The penultimate issue of One World Under Doom is out this week, and the ending couldn’t come soon enough. Not only because it will be epic to see how Doctor Doom loses, but also because this series has been going on since February! It’s an event that has been almost strictly focused on how many ways Doctor Doom can prevail with the entire world against him, even when the public is fully aware of his transgressions. Issue #8 brings in one of his biggest weaknesses: Valeria.
One World Under Doom #8 begins and ends with Valeria, Doctor Doom’s goddaughter and the daughter of Reed Richards and Sue Storm. The story picks up where we left off, just after Doctor Doom thwarted Reed as the Scientist Supreme, and every hero is combining powers to outmatch Doom. Enter Valeria, who wants to convince Doctor Doom with her words, rather than with fists.
This issue has a lot of spectacle, which is something we’ve come to expect with events. From the start, we see Doom communicate with Valeria in an epic sort of way, complete with a clever move by Valeria to get the conversation going. After that, we see creative ways different heroes’ powers can combine into something we’ve never seen before. Sue Storm gets creative, with hers, although a Storm-Human Torch combo might take the cake. This series has shown incredible things Doctor Doom has done we’ve never seen before, so why not have the heroes try out new things?
There’s stuff in this issue that will blow your mind, leading up to one final blow by Doctor Doom that you won’t see coming. Beyond that, the cliffhanger is even more shocking with some rare gore in such a primo title. It’s safe to say writer Ryan North has thought up the biggest and most epic twists and turns for a logical fight involving Doom at his most powerful.
Doctor Doom is basically a god.
Credit: Marvel
Art by R.B. Silva is great, with tons of energy effects to showcase the various magic and superhero powers. David Curiel colors the issue with as much bravado as a Marvel Studios picture. This comic is trying to be so cinematic that there’s even lens flair in some panels. Similar to past issues, the energy effects can be so robustly used that they cover up too much background, making the action hard to track outside of blasts of light. Still, with so much power and energy being thrown around, it’s not like we’re getting distinct fight choreography on every page.
As far as how this sets up the finale, I think it makes a lot of sense. It was only ever going to come down to Doctor Doom deciding he needed to lose, or be punished, rather than the heroes defeating him. He’s just too good, and as the Sorcerer Supreme, he outmatches everyone. That means we’ll get quite a strong Doom-focused issue, and a look at a man who knows he can win, but needs to decide if the cost was worth it.
One World Under Doom #8 delivers all the spectacle and emotional weight expected from a penultimate chapter, combining jaw-dropping visuals with one of Doctor Doom’s most personal confrontations yet. Ryan North brings the event full circle by centering the story on Valeria, Doom’s greatest weakness and moral mirror, while R.B. Silva’s blockbuster artwork makes every page feel cinematic, even when the chaos borders on sensory overload. With massive twists, inventive power combinations, and a finale that feels inevitable yet unpredictable, this issue perfectly sets the stage for Doom’s reckoning.
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