Warning: SPOILERS for X-Men/Fantastic Four #1
He may not be a famous mutant foe, but it looks like Doctor Doom is about to take on the X-Men. The mutant race has established itself on the living island of Krakoa, accepted as a sovereign state by the United Nations (with a little psychic help from Emma Frost). And now that the X-Men are dabbling in geopolitics -- a realm where Victor Von Doom is the top dog.
Charles Xavier is forging a lasting peace between man and mutant based on drugs, provided exclusively by Krakoa. One extends the life of a human by five years, another is an adaptive antibiotic, and the third helps with the treatment of mental illness. The majority of the world's governments have, at least in theory, approved trade negotiations with the mutants in order to access these miracle cures. But there are exceptions, including Doctor Doom's nation of Latveria. It was suggested to readers that the X-Men are working to change regimes in nations refusing to trade in Krakoan medicine; although this dark side to Krakoan diplomacy has yet to be seen in the comics, it sets the X-Men on a collision course with Doctor Doom.
The inevitable finally happens in the new X-Men/Fantastic Four #1, which ends with Doctor Doom intercepting Kate Pryde and her Marauders on a rescue mission to pick up a group of refugees in the Atlantic Ocean. Doom makes it clear his real business is with Charles Xavier. "Ah, the children of Xavier," he snarls. "and where is your father?" Ironically, though Doom doesn't know it, this same vessel is currently carrying two stowaways - Franklin Richards, most powerful of the Omega mutants, and his sister Valeria. No doubt this is going to get very complicated, very quickly.
The conflict between the X-Men and the Fantastic Four was essentially a question of identity; is Franklin Richards just a mutant, or a member of the Fantastic Four's family? One of the more subtle themes, however, is the question of who is best equipped to actually protect the teenager. Xavier argues that sooner or later some supervillain will attack the Fantastic Four's new base in Yancey Street, and that he'd be safer on Krakoa. The Thing, on the other hand, feels mutants were heading for another Genosha, gathering in a single spot where they can be slaughtered. It seems that particular debate will now be put to the test, because Franklin is now in real danger. He and Valeria, along with Kate Pryde and the Marauders, are in the hands of Doctor Doom.
It was only really a matter of time before Doctor Doom challenged the X-Men directly. No doubt Doctor Doom has been watching Krakoa with a suspicious eye, and he's sure to have illegally obtained samples of the Krakoan drugs for analysis. Meanwhile, the X-Men have positioned themselves as gods to humanity, and that is an indignity Doom will not abide. In his view, there is only one god... and his name is Doom.
X-Men/Fantastic Four #1 is on sale now.