One World Under Doom

Fantastic Four (2022)

by Ryan North, R.B. Silva (Artist), David Curiel (Colourist)

Doctor Doom declares himself Emperor of the World! Six months ago, Victor Von Doom saved the world from vampires by assuming the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme - then disappeared behind Latveria's closed borders. But his absence was merely the calm before the storm - a storm that has now arrived. The world wakes up to a new reality: Doom has magically taken over every broadcast medium on Earth and declared himself the ruler of the planet under the flag of a new United Latveria! And shockingly, impossibly, all global leaders seem to be going along with it. Luckily, whether it's mind control or Doombots, whatever's affecting them hasn't affected Earth's heroes - so they quickly form a strike team to stop Doom's machinations. But nothing will go as expected for the Fantastic Four, the Avengers and their allies! What happens when some begin to welcome their new Emperor with open arms, clamoring for ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM?

Collecting ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM (2024) #1-9.

Genres: Comics, Marvel, Graphic Novels, Superheroes, Science Fiction, Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

Kindle Edition

First published February 10, 2026

About the author

Hi, I'm Ryan! I was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1980 and since then have written several books. You can read my Wikipedia page for more, or check out my author site at RyanNorth.ca!

I'm the author of the webcomic Dinosaur Comics (that's the comic where the pictures don't change but the words do, it's better than it sounds and I've also done crazy things like turn Shakespeare into a choose-your-own-path adventure, write a comic for Marvel about a girl with all the powers of a squirrel, or mess up walking my dog so badly it made the news.

I'm working on more stuff as we speak, hopefully it's good

Reviews

[♥Milica♥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Be still, my crossover loving heart. RYAN NORTH MADE ME CRY. AGAIN. Yes, it was the last issue, but I got choked up somewhere around the middle too.

I love Doom, and I feel like North loves and gets him too, because he's so well-written. Yes, he's a villain who just took over the world, but he's building hospitals and schools, abolishing borders...maybe it's for real this time? Or is there something darker going on behind the scenes?

Honestly, one of the best crossovers I've read, I enjoyed every single issue, the art is lovely, there's lots of my favourite villain doing villain things...what's not to love? Exactly.

[Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this crossover more, as I'm a big fan of Ryan North's Fantastic Four, but it didn't quite work for me.

The big Marvel event, about Doom successfully taking over the world, had kind of been done before in the 80s as a one-off graphic novel. To make it a 9-month saga might have been too ambitious for its own sake, and didn't play to the strengths of North's writing which is more suited to cool science fiction short story concepts in individual issues.

Mostly, the main theme of the story was about Doom and Reed Richards debating the merits of a speculative benevolent dictatorship. Which is of course interesting. Then all the Avengers team up and fight, and the art by R.B. Silva is beautiful which is up to the high-quality of modern comics, but it gets repetitive. Should this have been a 4-issue series to be better? Confined to the pages of just Fantastic Four?

There are kind of some MAGA metaphors in there, but it doesn't really make sense as any real-world analogue mainly because there are no benevolent dictatorships in the reality. Your neighbors having Doom flags and following that offensive ideology, doesn't fit with the obvious parallel in the "world outside your window." Which is fine as escapists comics go, it doesn't have to fit, I'm simply noting it.

In the end, it's all about Doom and his goddaughter Valeria Richards. It has heart and characterization, to be sure. Doom as protagonist with the arc. If you like that, as opposed to big crossovers, you'll like it more.

I can't say I was interested in the spinoff tie-ins, which are a necessary part of these things now. Maybe some of them inspired great stories. I dunno. I will say that North's Fantastic Four issues were great, better than this, because of the narrower scope and cool sci-fi ideas. More on those later.

[Khurram · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was okay. I wanted to give it 3.5 stars, I just did not enjoy it enough for a round up. The book is pretty much what I expected it to be. Doom Vs. The Fantastic Four (and family), with the rest of the Marvel Universe as back up. Good artwork and lots of battles mainly huge power level stuff. Good artwork and am okay story as well.

Doom has taken over the world. The battles are on two fronts physically and politically to get the population on side. With Doom now also the Sorcerer Supreme do the heroes actually stand a chance. However the question is should they even try to stop Doom as he seems to be doing a better job of ruling the world then it current fragmented leaders.

To read this book you have to get used to Doom continously making proclamations with himself in the third person. My favourite part of the book was Doom actually doing his job as the Sorcerer Supreme, the rest of it was just okay for me. The book finishes with a couple of new series launched and a thumbnail variant cover gallery.

[Frédéric · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am naturally quite sceptical about so-called events, which are more often than not disappointments. I approached OWUD with this mindset and ultimately came away very satisfied.
I haven't read the tie-ins apart from the two or three series I usually follow, and I haven't missed much, as was to be expected.

