Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Iron Man #8!

Ahead of one villain’s highly anticipated Doctor Doom. Tony Stark's fear of Victor von Doom is well-earned, too, as Doom is the one villain who has successfully taken over the world and defeated every hero Earth has to offer.

Marvel has proven that Doctor Doom will be a formidable villain, the likes of which the New Avengers have never faced before.

In the preview for Iron Man #8, written by Spencer Ackerman, with art by Michael Dowling and Julius Ohta, Iron Man tells Vishte, a novice mage from Latveria, that “Doom is the scariest man I’ve faced.”

With Doctor Doom taking over the world right under everyone's noses, Tony Stark is forced to think two steps ahead, going so far as to work with his enemies just to come close to Doom’s level. Iron Man may be the hero, but the truth is that Doctor Doom outclasses him in nearly every way, and that is something Tony Stark has every reason to fear.

Tony Stark its Doctor Doom Is the One Villain That Scares Him, Setting Up Doom’s Epic MCU Debut

Iron Man #8; Written By Spencer Ackerman; Art By Michael Dowling & Jilius Ohta; Color By Alex Sinclair; Letters By Joe Caramagna

Even without the Avengers, Iron Man is a formidable hero and one of the smartest super-geniuses within the Marvel Universe, but that being said, Tony still pales in comparison when he is put up against Doctor Doom. Though it’s easy to overlook Doctor Doom’s intelligence thanks to his massive ego, Doom is operating on an intellectual level that nearly rivals Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, the Marvel Universe’s smartest man. Tony Stark is intimidated by Doom because he is an enemy whose cunning so clearly outranks him in every way and then some.

Tony Stark is known for his confidence in his technology; however, despite Tony being the better engineer, Doom is vastly more intelligent across the board. Most damningly, Doom is trained in magic, which has been a prominent weakness for Tony. The one edge Iron Man has over Doctor Doom has been his advanced armor, yet recently in Iron Man #1 by Spencer Ackerman, Tony’s entire armory of suits has been rendered useless due to a magic-tech virus. Doom’s skills in the dark arts put Tony Stark out of his comfort zone and, more often than not, give Doom the upper hand.

Iron Man vs. Doctor Doom: Tony Stark May Be a Genius, But He's Officially Met His Match

Doctor Doom Triumphs Where Tony Stark Flounders

While Doctor Doom is infamous for his vendetta against Reed Richards, Doom and Iron Man’s respective statuses as Marvel’s tech-savvy super-geniuses have put them at odds on several occasions, forming their own unique rivalry that has undoubtedly shaken Tony Stark. Though it can be argued that Tony is the superior engineer, the gap between Iron Man and Doctor Doom’s technology is not vast by any means. In Mighty Avengers #10 by Brian Michael Bendis, Doom has been shown to easily block scans from Tony’s Extremis Iron Man suit, showing that Doom has outsmarted Tony’s system.

Tony Stark doesn’t just fear Doctor Doom because he is smarter than him, though that is a major reason he feels threatened. There is also a morally grey aspect to Doom’s brand of villainy that makes him especially dangerous. As seen with his worldwide takeover, Doctor Doom’s actions are often masked by good intentions, which persuades the masses to embrace his more tyrannical ideology. This clever yet authoritarian mindset allows Doom to trick his country into idolizing him and, ultimately, to turn the world against the very heroes who have protected it for decades.

Doctor Doom Is More Powerful Than Ever, Just in Time for His Arrival in the MCU

Doctor Doom Becomes the Avengers’ Ultimate Adversary

The true feats of Doctor Doom’s intelligence are on full display when he not only takes over Earth but also convinces a large part of the world that his dictatorship is more beneficial than having heroes, such as the Avengers, protecting them. The fear Iron Man has for Doom is warranted, considering that Doom has turned the world against Tony and the Avengers and forced Tony to play along with his authority. This show of Doctor Doom’s power undoubtedly foreshadows what’s to come when Doctor Doom inevitably faces the Avengers in the MCU film, Avengers: Doomsday.

With Robert Downey Jr. stepping into the role of Doctor Doom within the MCU, there is going to be an emphasis on Doom’s ability to cunningly paint himself as a helping hand. Marvel has proven time and time again that Doctor Doom will be a villain, the likes of which the new Avengers have never faced before. Iron Man’s dread of the villain originates from knowing that Doctor Doom’s supergenius and manipulative nature make him a jack of all trades who can easily sway the world into his tyrannical rule, making him Marvel’s most dangerous villain.

Iron Man #8 is available now from Marvel Comics!