One World Under Doom #2

History

The event that houses this issue was announced at San Diego Comic-Con on July 26, 2024, and originally solicited under the title The Rise of Emperor Doom as a five-issue miniseries before being expanded to nine issues and renamed — no official explanation for either change was given. It was also originally scheduled for November 2024 before being pushed to a February 2025 launch, timed ahead of the Avengers: Doomsday theatrical release. Writer Ryan North came to the project directly from his ongoing Fantastic Four run, which began in 2022 and had established much of the groundwork for Doom's characterization; R.B. Silva, who had previously penciled an earlier volume of Fantastic Four, joined as the series artist, with David Curiel on colors and Travis Lanham on letters, under editor Tom Brevoort.

Trivia · 8 facts

• Published March 19, 2025; chapter title 'The Free World' (Chapter Two of nine); written by Ryan North, art and inks by R.B. Silva, colors by David Curiel, letters by Travis Lanham, cover by Ben Harvey.
• Doom uses his Sorcerer Supreme magic to transform Ben Grimm back to his human form live at the United Nations, publicly humiliating Reed Richards for never having accomplished the same feat — according to the Marvel Database, this is only the fourth time in continuity that the Thing has been depowered and reverted to human form, the previous instances occurring in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #12, Fantastic Four #167, and Marvel 2-In-One #8.
• Captain Marvel formally recruits a new Masters of Evil lineup — Arcade, Baron Mordo, Doctor Octopus, M.O.D.O.K., Madelyne Pryor, and Mysterio — as unconventional allies for the Avengers in their campaign against Doom.
• Scarlet Witch leads a covert strike team including Madelyne Pryor and Baron Mordo to psychically probe world leaders, only to discover that Doom exercised no mind control whatsoever — the leaders are following him of their own volition.
• A private scene between Doom and Valeria Richards — set at Toronto City Hall — establishes the philosophical and emotional core of the event, with Doom asking his goddaughter to justify democracy and then explaining his own rationale for global rule.
• The Fantastic Four's attempt to discredit Doom at the UN backfires publicly: surrounded by armed civilian volunteers, the Four are framed by Doom's live broadcast as aggressors, with Doom then opening national borders so that all citizens may freely travel between former nations.
• The series of which this issue is part was originally solicited as a five-issue miniseries called The Rise of Emperor Doom before being expanded to nine issues under the One World Under Doom banner; the title is understood to echo the 1991 Marvel 2099 event One Nation Under Doom.
• Multiple tie-in series branch directly from the events of this issue, including Fantastic Four (vol. 7) #30–33 — which picks up exactly where issue #2 leaves the FF — as well as Superior Avengers and Doom's Division.

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