10 Times Doctor Doom Was Actually A Hero In Marvel History

Doctor Doom frequently appears as an antagonistic figure in the Marvel landscape, set to reprise another such role in the upcoming Avengers: Doomsday film. There are times, however, when he has displayed heroic qualities, frequently putting aside old rivalries to join forces with more established heroes to achieve noble goals.

Unlike many other villains across Marvel history, he doesn’t favor senseless malice and is driven by a rigid personal code that ultimately desires peace. He is also an incredibly intelligent man, and as a result, often chooses to adopt the role of a more traditional hero in order to advance his long-term interests.

Doom Allies With Doctor Strange To Save His Mother From Hell

This team-up was depicted in the graphic novel Doctor Strange and Doctor Doom: Triumph and Torment. The story centers on Cynthia von Doom, who, in order to free her oppressed people, made a pact with the demon Mephisto. She unfortunately perished before she could achieve her goals, and due to the pact, was bound to hell to suffer eternal torment.

Her son Victor eventually rose to power, battling annually to free her soul from Hell but was consistently unsuccessful. He later participated in a tournament of mages to determine the Sorcerer Supreme, with Stephen Strange also in attendance. Though Stephen won, he was required to grant the runner-up a favor, and he aided Doom in freeing his captive mother.

Doom Teams Up Against The Dark Rider

This event occurred sometime during the Marvel Team-Up comic run. It kicks off when Scarlet Witch is lured to Dr. Doom’s castle by Cotton Mather. The infamous Witchslayer manages to subdue her and drags her back to the year 1692. They are eventually joined by Spider-Man, the Vision, and Doctor Doom.

In truth, Cotton Mather was working under the direction of the mythological being Dark Rider. He aimed to capture both Scarlet Witch and Doctor Doom, planning to absorb their vast magical energy and achieve an all-powerful state. Recognizing the threat of this formidable foe, Doom agrees to fight alongside the heroes present to achieve victory.

Doom Helps the Fantastic Four Save Kitty Pryde

Following the events of Mutant Massacre, X-Man Kitty Pryde was left severely injured, with her phasing ability spiraling out of control. This posed a significant threat to her life, as her molecules risked completely disintegrating over time. The X-Men sought out Reed Richards for help, but due to internal emotional turmoil, he could not fulfill their request.

They instead turned to the unexpected aid of Doctor Doom, who relished the opportunity to upstage his most bitter intellectual rival. Doom promptly got to work on remedying her condition, but also encountered some issues during the process. It was only when Reed cast aside his paralyzing inhibitions that the two geniuses worked together and successfully stabilized Kitty’s powers.

Doom Teams Up With the Future Foundation Against The Council of Reeds

After the death of Johnny Storm in the Negative Zone, the Fantastic Four rebranded as the Future Foundation. The group featured brilliant young minds, including Franklin and Valeria Richards, alongside new members like Spider-Man and the notorious Doctor Doom. Doom joined so they could help restore his mind, promising to help combat the Interdimensional Council of Reeds.

The Council originally comprised several alternate-reality versions of Reed Richards who aimed to solve multiversal problems. After being decimated by the Mad Celestials, surviving members fled to Earth-616 to sow discord. Doom earnestly aided the fight, further spurred on after learning the council actively lobotomized his multiversal variants across reality.

Doom Forms His Own Avengers

During the event AXIS, several heroes and villains found their morality completely inverted, with Doom also among them. Now sporting a far more compassionate personality, he aimed to redeem himself and adopt more benevolent methods. He tasked Valeria Richards to identify a group of promising individuals to replace the captured Avengers, and took up the position as their leader.

The new team consisted of Doom, Valeria Richards, 3-D Man, Elsa Bloodstone, Stingray, U.S. Agent, and Valkyrie. The group was by no means official, but they demonstrated their heroism in stopping a rampaging Scarlet Witch under the inversion spell. They were able to subdue her, and Doom harnessed some of her power to resurrect the deceased Cassie Lang.

Doom Aids the Savage Avengers Against Kulan Gath

Kulan Gath is an ancient sorcerer known as an enemy of Conan the Barbarian. In the Savage Avengers comic run, he served as the main antagonist, hoping to summon the Marrow God Jhoatun Lau and terrorize the planet. He was opposed by Conan and the Savage Avengers, with Doctor Doom also involved.

He actually managed to summon the Marrow God but was defeated and fled. Conan notably held an amulet from Gath which was investigated by Doom, and from which the mad sorcerer emerged. Doom, Conan, and Doctor Strange proceeded to do battle with Gath, fending him off until he was defeated later in the series.

Doom Partners With The Guardians of the Galaxy

The Guardians of the Galaxy have quickly grown to be one of Marvel’s most beloved cosmic superhero teams since their comic debut in 2008. Though joining only temporarily, Doctor Doom was a surprisingly welcome addition to their ranks during the Last Annihilation event within the Guardians of the Galaxy (2020) run.

He was introduced in what many would call a more suitable fashion for him, stealing Excelsior from Emperor Hulkling and claiming it as his own. He later reveals, however, that he sensed a grand shift in the universal balance, and joins up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to prepare for the looming threat that is Dormammu.

Doom Rebuilds Reality With Doctor Strange

When the all-powerful Beyonders set out to annihilate the multiverse, the residents of the Marvel Universe found themselves trapped in a perilous situation. In order to salvage reality, Doctor Doom discovered the root cause of their collapsing universes and aimed to destroy the Beyonders. To this end, he harnessed the powers of Molecule Man and allied with Doctor Strange.

Extraordinarily, he was able to overcome the Beyonders, and consequently received their vast godlike power. He used these abilities to partially restore the Multiverse, creating a patchwork planet called Battleworld consisting of shattered fragments of several universes. His actions after this could hardly be described as heroic, though, as he tyrannically ruled over the planet as God Emperor Doom.

Doom Teams Up With The X-Men Against Onslaught

Onslaught is one of Marvel’s most terrifying villains, acting as the evil manifestation of Charles Xavier’s hidden darkness and Magneto’s hatred. He went on a relentless global rampage during the iconic Onslaught Saga, and as a result, the X-Men enlisted the help of both the Fantastic Four and the Avengers.

After Onslaught kidnapped Reed’s son Franklin Richards, Doom made the ordeal his personal business. He aided in the fight to destroy the formidable psionic entity, though he secretly bided his time to steal its powers for himself once the monster was weakened. He would not succeed, however, as Iron Man forcefully pushed him into the vortex that spelled Onslaught’s defeat.

Doom Takes Up The Iron Man Mantle

At the end of the Civil War II storyline, Iron Man (Tony Stark) was widely believed to be dead, following his confrontation with Captain Marvel. Doom, seeking genuine redemption after his ascension to and fall from Godhood, decides to take up the mantle. His exploits are depicted in Infamous Iron Man, where he suits up as the armored hero.

He dons a green and gray Iron Man suit, while retaining his iconic cloak. He comprehensively defeats the Mad Thinker along with a host of other villains, and despite suspicion from heroic agents, continues to do good, true to his convictions. In this story, he also teams up with Doctor Strange to defeat the dark lord Mephisto.