Writer: Ryan North
Art: R.B. Silva, and Ben Harvey
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price:$4.99
Reviewed by: Anonymous
Release Date: June 11th, 2025
Dormammu has come for Doom – and Doom has SURVIVED. Broken, depleted, but having bought the time he needed, Doom ensured that all Earth’s heroes would survive. These heroes now face a choice: They can allow Earth to fall to Dormammu – or they can align with Doom and fight for Earth beside him. Doom is at his highest – with Earth’s heroes behind him, nothing can stop him now. Nothing, that is, save for an unexpected return of an old foe…
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THE DISPATCH
Doom endures. That’s been the thesis of One World Under Doom, and in One World Under Doom #5, Ryan North pushes that idea to its most triumphant — and most terrifying — conclusion yet. Following the jaw-dropping events of issue #4, where Doom singlehandedly survived a cosmic beatdown by Dormammu, the latest chapter flips the series’ power dynamics and asks a chilling question: What happens when Doom is actually right?
North has been threading this limited series with a fine needle — equal parts satire, grandiose epic, and psychological chess match. Issue #5 continues that balancing act masterfully. With Dormammu momentarily repelled and Earth’s heroes still reeling, Doom stands tall as the only being with a plan. He’s bloodied, unmasked (figuratively), and deeply manipulative — but he also just saved the world.
And now, he wants to lead it. What makes this issue so compelling is not the action (though there are some spellbinding splash pages), but the impossible tension: Can the heroes of Earth really bring themselves to side with Doom? Captain America’s moral paralysis. Storm’s pragmatic fury. Spider-Man’s bitter disbelief. All these reactions swirl around Doom like a cyclone of reluctant allegiance.
North gives us one of his best written Dooms yet — not the cackling despot, but the philosopher-king. His speech to the assembled heroes is pure operatic gold: “You were born into chaos. I was forged by it. The difference is, I learned to shape it.” It’s chilling, inspiring, and completely in-character.
And just when the issue feels like it’s ending with a reluctant alliance, North pulls the rug: a mysterious, unannounced old foe returns — someone who knows Doom intimately and has no interest in letting him have his moment of redemption. The cliffhanger is elegantly timed, landing not just as a shock, but a threat to everything the issue spent building.
While earlier issues earned praise for their philosophical take on villainy and power, Issue #5 finally delivers the series’ full payoff. It’s still grand and mythic, but it’s also deeply human — watching Earth’s most powerful beings wrestle with the idea that maybe the man they’ve been fighting for years is the only one who can save them.
FINAL THOUGHTS
One World Under Doom #5 cements this series as one of Marvel’s most intriguing political thrillers in years. Ryan North elevates Doctor Doom beyond villainy, into something both greater and far more dangerous. With Earth’s heroes behind him and a new threat on the horizon, the stage is set for a finale that could reshape Doom’s legacy forever. Doom stood alone. Now Doom stands with Earth. The question is — can Earth survive that?