It would be an understatement to say that the love-hate relationship between Doctor Doom and Reed Richards is a complicated one, which makes it all the more confusing why Reed would let Doom pick the name for his daughter, Valeria Richards. Ever since they first met in college, Reed Richards was the only person who Doom viewed as an intellectual equal, and vice versa. For Reed, he was quick to see Doom as a close friend, but Doom's jealousy prevented him from seeing the future Mister Fantastic as anything more than a competitor.
After Reed developed powers from a fateful cosmic mission into space and Doom horribly scarred himself in a failed experiment, their not-so-friendly rivalry soon progressed into a full-blown feud with the fate of the world on the line. Yet, there's still space left between them for a cordial, perhaps even loving relationship, to the point that Reed's own daughter Val refers to his rival as Uncle Doom.
The closeness of Reed and Doom's relationship becomes especially apparent in Fantastic Four Vol 3 #54 by Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Marin, Karl Kesel, and Mark Bagley. Sue Storm is having a difficult childbirth, seeing as she and Reed conceived their child in the Negative Zone and, of course, due to the cosmic radiation that gave the Fantastic Four their powers. Doctor Doom agrees to use his magic and medical skills to help deliver the Fantastic couple's daughter, but with one compromise: Doom gets to name her. He chooses Valeria.
Why Did Doctor Doom Name Her Val?
Valeria was the name of an old love of Victor Von Doom from when he was a teenager. They both grew up in Latveria living in the same Romani camp until Doom left her and the country behind in order to study in the United States. The two would not reunite until Doctor Doom had already become a villain years later. Doom even went on to sacrifice her life in exchange for unimaginable mystic power. He did so knowing that he needed to sacrifice something irreplaceable to achieve this, choosing to sacrifice the love of the only woman he ever loved.
Though Doom got what he wanted, he forever carries both that same love and unimaginable guilt for playing a part in her demise. He's now forced the Fantastic Four to carry on his ex's legacy through their child. By the same irony, Val Richards has proven that she's destined to uphold Doctor Doom's own legacy. She's displayed signs of troublesome behavior and an immoral attitude that is practically identical to her father's rival, Doctor Doom. In addition, when she feels she can't go to her parents in times of distress, she goes right to their worst enemy.
On one hand, Reed Richards is grateful to Doctor Doom for bringing his daughter into this world, but on the other hand, it guts him knowing the strength of the connection Doctor Doom has formed with Valeria Richards.
