Doctor Victor von Doom is a character from Marvel Comics. He is depicted as the monarch of Latveria, and the arch-nemesis of the Fantastic Four, first appearing in The Fantastic Four #5, though has also fought other Marvel superheroes, namely Spider-Man and the Avengers. Born in Latveria, Victor went to the Empire State University, where he would meet his fellow student-soon-to-be-rival Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic), whom Doom instantly disliked. Sometime later, he constructed a device that would allow him to speak to his dead mother. Though Reed tried to warn him of the flaw in the machine, Victor kept on working. Later, Ben Grimm (The Thing) tampered with the machine, because he hated Victor's superior attitude, and as a result, a massive explosion occured, severely damaging Victor's face. After being expelled for the incident, Victor travelled the world, though collapsed in Tibet. He was rescued by a clan of monks, and Victor studied the monks ways and discipline. Later, he forged himself armor and a face mask that was not done cooling. He put the mask to his face permanently, and thus, Doctor Doom was born. Doctor Doom has powers of intellect and magic being taught by monks, and because of this, he is one of the most dangerous villains in the world.