Warning! Spoilers ahead for Fantastic Four #32
Wedding bells are in the air in the latest issue of Marvel Comics' Fantastic Four, and it could change Marvel's First Family forever. Their greatest villain, Doctor Doom, is getting married, having found someone who adores and loves him (and is also willing to put up with his immense pride and ego). However, it seems the Fantastic Four themselves are going to be involved, along with a variety of heroes and villains. As a result, it's quite possible that the entire status quo of the Fantastic Four could be altered, including the potential end of one of Marvel's greatest rivalries of all time.
The Bride of Doom has been teased by Marvel for a while now, and Fantastic Four #32 from writer Dan Slott with artists R.B Silva and Javier Rodríguez begins the story in earnest with Doctor Doom's proposal to Victorious. In his mind, she's the only woman who has ever gained his favor and respect, seeing her as the perfect Latverian to become his queen-to-be, able to lead their country in his absence. However, it's incredibly wild that right before Doom's proposal, Victorious had been sleeping with the Human Torch, who was hiding under the bed when Doom popped the question. And if that didn't complicate things enough, Doom later challenged his longtime nemesis Reed Richards to a duel.
The stakes of Doom's fencing duel with Mr. Fantastic were very high, as the winner would be owed "a debt that cannot be denied" from the loser. Furthermore, they also played a mental game of chess as they squared off, seeing Doom finally taking Richards up on his offer to play from when they first met. All in all, this was certainly an impressive battle between the two nemeses, perfectly displaying both their mental and physical aptitudes. However, while Reed won the game of chess, Doom won the duel, and his request from Reed may hint that their rivalry going forwards might be forever changed in the future of the Marvel Universe.
While Doom asking Reed to be his best man in the wedding is certainly a surprise for Mr. Fantastic, who else would Doom ask other than the man who's always challenged him? It's not as though he has any friends he could ask. Regardless, one had to wonder what Doom's angle is with this request. Is it the result of the respect and honor he has towards Reed, or is it coming from his desire to lord his wedding over Reed, forcing him to stand by his side and endure it all?
While either would track, the prior angle certainly seems as though it would be more dynamic, especially considering how it could affect their rivalry in the future. Recent comics have seen Doom attempting to be a hero (with varying degrees of success). In any case, perhaps it's time for Doctor Doom to move past his feud with Richards with the new chapter in his life as a married man? Fans will have to wait and see with future issues, but it's certainly possible the Fantastic Four could lose their greatest foe down the line.