The motivations of Doctor Doom

For a man with a silly supervillain name, Doctor Doom has become a multi-layered, wildly complex figure in the Marvel universe. Sure, he’s definitely a bad guy, but his motivations don’t come from desire for power, riches, or control. Those just happen to be perks. Nope, Doom knows a secret, and he’ll reveal it to us today in Doomwar #3, written by Jonathan Maberry and drawn by Scot Eaton.

So Wakanda, a relatively tiny country in Africa ruled by the superhero Black Panther, has technology and strength far beyond even our precious US of A. Many years ago, a meteorite landed in Wakanda, and luckily for everyone there, it was composed of the largest supply of vibranium in the known world. Vibranium, a metal that surpasses even admantium (the stuff infused in Wolverine’s skeleton), has the ability to absorb all vibrations and kinetic energy thrown at it — essentially making it almost impossible to break. Captain America’s shield, for instance. And as a result, Wakanda has never been conquered in thousands of years. Until Doctor Doom came along.

To access the vibranium vault, Doom not only has to bypass a whole bunch of scientific and magical locks, he has to bare his soul to the Panther God. Seriously. The same being that gives Black Panther his superpowers has to judge Doom to be absolutely pure of heart, the same Doom that has callously massacred thousands of people. Well, that’s not going to stop Doom from trying. Nothing will, really.

Doom may be one of the most powerful people on the planet. He’s a scientific genius and the second most powerful sorcerer alive. But he’s also the man who once willingly sacrificed the love of his life to gain more magical power. Good luck looking into Doom’s charred soul.

Though Doom won’t admit it, he’d probably benefit from some major therapy. If it’s a Panther God and the world’s vibranium at stake, I guess lying on that metaphorical couch makes showing that small sliver of vulnerability worth it. Look, as Doctor Doom fights for a Doom-centric future, he’s certainly not doing it for himself. I mean, he’d be in charge and everyone would obey him as a deity-type figure, but that’s only a small benefit. Y’see, a Doomworld future serves only to benefit you, the unguided primitive fool you are.

My dear readers, I present to you the only possible scenario that leads to Marvel universe utopia. A brutal, law-abiding society that answers to their righteous and justified savior. Let us bow our heads to the man who saved us from ourselves (and Skrulls, I guess).

If Doctor Doom shows the slightest greed or hatred in his motivations, he’ll be killed by a giant cat. No getting around that. But every action Doom takes, no matter how cruel or sickening, serves a single optimistic purpose. And that surprised Panther God expression above reveals more the unfortunate wisdom in Doom’s world and less of a large Mouse God or something passing by.

Surely with the world’s vibranium under Doctor Doom’s control, he wouldn’t use it for evil, right?

Read the miniseries for the exciting conclusion and the Wakanda-changing plot twist at the end. Plus Deadpool shows up in a few issues for some reason.