Written by Chip Zdarsky, The Will of Doom, has hit the shelves and will set up storylines leading us into Marvel’s major Armageddon event in the summer of 2026. Despite the importance of this one-shot issue, the storyline feels a bit unpolished with too much going on.
Spoilers head for The Will of Doom
The Will of Doom shows the aftermath of the death of Doctor Doom in One World Under Doom. Doom has made Valeria Richards his heir and the Fantastic Four deal with another fall in their public standing. The US, like the rest of the world, is recovering from Doom’s dictatorship. General Ross, rescued from Latveria, is quickly involved again with Doom, this time being able to enact some revenge as Red Hulk on a Doombot.
“I don’t want it.” – Valeria Richards
The art in the issue is perfectly serviceable. Cafu’s faces and figures look great, with details in the features providing subtle expressions without becoming over detailed. The backgrounds however feel generic. The rooms inside the White House could be an office, Latveria is mostly just one barren slope and the Doombot addressing the UK was definitely not in Parliament.
We were even robbed of a potentially iconic scene of Red Hulk pummeling a Doombot in front of the White House, instead having the action in front of unidentifiable lawns or blocks of colour.
David Curiel’s colours are bright and lively, consistent throughout the issue. A highpoint of the art was Curiel and Cafu working together really well to illustrate a beautiful island, Doom Island, showcasing both their talents.
The Will of Doom is a bumper issue and the length might have hindered the art. Conversely, in terms of writing, The Will of Doom, might have benefitted from being longer and in the form of a mini-series. It reads as trying to fit too many elements in and in the end not giving any enough time.
The issue starts in this rushed manner, with clumsy exposition of General Ross explaining who he is and why he was there, rather than teasing that out over a conversation. With another issue, perhaps this could have been expanded on.
One of the main concerns after One World Under Doom was that there would be no real lasting effect on the world, so it was refreshing to see this addressed. We saw Doombots take up positions of power across the world, the Secretary of State mention the public suspicion of the Fantastic Four, and how General Ross’s planting of the American flag in Latveria had caused huge controversy.
These were great parts of the issue but it would have been great to have each bit explored more. For example, did the Doombots assassinate leaders from every country? We saw them kill an American town’s mayor, were they carrying out similar acts everywhere?
Competing for space was the more personal story, particularly the relationship between Sue and Valeria. This all makes narrative sense, as well as logical sense, with Sue Storm being very protective over Valeria. It also provides a counter balance to the bigger, global issues. Even here though there are issues like Valeria abandoning Johnny and Sue, almost inexplicably. It is likely we are supposed to just chalk this up to teenager thinking.
All this sounds very negative but there are some good elements. Zdarsky handles Doctor Doom very well, despite him not appearing in the issue. A key factor in this story is the presence of Doom, his hubris directing the plot through how his Doombots act, like not being worthy of killing Reed Richards.
It is a shame that the start of (or at least prologue to) a new stage of the Marvel feels distinctly average. A little worrying is that the big 2026 event, Armageddon, is headed by Zdarsky and promises to shake things up in Marvel in a way not seen since Avengers Disassembled. On this evidence, things need to step up a gear to keep interest going. Zdarsky is a great writer so there still is hope.
Buy Will of Doom – Forbidden Planet (UK)
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