Issue-
52
Issue-
52
Writer- Dan Slott
Art- Manny Galan
Summary:
After the accident which scarred his face terribly, Victor von Doom travels to the Himalayas in search of power. He meets the Ancient One who sees a spark of nobility in him and hopes to nurture it. Doom's character however changes very little while his knowledge in the mystic arts becomes vast. One day Dr. Stephen Strange visit the temple also seeking the Ancient One's healing power. The Ancient One challenges Doom to heal Strange. Doom fails the trial because he cuts off his hand and replaces them with robotic ones. The Ancient One explains that he failed to see that his true ailment was in his soul, not his hands. Having learned enough, Doom journeys into hell itself, guided by the Ancient One, to free his mother's soul. During the battle, the Ancient One is killed, but manages to free Cynthia von Doom from Mephisto. With the Ancient One dead, the dreaded Dormmamu is free to attack Earth. While he battles demons, Doom sends the Fantastic Four into the past to recover Merlin's jewel. With it, he banishes the invaders, but at the cost of his own life. With wounds to great to cure, Dr. Strange sit by Doom's side as he lays dying. Suddenly Doombots appear and take Strange away. The Doctor is then plugged into the remembrancer where he is to be remade as Doom.
Comments:
Dan Slott writes a very entertaining What If that manages to let the reader
relive certain classic moments and seamlessly watch them go in an entirely
different direction. Again, I'm always reluctant to recommend What If's. However
the story is original and well crafted. Bottom Line: Read
It!
Notes:
The events of Fantastic Four #5,
Doom's first appearance, develop slightly different here. Notably Susan, the
Invisible Girl, travels into the past with the rest of her teammates. She
notes herself that she feels as though she does not belong. Her clothes the
past is modeled after a tavern maid who attended the team in the real FF #5.
The heroes featured in the battle are depicted as they appeared in the 1960s (i.e. the first Avengers team with Captain America, Daredevil in his yellow costume, the original X-Men).