Issue- 10

Title- The Return of Doctor Doom

Writer- Stan Lee

Art- Jack Kirby

Summary:

In the midst of writing their latest comic, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby become stumped on who to use as their next villain. The writer and artist then lament that Dr. Doom was lost in space, for he was possibly the greatest villain of all. To their surprise, Doom marches into their office and demands that they lure Mr. Fantastic under the guise of needing help with their plots. Taking the bait, Mr. Fantastic falls into Doom's clutches. At his laboratory, Doom reveals the secret of his return. He explains that the meteor he clung to in space came across the eyes of the alien species known as the Ovoids. A peaceful species, they trusted Doom and revealed to him their knowledge and secrets and finally returned Doom to Earth. Doom also reveals that the greatest secret he pawned from them was the ability to switch bodies. He then demonstrates his startling new ability by switching with Reed. The rest of the Fantastic Four then arrive and defeat Reed, who is now trapped in Doom's body. Pretending to be Reed, Doom convinces the team that he has built a temporary cell for the villain, in reality it's a death trap. Doom then leaves with the team to the Baxter Building. There he constructs a device which he promises to double the team's powers. Unknown to them, he plans to use the device to shrink them into nothingness. Ultimately Reed escapes and the team is convinced that Reed speaks the truth. With the truth known, Doom loses his concentration and returns to his body. In the ensuing battle, Doom becomes caught in his own device's beam and shrinks until he disappears.

Notes:

• Alicia Masters is able to recreate Doom in miniature sculpture form with incredible detail, despite never having "seen" or met him until this issue (and even then, its Reed in Doom's body).

• Doom feels he must remove his mask at times or "else I feel it will strangle me!"

• This is the first, but not the last time, Doom and Stan Lee meet. See Stan Lee Meets Doctor Doom.

• This issue introduces the Ovoids, a species of aliens whose science and culture is a "million" years ahead of our own. They posses incredible mental powers which allowed them to create a mental teleporter, a device that allows the user to go anywhere with just a thought. They also achieved immortality by learning how to mentally switch bodies in a process they perform ritually, discarding their old bodies reaching death.

• Doom learned the Ovoid's secrets, principally their ability to switch bodies, a trick he has used on more than one occasion - see Fantastic Four #287, Fantastic Four #406, Fantastic Four #508

• Reprinted in Marvel Collectors' Item Classic #8, Essential Fantastic Four: Volume 1 and Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Volume 1 (pictured below)

Comments:

Doom switches body with Reed?! That's brilliant if you ask me. The story starts off a little silly, with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby putting in a cameo and Doom's sudden entrance, but if you stick with the story, there's some good stuff in it. The tone of the story is a little tongue in cheek. In fact I found the story to be a little all over the place. Also the ideas put forth by the team on how to keep Doom in prison are downright laughable. And I don't even know how is that Johnny is able to conjure up that mirage that scares Doom. The story doesn't find its footing and get rolling until Doom reveals his latest trick, and even then, it wavers a bit. Still, the story introduces one of Doom's more interesting, if rarely used abilities. Bottom Line: *** out of 5