Today, I make no demands... no threats! But, one day, I shall voice demands -- and all shall obey them!
-Victor Von Doom
Name: Victor Von Doom
Alignment: Lawful Evil
Affiliation: Latveria
History: Victor Von Doom was born in the hills of Latveria to a mother and father who travelled with a group of Romany gypsies, on the night of his birth there was a terrible storm and lightning struck the camp, some said it was a bad omen and talked of casting the newborn babe out but Doom's mother proudly declared that the Gods themselves had failed to kill her son and that no mortal would do any better.
Victor was raised in the travelling group for a few years, playing with another child of the group, a girl called Valeria; Victor was also taught basic arcane tricks by his mother and, being a child, he thought nothing of this. It was a happy existence until local soldiers came for his parents. It transpired that his mother had been arrested for practising witchcraft and she, along with Victor's father, had been sentenced to death. They were executed on the spot. Victor left both those he knew and Latveria itself, heading to America.
Victor spent many years in the states, his mind proved well-suited to learning the sciences and he greedily absorbed all the knowledge he could. Upon attending college he found himself sharing a room with another up and coming prodigy, Reed Richards. The two worked well together but their attitudes contrasted enough that, when a lab accident caused Victor's face to be scarred horribly, he bitterly blamed Richards and left the states shortly after.
Victor's life consisted of travelling during this period, he explored many areas of the world where no one had documented and learned many teachings from the wise figures he found; not limiting his education to (as he saw it) Western science, Victor broadened his understanding of the Arcane and Magyks of the world. It was here he began to refer to himself as 'Doctor' and clad himself in hooded garments to hide his deformity.
Victor ended up in Latveria and, seemingly without reason, launched a coup and took over the kingdom in quick succession. Within weeks he reorganised the country into a thriving and productive nation. He maintained a cordial if distant relationship with the United States, preserving Latveria's independence while maintaining an embassy in Metropolis. For its part, the US publicly decries the dictatorship of Von Doom whilst privately maintaining his diplomatic immunity and purchasing his weapons which have ended up in the US military and the black market alike.
Supporting Cast:Kristoff Von Doom - Shortly into his reign Doctor Doom decreed that he would require an heir. All the Latverian villagers were required to bring their children to Castle Doom; Doom chose a boy from the crop of children and renamed the child 'Kristoff'. The boy has been kept in Castle Doom ever since and has remained at Doom's side, learning what he can. After years of exposure to Doom's personality Kristoff is a product of Doom's ideology and will often be left to rule Latveria if the monarch leaves the country.
Valeria - Victor's childhood friend grown up, Valeria made the mistake of not leaving Latveria. When Doom became ruler he had the young woman brought to him. It is said he proposed on the spot and, at her refusal, has kept her locked in the castle ever since; others say that she is under house arrest but serves as Doom's conscience when he will listen. Either way the public of Latveria know better than to speak of her anymore, Doom's ears are everywhere.
Boris - Doom's faithful servant. Not much is known about the elderly figure who sometimes appears by Doom's side but it is clear that Doom uses him for all sorts of functions in Castle Doom. He has known Victor longer than anyone else, having been present for his birth as part of the gypsy group that Doom's parents had joined.
Doombots - The mechanical facsimiles of Doctor Doom have been used in circumstances where Victor could not risk his own safety or had no interest in being present for. They are indistinguishable from the original Doom until their destruction, with the emergence of superpowered beings Doom has spent even more time making his creations appear human under the armour.
How (if at all) does the New Frontier version of your character differ from the original?:In a world where characters like Superman and Thor can work together and Lex Luthor is currently a benevolent figure Doctor Doom, who typically works alone, needs to be a credible threat. So I shall focus on Victor's political skill as head of a sovereign nation, granting him diplomatic immunity, along with his considerable skill with magic.
Sample:Castle Doom, LatveriaThe shadows shook when Doctor Doom returned. As though anyone hiding within had taken a breath to steady their nerves at the sight. But no one was hiding in the shadows, no one would dare, Doctor Doom was back and no one could hide.
