If you didn’t already know, we are currently living in the Year of Doom. Yes, you heard that right; it is actually not 2026, it is the year of our great lord and savior Victor von Doom. I’m kiddddding, but my god, doesn’t it feel like that? After last year’s One World Under Doom event, Marvel has just not let up on the Doom-focused stories – from Dungeon of Doom to Doomquest – and it is all due to the dreaded MCU synergy. Marvel is releasing their newest Avengers film, Doomsday, in December 2026, and they are doing anything they can to rile the fans up to be interested in the debut of “Tony Stark Doom.” To that end, Marvel has released a (very nice) trade paperback collection of Brian Bendis and Alex Maleev’s Infamous Iron Man series, a wonderful story that sees Victor taking on the mantle of Iron Man and becoming a repentant hero.
Infamous Iron Man is some MCU synergy that has fallen right into Marvel’s lap, without them even needing to create any new content! Fans, or would-be fans, can get a glimpse of Victor-as-Iron-Man, instead of Tony-as-Doom, hopefully getting excited for Doom’s full MCU debut this winter. Thankfully, Infamous Iron Man is actually a really enjoyable book, and offers a wonderful vision of both von Doom and the iconic Ben Grimm.
Marvel
Bendis, who is a talented and lauded writer critically, sometimes takes heat from fans who don’t like all his writing, but Infamous really proved how solid he is as a character writer. The intriguing and reflective story of power and accountability is grounded by gorgeous art from Alex Maleev on every page, whose illustrations elevate Bendis’ story with believable emotion (Maria Hill’s shocked face after a SHIELD agent reveals Grimm’s location to Doom is truly hilarious) and exciting action.
Infamous Iron Man originally was published in 2016, so there are plenty of reviews online if you are looking for a deeper analysis of the story itself (you can even check out AIPT’s hilarious 2016 review of Infamous Iron Man #1). However, it is a fascinating tale that takes place after Secret Wars and Tony Stark’s “death,” which spurs Doom into donning an Iron Man suit and becoming a hero. In many ways, it mirrors Doc Ock becoming Superior Spider-Man, except Doom is not in Stark’s body, just his armor. The story focuses on Doom deciding to find purpose by helping heal the world after he realized while playing God on Battleworld that ruling the universe didn’t give him the purpose he was seeking. Key players include Maria Hill, Ben Grimm, and…the return of Victor’s long-dead mother!?!? You gotta read it to see what happens!
Marvel
The Infamous Iron Man trade itself is well done, with each of the 12 issues separated by a variant cover and issue cover, as well as a few extra full-page variants at the back of the book. Clocking in at 272 pages with a $19.99 price tag, this trade is actually cheaper than most Marvel trades of a similar size, which typically land around $24.99. Marvel released a longer trade version of this comic back in 2023, which includes the “second half” of Bendis’ and Maleev’s story that concludes in Invincible Iron Man, but I kind of love that this trade solely collects Infamous.
Ignoring the obvious MCU-synergy marketing ploy, Infamous Iron Man is undeniably a fun comic. It is a quick but satisfying read, and if you’re a fan of either Doom or Ben Grimm, Bendis does an excellent job characterizing them in environments we don’t often see them (Doom as a hero, and Grimm without the FF). Reading this trade may also piss you off, because I left thinking, “Oh my god, Doom learned all these lessons a literal decade ago; why did he once again try to take over the world in One World Under Doom?” but I digress. I think this trade is worth it for Maleev’s art alone, so if you’re a fan of Doom, Grimm, or “villains to heroes” stories, pick this up!
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