Warning: Contains potential spoilers for Doom #1!As Marvel gives a glimpse into the future, Valeria Richards, the daughter of the Fantastic Four’s Reed Richards and Sue Storm, gets a somewhat sinister redesign. A new one-shot about Doctor Doom sees an alternate future where the Latverian villain tries to take down Galactus once and for all, with Valeria by his side. As she helps her “uncle” save the Marvel Universe, Valeria’s supervillain potential comes into focus.

In the preview for Doom #1 by Sanford Greene and Jonathan Hickman, Doctor Doom is lost in space and on the brink of death. Wearing a headpiece reminiscent of the Maker, Earth-1610’s villainous version of Reed Richards, Valeria tracks down Doom to rescue him from his stasis.

Valeria states that Doom is only kept alive by his use of magic, and remarks about somebody having done this to him. As the one-shot will see Doom up against Galactus, it’s unclear if the Devourer of Worlds is the one who did this to Victor, and how Valeria and Doom can work together to defeat the cosmic supervillain.

Valeria Richards’ Marvel History with “Uncle” Doctor Doom and Fantastic Family

While Valeria Richards is the daughter of two of Marvel’s most iconic superheroes, she also has a strong familial bond with their primary supervillain, Doctor Doom. An alternate universe version of her that went by Valeria Von Doom was even introduced before Valeria was born in the main continuity. Victor von Doom used his sorcery skills to assist in the birth of Valeria, and thus was named her godfather in Fantastic Four (1998) #54 by Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Marin, Karl Kesel, Mark Bagley, Al Vey, and Scott Koblish. On top of becoming her godfather, Reed and Sue allowed Doom to name Valeria.

In Fantastic Four (1998) #582 by Jonathan Hickman, Steve Epting, and Mark Farmer, Valeria officially starts referring to Doom as her uncle, putting him on the level of Johnny Storm and Ben Grimm in terms of importance in her life. Valeria’s strengths aren’t as much of a focus of Fantastic Four comics as her brother Franklin’s ultra-powerful reality-warping abilities, but she does have a super-genius-level intellect like her father. While she already uses her smarts to help the family’s superhero-ing, Valeria’s intellect will only grow by the time she tries to help her uncle defeat Galactus in Doom #1.

Valeria’s Untapped Potential Could Make Her Marvel’s Next Major Supervillain

Valeria’s headpiece design in Doom #1 calls to mind the helmeted costume that the Maker, an alternate universe Reed Richards, is currently wearing while terrorizing the Ultimate Universe. Sharing her father’s genius and style choices, it’s possible that the 616’s Valeria Richards becomes a super threat in the future. With some hints that her intellect is actually a superpower, Valeria could rival her father or any of Marvel’s super-smart characters. Valeria’s Reed Richards-level intellect and connection to Doctor Doom could make her a major villain for the Marvel Universe if she strays from the rest of her Fantastic family.

Working with her godfather, Victor von Doom, in an alternate future, Doom #1 will see Valeria Richards use her super-intelligence to go up against Galactus. Though she may be the most underutilized character in the FF family, Valeria has serious potential to level up in the Marvel Universe. With her future redesign resembling the most evil version of her father, it’s worth questioning if she could go down a similar path. Valeria Richards could very well lead her own superhero team for Marvel Comics, or follow in Uncle Doom’s footsteps to become the Fantastic Four’s next big villain.