Warning! Spoilers ahead for Fantastic Four #33
In the latest issue of Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four, peace with Doctor Doom is so close with his royal wedding…but Human Torch has to go and ruin it all. Despite being rivals and enemies for years, Doctor Doom has invited the Fantastic Four and several others to attend and bear witness to his marriage to Lady Victorious, the great Latverian hero and loyal herald of Doom himself. While this also means that any past sins or transgressions will all be forgiven and forgotten in keeping with Latverian custom, Doom’s wedding explodes into deadly chaos (with the blame very much falling on Johnny Storm).
In prior issues of Fantastic Four, Victor von Doom proposed to Zora Vukovic, otherwise known as Latveria’s Lady Victorious, the nations’ greatest hero and protector save for Lord Doom himself. Doom has come to trust Zora more than anyone else over time, and he also desires a queen to rule Latveria in his stead due to new threats drawing his attentions away from his nation. Having dueled and defeated Reed Richards for a boon of their choosing, Doom has also asked Mr. Fantastic Four to be his best man with the rest of the FF serving as the rest of the bridal party. Given that attendance also provides a clean slate with their greatest enemy, it’s an opportunity the First Family can’t afford to ignore.
As such, Fantastic Four #33 from writer Dan Slott and artists R.B Silva and Luca Maresca sees the Fantastic Four arriving to Latveria the day before the wedding and Doom is true to his word, ordering his weaponeers to destroy all of their plans and machines built to destroy his greatest rivals. Meanwhile, Human Torch attempts to speak with Zora about their secret one night stand they had just before Doom proposed, but he is without much success. However, while Zora seems prepared to never speak of the affair, she finds that she can’t make her vows during the ceremony without confessing to Doom her infidelity. Naturally, he doesn’t take it well…at all.
Clearly, peace is now very much off the table, seeing as how Doom feels extremely betrayed and humiliated, choosing to respond with massive rage by blowing up the altar and preparing to unleash his wrath. It doesn’t seem as though the rest of the Fantastic Four are very happy with Johnny either. His mistake is pretty huge, having just cost them a genuine chance at peace with Doom and Latveria and all because he’s been conflicted over other women in his life besides Victorious.
In any case, Doom unleashes a mass hypnosis he has prepared just in case, rendering the Fantastic Four immobile along with Black Panther and Namor, who are trying to come to their aid. Furthermore, the issue ends with Doom ordering the execution of all of his wedding guests, though it’s likely Victorious will try to intervene in some manner. While there could still be hope for a wedding in future issues, it’s doubtful that a clean slate and cease-fire with Doctor Doom is still in the cards for the Fantastic Four after what Human Torch has done.
