Doctor Doom Is Terrifying, But Reed Richard's Greatest Nemesis Is Himself

In The Ultimates #4 by Deniz Camp and Phil Noto, readers are given the full backstory of Earth-6160’s Reed Richards, explaining exactly how he became Doom. In the Ultimate Universe, Victor von Doom is not Doctor Doom. Instead, the version of Reed Richards native to this universe is Doom. But, if Reed Richards is Doom, then who is the ‘Reed Richards’ in this scenario? Well, that would be the Reed Richards from Earth-1610 (aka the original Ultimate Universe), who is a sinister villain that now calls himself the Maker.

After the Maker traveled to Earth-6160 to reshape it to his liking, he targeted his own variant specifically. The Maker caused the mission that would have turned the Fantastic Four into, well, the Fantastic Four to fail, which cost Sue, Johnny, and Ben their lives. Reed blamed himself for their deaths, but he had little time to punish himself, as the Maker was happy to do that for him. The Maker abducts Reed, trapping him in a temporal prison where the Maker broke Reed’s mind and mutilated his flesh. In the end, Reed was no more - there was only Doom.

The Ultimate Universe Flipped the Dynamic Between Reed Richards & Doom

Doom is the Hero, While Reed is the Villain in the Ultimate Universe

By having the Maker transform Earth-6160’s Reed Richards into Doom through a mixture of mental and physical torture (not to mention the horror of literally trapping Reed in a metal bodysuit to make him look just like the original Doctor Doom), Marvel effectively made Reed Richards his own worst enemy. But more than that, the Ultimate Universe has flipped the classic dynamic between Reed and Doom.

Normally, Doctor Doom is the villain while Reed Richards is the hero; that’s been an unquestioned fact since the Doom first appeared as a Fantastic Four villain. However, in the Ultimate Universe, Doom is a member of the Ultimates who’s using his brilliant mind to make the world a better place. Meanwhile, Reed Richards aka the Maker is the worst thing that’s ever happened to Earth-6160, including and especially in regard to his own variant. It’s a fascinating change to the status quo, and is one of the many reasons the new Ultimate Universe is so amazing.

The Maker’s Villainy Doesn’t Detract from How Terrifying the Original Doctor Doom Is

Doctor Doom is Currently the Greatest Threat to Marvel’s Main Continuity

While the Ultimate Universe has made Earth-1610’s Reed Richards Earth-6160’s Reed Richards’ greatest enemy (leaving Victor von Doom out of the equation entirely), that’s not the case in Earth-616. In Marvel’s main continuity, the classic rivalry between Reed and Doom is still going strong, and has even seen some major ‘upgrades’. Right now, Doom isn’t just Reed’s ultimate villain, but that of the entire Marvel Universe, as Doctor Doom has become a tyrannical Sorcerer Supreme who means to reshape the world in his image.

Indeed, the Maker’s villainy in no way lessens that of the original Doctor Doom, especially as it relates to Reed Richards. However, in regard to Reed Richards of Earth-6160 specifically, there is no greater enemy than his Earth-1610 counterpart, and he tragically had to become his universe’s Doom to figure that out. So, while Doctor Doom is certainly terrifying, the greatest nemesis of the Ultimate Universe’s Reed Richards is himself.