Issue - 563

Title - Mr. & Mrs. Thing

Writer - Mike Millar

Art - Bryan Hitch

 

Summary:

The team celebrates the announcement of Thing and Debbie Smith's nuptials; meanwhile in a parallel dimension two shadowy figures strike the final blows of complete destruction on a world where all heroes have been killed. Their next stop, to visit their favorite pupil, Doctor Doom. Back in the home universe, an imprisoned Doom smiles.

 

Notes:

  • Last page appearance only

  • Its been 20 years since Doom received instruction from his "Master"

  • Collected in Fantastic Four: The Master of Doom

 

Issue - 566

Title - Doom's Master

Writer - Mike Millar

Art - Bryan Hitch

 

Summary:

In honor of his Master's return, Doom throws a grand parade. Meanwhile, Ben is humiliated on live television when his fiancée reprimands him for scaring her ex-fiancée while on a talk-show promoting his tell-all book. At the Baxter Building, Reed completes an autopsy on the corpse of a Watcher found on a beach in Thailand. He determines that the Watcher is in fact Uatu from another dimension. Coupled with the severe weather changes, Sue reasons that this must be tied to Doom's previous warning. In Latveria, Doom receives his master, the Marquis of Death, humbly along with his companion, the New Apprentice. The Marquis demonstrates his displeasure with Doom's progress by destroying the structures surrounding them and engulfing him in flames.

 

Notes:

  • Presumably taking place after the events of Dark Avengers, Latveria has recovered from the widespread destruction depicted in Dark Avengers #4

  • Latveria has taken on a infinitely more Romanesque style of architecture.

  • Eagles adorn the background in the parade. Eagles have been used to symbolize Latveria before, see Incredible Hulk #143-144 and Fantastic Four #84-87.

  • In place of Boris, Doom seems to have a new 'assistant,' Dubois.

  • Collected in Fantastic Four: The Master of Doom

 

Issue - 567

Title - Doom's Master

Writer - Mike Millar

Art - Bryan Hitch

 

Summary:

Doom laughs off the Marquis' attack and responds in kind. The battle lasts for 6 weeks and ends with the Marquis defeat after Doom created the Omega Box. Five years later, Doom and his pregnant wife (the former Susan Richards) attend an unveiling of a statue commemorating Reed and the Fantastic Four. On the return voyage, Sue expresses concern that Johnny did not attend. Doom reminds her that it is he that Johnny resents, ever since Reed died. Back in Latveria, Doom ponders on the Omega Box. Sue comes up behind him and asks if he is content with the life he has made and the world which he has saved and made better. When he responds that it is the first time in his life he has been this content, Sue rips her face off to reveal that it is in fact the New Apprentice. The doors to the Omega Box open and the Marquis emerges. He explains that the past 5 years were a a mirage. The Marquis then decimates Latveria, killing everyone. As he turns Doom's heart to stone and blood into acid, he then dumps Doom's body in the Pliocene Age for Megalodons to feed on. Picking up Doom's mask, the Marquis places it over his own face and decides that in order for his honor to be restored, he must rectify Doom's failures.

 

Notes:

  • Collected in Fantastic Four: The Master of Doom

Issue - 568

Title - Doom's Master

Writer - Mike Millar (story), Joe Ahearne (script)

Art - Bryan Hitch & Neil Edwards

 

Summary:

As the weather goes mad all across the world, the Marquis and the New Apprentice arrive at the Baxter Building. The team attempt to defeat him, but the Marquis forces them all to bow before him. He explains that Doom is dead, and for his failure to use the teachings he gave him, he has decided to punish them in atonement. All their friends and allies have been paralyzed. They face him alone. For starters, the Marquis kills Ben's Aunt Petunia. He also says he will make Sue choose between the children. Reed tells the Marquis to punish him instead as he is the team leader. He transports Reed to the past, to a moment where he battled Annihilus so that he could stop Franklin from being born stillborn. He offers to spare the planet if he will alter history and let Franklin die. Reed refuses. He makes the same proposal, but with Ben's life. Again, Reed refuses. The Marquis gives him a final chance. Together they enter Area 87, the cell of Clyde Wyncham, the world's most dangerous super-villain where is held dormant with a device created by Reed. The Marquis explains that in a short time, super-villains join together to free him. Once unleashed, he begins to massacre countless Earths across the multi-verse, eventually becoming the Marquis of Death. He offers this one chance for Reed to kill him and avert his creation. Reed refuses a final time. Suddenly Reed is back in the Baxter team. At first his teammates think he is an enemy. Reed soon learns why. Looking outside he sees the Baxter building under siege by an army of Fantastic Fours.