Coming back to the event: North writes Doom to perfection. The series is 200% focused on him – the entire cast, except perhaps Valeria, plays a supporting role to highlight him – and he is truly supreme in his hubris, arrogance, iron will and ability to manipulate crowds with exaggerated populist rhetoric that sadly echoes our current events. North gets it spot on in this regard.
The rest of the plot is rather well done. The nine episodes flow seamlessly, with twists galore, excellent cliffhangers and a real sense of anticipation about how it will all end.
I regret one or two twists that really come out of nowhere, but overall I really enjoyed reading it.

Even though I find R.B. Silva's artwork a little stiff in its expressions, it can arguably be described as very good, and the storytelling is equally good. I'm less convinced by Curiel's colouring, which is too garish for my taste and sometimes detracts from the readability.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.2 stars

[Alex Sarll]

The best Marvel event in years – possibly even the best a Marvel event can be – but also one brought low as much by its writer's strengths as his limitations. Ryan North, after all, defaults to writing superhero stories as a subset of problem-solving, a seemingly impossible tangle resolved by creative thinking. Which I love! But it means that in a story about Doctor Doom taking over the world, he approaches it from Doom's perspective, remembering that, at his best, Doom isn't just a vainglorious tyrant, but a very smart man who, albeit in a sometimes warped fashion, genuinely cares for his subjects. So when he announces that the world's rulers have all ceded power to him, his first edicts are free universal healthcare and free higher education, everywhere. This being the case, it's no wonder that lots of people think, all things considered, that this new world order might not be such a bad thing. And any satirical implications of Americans wearing green baseball caps and putting pro-Doom placards on their lawns rather collapse, because it's much more understandable than the behaviour of their real-world equivalents, doing likewise for a ruler who is just a vainglorious tyrant, pigshit thick to boot, and actively making their lives worse.

The main hold-outs, of course, are the heroes, convinced that Doom is up to his usual tricks, has captured the leaders and replaced them with robots or something. But, especially given he's now Sorcerer Supreme, Doom found a much better solution for that problem too, and for the heroes' attempts to unseat him. Which ultimately means that North writes himself into a corner, and unless he's going to leave Earth 616 in this set-up, then has to pull a really unconvincing, screeching handbrake turn of a twist to set up the obligatory big showdown. In fairness, he does at least get the satire back on track in its wake, by remembering that old mainstay resolution 'the heroes reveal the awful secret to the world' is, given real world developments, off the table for the foreseeable future if you want your story taken at all seriously. And the final issue comes off much better than it has any right to given it's both a deus ex machina and a power of love ending. The cosmic shores on which it fetches up also allow the art from RB Silva and David Curiel to come into its own, having otherwise tended a little too luminous on the heroes in particular (though I can't deny it was a buzz seeing Squirrel Girl and Brain Drain rendered so epically, and I hope they keep getting invites to the big crossovers). But despite the many fine touches in its execution, ultimately it convinced me less than the resolution of a very similar core story in 1987's Emperor Doom which, though overall not written half so well, caught something fundamentally true at the end, where Doom is poised to destroy his enemies and cement his dominion – then doesn't press the button, because the sheer faff of ruling the world has been getting him down, and he's realised he'd much rather rage from the margins.

[Carter · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5!
Some amazing moments mixed in with some slop… so the Marvel usual I guess!

[Mario V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super solid art and even had me at some points thinking Doom was the man 😭

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25
Here me out: this was actually pretty good. But it did drag on too long. A couple middle-ish issues got a bit dumb. But it started great and really ended great.

Hard to overlook the social commentary.

The tie-ins were decent. Especially the Doctor Strange one. But some fizzled out (and I did not finish).

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first crossover event I've read since Civil War, and I had a good time with it! I obviously love Doom as a character, and so I was thrilled to have him in the spotlight. I also quite like North's portrayal of him, just as egomaniacal and perfectly villainous as ever. Doom done well might be my favorite comic character of all time, beating out even my beloved Ben Grimm. This series really centers Doom, his plotting, and the realization of his dreams for world domination under Doom.

My favorite issues related to Doom and Valeria, which is no surprise. I find that those two characters are often so overpowered (in their own ways) that the conflict resolution typically has to have something other than just punching harder or casting a bigger spell. I prefer these battles of wits and negotiations and the clever outplaying that defines Doom's relationship with Reed, only magnified with Valeria. The conclusion of the whole saga I found really satisfying and exciting, which can be hard to pull off.

