Warning: Contains SPOILERS for The Ultimates #4! Marvel Comics has recently introduced fans to an all-new the true face of Victor Von Doom is horribly scarred and disfigured, but they had no idea what to expect with this new Doctor Doom, and the reveal is more horrific than the original.
The Ultimates #4 by Deniz Camp and Phil Noto provides the full backstory for the new Fantastic Four all died in different yet equally horrific ways. All of them, except for Reed Richards.
The Maker had other plans for his variant, namely one thing in particular: torture. Basically just for fun, the Maker tortured his variant by locking him in a time-displaced dome in order to drive him insane, and he physically tortured him through the use of mutant rats gnawing his flesh and a device built specifically to inflict pain and mutilation. The Maker was creating his own Doctor Doom out of a version of himself, so naturally, he had to mess up his face.
Ultimate Doom’s Face is Worse than the Original for More Reasons than Just Appearance
Earth-616 Doom was Responsible for His Own Injuries While Ultimate Doom was the Victim
It’s obvious that Ultimate Doctor Doom’s face looks pretty bad as a result of the Maker’s torture, and it’s arguably even worse than the true face of Earth-616’s Doctor Doom, who was scarred after a laboratory accident in college. However, that’s not why his disfigurement is worse than the original, as the real reason is that Ultimate Doctor Doom was a victim of cruel torture as opposed to Earth-616 Doctor Doom, who only suffered the consequences of his own hubris.
When he was in college with Reed Richards, Earth-616’s Doom created a device that would have allowed him to travel into other dimensions. Reed noticed that his calculations were a bit off, and tried to warn Doom about it. Doom didn’t listen, and when he used the device, it exploded, scarring his face. Doom couldn’t accept that he had made a mistake, so he concocted a paranoid theory that Reed sabotaged the machine. So, not only was Earth-616’s Doom responsible for his own disfigurement, Reed actually tried to save him - which is a far cry from the Ultimate Universe.
Doctor Doom’s Ultimate Universe Origin is a Dark Reflection of the Original
The Ultimate Universe’s version of Doctor Doom’s origin story is a twisted inversion of the original. As if the paranoid delusions of Earth-616’s Doom were made manifest, Reed Richards (as the Maker) was directly responsible for the scarring on Doom’s face, as he quite literally put Doom in his iconic metal mask. Not only that, but Reed Richards was technically doing this to himself, further cementing Reed’s link to Doom’s origin in a much more personal and intimate way. Honestly, it’s absolutely brilliant, and only speaks to the care and quality going into Marvel’s new Ultimate Universe.
10 Best Doctor Doom Stories in Marvel History, Ranked
Doctor Doom is the best Marvel villain, not because of his power level, but because of the complexity of his character. Here are his 10 best stories!
Ultimate Doctor Doom’s face looks pretty rough underneath his mask, though the true horror lies in how and why he now has to hide it, with the poetic connection to the original adding even more depth to this well-crafted origin. Indeed, Marvel’s new Doctor Doom’s face is even more horrific than the original, and the reason is due to the origin of his disfigurement - and only time will tell how it will shape his future in the Ultimate Universe.
The Ultimates #4 by Marvel Comics is available now.
