Doctor Doom & Storm's Relationship, Explained

As the ruler of Latveria, a scientific genius, and the current Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Doom is not impressed by much. Very few individuals in the Marvel Universe pose much of a threat to Victor Von Doom. But despite Doom’s vast scientific and mystical knowledge, the powerful and accomplished Storm intrigues the Latverian monarch.

Ororo Munroe distinguished herself as powerful Omega-level mutant, a long-time leader of the X-Men, the Regent of Arrako, and now, an Avenger. Since Storm’s first encounter with Doom, her boldness caught the Latverian tyrant's attention and earned his respect.

Now, Ororo Munroe and Victor Von Doom sit down face-to-face once more in STORM (2024) #4 by Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck. Let’s take a closer look at Storm and Doctor Doom's complicated history, from their encounters as unlikely allies to their clashes as fierce rivals.

HOW DOCTOR DOOM MET STORM

Shortly after Storm took over as leader of the X-Men, she met Doctor Doom in UNCANNY X-MEN (1963) #145 by Chris Claremont and Dave Cockrum. When Doom captured Arcade and sentenced him to death, the villainous gamemaster’s allies asked the X-Men to rescue him. 

As the X-Men snuck into Doom’s castle, Storm tried to distract the Latverian tyrant by approaching him over dinner. Although Doom saw through the X-Men's plan, he and Storm found themselves unexpectedly drawn to one another. 

However, Arcade was no prisoner and this was another of his games. He lured the X-Men into attacking Doom’s castle to unleash the masked villain’s wrath upon the mutants. With each X-Men locked in a cell befitting their powers, Doctor Doom trapped Storm by covering her in an organic chrome coating.

As a living statue, the claustrophobic hero subconsciously conjured a massive hurricane that covered half of the United States. Once they escaped Doom's traps, the X-Men rescued the rattled Storm.

After Storm shorted out Doom's armor with a massive lightning strike, Colossus helped her regain her senses by reminding her how Jean Grey recently went mad with cosmic power in "The Dark Phoenix Saga." As Ororo regained control over herself and her powers, she calmed the storm she created. 
Doom apologized to Storm and asked to get to know her better. Storm appreciated the gesture and the X-Men left Doom on relatively good terms.

FANTASTIC FOUR VS X-MEN

Given her relatively positive history with Doctor Doom, Storm turned to the Latverian monarch when the X-Men needed help. Stuck in her phased state, Kitty Pryde felt like a living ghost. Mister Fantastic—who experienced a brief crisis of confidence—refused to help restore her, causing a fight to break out between the X-Men and Fantastic Four.

In order to upstage his longtime rival, Doctor Doom offered to heal Pryde in FANTASTIC FOUR VS. THE X-MEN (1987) #2 by Chris Claremont and Jon Bogdanove. Once the X-Men arrived in Latveria, Doom tended to Storm’s burns from her battle with the Human Torch and began his preparations to help Pryde. Although Doom and Mister Fantastic ultimately worked together to save Kitty, Storm managed the tensions between Doom, the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four.

STORM AND DOCTOR DOOM TEAM UP

Storm's subsequent encounter with Doctor Doom happened by chance while she was flying around Europe in MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS (1988) #48 by Dwight Zimmerman and Rodney Ramos. After soaring into a pocket of acid rain created by the pollution of a nearby factory, Storm found Doom fighting a small squad of tanks.

Although she initially attacked him, Storm quickly realized that Doom sought to destroy the factory for sending pollution into Latveria. Although Storm damaged Doom's armor, the two teamed up to stop the tanks and defeat the soldiers inside them. As their first true one-on-one team-up ended, Storm and Doom spoke with admiration towards each other and vowed to meet again as they went their separate ways. 
 

DOOMWAR

Despite their friendly past, Storm and Doctor Doom met as enemies when she married Black Panther and served as the Queen of Wakanda. To finally best T'Challa, Doctor Doom launched a complex plan to seize Wakanda's vibranium, the unique metal that fuels its economy, in BLACK PANTHER (2009) #1 by Reginald Hudlin and J. Scott Campbell.

