Doctor Doom somehow always finds a way to make it to the top, and he has done it again in the most horrifying way possible. Doctor Doom is the new ruler of Hell, and while that seems terrifying, he did something with his first move that made up for the greatest betrayal of his life. This happened in the current Captain America run, where Doctor Doom called Steve Rogers’ spirit to Hell after the hero slipped into a coma. As Cap was in a coma on Earth, he was in Hell working with Doctor Doom to defeat Mephisto and end the demon’s rule in Hell. It worked thanks to Doom’s mechanisms, and then the twist came at the end.
Captain America #16 (2026) by Chip Zdarsky and Valerio Schiti concluded the “Hell’s Angel” storyline, which saw Steve Rogers in Hell during the events of Avengers: Armageddon. This was Steve and Doom’s last stand against Mephisto, and Doctor Doom won in the end. By the time the dust had cleared, Doctor Doom replaced Mephisto as the ruler of Hell, much to Steve Rogers’ horror.
Captain America #15 had one of the most shocking moments in Captain America’s comic book history. Doctor Doom had led a rebellion in Hell against Mephisto, and he led the rebels to the Antidivine, an angel-slaying weapon. However, the Antidivine was shattered in the battle, leaving the rebels with little chance against Mephisto. Instead of destroying Doctor Doom and Steve Rogers, Mephisto offered them each a deal. He promised to return Doom to life if Doom allowed the demon to torture his former lover, Valeria, for all eternity. Doom shockingly accepted the deal. In exchange for Steve Rogers’ soul, Mephisto offered freedom for everyone on Earth except for Steve Rogers, and Steve accepted that deal.
It seemed horrifying that Rogers would make a deal with the devil, but this is what happened. However, what happened next horrified Mephisto. As he began to consume Cap’s soul, something happened, and Mephisto stopped. He looked around, and Doctor Doom said that Mephisto’s meal was “tainted.” Doom had gathered the shards of the broken Antidivine and implanted them in Captain America’s soul. The Antidivine can fell any angel or demon, and Mephisto fled in pain. Mephisto seemed like he was dying, and even his own minions began turning on him.
By the end, Doom caught up with Mephisto, and when the demon begged for his life, Doom said he didn’t want to kill him. He wanted to make a deal with the demon. This time, it was Doom offering a deal to the devil. When Steve caught up with Doom, he found that Mephisto had ceded control of Hell to Doctor Doom, and Doom was the new ruler. Steve tried to fight him to stop him from keeping control, but he had no power over Doom. That is when Doctor Doom did the unthinkable. He made every contract that Mephisto ever made null and void, which started to rain Hell on Earth in The Avengers #1. But while this good deed backfired, Doom did something honorable in his role as Hell’s new ruler.
While cancelling all of Mephisto’s deals is causing all sorts of problems on Earth, Doctor Doom did one thing right when he gained his new powers in Hell. Way back in Fantastic Four #67 (2003), Doctor Doom found the lost love of his life, Valeria, and he asked her if she would give him a chance, forgive him for choosing power over her, and give their love a second chance. When she agreed, it was all a trick, and he sacrificed her in a pact with a cabal of netherdemons who promised him the sacrifice would be repaid by giving him the magical powers he gave up to seek scientific knowledge as a younger man. It was easily the worst betrayal of Doom’s life, trading the soul of the only woman he ever loved for more power.
This led to the current storyline, and as Steve Rogers and Doctor Doom were fighting Mephisto, Valeria was there, and she was bitter, to say the least. However, she agreed to give Doom another chance, and that is when he agreed to allow Mephisto to torture her for eternity in exchange for getting his life back. This time, though, it was all a trick. Doctor Doom kept his word, and when she said he was just seeking power, he said he sought responsibility, and then said his promise was fulfilled. Doom said she couldn’t go back home, but she was going somewhere better. When Valeria said, “It’s so beautiful, Victor,” it was clear he freed her from Hell and sent her somewhere “better,” finally making up for his ultimate betrayal.
What are your thoughts on Doctor Doom taking the role of Hell’s new ruler? Let us know where you think this story is going in the comments below.
