Doom 2099

Doom 2099
Cover to Doom 2099 #1 (January 1993). Art by Pat Broderick.
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Marvel Comics Presents #118 (December 1992)
Created by	John Francis Moore Pat Broderick
In-story information
Alter ego	Victor Von Doom
Team affiliations	Zefiro Gypsies, Ministry of Doom, S.H.I.E.L.D. 2099
Notable aliases	Doctor Doom, Erik Czerny
Abilities	Genius-level intellect Command of magic Wears a custom-designed suit of powered armor Nanomachines in blood allow for cyberpathy, increased reflexes, and healing

Doom (Victor Von Doom) is a Marvel Comics anti-hero featured in the Marvel 2099 comic book series Doom 2099. The character is based on Doctor Doom, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. The series was written by John Francis Moore for its first two years, and by Warren Ellis for its third.

Publication history

Doom first appeared in Marvel Comics Presents #118, in a preview of Doom 2099 #1. Doom 2099 would run for 44 issues (January 1993 – August 1996), with Doom making notable appearances in 2099 Unlimited, 2099: World of Tomorrow, Ghost Rider 2099, Hulk 2099, Punisher 2099, Ravage 2099, Spider-Man 2099, and X-Men 2099. Doom also received his own special one-shot after conquering the United States, titled 2099 A.D.

Fictional character biography

In the year 2099, Doom abruptly materialized in the ruins of Castle Doom in Latveria, after disappearing 50-100 years before. Latveria was now in the hands of a cyborg mercenary robber-baron, Tyger Wylde. Doom confronted the new dictator of the nation, but was quickly defeated by Wylde's superior technology — his armor depleted of energy and destroyed, and his face was scarred. Left for dead, Doom found refuge with the last remnants of his gypsy tribe, the Zefiro, who assisted him in creating a new, more powerful suit of armor capable of competing with Wylde's futuristic technology and performed neurocybersurgery on him.^[1] Doom became a freedom fighter, and struck back against Tiger Wylde. Doom stole Wylde's shipment of tritonium, an unstable radioactive mineral, useful both as a regenerating explosive and as a power source (so powerful that a large handful could power Latveria for fifty years), thereby prompting Wylde to attack.^[2] Alongside the Zefiro, and with the use of the tritonium, Doom was able to defeat Wylde and regain control of his home nation to become Monarch of Latveria in Castle Doom once again.^[3] Doom then decided that the world has become chaotic and corrupt and to save it, he had to conquer it. Doom was assisted by several Zefiro Gypsies:

• Fortune, a Zefiro fortune teller and former advisor of Wylde.
• Wire, a "Cybersavant", capable of finding information on the worldwide Cyberweb.
• Xandra, Wire's girlfriend and a Wakandan soldier. Adopted into the Zefiro.
• Vox, the Zefiro's magical adept. A mute boy who has one of the Eyes of Agamotto.
• Poet, Fortune's former lover and capable martial artist, not a Zefiro.

Doom secretly observed this era's Spider-Man.^[4] Doom traveled into Cyberspace alongside Wire; there he battled Fever, the Virtual Reality Fantastic Four, Catscan, Haze, Paloma, and Duke Stratosphere.^[5] Several weeks later, Doom conquered the country Myridia.^[6]

The real Doom

Throughout the first half of the series there was speculation that Doom may not be the real Victor Von Doom. Doom was younger than the real Victor would be, his face was unscarred (when he first materialized), and his memory was fragmented; he had no recollection of how he came to 2099, and only a few memories of conflict with the Fantastic Four. Doom would later in the series recall the end of the "Age of Heroes", killing Reed Richards, growing old, and some vague memories of a war.

His confusion increased when another man showed up, claiming to be the real Doctor Doom. This man was accompanied by Margaretta Von Geisterstadt, a woman Doom remembered he once loved. Myridia's ruler, General Czerny, told Doom that he was in fact Erik Czerny, his son, kidnapped by the real Doom and Margaretta as a pawn in one of their lethal games. Doom faced his duplicate and in the battle, he learned that the duplicate was a false Doom, and, apparently, he was the real Doom. Several years ago, his body had been nearly destroyed after an accident and Maragareta had placed him within a regenerating bath which would repair his damaged body and rejuvenate him. Margaretta had brainwashed Erik Czerny into believing that he was Doctor Doom to amuse herself during Doom's regeneration. To make the "game" even more interesting, Margaretta decided to implant some of Czerny's memories in Doom's to see who would win in their inevitable battle. Doom defeated Czerny and left Margaretta to die in her base; the truth behind his identity was never definitively established.

One Nation Under Doom

With his mind restored, Doom set out to conquer the United States, but by now he had lost several of his allies: Wire's body had died, though his mind lived on in Cyberspace; Poet died battling drug-traders; and Xandra had left to train in Wakanda. Doom conquered the US in issue #29 and left behind Fortune as regent in Latveria. As president, Doom fought against Alchemax, the Pixel Corporation, and the other corporations who controlled all aspects of every day life in 2099. Doom recreates S.H.I.E.L.D., assigning Junkpile to take down the Red Market (illegal trade in humans for experimentation). He also made the X-Men 2099 the law enforcers of Halo City, a place where mutants and humans could live in peace. After Doom conquered the US, all 2099 titles added the letters A.D. (Anno Doom) to their titles.

