"I will not lower myself to performing parlor tricks for the rabble, any more than you yourself would. For in my own country, I am also a King! As witness, the royal seal of Latveria!"
Doom addressing King Arthur in Iron Man #150

Doctor Victor Von Doom

Very few times has a villain of such caliber graced the pages of comic books since the dawning of time itself than Doctor Victor Von Doom. First appearing in The Fantastic Four issue number five in 1962, he has, for thirty-five years, enthralled the comic book reading field with his diabolical plots for world domination. Doctor Doom has lead a life through thick and thin, through life and, literally, death, and through the mists of time. He has been marveled as a criminal genius, most likely the greatest criminal mind of our time (in the Marvel Universe, anyway). Herein lies the tale of Doctor Doom. Victor Von Doom was born, though no date of birth can actually be established as of this date, to Werner and Cynthia Von Doom, who were members of a nomadic group of gypsies wandering the Balkan mountain ranges of Europe. From the beginning of his life, he was accustomed to the perpetual torment suffered by all gypsies, Latveria being one of the harshest of the tormentors. His mother, Cynthia, was renowned for her abilities as a sorcerer and a healer, and was the democratic leader of the troupe. During Victor's youth, Cynthia, bearing witness to the hardships faced by her people, began to dabble in powerful magic, eventually conjuring up Mephisto, a demon of immense power, and entered into a pact with him to gain a safe homeland for her people. She did not know the price she would have to pay for this contract. She unleashed her newfound power on an unsuspecting town without a thorough realization of the control her new power required, and, as a result, every child in the village died due to her recklessness. Fearing the damage she could wreak, she renounced her power just as a guardsman thrust a spear through her heart. After his mother died, Victor became much more intense and serious, learning as much about science and sorcery he could. He continued to pursue a relationship with Valeria, a childhood friend, who later was killed. Victor's father was soon called upon by a Latverian Baron to use his gypsy skill and magic to heal his wife. When he failed, the Baron vowed revenge on Werner and his troupe. The gypsy troupe fled the steppes of Latveria with the Baron's troops close behind them. Werner and Victor fled separately from the rest of the group, into the mountains. They were soon caught up in a cold and harsh winter, and both nearly froze to death when the gypsy band found them. Soon thereafter, Werner died, his last words being, "You must protect . . . protect . . . oohhh . ." Werner's close friend, Boris, fully realized that Werner did not mean to protect his son from the world, but to protect the world from his son and his vengeful heart. On his father's death bed, young Victor vowed revenge against the rest of humanity for the deaths of his mother and father. Victor began to study the mystic arts of magic with the help of his mother's belongings, a chest of magical potions and tomes. Finding he had an affinity for the mystic arts, he set to work on deciphering his mother's magical tomes. Soon, he determined the fault in his mother's logic - she sought power from another being when all that was needed was power from within. He also learned that his mother's soul had been trapped by Mephisto, and had not actually died. Doom grew up to travel the Balkans, tricking people to buy magical objects, such as golden statues, that turned to dust after he had left the area. He continued to use his genius in this fashion, until the Dean of Science from State University heard of his scientific accomplishments, most notably creating complex weaponry and protective devices for the gypsies, and offered him a scholarship, which Victor gladly accepted.

"So you would deign to know the secrets of Doom. Very well, it is good that you would read of the majesty and power of Doom; the rabble must always glean knowledge from their betters. Take care that you dare not to use the knowledge enclosed in these pages against our person. To do so would invoke the wrath of Doom, and such a thing should not be invited lightly. Learn well of Doom and his lands, for the world will soon fall before them."
Doctor Victor Von Doom

Doom took his chance at State University to learn all he could about science and he quickly expanded his genius. While there, he met and cultivated his hatred for the other top student at the school, Reed Richards, later known as Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, whom Doom himself proclaimed his intellectual equal. Doom began working on personal experiments in secret when Reed, who had come by Doom's home and noticed some false calculations in Doom's research. Doom dismissed Reed's observations, thinking that he could not make such a trivial mistake, and foolishly discounted the errors entirely. Doom continued on with his experiment, which merged science and sorcery into one powerful combination, when it suddenly exploded, permanently scarring his cheek. In shame, he was expelled from the University. He denounced the college and left the United States to go to Tibet to pursue the mystical arts. While there, he found the Aged Ghengis, who directed him toward a group of Tibetan monks, who Doom quickly sought out for their mystic awareness. While there, Doom became a master in the arcane arts as well as master of the monks themselves. He instructed the monks to construct him a suit of armor to strike terror in his enemies. When the armor was finished, the anxious Doom placed the red-hot mask onto his face, forever scarring and disfiguring it. He renamed himself Doctor Doom, though he held no degree in any field, and left Tibet for his final destination, Latveria. In Latveria, using his technologically and magically enhanced armor, he constructed a robotic duplicate of himself, which he would later use to his own ends. Using his genius, he infiltrated King Vladimir's castle as his royal science advisor. While there, he kidnapped and robotically duplicated Prince Rudolpho while tricking a rival of the King, a count of the Drassen family, that he would aid him in a coup for the throne. The count quickly assassinated King Vladimir, allowing Rudolpho to ascend to the throne. The now-king robotic Rudolpho, while attending the funeral of his "father," foiled an attempt on his life by the count and, having fulfilled its programming, abdicated to the "Stronger and more able" Doom. Doom quickly established a peaceful and powerful dictatorship, which he dubbed an "enforced monarchy." The capital was renamed to Doomstadt, and many of the other Latverian cities took on names such as Doomton, Doomsburg, and Doomwood. He had finally began his path to fulfilling his dreams of revenge against the world who had persecuted him and his people so ruthlessly, and Reed Richards, who had humiliated him.

