Marvel Enters Its DOOM Era In Major Way With “Blood Hunt” Finale Twist

Marvel is entering its DOOM Era, thanks to the climatic events of the current “Blood Hunt” crossover storyline in Marvel Comics. Eric Roberts/Blade was possessed by Varnae, the ancient Atlantean sorcerer who became the first vampire and led all vampires until Dracula became his successor. Using Blade as his avatar, Varnae unleashed the power of the Darkforce Dimension to block out the sun, giving Vampires unfettered reign to feed. 

(WARNING SPOILERS FOLLOW!) 

In Blood Hunt #5, the Avengers and other Marvel heroes have a two-part plan to execute: freeing Blade from Varnae (or killing him for good), and freeing the skies of the world from the Darkforce. The latter goal required Doctor Strange (in his astral form) and Clea to seek out a sorcerer powerful enough to lead the ritual to dispel the dark – and they found that sorcerer in Doctor Doom! 

Doom uses the crisis to force Strange into a corner: he indeed offers to save the world – if Strange passes the powers and title of “Sorcerer Supreme” to Doom. With time running out, Strange has few options and hands his title over to Doom – with the caveat of making Doom swear to return to the power, once he saves the world. 

Well, Doom honors the bargain – at least as far as gathering a circle of sorcerers and performing the ancient Atlantean ritual needed to reverse the Darkforce bring light back to the world. Once the ritual is done, The Avengers, Dracula and Blade’s daughter Bloodline are able to defeat Varnae and stop the vampire hordes from consuming all. However, in the epilogue to the story, Strange an Doom remain on the Astral Plane, where Strange asks for his powers to be returned. Doom holds to this oath – in a sense: Doom claims that he has not yet saved the world in its entirety, and therefore will not relinquish the title of Sorcerer Supreme. 

The Avengers find out about the change in status quo when Doom sends a broadcast out to the entire world, announcing that he is responsible for ending the vampire threat, and that he is officially crowing himself as “Earth’s new Superior Sorcerer Supreme.” 

This ending to Blood Hunt sets up the new event storyline “One World Under Doom.” During San Diego Comic-Con 2024, Marvel Comics revealed new details of the storyline of Doom’s reign – just as Marvel Studios announced its own Doom Era kicking off, with the return of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Marvel’s Blood Hunt is now on sale.