Supremely-sorcerous - Stephen Deserves The World.

Man Thing #2 (1997)

‘Nough said. :)

This happens entirely too often.

Stephen: *Says some weird mystical phrase for no good reason*

Random superhero he is teamed up with: Do you say anything normal, like ever?

PREACH!

Honestly it annoys me how all ships that are “valid or good” have to 100% healthy and not problematic whatsoever. But drama makes for great storytelling. Flawed relationships are interesting and relatable. So the people who like to act all high and mighty about their ships can fuck off. Who are you to tell me what “real love” is?

I am...offended.

First not researching/knowing about Mephisto and now this?

I swear, the more I learn about the MCU the more I become an anti. 😒

I also encourage reading the Fantastic Four: Books of Doom by Ed Brubaker. It’s an extended backstory for Victor and is actually very insightful as to his Romani heritage.

What are some stories about Dr. Doom that showcase his Romani heritage ? I keep reading that him being Romani is a big part of his motivations but I haven't read a lot of Fantastic Four comics.

I don’t read very much Fantastic Four, either. I’m really not a Doctor Doom expert, but I can tell you that Victor’s cultural identity, and his upbringing in a migrant Roma community, have always a core part of his backstory. Fantastic Four Annual #2, which is first telling of Doom’s origin, details his adolescence and young adulthood in Latveria. Although the language used is, as usual, super problematic-- Fantastic Four Annual makes it very clear that Victor and his community were honest, mostly ordinary people who endured prejudice and violence in a racist system. This is a comic that came out in 1964, so this stuff has been part of the canon for almost sixty years.

Victor’s father, Werner, was a folk medicine healer who was indirectly killed by the cruel Baron who governed Latveria at the time. The Baron had demanded Werner treat his dying wife, but when Werner was unable to save her, the baron threatened to kill him. Werner and Victor were forced to flee their camp and, without shelter, Werner died of cold that winter. Victor, grief-stricken swore vengeance.

Fantastic Four Annual #2 (1964)

Victor’s mother, Cynthia, died when he was a baby. Her life and death have been alluded to many times over the years, but in Marvel Graphic Novel #49, it is stated that Cynthia struck a deal with Mephisto in an attempt to gain enough magical power to protect her community, and especially her young son. As is often the case where Mephisto is involved, Cynthia’s plans went awry and she was fatally wounded by one the Baron’s guardsmen during an attack on his castle. 

Marvel Graphic Novel #49 (1989)

I wanted to share these panels because there is a clear consciousness of race and class, which comes to the surface in spite of the problematic language and flawed imagery. I was really surprised, reading these stories, at how many details resonated with my understanding of Roma history. Werner’s profession as a folk healer, and the way that his skills were both sought after and vilified by non-Roma, struck me as very true-to-life. This line, in particular, really stood out to me.

“... the old Baron of Latveria never allowed us a moment’s peace. He forced us to live on the move, and then condemned us as ‘shiftless wanderers.’ Resistance to his authority was always dangerous and often fatal.”

This a simple, and in many ways shallow, commentary on systemic antiromanyism. It is also one of the only times I’ve seen an American superhero comic interrogate an actual, real function of Roma oppression in a way that would disabuse American readers of misinformation. The popular image of “gypsies” in Western cultures is that “shiftless wanderer,” but this story casts that in a new light. That’s... kind of a big deal, and it’s surprising to me that these stories haven’t had a greater impact, considering how iconic and widely known the Doctor Doom character is .