Doctor Doom in "Doomed Nations" by Matt Duarte
This page is to be set in five panels. The first four are square, two columns by two rows, and the last one is a wide panel across the bottom of the page. This scene is not set in any specific time.
Panel 1
Description: Doctor Doom is entering a stage, while a man in a suit is announcing it. We are seeing it from the side of the stage, where we can see the outline of a man: Reed Richards. He is looking towards the stage, we can only see the side of his head.
PRESENTER: And without further ado, the United Nations welcomes a man that certainly needs no introduction: the leader of Latveria, Victor Von Doom.
REED RICHARDS (CAPTION): I do not know what's more unbelievable, that the United Nations would ask him to give a speech, or that Victor would accept their invitation.
Panel 2
Description: Doctor Doom is standing at the podium. We are seeing this from above the stage, where the Thing is standing in some of the buildings structures inside the big hall. He is covered in shadows, well above the eye sight of everyone else in there.
DOCTOR DOOM: Latveria is the utopia that all your pitiful nations wish to be. Completely independent and self sufficient, Latveria counts on no one to save or protect its border from any threat, whether they be ordinary or... fantastic...
THE THING (CAPTION): At least the eggheads at the U.N. came to their senses and agreed to let us watch over Doomsie. Too bad now I gotta sit and listen to the garbage comin' from his mouth.
Panel 3
Description: The Human Torch is flying over the United Nations building. He is wearing an earpiece, over which he is hearing Doom's speech. He is looking away from the building, at something in the street.
DOCTOR DOOM (coming through the earpiece): Latveria has also solved problems that even the most technologically advanced countries will continue to struggle for decades. There are no violent deaths within Latveria's borders...
HUMAN TORCH (CAPTION): Well, I guess if you don't count "Death-By-Doombot" as violent, then yeah he's right. Everyone's too afraid to even think...Oh, hot brunette at eleven o'clock!
Panel 4
Description: Sue Richards is sitting in chair in the auditorium where Doom is giving his speech, in one of the seats near the back. She is wearing a business attire looking somewhat bored. We can see Doom still giving the speech in the background.
DOCTOR DOOM: Above all, Latveria wishes to show the rest of the world that despite intrusions of a certain foursome, it is willing to cooperate with the rest of the world and share...
SUE RICHARDS (CAPTION): Doom sharing? Ha! This is certainly new. And he even mentioned us. Good thing he doesn't know we are here.
Panel 5
Description: A close up of Doctor Doom's face. Even behind the mask, we can see that he is smiling, and looking straight at the reader, and raising his hand menacingly.
DOCTOR DOOM: Share the technology that has allowed Latveria to protect itself. All that I require in return is what I ask of all the denizens of Latveria...
DOCTOR DOOM: Total obedience and complete devotion to DOOM!
SUE RICHARDS (CAPTION): ...did Doom just offer to share his Doombots with every two-bit dictator that swears allegiance to him? I think Ben would call this a revoltin' development...
NEXT: The United Nations of DOOM!
And then hilarity ensues, certainly.
ReplyDeleteNice look at statesman-Doom, Matt. Another great script.
Hot damn, you write a fine Doom. This would be exactly how he sees the world. You also do a good job of very quickly and easily capturing the heart of each character within the FF.
ReplyDeleteMy only gripe, how can we see Sue is Bored and also see Doom on stage delivering his speech?
Ha, I just realised what I want to happen next: Doom starts singing the national anthem of Latveria just like Borat did for Kazakhstan, ha, imagine it.
Lat-ver-i-a is the best,
Country in the world.
All other countries,
Are like little girls.
HAHAHAHAHA!
@Ivan: Yeah, I went for the angle that is least used. Politics and superheroes don't mix very well, but in short doses like one page, I felt I could make it work.
ReplyDelete@Ryan: There was an interview with Kieron Gillen when he talked about writing Doom (in his Thor) arc, and he said something along the lines of "50% condescending, 50% superiority complex" was his recipe. I was trying to aim for that.
As for bored Sue, I was thinking with her head on her arm, and eyes half closed? You are right in thinking it might be a little too difficult to also show Doom in the background, because the angle would not work. Something to think about for my next script.
Matt, this is a great piece. Great set-up to another feud between the FF and their arch rival. Doom is written extremely well, as Ryan pointed out, and for this I take my hat off to you.
ReplyDeleteCurious - you mention that Doom does not know that the FF are at the speech. Is there any reason for that? Does it play a role in the storyline on the next page? I thought it would have been cool if Doom did know that the FF were there, yet made this "call to arms" right in their faces.
Either way, great work, I really enjoyed this script!
This is brilliant, and for all the praise I could give it the only thing I want to say is that for having a revoltin' development line in there has immortalised this stuff in my mind.
ReplyDeleteMatt, I think you captured Doom and the rest of the FF really well... but like Ryan, bored Sue just didn't jibe for me. I think she'd far more likely be horrified / sickened, knowing what the man is capable of. Sue's the heart of the FF and the one least likely to be bored by an evil dictator like him.
ReplyDeleteThat said, it's a great opening and I'd love to see where it went from there.
Alright, so it seems that the fourth panel was the deal breaker, haha.
ReplyDelete@Ben: In the first draft of this thing, Doom did not request allegiance to him, instead he demanded that the Fantastic Four be killed. I was going to have them react to that, including the "What a revoltin development line". It was a little too "completely evil villain" for my taste, so I went for what's in the page now. That being said, Doom definitely knows that the FF are there, that's why he mentioned them twice. He would confront them after the speech, exiting right through where Reed was standing, basically calling them out on not respecting his right to diplomatic immunity, etc.
Ooh, a bounty of the FF. Sure, it's probably been done before somewhere along the line, but it would be cool still.
ReplyDelete@Matt - that sounds awesome.
ReplyDelete