Doctor Doom wasn’t born a villain. He became one because he refused to ever be powerless again. Victor von Doom grew up in Latveria. But tragedy followed him from childhood. His mother was a powerful sorceress who used dark magic. She died when Victor was young, and her soul eventually ended up trapped by Mephisto. Then Victor lost his father too. His father was a healer who took Victor and ran into the freezing mountains after failing to save the ruler’s wife. Knowing he wouldn’t survive, he wrapped Victor in his own clothes and sacrificed himself to keep his son alive. Victor had now lost both parents. That changed him forever. He became obsessed with gaining enough power to never be helpless again. He mastered both science and his mother’s magic, eventually earning a place to study in America, where he met Reed Richards. Victor built a machine that could reach another dimension and help him find his mother’s soul. Reed examined his work and warned him there was a mistake. Victor ignored him. The machine exploded. His face was badly scarred, and Victor blamed Reed for what happened. He left America and eventually found a group of monks who helped him forge the armor and metal mask that would become his iconic look. But even then, Victor’s pride got the better of him. The mask was still burning hot when it was finished... And he put it on anyway. The mask made his injuries even worse. Victor eventually returned to Latveria, overthrew its ruler and took the throne for himself. The man who once couldn’t save his parents had become Doctor Doom. And that’s what makes his origin so tragic. He didn’t start with a desire to rule the world. He started with a fear of ever being powerless again.