Doctor Doom is about to reach new heights in Marvel Comicsand this gives the publisher the perfect opportunity to bring back a forgotten supervillain who is both Doom’s equal and opposite in ways that fascinate me. If Marvel wants to properly deliver on its newest status quo, then this return could help do that by mixing superheroes with fictional politics.
With Doctor Doom taking control of the Marvel Universe in 2025 in the big event A world under destructionthat’s it the perfect time for the return of Lucia von BardasLatvia other supervillain leader who played a major role in another Marvel event: Secret War by Brian Michael Bendis and Gabriele Dell’Otto.
At the most recent event Blood Hunt by Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz, Doctor Strange gave his title of Sorcerer Supreme to Doctor Doom, believing that Doom would return it. Doom, of course, reneges on his deal. The next status quo across the board A world under destruction you will see Doom claims the entire world as an extension of LatveriaSo I have to ask: why not bring back the only other major character with a claim to the throne?
Lucia von Bardas needs to return during A world under destruction
Especially if Latveria and Doctor Doom are becoming worldwide problems
Von Bardas appears for the first time in Secret War as ruler of Latveria during a time when Doctor Doom was temporarily deposed. Nick Fury discovers that Von Bardas is financing supervillain terrorism in the United States, but the US government is supporting his regime and so refuses to let Fury do anything. In response, Fury attempts to kill her in a covert ops mission that goes horribly wrong, with Von Bardas surviving as a cyborg with a thirst for revenge. Since then, Von Bardas has appeared a few times, mostly as a villain and almost always trying to regain control of Latveria, but she is criminally underused.
If Doom is invading the world, what will pre-existing governments do about it?
One of the best comparisons A world under destruction and Dark Kingdomthe status quo of 2008, where Norman Osborn took control of the US in all but name, an event I truly adore. Part of what made this status quo so successful is how grounded and ever-present it felt across the board in a way that many superhero stories don’t. One World under destruction needs to do the same thing, and that means talking about politics. If Doom is invading the world, what will pre-existing governments do about it? I would be very disappointed if One world were focused only on superheroes to the detriment of fictional politics.
What could Lucia von Bardas bring to Marvel’s new status quo?
A world under destruction Offers interesting story possibilities
Adding Von Bardas back into the mix has the potential to alleviate this issue. Sure, she’s a manic cyborg, but Seeing someone with concrete ties to Latveria included in the mix could make the overall premise much more believable.. Perhaps the US could even support it again. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, even if my friend financed international terrorism. This twist would also help Marvel avoid telling a story in which the US is framed as a moral asset on the international stage, a claim that has almost never been true throughout history.
Another thing that Von Bardas’s sporadic biography illustrates is that the success of any character often depends on singular creators. The vast majority of Von Bardas’ appearances are written by his co-creator, Bendis. It’s not like Bendis has some kind of monopoly on the character; he’s just the person most likely to use her or think of her for a story, and he’s not currently active in the Marvel sandbox. I’m advocating for Von Bardas’ return, but how many creators remember her?
A world under destruction It’s set to be an exciting event across the board
Marvel has superstars at work
It’s lucky then A world under destruction is being directed in part by Ryan North, who is writing the miniseries Rise of Emperor Doomand MacKay, who wrote Blood Hunt. There is some other current writers I would trust more to remember obscure characters like Von Bardas. MacKay, in particular, has made a name for himself writing B-grade Marvel characters, including obscure villains. Then there’s editorial – as much as some fans like to criticize the big two editors, part of editorial’s role is to remember murky continuity and suggest characters for writers to use.
What works best with characters like Von Bardas is how they construct the fictional worlds in which they live. 99% of the time, the only Latvian character Marvel uses is Doctor Doom, and no matter how good Doom is, he still is in some ways. a mix of Eastern European stereotypes. Von Bardas was a supervillain in his first appearance, but Secret War didn’t happen, so she could have been a legitimate modern politician for the Marvel Universe. Maybe she still can be. Just because she’s a cyborg doesn’t mean she has to be a supervillain.
How long will Doctor Doom’s world rule last in Marvel’s new status quo?
And will Lucia von Bardas have a role to play?
The question then is whether the status quo will have room for Lucia von Bardas or even last long enough to reach that depth. Dark Kingdom it lasted all of 2009, but it is difficult to maintain a change in the status quo in the long term. It takes a lot of different books to engage with the given premise and then feel “real”, but it also runs the risk of interrupting the ongoing stories in those books. It’s a delicate balancing act and one that doesn’t always work perfectly. Fortunately, if Marvel Comics There’s a North Star of characters that the writers seem to love, it’s Doctor Doom, and an event in his name is always promising.
The Rise of Emperor Doom #1 is available February 12, 2025 from Marvel Comics.