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This article was originally published on June 28, 2017, as part of VulturesVillains Week.
Youcouldhave come to me first.
Youshouldhave come to me first.
But youdidnot, Doom intones.
Now you regret it.
And you dragged the stinking carcass of your failure to my door.
Everything will stand or fall on what we face.
(Magneto is a close second.)
Its time for that to change, even if such a change may seem impossible right now.
For casual superhero-film fans, he isnt a second choice; he isnt even a tenth.
He might not even be on the list.
Doom would find this fact obscene, and so should we.
His gist is both elegant and internally consistent as well as wholly unique.
Hes his own thing, and hes been a perpetual part of the Marvel Comics legendarium for 62 years.
The first and foremost factor is his nobility.
Initially, the fact of his leadership was something of a gimmick.
But what was once silly has since been developed as a fascinating character trait.
In the best depictions of Doom, Latveria is actually a pretty great place to live.
Sure, you cant criticize the guy in charge, but everything else is pretty hunky-dory.
Do you begin to see, Strange?
By contrast, think of Dooms closest analogue in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Loki.
He is merely power hungry, not inherently noble.
Though Loki is fascinating to watch, he lacks the majesty of Doom.
And theres a lot of majesty to be found.
Precious few villain monologues in big-screen superhero pictures even come close to being that fascinating and compelling.
When hes written well, you are seduced by Doom.
Thats also what makes him work so well as a morally compromised hero on occasion.
He allows people to live if their deaths would violate his code of honor.
He will allow the Fantastic Four to escape if they have aided him in a given situation.
Thats also what makes him so utterly terrifying when he goes full-on evil.
As if that werent enough, he then proceeds to send Reeds preteen son to be tortured in Hell.
Its a thrilling roller coaster of a dynamic.
There are plenty of other reasons why Doom stands alone.
His Kirby-designed outfit a full-body metal carapace draped in green robes and a hood is unforgettable.
And just as important, Doom is capable of beinghilarious.
Not intentionally, of course hes deadly serious in his aims and self-regard.
But his monologuing and grandiosity are easily mocked and parodied.
This is a feature, not a bug.
Any good superhero story needs dashes of humor, and Doom is perfect as an object of it.
Hell, virtually everything about Doom in a well-penned story is delightful.
Now, with Fox under the Disney umbrella,we might finally get a movie that does Doom justice.
