Doctor Doom is officially the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, following the conclusion of Marvel's summer event Blood Hunt. He's now confronting the Avengers directly for the first time since taking up the mantle in Avengers #19, and we've got a preview of interior pages leading up to their meeting.
That's not all that's going on in the preview, as we also learn that T'Challa is taking a brief leave of absence from the team to venture inside the Meridian Diadem, which imprisons thousands of captured people in its bizarre facets.
T'Challa's embarking on a dangerous solo mission away from the Avengers may have something to do with the team's latest member, Storm, who is also his ex-wife, and the awkwardness that still exists between them following their divorce, a fact that is pointed out in these pages.
Here's the preview of Avengers #19 by writer Jed MacKay, artist Farid Karami, color artist Federico Blee, and letterer Cory Petit, along with the cover by Valerio Schiti and Federico Blee:
"Doom against earth's mightiest heroes! Doctor Doom puts the Avengers to the test! But what is the purpose of the Avengers?" asks Marvel's official description of Avengers #19. "To prove why Doom's way is not the right way, the Avengers will have to face their greatest threat - their own dark pasts! Meanwhile, T'Challa embarks on a clandestine mission…"
This seems to be part of the lead in to the upcoming event series The Rise of Emperor Doom, in which Doom declares himself ruler of the Marvel Universe, which was just announced at New York Comic Con. And it's all part of the 'One World Under Doom' umbrella, which denotes Marvel's new, Doom-centric status quo.
Avengers #19 goes on sale October 23.
Robert Downey Jr. could be a perfect MCU Doctor Doom if he can nail these five things.
