Random Happenstance

Dr. Doom's semi-annual domination of the earth.

We had panels from Fantastic Four: the World's Greatest Comics Magazine earlier, and here's a look at the last issue. Over the course of the series, Dr. Doom's been collecting objects of power/classic Marvel macguffins, like the Cosmic Cube and the Universal Machine; and then drained the power from Galactus. Things aren't looking good for earth, or the Fantastic Four.

But, since this is set between Fantastic Four #100 and #101, they kind of have to wrap things up. Doom expends enough power that he gets the Galactus-sized hunger, then stupidly lets Reed get the Cosmic Cube. Yeah, Doom didn't think he needed a weapon that can alter reality anymore. (Apparently, he thought the Galactus power and other stuff would cover it. Not so much.)

So, in the end, Reed uses the Cosmic Cube to put everything back as it was, which I think is actually a button on the Cube somewhere. Doom's back in Latveria, Galactus has his power again, the Cube goes back to wherever, and nobody except Reed, the Watcher, and Galactus remember anything. But then, if he doesn't remember trying this plan and failing, won't Doom try this exact same thing like twenty minutes later?

I guess events fell into place in just the right way for Doom to get the power--in an early issue, for example, the FF was out of the Baxter Building at just the right time for Doom to attack. Also, Reed may simply not be concerned about Doom trying a failed plan again: while time-consuming, Reed knows he could beat Doom on that one, as opposed to the outside chance Doom comes up with a winning plan next time.

Side note: The series also mentioned Doom's place in upstate New York, which I think was another castle, and wasn't that where the X-Men fought Arcade and Doom? (Or a Doom robot.)

Panels from Fantastic Four: the World's Greatest Comics Magazine #12, "Victor Von Doom, Emperor of Earth!" Plot by Erik Larsen and Eric Stephenson, script by Stan Lee, layouts by Erik Larsen, pencils and inks by Ron Frenz and Joe Sinnott (on the first panel) and Frenz and Scott Hanna (on the last two), other art by John Romita and Tom Palmer, Dan Jurgens and Al Milgrom, Steve Rude, Jorge Lucas, and Bruce Timm.