The Doctor Doom guide
Doctor Doom's history
Six decades of Doom, era by era: from Fantastic Four #5 in 1962 to his death and its aftermath in 2025 and 2026, with every death and return along the way.
Era by era
| Years | Era | Key issues | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962–63 | The early battles | FF #5, #6, #10, #16–17, #23 | Blackbeard's treasure, an alliance with Namor, the Ovoid mind swap, the Micro-World, the Terrible Trio, a fall into deep space. |
| 1964 | Origin | FF Annual #2 | Cynthia, Werner, the State University explosion, Tibet, the throne. |
| 1965 | The Battle of the Baxter Building | FF #39–40 | The powerless Fantastic Four and Daredevil beat him; the Thing crushes his hands. |
| 1966–67 | The Power Cosmic | FF #57–60 | He steals the Silver Surfer's power and loses it to Galactus's barrier. |
| 1969 | Latveria | FF #84–87 | The FF trapped in his kingdom; the Servo-Guards; he plays the piano. |
| 1970–78 | Solo and team-up years | Astonishing Tales #1–8; Super-Villain Team-Up | Prince Rudolfo, the Red Skull's coup, an annual duel with Mephisto, the Namor partnership. |
| 1978 | When Titans Clash | FF #196–200 | The Invincible Man; Reed tears off his mask and he falls catatonic. |
| 1981 | Doomquest; Liddleville | Iron Man #149–150; FF #236 | Camelot and Morgan le Fay; a miniature prison town for the FF. |
| 1982–86 | John Byrne's run | FF #247–248, #258–260, #278–279 | Zorba and Kristoff; Terrax destroys his body; Kristoff becomes Doom. |
| 1984–85 | Secret Wars | Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1–12 | He leads the villains and steals the Beyonder's power. |
| 1987 | Emperor Doom | Graphic novel | He rules the world through the Purple Man. |
| 1989 | Triumph and Torment; Doomquest II | Graphic novel; Iron Man #249–250 | He frees his mother's soul from Mephisto with Doctor Strange. |
| 1991 | The robot retcon | FF #350 | The real Doom returns. |
| 1996–98 | Onslaught and Heroes Reborn | Onslaught: Marvel Universe; Heroes Reborn: The Return | Presumed dead; Counter-Earth. |
| 2002–06 | Mark Waid's run and after | FF vol. 3 #54, #67–70; FF #500, #503–508, #536–537 | Valeria's birth and naming; Unthinkable; Hell; Reed occupies Latveria; Doom escapes Hell through Mjolnir's breach. |
| 2005–06 | Books of Doom | Books of Doom #1–6 | Ed Brubaker's retelling of his origin. |
| 2007–10 | Dark Reign and Siege | Mighty Avengers #9–11; Dark Avengers; Thor #603–606; Siege: The Cabal | Arrested; joins Osborn's Cabal; the Destroyer armor. |
| 2009 | The Marquis of Death | FF #566–569 | Exiled to the past; he kills his old master. |
| 2010 | Doomwar | Doomwar #1–6 | T'Challa makes Wakanda's vibranium inert rather than let Doom have it. |
| 2010–12 | The Children's Crusade | Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1–9 | He steals the Life Force. |
| 2011–12 | Jonathan Hickman's FF | FF #1–16 | Joins the Future Foundation at Valeria's request; apparent death (#14); the Parliament of Doom (#16). |
| 2013–15 | Time Runs Out | New Avengers vol. 3 #24–33 | Rabum Alal and the Black Swans; the Molecule Men. |
| 2015 | Secret Wars | Secret Wars #1–9 | God Emperor of Battleworld; Reed heals his face. |
| 2016–18 | Infamous Iron Man | Infamous Iron Man #1–12; Invincible Iron Man vol. 4 #593–600 | Reformed; his face burned again. |
| 2018–22 | Dan Slott's FF | FF vol. 6 #1, #6–9, #32–34, #40–44 | Victorious; Galactus trapped in Mount Doom; his face exposed to the world; a wedding that collapses; the Reckoning War. |
| 2019–20 | Doctor Doom | Doctor Doom #1–10 | Framed for the Antlion station, killed by Taskmaster (#2) and revived (#3), conquers Symkaria (#8). |
| 2021 | The Last Annihilation | Guardians of the Galaxy #13–18 (Al Ewing) | Joins the Guardians; his spell drains Dormammu's magic. |
| 2024 | Blood Hunt; Doom | Blood Hunt #1–5; Doom #1 | Becomes Sorcerer Supreme. |
| 2025 | One World Under Doom | #1–9 (February 12 to November 19) | United Latveria; Zemo killed; Ben made human; Dormammu beaten; Valeria killed and restored; his death. |
| Dec 2025 | The Will of Doom | The Will of Doom #1 | Valeria inherits Latveria and everything else. |
| 2026 | Hell and Armageddon | Captain America vol. 14 #12–16; Avengers: Armageddon #1–5; Doomquest; Challenges of Doom; Black Panther/Namor: Doomed | War on Mephisto from Hell; see current status. |
Deaths and returns
| How he died | Comic | How he came back |
|---|---|---|
| Flung into deep space through his own solar-wave portal | FF #23 (1964) | Rescued by Rama-Tut (FF Annual #2). |
| Body destroyed by Terrax | FF #260 (1983) | Survived by mind transfer; the Beyonder restored his body (FF #288). |
| Onslaught | Onslaught: Marvel Universe #1 (1996) | Lived on in Franklin's pocket universe. |
| Dragged to Hell | FF #500 (2003) | Escaped through the breach Mjolnir made (FF #536–537). |
| The Mad Celestials | FF #14 (2012) | Woke in the ruins of the Council of Reeds (FF #16). |
| Shot by Taskmaster | Doctor Doom #2 (2019) | Sent back by Death, who valued him as one of her greatest servants (Doctor Doom #3). |
| The Living Tribunal's price | One World Under Doom #9 (2025) | His soul is in Hell (Captain America vol. 14 #12–16, 2026). |