AVENGERS #25: Enter Doctor Doom

Published: February, 1966

“Enter…Dr. Doom!”
Script: Stan Lee
Pencils: Don Heck
Inks: Dick Ayers
Letters: Sam Rosen

I had christened last month’s issue of The Avengers “the most exciting, compelling and complex Marvel Comics story I have read to date.” So it may be unrealistic to expect this issue to be just as good. After all, everything can’t be “the best.” The moment another “best” comes along, the original “best” gets knocked out of place. But unfortunately, this issue left me more than moderately disappointed, and no disrespect, but I’m looking squarely at the credit “Stan Lee, Writer!”

Oh, how I hate to say that! I understand there are some in Marvel Fandom who credit Jack Kirby with a lot of the creative energy in these early comics that’s traditionally attributed to Stan Lee. I don’t know enough about the behind-the-scenes story to agree or disagree with this theory, but I do know that the name Stan Lee has endured for decades and in most circles he is considered the creative force behind Marvel Comics. I’m in that camp. And wouldn’t it be great to believe in a fairy-tale world where Stan could do no wrong? I would like to believe that, but I live in the real world, and all I’m doing here is calling it as I see it. This issue is not his greatest achievement.

Now. As everyone knows, when you have a bunch of bad news to deliver, you generally start with a couple of positive points to put your audience in a better frame of mind. So let’s begin with a couple of things this issue does very well.

A TORTUROUS RIDDLE
First, very early in the story, Dr. Doom revisits the question of whether Kang is his descendant, or if in fact they might be…the same…exact…person…Hmmmmmm… I can’t claim to understand this quandary, but I applaud Marvel for raising the question once again, not letting it die on the heap of loose plot threads. I anticipate that, with this dilemma now coming up twice, we will run into it again. And when that happens, it will be fun to see what Marvel does with it.

CAN OF WORMS
Next, when the Fantastic Four hears the Avengers are prisoners of their arch-enemy Doctor Doom, they spring into action—but are sidelined when government officials inform them, “We cannot allow private citizens to precipitate a new diplomatic crisis!” This situation so strongly reminds me of the dilemma at the heart of Marvel’s 2016 Captain America: Civil War. It’s amazing to see that as far back as 1966, Marvel was willing to contemplate the controversial question of the role of the superhero in organized society. Here, as in Civil War, I can heartily appreciate both viewpoints, and still can’t definitively say I come down on one side or the other. But I applaud Marvel for not shrinking away from this delicate yet very important issue.

Okay, I told you this was coming. As much as I would love to say everything about Marvel Comics constantly thrills me to no end, the truth is…it doesn’t always. And actually, philosophically, that’s a good thing, right? Because if everything were hunky-dory all the time, that would level the playing field so that no particular thing was ever any better than any other particular thing, which means it would all be the same, which means nothing would every really be “best,” it would all just simply…BE. You know what I’m saying. This is my roundabout way of apologizing up front for the negativity I am about to spew, but…sometimes, you just gotta tell the truth, no matter how much it might hurt. So. Now for the bad news…

NAIVETÉ
I’m not buying that Wanda and Pietro instantly take at face value a random letter from a supposed long-lost auntie. I understand a desire to reconnect with kindred souls from the Old Country might be clouding their judgement, but Cap and Hawkeye have no personal motivation for wanting to believe such a thing to be true. And both should be level-headed enough to recognize that as superheroes, they might be subject to the nefarious whims of no-good-niks, and can’t necessarily trust every incredible invitation that arrives in the mail.

But furthermore, I don’t understand why Cap and Hawkeye decide to accompany Wanda and Pietro halfway around the world to visit this mysterious person. Of course there has to be some plot point for getting them over there, but but I would have appreciated at least some background for this decision. Perhaps a Latverian journalist wants to do a full-length feature on the Avengers for the Latverian Times? Actually, it doesn’t even need to be that elaborate. It could have simply been mentioned that these hard-working superheroes all felt the need for a little rest and relaxation.

