Anti-Racist Doctor Doom

[history79]

Comments

[cyberghostface]

You’d think Doom would know the difference between ethnicity and ideology.

[erikred]

Always punch a nazi. And always call out Islamaphobia as the racism it is.

In Vlad's case, especially so: as Doom points out, Dracula's attitude is informed by historical racism of a specific time and place.

[cyberghostface]

Would you differentiate any criticism of Islam with racism? When is it acceptable and when is it the equivalent of murdering Jewish people? Would you compare Ayaan Hirsi Ali to a nazi?

[deh_tommy]

I think they meant more tarring everyone who practices Islam under the same brush (especially those who are just minding their own business) rather than any and all criticism of the religion thatself.

[erikred]

Also this.

[cyberghostface]

That should apply to all religions.

[erikred]

"There is also the matter of Islam. It will close the gap with the West, in terms of science and super-powered individuals.... The realm I would create would do _without_ it. Serve as a bulwark against it."

He's speaking in 15th century terms of the Ottoman Empire. Islamophobia is code for his hatred of the Turks. Doom sees it and calls him on it.

[commodus]

Kind of funny that Dracula thinks he's anywhere near Doom's level. Marvel's Dracula is hilariously inefficient. He's the same guy who ran away from Blade not because he was in any danger, but because he was MILDLY INCONVENIENCED and threw a hissy fit.

Also, I'm glad to see this after the other comic which tried to make Doom look like an ignorant simpleton. Sure, he can be condescending and cruel and power-hungry, but he's also charismatic and noble and cares about his people. Painting Doom as a racist puts him in a completely different category of villain, one he was never intended to inhabit.

[dr_archeville]

Marvel!Dracula's power levels have been all over the place: he's gone up against Silver Surfer and Thor, and did fairly well against them!

[bruinsfan]

To be fair, in the past he's had an entire X-Men team on the ropes, and more or less killed Dr. Strange on one occasion. He occupies this weird limnal space where he can be threatened by human vigilantes, yet sometimes become a threat to the whole world and hold his own against the heaviest hitters in Marvel's heroic lineup.

[janegray]

Well, he does share his aesthetics with Batman, why not his power level too?

[gnarll]

Dracula seems to be one of those individuals that are a threat far in excess of what their powers would imply. Like a vampired up Captain America or Black Panther.

Of the top of my head he has gone even with opponents such as Thor, Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Apocalypse, entire X-Men teams and Dr. Strange and the Scarlet Witch together.

[agent8]

now there's an interesting idea for a mutant power.
You power level and general abilities increase in proportion to the power and threat level of your given adversary. Against baseline human you're only slightly better than them, but when the super-beings show up your powers, abilities, skills, etc increase to match the threat.

[shadur]

Doom is equally dismissive and derisive of *all* so-called 'races', because as far as Doom is concerned they're all beneath him.

[jlbarnett]

got the scene where he helps by rescuing Meggan?

[rzerox21xx]

I love this story and this is also the last time Marvel used Classic Dracula before revamping his look a year later for Curse of the Mutants, taking away the hammer element and making him look like Blood Omen. which im not a fan of.

[silverhammerman]

The artist for the current Wolverine series posted online that for Dracula's appearance in the series he'd originally drawn him much like this, only for editorial to have him modify it. I'll never understand why Marvel is so married to that awful Blood Omen design, which by now is both dated and not really recognizable as the archetypal Dracula.

[deh_tommy]

I always sort of imagine Dracula looking like his Castlevania incarnations.

[rzerox21xx]

yeah I mean his revamp look premiering in Curse of the mutants was not a very good story and new Drac didnt take off or go well others, i get confuse when i see new Drac talking and wondering is this in character to the character i read in the 70s Tomb series and his various appearance like Roger Stern Montesi formula arc. yeah Gerry Duggan and Jason Aaron were the only writers to do well with this new Drac. athough the Black cat series show a flashback that put Dracula in Felicia's father past, and they used classic Drac look since this was pre-70s Tomb, it was so refeshing to see that form.

[locuatico]

I can see why they decided to change it, since there was a point in which the classic Dracula felt outdated and done to death. I believe by the time of the re-design even Castlevania had thrown aside the classic dracula look in favor of a redesign for Lord of Shadows. What I don't get is sticking to that specific redesign.

The real irony is that at this point the classic look is making a comeback, most notably with the Castlevania animated series, so Marvel sticking to this design over the classic look doesn't even make sense aymore.