The political commentary is fine without having to be allegorical, which I appreciated. You get what North is saying without it having to be 1:1, which hopefully (or maybe not hopefully) makes it feel as resonant in 2036 as it does in 2026. The commentary isn't North's strong suit, and it isn't the heart of the story in the way that it was for Civil War, but it's serviceable.

While many others liked the art in this one, I did not. There is a certain style that I think emerged in the 2010s with odd lines, especially on the face and mouth, where it looks almost like they're doing a speed-trace of the image underneath? I don't know enough about art or illustration history to point it out by name, but it turned me off from a lot of the panels. In addition, many of the big fight scenes had too much going on for me to actually track the action. However, the action is almost always my least favorite part of superhero comics, so it is already a lower note for me.

Overall, a good crossover event with an excellent central character. Did I like it as much as the Fantastic Four? No. Do I ever? Rarely. I'd recommend it to anyone who watches Avengers Doomsday and wants more of him, though I suspect earlier storylines like Secret Wars would be a better spot. Once again, Tom should read this.

[Zach · Rating 5 out of 5]

At first, Dr. Doom taking over the world and most people being okay with it feels like it is beyond the pale. Then, you remember that the United States elected Donald Trump twice, and suddenly the suspension of disbelief is back.

Also, Doom has a t-rex that he dresses in a t-rex Doom costume, including the green cloak. He rides around on it like a horse. Why the hell is that so cute???

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read as single issues

[Jeff Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

More than a 3, but not quite a 4. Maybe 3.75?

Dr. Doom has taken over the world. He has promised the end of war, free education, universal healthcare, higher wages, etc. but at what cost?

In these issues you get the ridiculous (and ridiculously fun) Doomasaurus. You also get the Avengers, X-Men, and Fantastic Four.

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Got to read this Marvel-wide event, and here is what I thought about it.
https://youtu.be/5etW5Op2HRY

[Quasar Scholar · Rating 3 out of 5]

This comic does have many positive aspects. But it has even more wasted potential, as well as a messy narrative structure, if it can even be called that way. Here is my messy rant

Let’s talk about what I was able to subjectively enjoy. The art style is gorgeous - I can see why some may find the visuals too noisy, but I absolutely love this spectacle of bright colours, whether it is a titanic magical battle or a semi-political debate. I also loved the characterisation of Doom’s relationship with Valeria, his goddaughter- the one genuine affection in the megalomaniac’s heart, and that this relationship was one of the major story focuses. The use of the reviews, online debates and news reports as means to showcase the response of the earth’s population towards new authoritarian regime is also astounding, even if it could have been pushed further. The appearance of the cult of personality was especially a nice touch. I would also say that magical combats were to my liking - they contain strategy, counter measures to the opponent’s potential actions and a more creative use of magic that it commonly is in Marvel(though it could have been pushed further)

Now, on the negatives - beware, spoilers! The comic’s premise could have been very peculiar - a narcissistic dictator takes over the world and tries to build an utopia, but this time it will be much more grounded than usual - we should see how society is affected by the Doom’s rule, and how the characters face the main moral conflict - a safe, stable life with guaranteed income, housing, healthcare and education under the Doom’s rule with complete elimination of the global hunger, wars, epidemics, social inequality and most of the criminal activity… but at the cost of the individual’s freedom, that life would be a pre-constructed, uneventful journey. Of course, the argument for the freedom of choice should have won in the end, it’s a marvel superhero comic after all, but it could have been an interesting discussion, if done well… and while the story tried to do so, it mostly failed. Doom’s opposition usually doesn’t provide good arguments against totalitarianism, while Doom attacks are mostly a mix of a palatable arguments and criticism towards heroes’s inaction in relation to the major social issues, like how Tony Stark could have provided clean energy to the whole planet, Ant-man could have solved world hunger, Storm could have prevented all of the natural disasters and global warming, etc. Which sounds as a very solid argument in the story, until reader remembers that the reasons why super heroes don’t do all of that is to keep the Earth 616 relatable to the audience. Otherwise, it would have quickly become a futuristic utopia, and the stories of Spider-Man, Daredevil and other “grounded” characters would fade away as such advanced society will have completely different issues(also, no, Ant-man would not be able to solve world hunger by increasing food items in size, as humanity produces more than enough food to feed itself already - the core issue are logistics, and a lack of interest of the ones in power to fix those logistical problems).

To sum up, the story quickly becomes very one-sided - Doom presents the only decent arguments(some of which are going against the meta narrative), while the heroes can’t get anything marginally better than “This is not right”. Because of it, public debate between Richards and Doom, while starts as interesting, quickly becomes a celebration of Doom’s achievements. Combine that with how effortlessly Doom solves most of the political and physical confrontations, and comic itself almost becomes a fanfic of a Doom’s fanboy. As a Dr Doom fanboy, even I found it boring - there should be a moral conflict, there should be stakes in a story, and here… they were absent for a half of the comic.

