‘Avengers: Doomsday’: Doctor Doom Comics & Backstory Guide

The main antagonist of Avengers: Doomsday, Robert Downey Jr.‘s Doctor Doom, has only been seen once in the MCU, and his appearance was brief: a post-credits scene at the end of 2025’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But that doesn’t mean he’s not formidable.

First appearing in 1962’s Fantastic Four #5 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Doctor Doom was created to be a rival to Reed Richards. Born Victor von Doom in the Eastern European nation of Latveria, he experienced grief early on when his mother, a witch, died at the hands of the demon Mephisto. A few years later, after being sentenced to execution by Latveria’s ruler, Doom’s father escaped but died in exile, leading Doom to vow revenge.

He began making advanced technological devices that earned him recognition from Empire State University, who recruited him to study there — where he met Reed Richards, the only other mind as creative and brilliant as his own.

Doom created a device that he hoped could be used to breach the afterlife and talk to his mom. Despite Reed’s warnings, the device failed. Doom’s face was scarred, he was expelled from school, and his rift with Reed began.

Doom escaped to Tibet, where monks helped form a mask to hide his scar, and he soon learned how to create his own suit of armor using the magic he’d learned from his mother, along with what would become his iconic face shield.

When Doom returned to his homeland, he wasted no time in making himself ruler of Latveria, but his ego didn’t stop there. He became a nemesis not only to the Fantastic Four but also to the Avengers, the X-Men, Spider-Man and many other Marvel heroes.

His smarts and sorcery made him a threat to anyone who crossed his path, and across the universe, a warning was clear: You don’t want to mess with this twisted genius.

Here, we break down the most important Doctor Doom comics to get to know the character before Avengers: Doomsday.

Doom: The Comics

Doctor Doom: Books of Doom (2005)

Written by Ed Brubaker; art by Pablo Raimondi

Need to learn everything there is to know about Doom? Start here, in this expansive history that chronicles Doom’s journey from a child in Eastern Europe to all-powerful threat — told from Doom’s point of view in a documentary-style way.

Those who were affected by Doom have a very different perspective, and the differing views allow these stories to provide an easy access point for readers, whether they are familiar with comic book lore or just starting out.

Jonathan Hickman’s Fantastic Four (2009–12)

Written by Jonathan Hickman; art by Dan Eaglesham and Neil Edward

To understand Doom and his history, you have to understand the Fantastic Four. Renowned writer Jonathan Hickman depicts the superhero quartet as not just space adventurers but visionary heroes.

It all gets a bit complicated once you add in variants, the multiverse and stories of the “next generation” with Reed and Sue’s son, Franklin, but Hickman’s skilled storytelling is essential homework for readers to grasp why Doom sees Reed and his family as such a threat.

Avengers: Time Runs Out (2014–15)

Written by Jonathan Hickman; art by Mike Deodato Jr., Stefano Caselli, Kev Walker and Mike Perkins

Hickman does it again in this esteemed story, which positions Doom in a significant role as the mastermind behind the multiverse collapsing, thanks to collisions that are happening with other universes.

Given Doom’s involvement in the conflict, this is probably the comic story that Doomsday will adhere the closest to, and for good reason, as the events in this book lead into another epic event — one that is coming to the MCU after Doomsday, even if we don’t know much about it: Secret Wars.

Avengers: Doomsday, In Theaters December 18

TV Guide Magazine’s Avengers: Doomsday Special Issue is available for order online now at Avengers.TVBooks.com, and for purchase on newsstands nationwide.