PLAN AHEA D…?
But even if that’s the case, this is the stupidest, most poorly planned trip I’ve ever heard of! Because AFTER the four Avengers are arrested, Cap suddenly remembers that Latveria is ruled by the infamous arch-villain Dr. Doom! Huh?? Did they all really travel to a foreign country without first doing at least a little research on their destination? I mean, Russ and I won’t even go to a new restaurant without first checking the website, the menu, reviews on Yelp and Tripadvisor, and also the state-issued Health Department rating! Now granted, the Avengers of the 1960’s do not have access to the wonderful conveniences of the internet, but surely it would have been easy enough to find out before you travel whether your destination is ruled by a benevolent statesman or a power-hungry despot!

UHHH…I FORGET…?
Okay, sorry about this, Stan, but I have another beef. When Hawkeye claims his arrows almost took down Iron Man, you editorially comment, “You’ll have to take our word for it…we forgot which ish it was in!” Hello! Was there no catalog of back issues to check? If there was scant time for research, couldn’t you put your Girl Friday on the task?

I’m choosing to believe this little comment is meant only as a joke. But if so, the joke falls flat. Does it hide a deeper truth, that perhaps the Marvel Bullpen does not respect their readers as much as they ought? Maybe because I live in an internet world of conspiracy theories and shameless falsehoods, I’m overreacting—but fact verification seems an extremely vital part of any story—journalistically, or creatively. Either do the work, or don’t mention it at all.

ONE WORD: PLASTICS
Doom covers his little country with a “plastithene dome” designed to protect from nuclear attack. I love the idea of a dome-covered city, but have a hard time believing any technology that contains the root word “plastic” could possibly be strong enough to do what Doom claims. Again, a moment or two of thought could have produced a more realistic alternative. How about…transparent Vibranium?

FROM THE RIDICULOUS TO THE SUBLIME
While Dr. Doom is the despot of a very small nation that he refers to as “this remote comic-opera kingdom,” he aspires to rule “all mankind.” I know he’s a formidable villain, and villains can’t help but want to rule all mankind, but I wonder if he’s overestimating his past work experience? Sort of sounds like me saying, “Hey! I have a smart phone! Why can’t I be the CEO of T-Mobile?”

IN CONCLUSION…
Finally, (and then I’ll shut up, I promise), the title of this adventure promises so much…yet delivers so little. In bright yellow letters: the unmatched AVENGERS! In a ragged red starburst: Enter DR. DOOM! With all these heavyweights, surely something exciting will happen. But once you get past the convenient naiveté and senseless attempts to make sense, there’s a bit of fighting (as one would expect) that ultimately ends with Doom sneezing inside his metal mask. What a mess! For him, of course, but also for the story.

Really. In the end, it’s a sneeze that saves the day. And the story is over. The Avengers go home, and Doom apparently goes back to dreaming up other ways to get back at the Fantastic Four. This was an opportunity to set up a whole new enmity between Doom and another powerful team of superheroes, but after this fiasco, I almost have to wonder…will that ever happen?

I’m choosing to believe Stan and his crew were so busy writing the epic multi-issue, multi-level story that came directly before this one, and also planning what will hopefully be another blockbuster on the other side. Maybe this one-shot was simply a space filler, hastily thrown in to provide more time for the more impressive stories that are sure to follow.

As a college football fan, I’m reminded of the “cupcake” your team plays right before the big rivalry game. Sure, coaches will talk the big talk about how important every game is, how no opponent should ever be underestimated, but honestly…? Cupcake Week is simply a time to focus on planning for the major rivalry game that inevitably follows. Nobody spends a lot of time and effort thinking and planning for the cupcake. This story feels like that. But it’s okay. Because Marvel Comics obviously didn’t go on to survive another 58 years by continuously baking cupcakes like this one.