So, as the author fails to think of a good argument against Doom’s regime, he pulls off a classic trick - Doom commits something objectively evil in secret, specifically siphoning souls of the Lateran citizens to empower himself. And so, heroes get a reason to oppose Doom, without addressing core conflict. This could have been an interesting debate, in a literal sense, where heroes defeat Doom in a moral/philosophical argument, convince most of the population against him and only then battle the Emperor, yet instead it comes down to “the villain is kinda right, but he does something objectively horrific so we should fight him and not address his arguments”. Truly sad how the potential was mostly wasted

Then there is some other criticism - bad characterisation of the most characters that aren’t named Doom or Valeria; the instantaneous speed of Doom’s reforms; conflicting interpretations of the lore of Marvel magic… but I digress. I’ve talked enough about how one-sided this story was, how stakes were absent excluding for the battle between Doom and Dormamu(mostly a very good battle, I have to admit), the final confrontation between Doom and all of the heroes and when Doom was searching for a way to resurrect Valeria. And so, I am of an opinion that this comic, while having some good ideas, has a core problem of not addressing it own message properly as well as having one-sided conflict for a significant part of the narrative.

[Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Marvel Comics masterpiece!


This TPB edition collects “One World Under Doom” #1-9.


Creative Team

Writer: Ryan North

Illustrator: R.B. Silva


ONLY DOOM CAN SAVE YOU!

I heard many good stuff about this storyarc but I was unable to buy it when it came out in single issues, so I waited to buy the TPB edition, and it’s clear that Marvel Comics wanted to catch the buyers when the title was still hot since the TPB came out quite quick differently to other collected editions and also in a very accesible price of $19.99 taking in account that the arc has nine issues.

Definitely it’s one of the best stories from Marvel Comics that I’ve read and it should be in any Top10 of the best Marvel stories from now on. Ryan North who has been writing Fantastic Four for quite some time (and still he’s doing it) definitely knows how to manage Doctor Doom, and this comic book event is already the quintissential Doctor Doom story from now on.

I only wanted a different conclussion (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it!) since the development is so great that some creative decisions of how to manage some secrets in the story were kinda awkward to keep the awesome image of Doctor Doom in his works during the story.

Doctor Victor Von Doom, son of a nomad and an ill-fated with, previously to this arc, stopped a vampire invasion and in the process he became the new Sorcerer Supreme taking the title from Stephen Strange and with that impressive magical power he decided to do what he knows best…

…to rule the world!

But unlike what one could think a villain would do such a thing, he started to offer more schools along with free education, enough food to stop world hunger, free medical attention, no more political borders, it’s now one single unified world, United Latveria, so anybody can travel wherever he or she wants without needing visa, no more wars between countries (that now they’s provinces of Latveria).

Awesome, right? And it is indeed…

…BUT…

…the world’s heroes, The Avengers, The Fantastic Four, the X-Men, along with some individual heroes and even a vilain team, they suspect from Doctor Doom and they decided to attack him and taking out from his position as ruler of the world.

I can’t blame them since well, he’s Doom after all, and also, in the very moment that he declared himself emperor of the world, his home country Latveria is surrounded by an impenetrable magical barrier and nobody knows what is happening inside (and the revelation (no, I won’t spoil it) was precisely my only complain about how the arc was managed).

However, how he indicates in a debate...

...the heroes of the world could make the world better since many years and they hadn't...

...Tony Stark could offer his arc reactor to give free clean enery and he didn't...

...Hank Pym could solve the world hunger in a day, but he opted just make himself giant...

...Reed Richards constructed tons of revolutionary inventions, just to storage them in the Baxter Building and not offer them to the world...

...so, who is the villain here?

Doom is expecting that and he’s prepared to each movement by the heroes, it’s a high stakes game of chess where Doom already knows the next movement of the pieces and he’s winning the situation.

Valeria Richards, daughter of Reed and Susan Richards (Mr. Fantastic and the Invisible Woman), AND gooddaughter of Victor Von Doom asked him about this true intentions, but that remained in secret from the readers but she seems okay (at first) with what Doom is doing.

Doom riding his Doomasaur (because, yes, he has a Tyrannosaurus wearing a matching Doomlike armor) is able to face the combined threats of the Avengers, the Fantastic Four (where Reed Richards will do his best to understand the concept of magic) and the X-Men, even the interdimensional menace of Dormammu! And everything turning to his favor.

But there is something in the heat and confusion of the battlefield that he didn’t foresee…

…something not negotiable, not even for Victor Von Doom!

