Ever since his debut in The Fantastic Four #5, Doctor Victor Von Doom has been one of the greatest supervillains of the Marvel Universe. With his unbridled ego, infinite wealth, and superior intelligence, his quest for ultimate power has led him to master technology, time travel, energy, and sorcery. He's also marshaled some of the most formidable weapons of all time, including the Power Comic and the Infinity Gauntlet.
On the other hand, Darth Vader has remained one of cinema's most iconic villains ever since he first appeared to audiences everywhere in George Lucas's Star Wars in 1977. He has continued to endure as one of the greatest Sith Lords of all time in the Star Wars canon of countless films, books, and comics for over four decades. Here are 5 reasons Doom would win and 5 reasons Vader would win in this battle of two armored titans.
DOCTOR DOOM: TELEPORTATION
One of Doctor Doom'lesser-knownwn abilities but one he's been making more and more use of is teleportation. He doesn't need something as rudimentary as a transporter from Star Trek to accomplish his infamous reappearing act; he simply has to call upon his mastery of dark magic.
Unlike a Sith, who can be weakened by the prolonged use of the dark side over time, Doctor Doom can teleport with minimal effort. Doom can teleport himself through barriers, force fields, and anything a Sith Lord might throw at him (including alternate dimensions or the World Between Worlds).
DARTH VADER: FORCE CHOKE/THROW
Darth Vader is renowned for his Force Choke, a signature maneuver he does to insolent inferiors. While he can use it to crush windpipes, it's also possible he can use it to crush the hulls of Star Destroyers. The degree to which the Force Choke is lethal depends entirely on Vader's whim.
Vader has been known in the Darth Vader comics to be able to lift starships that weighed 50 million tons of durasteel above the ground, as well as swat dozens of Rebel troops away like flies. Knowing that's possible would make even Doctor Doom want to send a synthetic copy of himself into battle.
DOCTOR DOOM: TIME TRAVEL
Like his nemesis Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom is a man for whom technology obeys his every whim. With his genius-level intellect he built a time platform, a device that allowed him to travel to any point in time he wished, preferably to disrupt the outcomes of his enemies' victories.
Unless Vader was able to get his hands on Darth Revan's Darkstaff, with the ability to conjure Force storms that manipulate time and space, he would be no match for Doom's time-traveling abilities. In later years battling Morgana Le Fay, Doom didn't even need his platform to time travel.
DARTH VADER: THE CHOSEN ONE
Before he became known as Darth Vader, the Sith Lord was a Jedi named Anakin Skywalker, who had been selected to train because of an ancient prophecy. Known as the Chosen One, Anakin became the most powerful Jedi in existence until he was turned to the dark side by Darth Sidious.
As the Chosen One, Darth Vader is the physical embodiment of the Force. Properly attuned to it, and letting all of his anger and hate flow freely, his strength, stamina, and speed are all enhanced beyond human comprehension.
DOCTOR DOOM: SUMMONING DEMONS
Doom's knack for sorcery and magic manipulation is quite attuned, and when he isn't sending his Doombots into battle for him, he's relying on a much more ancient force to do his bidding. His powers for demon summoning are on par with the Sorcerer Supreme in efficacy.
Doom doesn't require a genius-level intellect to know that when dealing with mystical opponents, mystical measures need to be taken. Though Vader has held his own against dozens of Rebel Shock Troopers and countless Jedi Knights, demons may well be the one creature he cannot combat.
DARTH VADER: FORCE LIGHTNING
Though it's a power he uses sparingly, given the delicate nature of the fact that he has so many electrical components himself, Vader is able to use Force Lightning against his opponents just as readily as Emperor Palpatine, Count Dooku, or Kylo Ren.
First mentioned in the comic book adaptation of Splinter of the Mind's Eye, Vader channels the Force Lightning by molding the Force into sheer kinetic energy, which he focuses in blasts to direct at his enemies. He can channel the lightning for as long as is necessary, aided in part by focusing components in his mechanical arms.
DOCTOR DOOM: ASSUMING GODHOOD
Doctor Doom's quest for power is renowned and infamous. He believes himself entitled to rule over a dominion that bows to his will, and to do this he has found different ways to achieve godhood. This occurred in both versions of the Secret Wars plotline, when he was able to manipulate the powerful cosmic Beyonder.
Once able to absorb its power, he was able to become the master of the Marvel Multiverse. Darth Vader served the Emperor, but even Palpatine's ability to cheat death and maintain his foul essence would be insignificant next to the power of Doom in his god-like state, ensuring Vader's subservience.
DARTH VADER: PRECOGNITION/TELEPATHY
An important power held over from his time in the Jedi Order, Vader has the ability to see events before they happen. While Master Yoda explained to him "always in motion is the future," despite the fact that the content of the events may change, the outcome is almost always the same.
Using his precognition, Vader would be able to sense what Doctor Doom's next moves would be in battle. Adding telepathy to his precognition, he would be able to read Doom's thoughts and anticipate where and how he would strike.
DOCTOR DOOM: THE INFINITY GAUNTLET
By itself, the Infinity Gauntlet isn't particularly dangerous, but when introduced to the Infinity Stones, it becomes an all-powerful weapon granting its wearer incredible dominion over the Marvel Universe. After a battle with the Mad Celestials involving multiple Reed Richards, several of them left behind Infinity Gauntlets, which he used for all manner of wickedness.
Against Doctor Doom armed with an Infinity Gauntlet, it's doubtful that even the Dark Lord of the Sith would prevail. Not only could it block a lightsaber attack, but it could snap him out of existence entirely, or send him to an alternate dimension.
DARTH VADER: LIGHTSABER THROW
While it may seem like a simple maneuver, Vader's ability to manipulate his lightsaber mid-air is a very useful tactic when battling with an opponent as formidable as Doctor Doom. It allows for Vader to remain positioned far removed from his attacker, while still being able to defend himself.
Even if Doctor Doom was wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, utilizing his "boomerang" lightsaber throw, Vader would be able to sever Doom's arm from his shoulder. The lightsaber would simply become a floating manifestation of his will in the Force, allowing his physical body to heal or re-energize as necessary in between blows.