When Doom's initial attack left T'Challa in a coma, Storm briefly ruled the nation of Wakanda. Through a mixture of science and magic, Doom attacked Wakanda on several fronts by backing an extremist faction called the Desturi, magically sabotaging the nation's agriculture, and secretly placing nanobots on Storm and the rest of the royal family.

The Desturi successfully took over Wakanda giving Doom the opening to capture Storm in DOOMWAR (2010) #1 by Jonathan Maberry and Scot Eaton. As T'Challa and the X-Men prepared to launch a rescue mission, Doom forced Storm to help him break into Wakanda's main vibranium vault. The powerful mutant told Doom she would kill him for this attack.

When T'Challa reached Doom, the Latverian ruler threatened Storm's life, but T'Challa saw through that empty threat. While Storm and T’Challa were reunited, Doom succeeded in stealing the vibranium.

DOCTOR DOOM AND STORM'S DINNER ON MARS

When mutantkind banded together to form a nation on Krakoa, Storm took a leadership role on the island’s Quiet Council. In addition to her Earthbound duties, she also helped terraform Mars, turning it into a habitable planet called Arrako, which became home to an ancient race of lost mutants.

Abigail Brand, the cosmic spymaster behind S.W.O.R.D., assembled the universal leaders of the Galactic Council to establish Arakko as the capital of the Solar System. Doom crashed their meeting, demanding to know who would sit in this new seat of power. In S.W.O.R.D. (2020) #6 by Al Ewing and Valerio Schiti, Storm announced herself as the Regent of Arakko and Voice of Sol, representing the Solar System on all galactic matters.

Following Storm's introduction to intergalactic politics, she and Doom sat down for an intimate dinner together in S.W.O.R.D. (2020) #7. As they politely flirted and reminisced on their first dinner encounter, Doom complimented Storm for taking on a leadership role that suited her regal nature.
 
Doom also cautioned Storm about Arakko's use of Mysterium, a rare metal with mystical properties that mutants introduced throughout the galaxy. After Doom patronized Storm, she refused his offer to help them understand Mysterium and abruptly ended their dinner with a bolt of lightning. As Storm left to deal with another cosmic crisis, Doom told her he hoped she would not come to regret her decision.

ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM

By the time Storm and Doctor Doom met again, their respective roles in the wider Marvel Universe shifted. After the collapse of Krakoa and Arakko left mutantkind scattered, Storm returned to Earth, began operating as a solo hero, and rejoined the Avengers.

Meanwhile, an ancient vampire called Varnae launched a worldwide attack during BLOOD HUNT (2024). To stop Varnae and his bloodthirsty followers, Doctor Strange made a deal with Doctor Doom. He surrendered his status as the Sorcerer Supreme, Earth's primary mystic, to the masked villain.

With the powers of the Sorcerer Supreme, Doom quietly retreated behind a dome in Latveria, putting in motion a plot to take over the world in ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM. However, before revealing these plans, Doom challenged the Avengers to justify their existence in AVENGERS (2023) #19 by Jed MacKay and Farid Karami.

As the Sorcerer Supreme, Doom asked the Avengers how they let the world come to this state when they have the power to rule the world. "We may have the power to take the world, but not the right," rebutted Storm.

On the eve of unveiling his plans for the world, Doom invited Storm to dinner to discuss his proposition for mutantkind in STORM (2024) #4 by Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck. Doom offered to adopt mutants as his people and to make Storm his mutant ambassador.

While Doom attempted to frame this offer as a show of respect for mutant resiliency, Storm saw through Doom's apparent generosity and realized he was weaponizing mutantkind’s plights to recruit more powerful allies.

How will Storm respond to Doom’s offer? Read the entire candlelit conversation in STORM #4, available now!

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