Enter: DORMAMMU! Your Major Spoilers review of One World Under Doom #4 from Marvel Comics awaits!

ONE WORLD UNDER DOOM #4

Writer: Ryan North
Artist: R.B. Silva
Colorist: David Curiel
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Editor: Tom Brevoort
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
Release Date: May 14, 2025

Previously in One World Under Doom: Sensing vulnerability, The Dread Dormammu has attacked Earth – and only Doom stands in his way! Dormammu has banished all other heroes to a pocket dimension, leaving Doom to stand alone against the Dark Lord of Chaos.

But on the other hand… Doom has never needed allies in order to ensure that his will is done.

THE BATTLE FOR EARTH-616

After so many years of stalemate with Doctor Strange, the speed with which Dormammu attacks is terrifying, as his first spell removes all of Earth’s Defenders (and Avengers, and Champions, and Fantastic Four-ians, etc.), throwing them into a pocket dimension which is slowly, inexorably collapsing. As the attack commences, Victor Von Doom casts three spells. The first surrounds Earth-616 with a nigh-impenetrable force field, which slows Dormammu somewhat, but cannot stop him. As their battle rages, Dormammu calls upon his demon ~~hipster chicks~~ hordes, while Doctor Doom channels his energies in… let’s just say very familiar ways. That turns out to be a mistake, as the Prince of the Faltine has been playing the Rope-A-Dope, and immediately shatters Doom’s armor, along with most of his limbs. Things are looking very dark for Doom, as Dormammu prepares for the killing blow.

That’s when the second spell kicks in.

A BATTLE THAT’S BOWLING-SHOE UGLY

For me, the biggest problem with this issue’s story comes in the plot-convenient ways that Dormammu’s attack plays out. Aside from the fact that the issue begins with EVERY SUPERHUMAN being removed from the Marvel firmament, be they god, wizard, alien genius, mutant, tinker, tailor, soldier, or Wolverine, which feels like a “just go with it, alright?” Dormammu’s abilities in this issue are amplified to levels that make all his previous defeats (of which there are a lot) seem unlikely. I’m not one to complain about power levels changing, as a rule, but this issue’s battle is a complete squash. The secret of Victor’s third spell is, honestly, both surprising and kind of amazing, especially with R.B. Silva’s art depicting it all. The next issue blurb promises another escalation in the world’s acceptance of Doom’s reign, one which I’m honestly interested in seeing implemented.

BOTTOM LINE: WORKS (WITH A HANDWAVE)

The worst part of every single issue is the fact that One World Under Doom #4, like all the previous ones, starts with a collage of news stories, headlines, and opinion pieces that are all obviously created to reference the current United States presidential administration, which is just distasteful in-universe AND out, but that, combined with the fact that the shock-and-awe events feel forced, shakes down to 3 out of 5 stars overall. If the premise doesn’t bug you the way it does me, you may find this one more effective for you, but like Superman’s battle with Doomsday, you have to swallow a lot of unlikely things to get to the part that works.

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