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So apparently,
they're making a Black Panther movie. Let's hope Hudlin is kept as far away as possible. On a related note, anyone think that the whole 'Super Hero that is also a King/Ruler' is kind of ridiculous? I mean where do heroes like Aquaman and T'Challa find the time to both lead a nation and go gallavanting on the other side of the globe?
Edited by Mrph1 on Sep 1st 2024 at 8:36:28 PM
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Especially in a country that already lacked any checks or balances to keep them in check. Latveria's had very bad luck with its rulers. The previous monarchy that Doom overthrew was just as awful morally.
About the most meaningful difference in the average Latverian's life is that the Police State is enforced by a Killer Robot army in addition to typical blackshirts.
Edited by M84 on Jan 17th 2022 at 9:47:39 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedA thing about Doom is that, in spite of his occasional virtues and apparent noble goals, he is, at the end of the day, a petty narcissist with a God complex who'd sink incredibly low for his ego and to gain power. He even destroyed an universe because the local Doom worked with Reed.
Wake me up at your own risk.
That's even from the same 2019 miniseries. Like I said, said miniseries really shows Doom at his worst.
It also shows him at his pettiest and least mature. In the penultimate issue he goes into a Villainous Breakdown over nothing but Reed Richards calling him and wishing him good luck. Doom interprets this call as Richards taunting him and insinuating that he even needs luck to pull off his plan. Then when Richards gets fed up with this nonsense and hangs up, Doom is so enraged he smashes his monitor.
I honestly can't do this scene justice with text. It has to be seen to be understood.
What makes it worse is that Doom seems to think he and T'Challa are peers and treats him as such. There's some Your Approval Fills Me with Shame going on here.
Edited by M84 on Jan 17th 2022 at 9:52:56 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedAnd as the 2019 miniseries showed us, it's entirely possible for him to be a good man and a great hero.
All he has to do is let go of his petty pride and work alongside Reed Richards.
But 616 Doom would rather murder a universe than accept that.
And as if that level of genocide wasn't horrible enough, the method Doom used makes him even more monstrous. See, Doom used the Ultimate Nullifier to do it. The Ultimate Nullifier is a weapon that will destroy its wielder too if the wielder doesn't fully understand what they are destroying. Doom was unharmed by his use of the Ultimate Nullifier.
This means Doom understood perfectly well the sheer scale of the death and destruction he was unleashing. He knew exactly what it meant to kill an entire universe full of people. And he did it without any hesitation or remorse.
Edited by M84 on Jan 17th 2022 at 10:12:00 PM
Disgusted, but not surprisedHe is like Thanos.
An absolutely atrocious person but regardless one of the most powerful beings in the knowledge universe.
He'll Doom's boast in Guardians isn't necessarily wrong.
"'King of Space.' 'Master of the Sun.' You claim such vast dominions. Is it to balance your small souls? Could I not lay claim to the light and the void, if I wished it? Have I not earned such titles? I, who have mastered all arts, all sciences, all secrets? Whose technology and magic cross the stars as easily as they scramble an alpha telepath's mind? Who would dare to say I have not earned the right? Yet I am king of only a simple nation. On a simple planet. A beloved garden tended by iron hands. And the only title I have ever claimed... is doctor."
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 17th 2022 at 6:51:23 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."I mean, for years some comics tried to play him off as having some nobility.
It is there....which is why he sucks.
As others have said, he could be a great hero if he got over himself.
The fact that he has all that potential and squanders it is why he sucks.
This is something that some fans (and even a few writers) fail to grasp.
One Strip! One Strip!Cause he has potential, he can be a good guy and greay hero if he so chooses too but he doesn't because his own ego won't allow it like Lex Luthor.
The fact that he has all that potential and squanders it is why he sucks.
I think that Fantastic Four: 1234 by Grant Morrison has perhaps the best summation of Doom and how pathetic he is by devoting his life to petty revenge instead of using his intellect for good (delivered by Sue Storm, no less):
Historically monarchs didn't really get along with each other. They were after all rivals. Political marriages didn't help either — Obnoxious In-Laws are even worse when politics are mixed into it as well.
And this is when they weren't at war with each other.
Besides, other monarchs in the Marvel verse are kind of shit to varying degrees.
- There's Namor who is, uh, yeah.
- There's Doom who is, uh, yeah.
- There's Blackbolt who is, uh, yeah.
- There's Thor who is...not so bad actually most of the time. But he's only good company when he's not king of Asgard. When he is king of Asgard he's kind of a wreck.
Edited by M84 on Jan 18th 2022 at 3:01:59 AM
Disgusted, but not surprisedFor instance the current Thor run by Donny Cates where he has a mental breakdown every issue.
Like I know being king is hard but at least T’Challa holds himself with some dignity, Thor is in nonstop wangst mode and is blaming his father for every little thing.
Edited by slimcoder on Jan 17th 2022 at 11:49:36 AM
"I am Alpharius. This is a lie."

The 2019 Doom miniseries did at least point out that Latverians don't necessarily love Doom but don't have any options.
One scene had a Latverian meteorologist discuss Doom with her American colleagues. They try to talk about Doom's bad shit but she responds by pointing out the good things Doom has done for Latveria.
When they press the issue, she brings up a part of the Latverian legal code that makes it so that any Latverian who speaks badly of Doom is committing sedition.
That shuts her colleagues up.
Edited by M84 on Jan 17th 2022 at 9:35:05 PM
Disgusted, but not surprised