Doom knew the castle as intimately as he knew each and every inch of his armour, they were both made to his exacting specifications. Unforgiving and cold.
Doom had barely walked through the great doors of Castle Doom's entrance when the servants arrived. They busied themselves with the task of taking their master's cape, checking his armour for any imperfections and providing updates on anything, anything at all that had occurred in Latveria while he had been away. Doom barely noticed them anymore, they were performing their duty and doing so well, that was all that was needed. Not waiting for them to keep pace or remove themselves from his path Doom strode through the small mass of menials and made his way purposefully to his throne room.
The throne of Latveria was a marvel of technology, like all Doom's creations, it allowed a single person to activate and use all the means Doom had installed to run Latveria. From that throne one could quite literally control the entire country with the touch of a button. Like a great deal of the technology in Latveria the throne was imprinted to Doom's DNA and quite fatal to any who attempted to gain access without Doom's express permission.
Which is why Doom was beyond stunned to see another figure sitting atop it.
The figure was facing away from the room's entrance towards a giant screen that illuminated the room. The screen showed a very detailed map of Metropolis, the very place that Doom had returned from; as with all Doom's surveillance the map showed key points of interest labelling the city along with key and vulnerable features marked in notable hues. The indication was clear, whoever was trespassing in Doom's throne was clearly intending to use the resources he had accrued in a pointless attack on the American city.
The figure gestured and the large throne swivelled to face Doom. The figure on the throne wore Doom's signature armour, green garments and even his iconic mask accompanied by a green hood. In short, Doom was facing one of his own Doombots.
'What is this?' Doom's voice was cold and held the metallic tint of a voice obscured by a mask.
'Excellent, you have returned. Update me on the progress of our work in Metropolis.' The sitting copy's voice was richer and resonated with more force than Doom's own, a clear sign of a duplicate.
'Rise, you have forgotten your place.'[color=ADFF2F]
'I-'[color] The copy appeared momentarily confused.
'You dare question me?'This was always happening, Doom mused under his mask, Doombots allowing their programming to make them forget that they were Doombots in the first place. Clearly a problem he would need to address.
'I order you now, speak! Detail the progress!' 'Enough of this charade.' Doom raised his arm, preparing to unleash an electronic pulse that would render the Doombot incapacitated. The Doombot did not move, it would be unable to anyway, Doom had installed many safeguards in his creations including programming that rendered them unable to attack their creator.
Doom activated the electronic pulse and...nothing happened. He tried again and still nothing. Now he was genuinely mystified; perhaps his armour had been hacked somehow or some virus that interfered with his weaponry.
Indeed, Doom was so confused that he didn't notice the copy rise from the throne and raise his arm in exactly the same fashion that Doom himself had done moments before.
What Doom did notice was the shock of electricity that ran through every nerve in his body, his armour shut down immediately and he felt himself fall to the floor, numbness setting in. His senses dulled and he found it difficult to see through his mask.
But he heard the laughter.
The copy stood before him.
'You, like many before you,' it spoke drily,
'are just another failure born of Doom's brilliance.' With that, the standing Doom, for that was who he was, reached down and wrenched the head of the Doombot, for that was what it was, from it's shoulders. He held it aloft, almost fondly, before turning and striding back to his throne. With a simple movement he deposited the Doombot's head onto an arm of the throne.
Immediately information of the Doombot's progress filled the screen, days of work and many activities were compartmentalised and given order in nanoseconds before appearing on the large screen. Doom analysed the information in silence before rising once again from his throne and beckoning to Boris. The old man stood to one side of the room, out of distance of any potential danger that the Doombot could have caused, at Doom's gesture he approached the throne.
'My Lord?'
'The time has come Boris, prepare my private jet.' Victor Von Doom surveyed his map one last time and knew that the pieces had all fallen into place.
'Today we fly for Metropolis!' Boris nodded hurriedly and turned to leave.
'And Boris,' the old man stopped, Doom gestured to the ruined Doombot on the floor,
'Have that cleaned up.'
