Marvel Announces Doctor Doom Series From Halt and Catch Fire Creator

Victor Von Doom will take the spotlight in a new series this October. Today at San Diego Comic-Con 2019, Marvel Comics announced a new Doctor Doom ongoing series written by Chris Cantwell, creator of AMC's Halt and Catch Fire, with art by Salvador Larroca.

The series finds Doom at a crossroads. According to Marvel's description, "After spending much of his time warning against a trillion-dollar global effort to create the first 'artificial' black hole, Doom is now wrestling with visions of an entirely different life and a better future. But when a massive terrorist attack results in massive casualties, Doom is the prime suspect. What will happen when Doctor Doom is running from the law -- and himself?"

This isn't Doom's first ongoing series. His most recent was The Infamous Iron Man, taking place while Doom was attempting to live the life of a superhero. Since the return of the Fantastic Four, including Doom's rival Reed Richards, to the Marvel Universe, Doom has returned to his villainous ways as ruler of Latveria. It sounds like Cantwell will be taking a more nuanced approach to writing Doom.

Cantwell isn't the first prestige television writer to set his eyes on Doom. Legion creator Noah Hawley was working on a Doctor Doom movie for 20th Century Fox. Even with Disney's purchase of the studio, there is still the chance Hawley will get to make his movie.

"What was interesting to me originally about the X-Men universe is these are movies that started in a concentration camp," Hawley said. "They are clearly concerned with the true nature of human evil. It's not just some cosmic force bringing about the end of the world. That's what was always interesting to me here. Let's explore through this genre the every day evils we do to each other, the ways we hurt each other and take each other for granted. There are different stories and characters who will bring about other themes. I wrote a script about Doctor Doom, an antihero story I really like, and we're still talking about making it. I'm trying to get out from under this movie I made and this last season of Legion, and Fargo is coming back up… but for better or worse, these are the stories we want to hear right now. I think you can bury your head in the sand and say, 'That's unfortunate for our culture because they're simplistic.' Some people say that. I don't look at it that way. I think they are morality tales on a larger scale, and it's better to be part of the conversation than pretend the conversation isn't happening."

Are you excited about the new Doctor Doom series? Let us know in the comments. Doctor Doom #1 goes on sale in October.