In response, his enemies banded together and under the leadership of Herod, they briefly deposed Doom and replaced him with a man masquerading as the original Captain America. Herod then ordered the death of every inhabitant of Latveria, killing the entire country with a neurotoxin. Doom was believed to be dead, but he teams up with a young man named Billy Zedd, who was sent to him by Xi'an, the leader of the X-Men. Zedd's powers allow Doom to restore his armor to acceptable levels. Doom sends a swarm of nano-bots against Herod. His buildings collapse, his Captain is killed and Herod himself is left disabled, in pain for the rest of his natural life. Doom utilizes a nanobot-made view-screen to assure Herod knows exactly what is going on.

Rage Against Time and World of Tomorrow: 2099

Doom returned to Myridia, the world's source of information, hoping to find a way to save Latveria. He traveled back to the 20th century, and introduced an immunity to the neurotoxin in the population of Latveria. He returned to 2099, to find Fortune and about 50% of the population of Latveria alive, due to the genetic immunity.

During an invasion by the Phalanx, Doom would give his life to defeat the robotic aliens. However, he would not leave Latveria without a ruler. For the role that Nostromo played in the defeat of the aliens while being manipulated by the hands of Doom, he named the boy the next ruler of Latveria.^[7]

New Life

Doom would find new life during the "World Tour" run of the Exiles (issues #75-76). He is revealed as the current monarch of Latveria and hacks into a public eye camera to offer the Proteus-possessed Hulk a safe haven in Latveria. After Proteus decides to leave, Jordan Boone (the creator of the "Virtual Unreality" portal that Proteus traveled through) is fired from Alchemax, but Doom, intrigued by the thought of inter-dimensional travel, offers Boone a new job.

Proteus and the Exiles' involvement in the reality of 2099 creates a divergent timeline that is different from the events of the Marvel 2099 series.

The Black Cabinet

When Doom conquered the United States, he gathered his Black Cabinet, a group of talented and unique individuals:

• Minister of Signal - Indigo Eshun, a brilliant British "Netglider" and head of an elite Cadre of Netgliders. Wire's body was rebuilt and he was Doom's instant link to the Indigo and her Netgliders, though he had become insane and would commit suicide shortly afterwards. Indigo was killed during Herod's coup.
• Minister of Enemy Relations - Nkrumah, a Wakandan mercenary and head of Panther's Rage, a group of elite warriors. Xandra was one of his Panthers.
• Minister of Humanity - Morphine Somers, a mutant activist with the power to age anything he touched thousands of years in mere seconds.
• Minister of Order - Sharp Blue, head of the Guild of Elite mercenaries.
• Minister of Punishment - Jacob Gallows, Punisher 2099, also made head of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2099.

Doom also attempted to recruit the 2099-era Spider-Man to be his Minister of Superhuman Affairs. Doom had less of an impact on the Spider-Man 2099 title, but the 2099 World of Doom special indicated that Spider-Man had indeed accepted the post. Although, it is unknown if Doom learned his real identity prior to the 2099: World of Tomorrow series, which involved the invasion of the Phalanx, or if Spider-Man kept his true identity secret while in the position. It is also unknown as to exactly what this position entailed.^{[volume & issue needed]}

Powers and abilities

After his defeat by Tyger Wylde, Doom underwent special surgery: nanotechnology was neurocybersurgically added to his nervous system, speeding up his neural and motor responses, allowing him to interface directly with technology and heal himself from serious injuries.

Due to his fragmented memory, Doom's mystical abilities were drastically decreased. For mystical matters, Doom therefore had to rely on Vox. When his memory was restored, he had full access to his mystical abilities.

Doom has extensive knowledge of all sciences, and is an expert in robotics, trans-Einsteinian physics, genetic engineering, weapons technology, time travel, bio-chemistry, and other fields.

Doom wears an adamantium-lanxide laced armor over cybermesh circuitry enabling tactile interface with nanoids in his brain and bloodstream, that he designed with the help of Celia Quinones. The armor allows him such abilities as flight via rocket pack, phasing (thanks to the phase shifter linked with his armor system, enabling temporary intangibility), protective forcefields, increased strength, invisibility and gauntlet energy blasts. His armor also possesses a wide array of sensors and scanners.

References

1. ^ Doom 2099 #1
2. ^ Doom 2099 #2
3. ^ Doom 2099 #4
4. ^ Spider-Man 2099 #4
5. ^ Doom 2099 #5-9
6. ^ Doom 2099 #23
7. ^ 2099: World of Tomorrow

External links

• Doom 2099 historical sales figures at the Comics Chronicles
• Doom covers
• Doom 2099 fan site