[bruinsfan]

I kind of like this look from last year by David Marquez. It honors the original but keeps some of the elements of the more recent depiction (while dropping the painfully 90s aspects).

[bravest_spinja]

See, I almost think that's backwards. The "classic" Dracula look came about because of the original stage play was something of drawing room drama (and the cape was there for stage trickery). In short, early depictions dressed like that to blend in. A Victorian dinner jacket makes him look out of place in regular society, nor would it, as a former medieval warlord and ruler of the undead, appeal to any sort of nostalgia or pride on his part. At best it's justifiable from a comic relief standpoint, like if Captain America started dressing in leisure suits.

It sort of made sense to give him the red armor--it's striking, the high fantasy look is as popular as it's ever been, and armor, be it kevlar or power armor, is generally in right now, and it hearkens back to the Gary Oldman Dracula which younger readers would be more familiar with. But the platinum blonde look and onion earrings aren't congruent with any Marvel depiction, Stoker's description, or accounts of the historical Vlad Tepes.

[deh_tommy]

To be fair, the Lord of Shadows redesign is probably because that’s in a separate continuity to regular Castlevania, and subsequently everyone has a different design there.

[locuatico]

Maybe it's just a coincidence that they both decided to change the design roughly at the same time. What make sme suspicious is that this happened 2 years after the Twilight Movie, which was an... interesting time for Vampire Fiction, to say the least

[agent8]

could it be copywrite issues? Maybe Marvel had to put their own unique spin on Drac to avoid some legal problem?
Does anyone know if "Classic look" Drac is still under copywrite to someone?

[rzerox21xx]

black cat 2019 by jed mackay did show classic Drac but to be fair it was a flashback scene when Felicia Father Walter was young and so was the Black Fox, they pull a heist and ripped off Vlad. you do see a glimpse of Dracula in the current time of the title and it seems to be the current version that was shown in Aaron's Avengers which is the combination of both version.

[cyberghostface]

I don’t think so. Classic Drac seems to be fairly generic in design. I think they said the intent was just to give him a unique appearance.

[locuatico]

As far as I know, the oldest recorded depiction of his classic look (I believe the Bela Lugosi film) is in the public domain. so what is understood as "classic" Dracula should not have copyright issues.
It was definitely an artistic choice either to re-invent the character or make him more distinct.

[mastermahan]

Ironic, since Vlad's generic red armor is far less distinct than the tuxedo and opera cape.

[gnarll]

Well if there is one villain on Marvel earth that would be down with Islamophobia, its Dracula. Good nod to history.

On the other hand, if he is in light on the moon he is standing in direct, unfiltered sunlight.

[shakalooloo]

Later on, they mention that Lilith is working some magic to protect Dracula's vampire moon castle from the sunlight.

[reveen]

You're fucking standing on the moon about to enter into an alliance with a powerful super villain and you're still salty about the fucking Ottomans? I can see why this guy isn't a prominent villain.

[zero_elec]

Dracula is nothing if not petty.

[commodus]

It's hilarious. He's basically a bitter old man who's so far behind the times it's actually sort of sad.

[ozaline]

That's a lot like the take on Dracula in Paul Newman's Anno Dracula where he DOES rule Britain.

He made "sodomy," a capital crime and they speculate it's either because of trauma at the hands of the Ottoman's or because he just really wants and excuse to kill Oscar Wilde and a few others.

[reveen]

Well, he WAS a 15th century Christian once, and just because he has forsaken god in the pursuit of unholy power doesn't mean he's going to be progressive I guess.

[shakalooloo]

Kim Newman.

[ozaline]

Correct! Sorry was typing late and my brain misfired.

I'm more of a fan of his Warhammer novels, under the pseudonym Jack Yeovil so my brain had to jump twice.

Though I've only read the first Anno Dracula book.

[matrix_dragon]

There is only room for one idiotic hatred in Dooms Heart, and that stupid hate is RICHARDS!

[mazway_75]

Again, I like how it's realistic that of course a guy from the 15th century continues to have backward views like hating Islam and such. Plus how he is bold and confident (one of my favorite recurring lines in any version of Dracula is him boasting like "I killed men by the thousands and that was before I started eating people.")

Plus, how Doom is treating this more with amusement than anything else. I always love when he has these meetings with Magneto, Red Skull or others and just the attitude of how "ugh, I have to waste my time with this when I can be figuring out ways to destroy RIIIIIIIICHARDS!"