History of Doom Timeline

(December 10, 1993 – Present)

Doom is a landmark first-person shooter franchise created by id Software that revolutionized the gaming industry with its 1993 debut. Known for its fast-paced combat, 3D graphics technology, and pioneering multiplayer deathmatch, Doom spawned sequels, countless mods, and a 2016 reboot series, becoming one of the most influential franchises in video game history. More Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Comic Book Debuts

Doom returns and allies with Namor

1962

The character re-appears in the issue following his debut, briefly allying with Namor against the Fantastic Four.

Image source: Doctor Doom

Doctor Doom debuts in The Fantastic Four #5

Jul 1962

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Doctor Doom first appeared in The Fantastic Four #5, cover dated July 1962. In the story, Doom is introduced as a peer of Mister Fantastic's who has been facially scarred by a scientific experiment, learned magic in Tibet, and established control of his home country, Latveria. He has endured as the archenemy of the Fantastic Four.

Doom appears again in Fantastic Four #10

Jan 1963

Doom appears again in Fantastic Four #10 (January 1963). Ben Saunders says this is the best early Doom story, establishing the character as Mister Fantastic's 'Jungian shadow or distorted double.'

Doom appears in The Incredible Hulk

1971

In the early 1970s, Doom branched out to more Marvel titles, including an appearance in The Incredible Hulk (1971).

Marvel Team-Up #42 appearance

Feb 1976

Doom appeared in Marvel Team-Up #42 (February 1976), continuing his expansion into more Marvel titles during the decade.

Master of Kung Fu #59-60 appearance

Dec 1977 - Jan 1978

Doom appeared in Master of Kung Fu #59-60 (December 1977-January 1978) as part of his branching out across Marvel titles in the decade.

Time Machine Lore

Doom's time machine establishes Marvel time travel

1962

Doctor Doom's time machine, introduced in his debut appearance in Fantastic Four #5 (1962), is the device that established time travel as a recurring plot mechanism in Marvel continuity.

Trip to ancient Egypt reveals Rama-Tut's origins

1963

A 1963 trip to ancient Egypt revealed the time-displaced despot Rama-Tut hails from the year 3000, which Gavaler and Goldberg read as consistent with eternalism, the view that past, present and future all exist and cannot be undone by a visitor.

Avengers story presents closed causal loop

1968

When other characters commandeered Doom's time machine, they encountered different causal rules; Gavaler and Goldberg note a 1968 Avengers story utilizing Doom's invention actually presented a closed causal loop where attempting to observe the past inevitably causes it.

Vibranium sample sent to 1942 creates alternate WWII

1976

In a 1976 Fantastic Four Annual, a sample of vibranium is accidentally sent to 1942 and falls into the hands of Baron Zemo, letting Nazi Germany emerge as the victor of World War II; when the Fantastic Four use Doom's machine to retrieve it, Reed Richards concludes they have arrived in 'a different time continuum' rather than altered their own past.

Iron Man: Doom travels to Arthurian Camelot

Aug 1981

In August 1981, Doom appeared in Iron Man, where Stark thwarted Doom's time-travelling plan to enlist Morgan le Fay to defeat King Arthur's forces with an army of revived warriors. Writers David Michelinie and Bob Layton began Doom's recurring alliance with the sorceress Morgan le Fay.

Byrne revises time machine as parallel universe device

1983

Writer-artist John Byrne revised the device's function again in 1983, having Reed conclude that it does not permit time travel at all: attempts to visit the past instead shunt the traveler sideways into an already-existing parallel universe, dramatized by the team discovering a New Amsterdam version of the Daily Bugle standing in for the familiar New York one.

Sequel: Doom confronts and kills future self

1989

A 1989 sequel has Doom confront and kill a future version of himself, rejecting the idea that his fate is fixed: 'The future is fluid.'

Major Storylines

Doom steals the Silver Surfer's powers

1967

Doom stole the Silver Surfer's powers in 1967, but lost them after breaching a barrier Galactus had set for the Surfer on Earth.

Doom stars in Astonishing Tales arc

Oct 1970 - Jun 1971

From October 1970 to June 1971, Doom appeared in a story arc in Astonishing Tales from #2 to #6; issue #8 presented the character's origin, in which his ties to the villain Mephisto were revealed.

Super-Villain Team-Up launches

1975

Doom branched out into the series Super-Villain Team-Up in 1975 as part of his expansion across more Marvel titles during the decade.

Main antagonist in Superman and Spider-Man crossover

1981

Doctor Doom appeared as the main antagonist in the second Marvel/DC crossover, Superman and Spider-Man, in 1981.

