That Figures: REVIEW: Marvel Universe's Doctor Doom

Released 2010/August 2011 | Produced by Hasbro

Disfigured by his ambition and twisted by his hatred, Victor Von Doom is better known to the world as Doctor Doom! Combining ancient sorcery with modern technology, Doctor Doom will not stop until he has absolute dominion over all nations of the Earth.

Note: Doctor Doom vs Doctor Doom

This Review features the Doctor Doom figure released as part of the 2010 Secret Wars double-pack. However, accessories and minor palette-change aside, it is identical to the single carded figure released recently as part of the Marvel Universe Wave 14.

Packaging Shots

(Thanks to Chase Variant for the above images.)

Note that the single carded figure of Doctor Doom uses the standard Marvel Universe packaging.

Doctor Doom

I've always been a massive fan of the Kirby-Lee era of Marvel Comics. During their collaborations they produced not only a variety of memorable heroes but also a plethora of equally brilliant villains. If you truly can judge a man by the quality of his enemies, then the Marvel roster must contain some of the world's greatest beings.

Doctor Doom's sculpt is superb. For starters, the cloth detail on his hood, cloak and tunic is rendered with a superb crisscrossed weave that really give the impression of fabric and add a lot of depth to what could have simply been large swathes of ''blank'' plastic. Each piece is sculpted with a lifelike fold/crease to it, which further helps give the impression of Doctor Doom wearing cloth pieces over his armour. There's also a very nicely-detailed belt and hip holster (although sadly it's sealed) rendered in the superb retro-style of his comicbook counterpart.

But the detail doesn't end with the cloth. His armour-plated limbs also feature some very cool detailing (even if they are shared with his Secret Wars-mate and upcoming release, Ultron) and whilst not quite as impressive as the clothing pieces, they're still very effective and convey the comicbook costume very well. I especially like the sculpt of his left hand, which is incredibly expressive in its design and is ideal for those ''The world shall tremble before... DOOM!''-type monologue poses he's is famous for.

The head sculpt features the aforementioned cloth detailing but it's one of the few parts where this effect is actually overshadowed by the metallic sculpt pieces, thanks to Doctor Doom's face mask. It's superbly detailed, with the brooding expression, hollow eyes and rivet-laden detail that so typifies the character's tormented look. It's a superb bit of sculpting.

This amazing look comes at a cost, though: Doctor Doom's articulation is rather limited, sadly. Although his upper body and arms move without too many issues (although the elbow and shoulder joints do seem a little limited in their range of motion) the lower body - specifically around the hips - is quite limited due to the presence of his tunic. A side-slit allows some degree of lateral motion but when it comes to posing Doctor Doom your options are fairly limited and most will involve standing upright. And although this is probably limited to my figure, I found Doctor Doom to be quite ''floppy'' and his joints seemed somewhat looser than I'd hope for.

One other point to note is that the Secret Wars blister pack bent Doctor Doom's legs somewhat, meaning he's slightly knock-kneed. This can be an issue when posing him but I'd hope this has been addressed for the single carded release.

Paint-wise, Doctor Doom is very good. Although there initially doesn't appear to be a great deal of flashy detail, there's a lot of nice, small-scale stuff that really sets-off the figure's sculpt. His belt, buckle and holster cap are all cleanly applied and his facial details are also without fault. There's also a very nice darker wash applied to his cloak, which really helps accentuate the fold and cloth detailing. So whilst there's not a great deal going on, what is here is nicely done, well thought-out and cleanly applied.

Extras

The Secret Wars Doctor Doom included a Broom-handle Mauser-style pistol, which is not included with the single carded release. The latter, however, includes a display base, which was not present in the Secret Wars pack.

Final Thoughts

Doctor Doom is a great character, so it's satisfying to see Hasbro getting it right and giving us a figure that's equally worthy.

Whilst the basic sculpt is excellent - both in terms of production and capturing Doctor Doom's likeness and essence - the trade-off is that his poseability is fairly restricted. But given Doctor Doom is at his best when he's posturing and threatening, this lack of articulation doesn't impact him as much as it would, say, Spider-Man or any of Marvel's other more agile heroes. Even with the restrictions his sculpt imposes, it's still perfectly possible to display him in some highly expressive stances.

If you were fortunate enough to grab Doctor Doom in the Secret Wars double-pack, then the newly released version really doesn't add anything you don't already have with this excellent figure. But for those who missed him first time around, the single carded Doctor Doom is a must-have if you're a fan of Marvel's old school villains.

Highly recommended.

Scores