 

Notes:

  • Clyde Wyncham was introduced in Marvel 1985

  • Collected in Fantastic Four: The Master of Doom

Issue - 569

Title - Doom's Master

Writer - Mike Millar (story), Joe Ahearne (script)

Art - Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger, Scott Hanna

 

Summary:

It becomes apparent that what has been a few moments for Reed has been weeks for the others. Ben learns that the Marquis is in fact Clyde and that Reed was given the chance to kill him, but passed. He then decides that he is going to travel to Area 87 and kill Clyde and put an end to the Marquis. Reed gets to work in his lab with Val to come up with some kind of device while Johnny and Sue hold off the legions of dimensional versions of themselves. When Ben arrives at Area 87 he is confronted by the New Apprentice, but he is easily defeated. Back in the Baxter Building, Val activates a device which enervates all the dimensional FF's, leaving them defeated, for the moment. Ben suddenly appears with the young Clyde beside him. As it turns out, Clyde is a fan of the FF. The young man battles his future self until the Marquis apparently kills him. The Marquis chides that it would take an army of FFs to defeat him. Reed's answer is to explain that they have all just absorbed the power of all the FFs he summoned. For the next 23.4 seconds, they pound on the Marquis with their combined might. Drained, the Marquis is finally defeated. Suddenly the New Apprentice appears and surprises even the Marquis by revealing that he is in fact Doctor Doom. Doom explains that he was torn to pieces in the past, but using the black arts he has mastered, he survived and transformed his body down to the molecular level. Having remade his body, he approached the Marquis to complete his education, but under the guise of the New Apprentice. He spent centuries under his tutelage waiting for the moment the Marquis would expend his powers. Finally Doom incinerates the Marquis and leaves the FF with a warning not to cross paths with him else they face death.

 

Notes:

  • Doom reveals that he has "transformed" his body to the last molecule. It remains unrevealed what this means regarding the status of his face, appearance, or even if he is still 'human'.We're never given a good view of his 'new look'. He's still wearing his New Apprentice costume and and his skin appears darker, kind of gray. Honestly he looks like a corpse.

    Update 3/4/13    :     Dark Avengers #176-177 offers a completely different explanation for how Doom survived being thrust into the past.
     

  • Collected in Fantastic Four: The Master of Doom

 

 
 

Articles:

 

Comments:

After being an essentially background character in Millar's previous arc, I didn't have high hopes for this. The fact that Millar would be introducing Doom's "masters" also gave me reason to be skeptical. Even though its well established that he has had many teachers, I find it hard to believe he would acknowledge one master....or any. As I read the story, and was treated to yet another 'death' of Doom, I found myself hoping that they might allow this Marquis of Death to take Doom's place, either as a new Doctor Doom or simply as the FF's new arch-nemesis. I think that giving Doom some competition being the most evil villain in Marvel is exactly what the character needs. The FF could also benefit from a new arch-villain. But given the final twist, what we are left with is a even more powerful Doom. Considering that The Marquis could apparently travel between dimensions at will, alter the weather patterns of the planet, and seemingly decimate all life within a lengthy radius of himself all with a thought. Not too mention fabricate an alternate reality and open holes to other times. The new more powerful Doom had better be able to do all this or else I will be hugely disappointed. After all, Doom not only learned under the Marquis once....but twice (once as himself, then again as the New Apprentice)! One thing I cannot complain is that Millar portrays Doom as a very powerful foe. Not only was Doom an integral part of the machine created in the previous arc, but he's also the ultimate winner here, and just look at his portrayal in Ultimate Fantastic Four: Frightful Four.

 

I haven't read Millar's Marvel 1985 (yet!) so I was a little confused by the whole Clyde Wycham reveal. I am also a little confused how The Marquis could kill his younger self. And that was his younger self, right? And he did die, right (art was unclear)? Or is the Marquis a Clyde from another dimension? I found it all a little confusing. I suppose I need to read it again, hopefully with 1985 under my belt. On its own, I think it more or less easy to follow, with a few exceptions. But over all it was ok. I enjoyed the Marquis as a villain. Visually I thought he was creepy. Reminded me of the creatures in Pan's Labyrinth. I would have looked forward to his return, but I should have known better. Doom triumphs over all. Although Doom is absent for parts 3 and most of part 4, I'm giving this an extra * for being a "significant" appearance in term of its implications for the character. How significant will depend on how significant the next writer makes it. If future Doom stories make nothing of the developments proposed here, it will be disappointing indeed. It won't be Mark Millar's fault. It will be the next guy's (I don't necessarily mean John Hickman who's the next writer on FF I just mean future writers of Doom's character in general). It will also probably depend on Marvel Editorial, whether or not they want to allow writers to pick up on any of these threads. With Dark Reign in progress, Doom's future is probably planned out already in advance. We will all need to wait and see if Millar's upgrade was factored in. I have a feeling this upgrade will go the way of Walt Simonson armor redesign back in FF #350 (and note that Doom has only recently gotten his Time Tech back on board his armor).

 

Oh, and I should probably mention something about the larger story of Thing getting married (I know the book is called Fantastic Four, not Doctor Doom). I think Millar handled it well. I'm glad she wasn't killed or chickened out. Not sure how other people will feel, but I think it was handled well.

 

Bottom Line: * * * out of 5

 

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