes of the universe attempt to take down Galactus who is consuming the universe quickly, but its all for nothing as they end up losing their battles. You see everyone in the Marvel universe and it’s awesome! You got the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-men, Deadpool, Doctor Strange, and even Juggernaut! Eventually you get Howard the Duck, Silver Samurai, Alpha Flight, the Wrecking Crew, Thor and Venom. Tack on more superheroes you get the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Shiar empire, Firelord and the Silver Surfer. Continuing all the way to the battle of the titans between Galactus and the Celestials of the universe. Galactus even kills them with his power even though they were the ones responsible for inventing the infinity stones!

DOOM takes on the challenge and in a massive Kaiju sized Armored suit to battle a planet sized Galactus. Great visuals and great banter between DOOM and Valeria who eventually resurrects and builds a powerful new armor while giving DOOM additional power through medicine. They mount one final attack on Galactus with his heralds in the form of the Molecule Men (evil dudes from the classic Secret Wars mini-series.) DOOM takes on the Molecule Men and fends them off with his power while Valeria goes in to destroy Galactus’s Universe building machine. She eventually sacrifices herself to destroy it and now Galactus is stuck in this universe without a new source of food. Oh and on the last page, DOOM awaits to do battle with Galactus while monologuing to us that one day we will all die, and just embrace the DOOM and laugh in its face. FIN.

HOMAGE AND REFERENCES
Starting with the opening page, we get a MF DOOM lyric that just drove all the fan boys wild (reference to Accordion – Madvillain.) There are the numerous heroes with basically every single Marvel Superhero represented including the galactic ones! I recently heard a podcast with Sanford Greene who cites the Rap community and Secret Wars as his biggest influences on his work. The Artwork is stunning as you see the Fearsomness of Galactus, but also the sheer power of DOOM. The heroes’ collections were beautiful as well as they tried to take on the destructive god that Galactus has become. Some of the splash pages and panels just screamed Anime style with Dragonball Z power ups. Overall its a beautiful and big book that deserves the credits and kudus and flowers it’s getting right now.

LEGACY
DOOM will always be Marvel’s greatest villain and possibly one of the greatest in all of literature when it’s said and done. He has already been around for 62 years and yet to make his appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (as of this writing.) He has been a hero, a savior, a reluctant ally, but has always been the one force on earth that makes all superheroes in the Marvel universe stay humble. You might be earth’s mightiest heroes, Fantastic, or Uncanny, maybe Amazing or Spectacular, but know that there is always the power and genius of earth’s most intelligent and dangerous minds named DOOM.