Few comic book characters have managed to make an impact the way that Doctor Doom has over the years. One of the deadliest beings in the entire Marvel Universe, Doom has been a nemesis of the Fantastic Four and any other superhero who has crossed his path over the years, creating havoc and mayhem with a genius born of tragedy and hate.

And that just makes him awesome. Don’t believe me? Well then, here’s ten reasons why Doctor Doom is one of the most awesome comic book characters of all time.

He’s a master of science and magic

While his eternal rival Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four may have become a master of science, Doom has proven on several occasions to be his better and also a capable sorcerer. With arcane skills that rival even those of sorcerer supreme Doctor Strange, Doom has proven that even though he may be human he is more than a match for any threat with his knowledge of the mystical, powers that he inherited from his late mother.

He pretty much makes David Copperfield look a rank amateur in comparison.

Doom’s greatest weapon is his mind

But Doom’s deadliest trait isn’t his mighty armour forged by evil monks or the ability to conjure up demons from nightmare realms: It’s his unmatched intellect, ego and drive for perfection that has allowed Doom to far surpass the brightest minds of the Marvel universe, such as Reed Richards, Hank Pym and even Tony Stark.

Doom rules his own nation

Right, how many villains can you name who actually have control of their own nation and a populace who adores them even when a gun isn’t pointed at them? Pretty much only Doom has managed that feat, as after he was driven out of his homeland of Latveria, he would return years later to overthrow the dictator in charge and become its undisputed leader.

Under Doom, Latveria has actually thrived: The quality of education improved, the population gained access to new technology to make their lives better and all they had to do was swear unflinching loyalty to their beloved leader or face a quick death. Sounds about fair.

Doom doubles

What makes Doom such a tricky adversary? It’s that you never know if you’re talking to the real deal or one of his numerous Doom-Bot body doubles. Doom has dozens of these automatons waiting to be activated, sophisticated androids whose artificial intelligence is so advanced, that they genuinely believe themselves to be the legitimate article.

With so many bionic doubles vexing many a hero and adversary, only Doom knows who the true Doom is.

Conqueror and diplomat

As the leader of Latveria, Doom is technically untouchable by the long arm of the law when he visits other nations. With embassies around the world, even New York City’s heroes aren’t allowed near Doom most of the time, as even they are no match for the power of diplomatic immunity. Once again, even the laws of the world bend to the will of Doom!

Doom will stop at nothing to achieve victory

How far would you go to defeat your most dreaded foe? Would you consider perhaps selling the soul of the one person you love most to horrific demons from a nightmare fuel realm and then using her skin as a new mystically-enchanted armour with which to exact your revenge? Because that’s exactly what Doom did in the Unthinkable storyline, as he made use of his mystical might to leave Mister Fantastic scarred both on the outside and the inside in a battle that forever changed the dynamic between the two geniuses.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Doom will go to any lengths possible to prove himself the superior to that damn Richards. RIIIIIIICHARDS!

He once launched the Fantastic Four headquarters into space

Like, the entire Baxter building. Into space itself…listen, don’t mess with Doom, the dude means business.

Doom has defeated gods

He may be mortal, but Doom has proven himself more than a match for any cosmic being who has dared to thinks themselves better than him. Having beaten Asgardians, cosmic beings such as the Phoenix Force and even Loki in a game in a trickery, Doom’s greatest achievement may come from his victory over the Beyonders, reality-threatening beings whose powers Doom stole twice and used to become a god himself.

No scratch that, a god-emperor as Doom’s last session of divinity saw him rescue shreds of reality from annihilation and form to create BattleWorld in the last Secret Wars event. Moral of the story then? Don’t ever underestimate Doom, or you might find yourself facing a very personal extinction event.

Doom has escaped death countless times

Like a cockroach on steroids, you just can’t keep Doom down for long. Whether its the revelation that you just fought tooth and nail to defeat one of his Doombots or Doom cheating death with the power of magic and science yet again, nothing can kill the mighty monarch. At least not permenantly. Doom’s greatest escape may have come from when he faced his own master, the Marquis of Death and found himself utterly outclassed by a being that destroys entire realities for shits and giggles.

Burnt alive in his own armour, mentally destroyed with illusions and flung millions of years into the past to become seafood for the giant sharks of that era, it looked like Doom was finally written off for good. But in a feat of survival that proved that death was for lesser men, Doom would spend millions of years rebuilding his shattered body molecule by molecule all so that he could finally exact his revenge on the Marquis.

And what a sweet meal it was, when Doom finally revealed himself to be the secret apprentice that had been shadowing his former master for millenia.

He tricked the devil himself

There’re plenty of devils in the Marvel Universe, but Mephisto may be the biggest bastard of them all. Ruler of his own pocket-realm of the dead, this trickster delights in deals that never work out for anyone by himself, as he claims souls and subjects them to some very apt punishments in his realm. But the lord of demons made a huge mistake not only when he took the soul of Doom’s own mother, but decided to show off his latest acquisition to him as well.

Enlisting Doctor Strange to help reclaim her spirit, Doom played a dangerous game with Mephisto, one where it seemed as if Strange would be betrayed and Mephisto would have a new toy to play with. But through numerous machinations, Doom’s plan resulted in his the spirit of his mother being purified and allowed to rest in the heavens, as he walked out of hell itself unscathed with Doctor Strange rescued as well, triumphant over the devil himself.

And he didn’t even have to wager his spirit in a violin contest either. And that’s our list! Agree or disagree? Let us know in the comments below!

Last Updated: