Comic Review of One World Under Doom #7 – The Fall of Ambition and Chaos Behind the Iron Mask
After six issues filled with highs and lows, moral dilemmas, and a surprisingly profound vision of a world ruled by Doctor Doom, One World Under Doom enters its final stretch. Unfortunately, instead of a logical continuation, issue #7 delivers exactly what fans feared after the previous chapter narrative chaos, rushed plotting, conflicting motivations, and disastrous creative decisions.
Ryan North, who had once been praised for writing Doom as a complex, layered figure, seems to have completely lost control of tone, pacing, and purpose. This is truly one of those moments where you can say, “They had us in the first half.”
A strong start undone by incoherence
The early parts of this event built an atmosphere of grand philosophical and political conflict Doom as a despot who genuinely brings peace and progress to the world, but at the inhumane cost of freedom and morality. There was something almost classic about that premise, an ethical experiment with clear stakes. In issue #7, however, that nuance vanishes, replaced by chaotic battles, unearned twists, and shallow character motivations.
North, who once balanced Doom’s righteousness against the heroes’ hypocrisy, now trades ideology for empty spectacle. The entire second half of the issue is one long parade of splash pages and hollow fight scenes visually loud but narratively weightless. There’s no tension, no sense of consequence, and no emotional throughline to anchor it all.
Doom loses his soul
The biggest problem, again, is how utterly Doom’s character has been destroyed. Within just a few pages, Victor Von Doom devolves from a visionary ruler with strict principles into a cartoonish tyrant smashing everything in sight without logic or purpose.
What used to be a genuine moral question (“Is the price of peace too high?”) has been replaced by mindless evil. Doom once defined by control, intellect, and paradoxical compassion is now a blunt instrument of destruction. The man who built worlds with precision and purpose has become a caricature of villainy.
It’s hard not to feel that North (or Marvel editorial) deliberately sacrificed Doom’s complexity to quickly reset the status quo before the finale. It’s not only lazy but also insulting to readers who invested in this story expecting more than another predictable reset.
Reed Richards, magician by convenience
Perhaps the most absurd part of this issue is the moment when Reed Richards uses magic. Yes, magic.
The man of science, the ultimate rationalist, suddenly starts casting spells like Doctor Strange with no foreshadowing, no setup, and no logical reason. It’s not only a narrative blunder but also a fundamental misunderstanding of the character and of the internal logic of the Marvel universe.
Worse yet, it accomplishes nothing. Doom easily shrugs it off, Reed learns nothing, and the scene has zero narrative consequence. It’s a perfect example of writing for shock value flashy, but meaningless.
The big battle without emotion
One World Under Doom #7 also falls victim to style over substance. The massive showdown, in which nearly every hero (and even some villains) team up against Doom, sounds epic on paper but on the page, it’s utterly lifeless. There’s no drama, no rhythm, and no real sense of danger.
Even the moment when Valeria, Doom’s beloved daughter, turns against him which should have been the emotional centerpiece of the issue is handled in a rushed, unconvincing way. It’s a missed opportunity to add weight and humanity to the conflict.
As a result, the issue feels like filler stretched out, hollow, and written only to fill space before the final chapter.
Tone and pacing – everything falls apart
One of the previous issues’ greatest strengths was tonal consistency balancing political drama, moral debate, and personal tragedy. Here, that balance is gone.
The pacing is erratic, transitions are clumsy, and dialogue feels awkwardly off-beat. North seems to have forgotten that his strength lies not in bombastic action sequences, but in smart, ideologically charged conversations.
Artistically, the comic still looks solid the art is energetic, the colors vivid but it’s all surface. The visuals can’t hide the narrative collapse beneath them.
Broken expectations and wasted potential
What hurts most is the realization that One World Under Doom had everything it needed to become one of Marvel’s most thought-provoking events in years. The early issues presented a fascinating “what if” scenario a genuine challenge to the moral foundations of the Marvel universe. But now it’s devolved into something that feels like an early-2000s leftover: loud, shallow, and utterly meaningless.
North not only squandered Doom’s potential but also betrayed the emotional weight of the entire story. What began as a meditation on power and moral compromise now collapses into a simple binary: “Doom bad, heroes good, everything back to normal.”
Conclusion
One World Under Doom #7 is a disappointing, chaotic, and hollow chapter in a story that began with ambition but ends as a formulaic mess.
Instead of reflection, we get noise. Instead of moral conflict, we get spectacle without substance.
It’s not technically terrible it’s well-drawn and readable but it’s emotionally empty, narratively lazy, and deeply frustrating given how much promise the series once had.
Pros:
+A few visually impressive moments (Doom using mutant and magical powers)+The scale still feels epic
+Occasional flashes of Ryan North’s sharp dialogue
+Doom’s dynamic with Valeria still carries potential (though underused)
Cons:
-Chaotic storytelling and lack of emotional continuity-Doom reduced to a one-dimensional villain
-Reed Richards completely mischaracterized
-Too much empty action, not enough meaning
-No real progression or consequence
-Overwhelming sense that the story is going nowhere
Final Rating: 5 / 10
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