Confronts X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #145

May 1981

Doctor Doom confronted the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #145 (May 1981), in which he attempts to capture and seduce Storm.

Byrne era begins on Fantastic Four

Nov 1981

In 1981 John Byrne began his six-year run writing and illustrating Fantastic Four, sparking a 'second golden age' for the title while attempting to turn the clock back and see fresh what made the book great at its inception. Doctor Doom made his first appearance under Byrne's tenure with issue #236 (November 1981).

Englehart run: Doom exiled by Kristoff

1987 - 1989

During Steven Englehart's run on Fantastic Four (1987–1989), Doom was exiled by his heir, Kristoff, but this storyline was left unresolved when Englehart departed.

Walt Simonson reveals robotic imposter Doom

Mar 1991

Walt Simonson's Fantastic Four #350 (March 1991) controversially revealed that the Doom seen during Englehart's arc was a robotic imposter, with the real Doom returning in new armor to reclaim Latveria.

Doom 2099 solo title launches

1993 - 1996

An alternate future version of Doctor Doom featured in his own title, Doom 2099, from 1993 to 1996.

'Unthinkable' storyline redefines Doctor Doom

2003 - 2004

Mark Waid began to redefine Doctor Doom in the 2003 'Unthinkable' storyline (Fantastic Four vol. 1), in which he imprisons Mister Fantastic in a magical dimension.

Thor's Ragnarok storyline frees Doom

2004

Doom remained imprisoned until the 2004 'Ragnarok' storyline in Thor, where Thor's hammer, Mjölnir, provided his escape.

Books of Doom limited series

2005 - 2006

In 2005–2006, Doctor Doom starred in the limited series Books of Doom, written by Ed Brubaker, a retelling of his origin.

Image source: Doctor Doom

Doomwar event

Feb 2010 - Oct 2010

Doom stars in Doomwar (February-October 2010) written by Jonathan Maberry, where he allies with the isolationist Desturi to seize control of Wakanda.

Secret Wars: Doom claims godhood

2015

Doom is a central figure in the company-wide Secret Wars (2015) event, in which he claims godhood over a reconstructed multiverse before Mister Fantastic defeats and temporarily redeems him. The crossover erased the branching multiverse built around Doom's time machine, replacing it with a single continuity going forward.

Image source: Secret Wars (2015 comic book)

Infamous Iron Man series

2016 - 2018

After Secret Wars, Doom briefly adopted the Iron Man persona in the Infamous Iron Man series (2016–2018), before returning to villainy.

Image source: Infamous Iron Man

First solo Doctor Doom series

2019

Doctor Doom was featured in his first solo series in 2019.

Doom becomes Sorcerer Supreme in Blood Hunt

2024

After Doom acquired the title of Sorcerer Supreme from Doctor Strange in Blood Hunt (2024), writer Ryan North and artist R.B. Silva launched the next major Doom event.

One World Under Doom crossover

2025

Writer Ryan North and artist R.B. Silva launched One World Under Doom (2025), a nine-issue crossover in which Doom governed the entire planet.

Image source: One World Under Doom

Film and Media

Julian McMahon plays Doom in Fantastic Four film

2005

Most notably in film, the character is played by Julian McMahon in Fantastic Four (2005).

McMahon returns in Rise of the Silver Surfer

2007

Julian McMahon reprised his role as Doctor Doom in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007).

Image source: Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Toby Kebbell plays Doom in 2015 reboot

2015

The character is played by Toby Kebbell in Fantastic Four (2015).

Image source: Fantastic Four (2015 film)

Robert Downey Jr. cameos in The Fantastic Four: First Steps

2025

Robert Downey Jr. portrays the character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, first appearing in a cameo in The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025).

Image source: The Fantastic Four: First Steps

Avengers: Doomsday set for release

2026

Robert Downey Jr. is set to reprise the role of Doctor Doom in Avengers: Doomsday (2026).

Image source: Avengers: Doomsday

Key Facts

The original Doom was released by id Software on December 10, 1993, and popularized the first-person shooter genre.
Doom pioneered online multiplayer deathmatch, a term coined by John Romero during the game's development.
The game's source code was released in 1997, leading to an enormous modding community and ports to nearly every platform imaginable.
Doom II (1994) introduced the Super Shotgun, one of the most iconic weapons in FPS history.
The franchise was rebooted in 2016 with Doom (2016) and continued with Doom Eternal (2020), both critically acclaimed for their aggressive 'glory kill' combat system.

Source

This History of Doom timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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