And Victor will sacrifice anything for solving that mistake!

Totally recommended!

[Logan B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Judging by other reviews, I enjoyed “One World Under Doom” a lot more than others and I can see where they’re coming from. As a crossover, it doesn’t really work well. The heroes have next to no agency in the story with both the Avengers and Fantastic Four acting more buffoonish and boneheaded than you would expect and others like Spider-Man and the X-Men making completely superficial appearances in the story. From that perspective, I agree this is not a good event. But when viewed as a Doctor Doom story first and foremost, I found it to be very enjoyable.

The plot poses some interesting moral questions that cut to the heart of who Doom is and what he really wants. After successfully blackmailing Dr. Strange to hand over the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme during the previous year’s “Blood Hunt” event and months of careful preparation, Doom takes over the world overnight making his dreams of world conquest a reality. What follows next is a surprisingly benevolent dictatorship that makes the Marvel heroes and rest of the world question if Doom is really a bad guy after all. There is a really great issue in the middle of the story where Mr. Fantastic challenges Doom to a debate on live tv in an effort to discredit him only to get thoroughly rebuked by Doom pointing out the hypocrisy of superheroes. Why is Doom a villain when he is using his powers to build hospitals, improve education, help immigrants, etc. while superheroes only hoard their abilities for themself? Reed Richards inventions could dramatically improve the quality of life for humans but he doesn’t share them and the same goes for the rest of the heroes.

It’s a really interesting moral debate that gets undercut when the Avengers discover that the power source for Doom’s newfound magical talents is turning the entire population of his home country of Latveria into living batteries. This is where the event loses a step for me as it ceases to be an interesting moral debate and regresses into traditional “Doom bad, superheroes good” action for the next couple issues but is saved by the finale where Doom chooses to give up his life to save Valeria, his goddaughter, when she is accidentally killed by Doom during a confrontation with the heroes. In the end, the superheroes never stopped Doom and never could, only his love for his goddaughter makes him give up everything he has ever had.

There’s shades of modern political commentary in the final discussion between Doom and Mr. Fantastic as Doom imminently approaches death where Reed blames Doom for making authoritarianism appealing, widening political divides, and throwing the world into turmoil worse than before his reign. Doom makes no apologies for his actions, very fitting with his character, and stands by the fact that “only Doom could have saved you.” This goes to show how morally grey of a character Doom is and what makes him so interesting. Ultimately, his motivations for ruling the world were selfish, to enhance his own glory and make him beloved in the eyes of the population, but he legitimately improved quality of life for people under a united Latveria compared to what they have under fractured nation states albeit at the cost of political liberty. If this is truly the end of Doctor Doom (spoiler alert, it never is in comics) then it is a fitting and poetic end for the best villain in Marvel comics.

[Omar Gómez · Rating 2 out of 5]

One World Under Doom #1-9 TPB
Calificación 2.3/5

One World Under Doom #1 Calificación 2/5
One World Under Doom #2 Calificación 2.5/5
One World Under Doom #3 Calificación 2/5
One World Under Doom #4 Calificación 2.5/5
One World Under Doom #5 Calificación 2/5
One World Under Doom #6 Calificación 2/5
One World Under Doom #7 Calificación 2/5
One World Under Doom #8 Calificación 3/5
One World Under Doom #9 Calificación 3/5

Este concepto es repetitivo ya habían hecho Emperor Doom (1987), hay un excesivo uso de globos de diálogos o de pensamiento como un cómic viejo parece intencional hacerlo como en 1985.

Como hace décadas en los comics americanos tiene hasbara ejemplo aquí Doctor Doom ejecuta a los  nazis Red Skull y Baron Zemo para ser celebrado por las personas ¿pero el batallón azov o el amalek del genocida Netanyahu el reconocido criminal de guerra buscado por la Corte Penal Internacional y acusado de corrupción en su país, ovacionado en el congreso de Estados Unidos por democratas y republicanos, debieron arrestarlo y entregarlo a juicio. Biden y Trump fueron cómplices de genocidio dándole armas para matar niños y mujeres en Palestina, pero no es cuestionado Netanyahu? Dirán es un cómic y no solucionará la vida real, bueno no metas propaganda en historias para niños.

Esto aun tiene su agenda woke con Carol Danvers con su actitud de presuntuosa y con aires de superioridad ¿acaso no es un personaje odiado, desde hace décadas? y solo es sexualizada desde sus inicios como eye candy. En varios issues solo se la pasan hablando y no hay acción.

Mucho hocus pocus con la hechicería y la ciencia ficción, Sue Richards siempre la dibujan con el mejor trasero pero compite por el título con Spider-Woman II, Mary Jane Watson, Rouge, Psylocke, Dagger.

