Doctor DoomHis time as Sorcerer Supreme is already earning him great disrespect. During the Blood Hunt event, Doom overcame Doctor Strange, forcing him to hand over the title and powers of the Sorcerer Supreme. Now, Marvel is heading towards a new A world under destruction series, which will see Doctor Doom take control of the Marvel Universe, conquering everyone from the Avengers to the X-Men.
The only person who is not intimidated by Doctor Doom's reign as Sorcerer Supreme is Storm, as she expresses in Storm #3. The goddess is summoned by the self-proclaimed God Emperor in hopes of a negotiation to discuss mutant matters. Upon relaying the information to his old friend Rogue, Storm assures the new leader of the X-Men that Doom is “Harmless. Mostly.” While it's a mild sentiment, it's hard to imagine two words that would anger Doctor Doom more.
Doom tries hard to appear powerful and imposing, wanting the world to see him as anything but. “harmless.” However, Storm's history with Doom shows why she holds this unusual opinion – something almost no other hero would believe.
Storm thinks Doctor Doom is harmless, but why?
Storm and Doom share an unlikely respect
Storm and Doctor Doom have a forgotten romance with each other. In 1981 Strange X-Men #145 (by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum), Storm was one of the few to courageously confront the Latvian ruler in the middle of his kingdom. It's a level of assertiveness that Doom was unaccustomed to, but seemed to respect enough to invite Storm to dinner, with the two even flirting throughout the meal. Even though Doom kidnapped Storm soon after, she actually forgave him after a sincere apology.
This wasn't the last dinner or exchange of pleasantries, as the rest of the relationship consisted of Storm and Doctor Doom circling each other – for example, in the recent SWORD #7 by Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli, when they went to dinner to discuss world affairs. Storm has always held a leadership position over Marvel's mutants and was briefly the queen of Wakanda, so it makes sense that Doom would respect her as a fellow leader. However, it seems she also sees him as someone who can be reasoned with, understanding more about his burdens as a leader than most of the other heroes.
Doctor Doom wants to consult Storm before taking over the world
Is this a romantic breakthrough, or is doom plotting against the Avengers and the X-Men?
It's unclear why Doctor Doom wants to see Storm beyond “mutant matters”, but it's clear he has big plans for the entire world. Storm is currently serving in the Avengers and has a close relationship with the X-Men, so Doom may want her perspective on both teams. Alternatively, There's a chance the God Emperor wants a goddess by his sideand finally intends to act on his previous flirtations.
Time will tell, but it's already clear that Storm may have reason to revise her “mostly harmless” opinion, as Doctor Doom is on the verge of taking over the entire world in A world under destruction.
Storm #3 is now on sale at Marvel.