Daily Comics Digression #35: Dr. Doom is the Macbeth of Comics

Daily Comics Digression #35: Dr. Doom is the Macbeth of Comics

It's no secret that Dr. Doom is my favorite comic book character. He's the most amazing anti-hero, one of the few characters I believe that is akin to a hero from Shakespearean tragedy. You'll remember that in such works, the hero or protagonist has some lofty, understandable goals but has a tragic character flaw that undoes him in some way. Often it is hubris, pride. You can see how this would apply to Dr. Doom, a man who has the knowledge and power to rule the world and actually make it a better place, but is doomed (haha) to fall upon the sword of his own arrogance. 

Good writers understand the complexity of Doom's character and render him the nuance he deserves. Stan Lee once said that the interesting thing about Doom was the fact that he wanted to rule the world, but that's not expressly a crime. He is ambitious to a fault, a veritable Macbeth in power armor.

Recently, Dr. Doom became a force for good, forsaking his previously megalomaniacal identity and taking up the mantle of Iron-Man. What resulted was an interesting and needed bit of development for the character. Magneto has been a nuanced anti-hero for years, so it was about time for someone as complex as Doom to move past the Saturday-morning-cartoon villain portrayal.

Unfortunately, with the return of Tony Stark to the role due to come shortly, it seems that Marvel may be preparing to reset the clock on Doom's character progression. I desperately hope that we do not merely have a complete restoring of the status quo. I will personally feel slighted if all of the time and effort put into his personality development gets wasted.