Los superheroes Juzgan a Doom y Latveria pero  su propio gobierno interviene en otros países de forma militar con escusas de libertador para apropiarse de recursos naturales y eliminar al régimen según convenga a sus lobbys, es con el lobby del complejo militar industrial y la economía de guerra eternas para vender armas, los políticos de Estados Unidos no son los buenos en la vida real nunca lo ha sido en par de años fueron cómplices de genocidio, secuestraron a un presidente, robaron petróleo de buques como viles piratas, amenazan con invadir países, de apropiarse de territorios, su presidente Trump era íntimo de Epstein.

Las apariencias de las acciones de los dirigentes como Doom, son vistas por tipos como Reed de forma maniquea explotandolo en la opinión pública como arma, pero Doom controla los medios, eso es tratado en algunos issues pero en el mundo real el control de los medios en occidente pertenecen al lobby israelí, quieres ser crítico mencionalo abiertamente.

Las peleas de los Super-Heroes son como en Secret Wars II (1985) solo cambian a Beyonder por Doctor Doom. Al final ponen a Doom como el héroe y Reed Richards como un idiota.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was curious to see where this would go in the wake of Blood Hunt, a massive crossover event that I found, on the whole, massively underwhelming. I did, admittedly, like this substantially more. That might be due to having read very little of the crossover material prior to the big event (just FF, though I think some of the X-Men related stories I've read have maybe been around or adjacent to OWUD). I thought the core conceit, of Doom, now as the Sorcerer Supreme, taking over Earth and imposing his pax victoris to bring about peace and prosperity complete with universal healthcare and education as well as open borders. What I don't love about this within the framework of the storytelling is that there is ALWAYS an implication that none of these can exist without some evil tradeoff to acquire them (and sure, maybe looking to a comic book isn't the best place for sociopolitical nuance and savvy, but still). All of this largely hinges on Doom's benevolence and then draws on his relationship with Valeria Richards as a rational for him to do good. This is the other misstep of this event for me -- she heroes just keep pounding away at the notion that none of this can come from an actual character shift in Doom (fine), but then his interactions with Valeria are so limited that we don't get the narrative arc of her realizing her godfather is lying to her and the world and THAT then motivating some of the swings in Doom's character as the story continues to its conclusion.

That the ending goes so extra-galactically big and then ends tucked away in a corner of Scarlet Witch's curio store also felt a bit flat, and I saw that as someone who has been staying as up to date as possible on her storylines for the past several years.

The art style, action, and visual touches (especially the weird black fragmented "taint" we see spread through several panels) really kept me trucking along with this one. I do, admittedly, appreciate the narrow focus at the core of this story too -- there aren't a ton of side plots that feel detached from the main narrative that ONLY come to matter at the tail end. There's costs to that level of focus in a story with the stakes as big as this one, but on the whole I think it works better for it than it missteps.

Going to jump over to some of the Storm comics soon before circling back to Secret Wars (2015) so I can maybe get some more foregrounding for this event too.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

So any of my friends, you know, I read comic books know that I really generally hate the storylines that crossed through pretty much every marvel comic book to make one gigantic story. Because they’re a pain in the ass to read and to figure out what you need to read in order. This one I actually did want to try reading because the idea of it was interesting. Dr. doom is one of those Marvel villains where there are moments where he’s not completely a villain and so you start to wonder about possibilities. And I thought this was a really well done story. It shows doom at his most villainess, but also at his most heroic. The story dealt a lot with things very deeply resonate with what’s going on in America right now under Trump‘s presidency. You can see echoes of that in this story, which made it a powerful read because it felt very real and very relevant. Unlike Trump, doom does have redeeming qualities that you can see in the story. I won’t spoil the ending, but the ending shows you the kind of man he could be. Overall, I think this was probably the best of Marvel stories that use pretty much the majority of their characters. It was easy to follow and a very powerful story in many different ways. And it also helps to set up where Marvel can go from here. So in the end, I would say it was definitely worth a read and it all being bundled into a single book. Makes it a very easy read as well because you don’t have to try and track down dozens of individual comic books or even dozens of grouped paperback bundles like they did with the previous Civil War arcs.

[Jack Morelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s got its problems for sure but this was a very fun read.