"The King of Latveria is no common murderer. If I cannot magnificently win a victory . . . it affords me no pleasure to merely slay a foe."
Daredevil #38

Doctor Doom soon set his plans into action by attacking the Fantastic Four. Using a flame-resistant net, he covered the entire Baxter Building and captured the Fantastic Four. He forced them to go back in time, using his Time Platform device, and steal Blackbeard's treasure, which contained powerful, magical gems of Merlin which made the wielder invincible. The Fantastic Four captured the treasure and dumped it into the sea, replacing its contents with chains. When they returned, Doom opened the chest and was outraged. The Thing then attacked and crushed Doom, discovering that he was actually the robot duplicate that Doom had created before his takeover of Latveria. The real Doctor Doom escaped. Doom, still desiring vengeance, swiftly attacked the Fantastic Four again, with the help of a new ally, Namor, the Prince of the underwater city of Atlantis. During the battle, Namor turned on Doom and destroyed his ship, leaving Doom stranded on a meteor adrift in space. Doom was later picked up by an alien race called the Ovoids, who taught him a method to switch minds with another body. Doom, now returned by the benevolent Ovoids, used this power to switch minds with Reed Richards and trick the Fantastic Four to seal Doom's body, with Reed's mind, in an airtight chamber. Reed escaped and Doom lost control over his hated rival. Doom went on to have many more battles with the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and practically all other super heroes in the Marvel Universe. Doom managed to take in a son, named Kristoff, who, as his robots were instructed, was to be transferred his entire memories if he were to die. When, in a massive struggle between all super heroes and villains called the Secret Wars, Doom battled the Beyonder, a cosmic being of immense power, and defeated him, usurping his cosmic power. The power proved too great for Doom to control, and he was soon destroyed by the weakened Beyonder. As per instruction, his robots transferred all of his memories, which had been copied into a computer, into Kristoff, who took control of Latveria. The memory transfer was prematurely ended when Doom was discovered to be alive by his robots, damaging Kristoff's mind and causing him to fall into a state of madness where he began tormenting the people of Latveria. Doom's mind was transferred into a human bearing witness to the Beyonder's appearance in New York long after the Secret Wars. Doom used this chance to regain his body, and overthrow Kristoff. Over the years, Doom has had a recorded fifty-six encounters with the Fantastic Four.

"Though Dr. Doom is capable of many things, the Master of Latveria does not lie!"
Fantastic Four #87

Doctor Doom's life does not end at the mere boundaries of the twentieth century. In his new series, Doom 2099, he is said to have survived an "Age of Heroes" to be one of the only surviving Super Villains, having outlived his nemesis Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four. He had himself sent forward into time where he reappeared in the year 2099 to find Latveria a technological marvel and ruled by Tiger Wylde. After confronting, and being defeated by Tiger Wylde, he escaped and built himself a new suit of futuristic armor made of the indestructible metal, Adamantium, and usurped control of Latveria once again.

"A Renoir. I have three myself. I had four, but ordered one burned . . . It displeased me."
Doom discussed art with Tony Stark in Iron Man #249

One of Doom's most sympathetic qualities is his devotion to rescue his mother's soul from Mephisto, which he has finally accomplished due to the help of Doctor Strange. Doctor Doom was recently voted the third best villain by Marvel fans, being outvoted by Magneto (sigh). Doctor Doom surpasses all other villains in their quests to take over the world, by actually accomplishing this impossible task. He had a short reign, wherein he eliminated poverty and hunger, but found the lack of opposition boring, and relinquished his throne. How many other villains would have given up that power? Doctor Doom did. Doctor Doom will continue to shine throughout the centuries, cheating death itself, and striving to make the world a better place for him and his diabolical plans.