Doctor Doom Reminds the X-Men He’s Still Marvel’s Biggest Dirtbag

Warning: contains a preview of Excalibur #23!

Once again, Doctor Doom has proved he’s one of Marvel’s biggest dirtbag villains, with an inhumane tactic for hacking the X-Men‘s tech. In a preview for Excalibur #23, on sale in print and digital, September 8, Doom needs to travel through a Krakoan gateway – an impossible task given that only mutants can do so; Doctor Doom comes prepared, however, and shows why he is one of Marvel’s worst villains.

Krakoa is the island home of Earth’s mutants. Founded by Professor X, Magneto and Apocalypse, the island is instantly accessible through a series of teleportation gates . Only mutants, or those guided by a mutant, can pass through them, ensuring the safety of Krakoa’s inhabitants. Only recently, during the Hellfire Gala, were non-mutants permitted to travel there. While this has kept the island largely safe from outsiders, there are always workarounds, and Doctor Doom finds one in Excalibur #23 from Tini Howard, Marcus To, Erick Arciniega, and Ariana Maher.

The preview opens with Doctor Doom arriving on Braddock Isle, the ancestral home of Betsy Braddock, the current Captain Britain. She summons the rest of Excalibur and asks Doom why he has come to the island. Doom tells her he needs to travel to Otherworld, which requires an interdimensional Krakoan gate, to find something left behind by Morgan Le Fay. He then tells her to step aside and let him through. When reminded that he cannot pass through, because he is not a mutant, Doom produces a small infant from his cloak – a mutant baby. He plans to use the baby’s mutant DNA to gain access to the gate, permitting him entry to Otherworld. Betsy and the rest of Excalibur are horrified and demand Doom hand the infant over. Doom refuses and goes as far as to say all creatures – human, mutant and alien alike – are tools for him.

Doom’s actions are particularly horrific since Krakoan resurrection technology reacts badly when mutants die in Otherworld, meaning the dictator – knowingly or not – is planning to take a mutant child to the one place they can truly die. Still, despite his undeniable evil, it’s possible Doom’s real intention was simply to force Excalibur to act as his “key” and guides to the recently transformed magic realm. After all, Doctor Doom has yet to find a situation where he’d rather outright ask for help than manipulate those around him.

As the preview ends, it seems like a safe bet that Doctor Doom will get his way, and Excalibur will act as his guides and unwitting bodyguards in Otherworld, as the Fantastic Four’s nemesis goes to retrieve whatever magical artifact his former mentor Morgan Le Fay left behind. See how the X-Men‘s magic-focused allies fare in the company of the despicable Doctor Doom when Excalibur #23 hits retailers September 8.

About The Author

Shaun Corley
(1384 Articles Published)

Shaun Corley is a pop culture enthusiast living in the Pacific Northwest. After stints in both customer service and academia, he’s turned his attention to writing about comic books–his lifelong passion. He is a graduate of Radford University, with a degree in English. When not reading comics, he enjoys spending time with his fiance and their dog.

More From Shaun Corley