Pros:

Doom aura farming

Dino doom

Some more crazy Ryan north ideas but this time it’s magic

Lots of really great conversations about propaganda and power etc

The ending is built off an interesting and important relationship for doom…

Really great art

Cons:

….Valeria being critical to the ending is great but once again she’s like not a part of this story until the last 2-3 issues. Conclusions works but the setup isn’t really there

Overall story feels both stretched out and a bit rushed. Not sure how it would read if I didn’t supplement it with other tie ins (even though none of them really mattered to the main story besides the FF fixing Ben but still there were some good tie ins I read)

Biggest issue: The big twist in the middle with the Latverian prison feels unearned. It’s not set up and not really followed up on (like did they even get saved?!). This should be the big dramatic turning point and it is but it doesn’t feel like it is


I don’t mind that it gives the heroes a political way to defeat doom but it should be more important to the narrative if that’s your solution. It is sort of an “easy way out” of the “doom is good for the world” plotline but I also kind of like that doom did actually accomplish good things. I just wish we got more with the “doom is using Latverian life force to take over the world” because like it’s a crazy move for him to betray his people for the sake of ruling the rest of the world well. I just wanted more from that

[Chris Lemmerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marvel's latest event is a big one - putting Doctor Doom in charge of the Marvel Universe is definitely a different set-up to what we've seen before. This isn't even Norman Osborn Dark Reign levels of control either, he's literally the Sorcerer Supreme and a self-styled Emperor, similar to how he set himself up during Secret Wars.

I think the issue comes from the scope of things. This is a sweeping story, but because of that, we get a lot of 'tell don't show', simply because there's not enough space to explore everything in this main series. I guess that's why there were so many tie-ins.

I did appreciate that Ryan North reined himself in a bit from using over the top science or magic explanations to make Doom look clever, and there are genuinely points in the story where I wondered if Doom actually was on the up-and-up for a change and not just grandstanding.

There's also quite an emotional ending, which, while having a bit of a One More Day deus ex machina about it, does ring true with Doom's character. He'll do anything for literally one person in the world, after all.

And the artwork's phenomenal, because it's RB Silva and that guy can draw anything.

A little too big for its own good at times, but still a solid event. I'm not sure if the aftermath's going to have that big of an effect, but it was definitely a wild ride while it was running.

[Juha Soininen · Rating 1 out of 5]

One Star. Absolute Garbage.
This "One World Under Doom" event (or whatever the hell it's calling itself across the Fantastic Four books) is a prime example of everything wrong with modern Marvel. Messy plot that feels like it was written by a committee on a deadline, with zero cohesion. Stupid, try-hard jokes that land like wet farts. The art by R.B. Silva and company is a chaotic, muddy disaster—overrendered, inconsistent, and hard to follow. Panels look like they were drawn in a blender.
And don't get me started on the idiotic Squirrel Girl shoehorned in here like some desperate attempt at "fun" or "relatability." She's the walking embodiment of Marvel's current brainrot: cutesy quips, zero stakes, and somehow involved in a world-ending Doom story. It kills any tension dead.
Marvel gets 1 star from me. Why are people still reading this slop when DC's Absolute Universe is out there delivering fresh, bold, high-quality takes on their icons? Absolute Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman—actually exciting, well-plotted, and visually striking stuff that respects the characters and the audience. Marvel's just recycling the same event nonsense with diminishing returns and embarrassing humor.
Save your money and your time. Go read DC instead. This deserves to be buried under the "One World Under Doomed Sales" pile.

[Simon Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS.

I went back and forth between three and four stars. The event is too long, the heroes are dumber than they should be, and the art wobbles often. Two issues could have been cut. The heroes “don’t trust doom and throw everything at him” THREE TIMES. This was unnecessary.

I do still like the comic, though. It raises good questions about ethical standards and the consistency of judgement. About the hierarchy of needs, and what liberty is really worth. Doom is fantastic. He is not a hero. He is not right. The widespread sympathy he garnered for the opening of this book is indicative of the illiberal instincts of broad swaths of the populace. Doom is an effective administrator and has good goals, but he is willing to sacrifice everything to get there. The heroes stupidity is more frustrating because they usually fail to make an effective counter argument against doom though they could. Instead they wait for the plot to save them. How is Captain America not a major figure in this book?

Valeria is also fantastic. Doom and her relationship has always been one of the best in comics, and the end is truly fantastic.

All in all this is a flawed event. But it is good. It even manages to provide doom with something all to rare for a comic character - growth.

[Ondra Král · Rating 3 out of 5]

VELMI rozporuplné... Na jednu stranu tu máme solidní event s řadou pozitiv. Ryan North svým postavám víceméně rozumí a Doom naprosto v pohodě obstojí jako padouch pro celej Marvel včetně obrovskýho finálního bossfightu.

