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Avengers: Doomsday

Doctor Doom comics to read before Avengers: Doomsday

Ten Doctor Doom stories that show why he is a threat to the whole Marvel Universe, not just the Fantastic Four, in the order they came out.

By the editors of The Iron Mask Files · Published October 13, 2026 · 4 min read

Avengers: Doomsday, directed by Joe and Anthony Russo with Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom, is scheduled to open in theaters on December 18, 2026, after a delay from May; Avengers: Secret Wars follows on December 17, 2027. Marvel has not said which comics it draws on, so this is not a spoiler list or a prediction. It is a short shelf of the stories that show Doom operating at the scale of the Avengers: cosmic power, multiversal stakes and the throne of the world.

Each entry has links to find the book at Amazon and at Bookshop.org, which supports independent bookstores. These are affiliate links: as an Amazon Associate and a Bookshop.org affiliate, this site earns from qualifying purchases, at no extra cost to you. Most of these stories are also on Marvel Unlimited.

If you only have a weekend

Three to read firstRead Fantastic Four Annual #2 (1964) for who he is, the first Secret Wars (1984–85) for Doom stealing a god's power, and Secret Wars (2015) for Doom ruling what is left of reality. The last one shares its name with Avengers: Secret Wars, the film that follows Doomsday, and it is the best Doom story of the century so far.

The list

  1. The origin

    Fantastic Four Annual #2 · 1964 · Stan Lee and Jack Kirby

    The Romani childhood, his parents' deaths, the machine at State University, the explosion and the mask. Every later version of Doom starts here, and it takes twenty minutes to read.

    Collected in Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 2. Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  2. Doomquest

    Iron Man #149–150 · 1981 · David Michelinie, Bob Layton and John Romita Jr.

    Doom and Tony Stark are thrown back to Camelot together. It is the start of the Doom and Iron Man rivalry, which matters a great deal for a film starring Robert Downey Jr. as Doom.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  3. The first Secret Wars

    Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1–12 · 1984–85 · Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck

    The Beyonder gathers heroes and villains on Battleworld to fight. Doom drains Galactus, then the Beyonder himself, and becomes a god for two issues. It is the template for every later story about Doom and ultimate power. Our Beyonder-powered Doom page rates that version.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  4. Triumph and Torment

    Graphic novel · 1989 · Roger Stern and Mike Mignola

    Doom calls in a debt from Doctor Strange to free his mother's soul from Mephisto. If you want to understand why anyone would ever sympathize with him, read this.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  5. Infinity Gauntlet

    Infinity Gauntlet #1–6 · 1991 · Jim Starlin, George Pérez and Ron Lim

    Thanos takes the Infinity Gems and erases half of all life. Doom joins the heroes' attack and, being Doom, tries to take the Gauntlet for himself (#4). It blasts him away. A useful reminder of how Thanos and Doom measure up; we go deeper in Thanos vs. Doctor Doom.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  6. Books of Doom

    Books of Doom #1–6 · 2005–06 · Ed Brubaker and Pablo Raimondi

    A modern retelling of his life up to his first fight with the Fantastic Four, narrated by Doom himself. A good alternative to the 1964 origin if you prefer newer art.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  7. Time Runs Out

    Avengers #35–44 and New Avengers #24–33 · 2015 · Jonathan Hickman and others

    The multiverse is dying as universes collide. Namor's Cabal destroys other Earths to survive, and the Avengers fall apart. In the last issues Doom reveals what he has been doing all along, and goes after the Beyonders themselves (New Avengers #33). Dense, but it sets up everything that follows. Our villains section rates the Cabal one by one.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  8. Secret Wars

    Secret Wars #1–9 · 2015–16 · Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić

    Doom has killed the Beyonders, taken their power and built Battleworld from the wreckage of dead universes. He rules it as God Emperor, with Sue Storm as his wife and Doctor Strange as his sheriff. Then the survivors of the old world wake up. The best Doom story of the century, and the one that shares its name with Avengers: Secret Wars (2027). Our God Emperor Doom page rates him.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  9. Infamous Iron Man

    Infamous Iron Man #1–12 · 2016–17 · Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev

    With Tony Stark out of action, Doom puts on an Iron Man suit and tries to do good. Nobody believes him. Given who plays Doom in the film, this is the most intriguing read on the list.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

  10. One World Under Doom

    One World Under Doom #1–9 · 2025 · Ryan North and R. B. Silva

    Doom, now Sorcerer Supreme, declares himself Emperor of Earth, and much of the world decides it likes him. The Avengers and the Fantastic Four have to fight a ruler who is fixing things. It ends with his death, and its aftermath is still playing out in 2026.

    Find it: Amazon · Bookshop.org

If you want more

Our full Doctor Doom reading order covers sixty years of his comics era by era, and the strongest versions of Doom ranks every powered-up Doom in these stories. For a quick refresher on the man himself, start with Who is Doctor Doom?

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Written for The Iron Mask Files, an unofficial fan site. Comic issue numbers are given so you can check every claim; no artwork or dialogue from the comics is reproduced. Spot a mistake? Tell us.