Back in 1976, Stan Lee oversaw a collection of comics titled Bring on the Bad Guys!, which chronicled the origins of the greatest villains in the Marvel Universe. 2025’s Bring on the Bad Guys aims to resurrect this idea, while also featuring a more coherent storyline that features the villains from the original Bring on the Bad Guys graphic novel. First up: Doctor Doom.
Doom learns that a mysterious woman known as “Sister Sorrow” is attempting to gain access to six daggers that power the Soul Forge, an artifact crafted using dark magic that will grant its user incredible power. But Sister Sorrow isn’t who she appears to be: she’s a being of immensely dark magic herself, and what’s worse, she serves Mephisto – who seeks the Forge for his own diabolical means.
It’s no surprise that Bring on the Bad Guys would start with Doom. In addition to being the center of the current Marvel event, One World Under Doom, he’ll also be returning to the big screen for Avengers: Doomsday. There’s also the fact that Doom is just a great villain to write, and Marc Guggenheim understands that. Throughout Bring on the Bad Guys: Doom #1, Guggenheim laces Doom’s speech with the arrogance you’d expect, but also shows how crafty the Lord of Latveria is. He immediately recognizes the keys to the Soul Forge, and is determined to stop Mephisto, even if it’s for his own gain. (Kudos to Guggenheim for utilizing the fierce rivalry that Doom and Mephisto have.)
Marvel
Bring on the Bad Guys: Doom #1 also looks gorgeous thanks to Stefano Raffaele. This isn’t the first time Raffaele’s illustrated an armored villain, as he drew what’s arguably one of the best Darth Vader comic stories in Star Wars: Dark Vader – Black, White and Red; but he seems determined to top himself. From the very first page, Doom’s shown sitting in his throne at Latveria, looming large over both his subjects and the readers. If that’s not impressive enough, the imagery of Mephisto’s kingdom in Hell is utterly chilling, with its circular structure paying homage to Dante’s Inferno. Neeraj Meeron alternates between emerald green and crimson red for certain scenes, underlying the division between Doom and Mephisto.
The one part of Bring on the Bad Guys: Doom #1 that could have been fleshed out a little more is Sister Sorrow. Raffaele does give her a great design, including a jet black costume that serves as a direct contrast to her flaming red hair and chalk white skin. Yet we know little about her: how is she connected to Mephisto? What drives her to collect the keys to the Soul Forge? Most of Marvel’s recent villains like Knull or the Maker have what writer Al Ewing refers to as “big villain juice“, meaning that they have a compelling origin in addition to a cool look and a backstory that can hook readers. Doom absolutely has “big villain juice”, and so far, Sister Sorrow has a few of the ingredients herself. The rest of the one-shots need to fill in those gaps.
Bring on the Bad Guys: Doom #1 lays a solid foundation for a villain-based story, while also reminding fans why Doctor Doom is one of the best villains in the Marvel Universe. It’s a good year to break bad.
You must be logged in to post a comment.