Mini-spoilery:
Jenže... je to event. Od začátku víte, že tady je 9 sešitů, kdy Doom ovládne svět a na konci se všechno musí vrátit do normálu. A to OWUDu strašně škodí a North se až moc drží osvědčené šablobky. V první půlce Doom staví školy, zavádí zdravotní péči zdarma a objektivně zlepšuje svět. Všichni hrdinové ale musí mít shodný postoj "Doom je ošklivák, pojďme ho sejmout." Naprosto chápu odboj u Hydra Capa v Secret Empire, ale tady to šustí papírem. a Starkovým egem. No a v druhé půlce musí ze skříně padat kostlivci, aby se to mohlo vyřešit, žejo... A to je fakt škoda.

Dalším problémem jsou tie-iny. Hlavní série sice funguje +- samostatně, ale dost věcí se řeší mimo záběr a postavy občas vyskakují jako deus ex machiny. Minimálně ta FF od Northa bude nutnost, ale ještě jsem ji nečetl.

[Tyler Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This event is the ultimate aura farming compilation for Dr. Doom, that man holds endless amounts of aura within him! He’s such a fascinating character. I swear at times I was even like “maybe the world is better under Doom” and then you remember why he’s a villain and why fascism is never good no matter what package it comes wrapped up in. This takes a different approach to an event than other ones, where the heroes can’t punch and fight their way out of the issue the whole time. The world likes the villain and it would make them look bad, so they have to improvise… and then they can punch their way out of it. Despite being so big and having a tie in across the ongoing series, the cast in the main event is pretty small, and the final issue is literally just a couple characters. But it works, it’s effective, the end is honestly kind of beautiful. The end shows how complex Doom really is! I’m excited to see how The Will of Doom wraps this all up and what it sets up for the future of the Marvel comics.

[Valerio Pastore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Questa articolatissima e lunga saga è da una parte una solida storia, e il tie-in coi Fantastici 4 è monumentale!
Eppure, sa di minestra riscaldata: Destino che conquista il mondo/ottiene il potere assoluto è un'idea vecchia e abusata. Sapendo che Destino non può vincere, la vera domanda era: come perde, questa volta?
E almeno su questo, il finale è sorprendente è interessante: dove il potere fallisce, l'amore vince. E, naturalmente, anche se per ora non sappiamo il percome o il perquando, sappiamo che Destino tornerà. E', semplicemente, un personaggio troppo importante, e sono state tante le volte in cui è scomparso/morto, e infatti sul finale che finisce si gettano i semi per il suo ritorno in spiritu.
E' la Marvel, raga, e finora l'unico morto-morto è il più scalognato dei Parker, Zio Ben. La Morte è lì che con questi personaggi ha giusto il tempo di un tè.
Quindi, sì, bella saga, con lanci di nuovi personaggi, ma onestamente non è il capolavoro, la svolta che mi aspettavo.

[Kamiab Ghorbanpour · Rating 2 out of 5]

It’s a strange book to read, and I expected much more from North. Doom creates universal healthcare, free education for everyone, and dismantles unequal exchange and restrictions on movement for the Global South, basically all the good things one could realistically implement.

The heroes’ only reason for fighting him is that they do not like Doom and assume something sinister is going on. And there is, of course, but not in a way that feels worse than what already exists in the world. It is hard to take billionaire Tony Stark seriously when he argues against Doom’s anti-war, anti-capitalist order.

The book raises genuinely interesting questions about democracy, welfare, and political legitimacy, but it never really wrestles with them. You can more or less see the ending coming from the beginning. Interesting premise, awful storyline, and payoff. The art is very nice, though.

[Christian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Following his defeat of the vampire attack, Doom retreated into Latveria for months. Now he has returned and declared himself emperor of Earth The United Latveria. And it's pretty good, he introduces universal health care and education and declares there are no borders on a united Latveria, but there's this one nagging concern: a benevolent dictator is still a dictator, and what's going on in Latveria (the country, not the planet.)

Overall, this is good. It feels oddly paced and I suspect it works a lot better with some tie-ins. The Fantastic Four one worked great on its own, but without it you would just have Ben Grimm become human and then be The Thing again with no explanation. It's at its best when its boiled down to Reed vs. Doom, and the rest feels like window dressing. Still it's fun, and has good twists.

[Nevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven't read a big superhero event in years, so maybe my word doesn't mean too much to people who love these. But this one was solidly ok. I'm glad I read it, even though it was uneven.
The basic plot idea is pretty cool: Doom takes over the world, goes about improving it, and people wonder whether it's better to leave him in charge. The execution is disappointing, though: The debates about tyranny and the parallels to MAGA-type movements don't work when Doom is actually kind and beneficial. (Nor does it work after the predictable twist that proves that he's not benevolent.) If you ignore all those deeper questions and just enjoy a big superhero story, then it's usually enjoyable. Sometimes a bit slow and ponderous, but other times it makes up for that by putting Squirrel Girl and her supporting cast in a major Marvel event!