Finally, I Found the Marvel Comic That Sets the Scene for Avengers: Doomsday

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I finally realized that a 1980s graphic novel could hold the key to Marvel’s next mega-blockbuster, Avengers: Doomsday. While the casting of Robert Downey Jr. gave a lot of fans Infamous Iron Man vibes, it’s really Emperor Doom by David Michelinie and Bob Hall that feels like it sets the stage for Doom’s eventual multiversal power play in Avengers: Secret Wars.

In Emperor Doom, which is part of the Marvel Graphic Novel line, Doctor Doom enslaves the world by harnessing the power of the Purple Man, amplifying it through a powerful artifact, and broadcasting his mind control abilities out into the world. At this point, it was still relatively rare for Doom to be a universe-level threat rather than a Fantastic Four villain, and it was the first time he successfully managed to literally conquer the Earth.

In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we haven’t seen the Purple Man in quite a while, but that part is easy to change, leading me to think this graphic novel could be the blueprint for the upcoming movie.

How Could Emperor Doom Provide the Template for Avengers: Doomsday?

Marvel Graphic Novel #27 by David Michelinie, Bob Hall, and Bill Oakley

At this point, very little is known about the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Doctor Doom. Other than being played by Robert Downey, Jr. and serving as the antagonist for the next two Avengers films, the character is shrouded almost completely in mystery. That mystery, combined with the Downey casting, has led to a ton of fan speculation as to how it will all fit together, and from which comics the MCU might be drawing story ideas. Up to this point, Emperor Doom hasn’t really been a big part of the conversation. I think it should be.

Emperor Doom pits Doom against the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers. While the movies have never explicitly had two distinct Avengers groups with individual branding, it isn’t hard to imagine that the teams could embrace that designation in the movie, considering that there are two separate and distinct headquarters for the team in the MCU. But, like the availability of characters like the Purple Man and Wonder Man, that is surface-level stuff. Considering how open the MCU is to making changes to the source material, what I really want to dig into is the great character and theme moments, and Emperor Doom has plenty of those.

What Happens in Emperor Doom, and Who Are Its Key Players?

Wonder Man Takes Center Stage

In the context of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s multiverse, it would make sense to have some version of the Emperor Doom story represented. The story centers on Doom manipulating the world into compliance and using his power to remake the world as a utopia free of crime, war, and inequality. Only Wonder Man is free of Doom’s mind control, and he has to bring enough Avengers back from the void to actually fight back and restore free will to the world. It’s an interesting concept, because like the MCU’s Thanos, this version of Doom has a goal that is, at least on paper, noble.

In the story, Doom uses his superior will to break the Purple Man, forcing him to allow Doom to use his powers of manipulation. After attaching the villain to a giant crystal, Doom is able to “broadcast” those powers worldwide. Wonder Man, rather than targeting the most powerful Avengers like Thor and the Hulk, decides that his best bet is to focus on freeing the Avengers with the strongest will – those most able to resist mental attacks and more likely to meet Doom on his own terms.

Not Much Is Known About Avengers: Doomsday

It isn’t yet clear what the story of Avengers: Doomsday will be, but there are two major comic book stories that fans have been keeping an eye on. As mentioned above, the Infamous Iron Man story by Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, and Stefano Caselli could be key, in which Victor Von Doom takes on the role of Iron Man for a time in the Marvel Universe. The two have a long history as foes, uneasy allies, and as “substitutes” for one another in storylines and realities where what you really need is just a dude in armor. Even more than Infamous Iron Man, though, fans – including me – have been thinking about Secret Wars.

Secret Wars by Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić is a 2015 event series based loosely on the 1984-85 series of the same name. In Secret Wars, Doctor Doom serves as the primary antagonist of a story that traverses — and collapses – Marvel’s multiverse. Given that Joe and Anthony Russo had said prior to returning that they would only come back to make Secret Wars, it’s arguably not very surprising that the two-part Avengers mega-adventure that begins next year will be Avengers: Doomsday followed by Avengers: Secret Wars, both of which will feature Downey’s Doctor Doom.

Emperor Doom – otherwise known as Marvel Graphic Novel #27 – is available now from Marvel Comics.

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