Against a foe they have no chance of beating alone, the Avengers are recruiting Earth's villains to make up the strongest version of the team to ever exist. It's a shocking move from Earth's protectors, and something they didn't even do against Thanos when he claimed the Infinity Gauntlet. It's a clear indicator of how bad things are for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, who have failed repeatedly to take down the new ruler of Earth.
In the upcoming One World Under Doom, Doctor Doom has claimed total control of the planet, somehow using his station as the new Sorcerer Supreme to claim planetary dominance and slap down the Avengers when they try to stop him. In a new press release, Marvel has revealed the details for the upcoming One World Under Doom #3, where the Avengers will rally, recruiting their usual villains to take on Emperor Doom.
One World Under Doom #3 (2025)
Release Date:
April, 2025
Writer:
Ryan North
Artists:
R.B. Silva
Cover Artist:
Ben Harvey (main), Gabriele Dell'Otto (variant)
The Avengers have faced Doom. But Earth still needs avenging - and it’s not just the heroes who dislike having Doom in charge. And so heroes and villains unite against Doom, intent on taking him down once and for all! But that’s not all: A simultaneous magic attack reveals the shocking truth of HOW Doom took over the world - with terrifying implications for how others might - or might not - take it from him. However, Doom’s mind - vast and cool and unsympathetic - is not the only one regarding Earth with envious eyes...
R.B. Silva's cover for the issue shows the Avengers' Captain America and Storm unite with Doctor Octopus, MODOK, Baron Mordo, Mysterio and Jean Grey's clone, the mystic Goblin Queen. It makes sense that the villains are willing to stand against Doom - the dictator may be a force of evil, but he's sincere in his desire to 'save the world.' That means he's as much an enemy to the planet's supervillains as its superheroes - an enemy no-one would want to face alone, based on Gabriele Dell'Otto's menacing variant cover of the character (below.) Writer Ryan North says:
This issue features a huge fight - all the heroes (and villains!) versus Doom. It was a ton of fun to write, and even more fun to see drawn when R.B. Silva was done with it. And it doesn't go the way you might think, and actually leads to an even BIGGER fight in the next issue! It's got some Doom moments I'm super proud of. How could it not, when you've got characters like M.O.D.O.K. and Doctor Octopus trying to take down Doom for their own reasons?
When the Avengers go to war, their usual rules of heroism are suspended, assembling a lethal roster of dark heroes and former villains.
The Avengers Have No Way to Defeat the Ascended Doctor Doom
In a Nine-Issue Event, There's Basically No Way the Hero/Villain Alliance Wins
The Avengers have a long history of offering criminals places on the team, with Hawkeye, Black Widow and Scarlet Witch all starting out as law-breakers. However, they usually expect former villains to want redemption, rather than bringing them onboard simply for the increased muscle. Previous solicit information for the event has revealed the Avengers have already lost to Doom once, so it makes sense they need to expand their roster in such an unexpected way. However, in a nine-issue event, it's unlikely that the new 'team' are going to bring down the villain.
Despite that fact, Doctor Doom's days may be numbered. In long events like this, Marvel has a history of switching villains mid-story. Age of Ultron stopped being about Ultron with issue 7, while Devil's Reign swapped Kingpin for the Purple Man in its final fight. Doom is a genius scientist and mystic whose powers have been boosted beyond belief. That begs the question of who could possibly unseat Doctor Doom and take control of the planet. The most likely candidate would seem to be Kang the Conqueror - a villain with close ties to Doom who has fought to conquer Earth many times.
Kang has admitted he respects Doom in the past, and has a habit of picking opponents who he considers worthy rivals. He has also long wondered if he could be related to the Latverian villain.
That question will be answered when One World Under Doom hits comic stands, but only after Doctor Doom's Sorcerer Supreme has taken on an army of Avengers, now swelled with the ranks of Marvel's Mightiest Villains.
One World Under Doom #3 is coming from Marvel Comics this April.
English (US) ·