Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Last issue ended with Cynthia Von Doom rescuing her son Victor from a SHIELD helicarrier, in the process crashing it in the Atlantic.
But we start this issue with a flashback to Victor as a young boy following his mother into a forest. He finds her holding a rabbit over a pentagram. Cynthia knows Victor has been looking at her sorcerous writings and knows that he has the aptitude to follow her lead. She tells him she needs his innocence now to sacrifice the rabbit to summon the elder demon Chthon. But the young boy can't bring himself to do it, and she calls him a coward.
Present-day Victor awakens in his mother's current workplace. Cynthia tells him it's in 'The Tear', the place where the multiverse used to be (presumably referring to the multiverse destroyed before Secret Wars). It's definitely *not* the astral plane, and much safer than Earth.
Victor complains again that he thought his mother died long ago. She repeats that she has been here studying higher magic, and watching him. She kept away while he was the villainous Dr Doom, but she is proud now he has turned to good.
Cynthia says to understand everything, including how to travel between here and Earth, Victor must learn about Trythoom's Guided Key. She directs him to a book kept in chains.
On the ditched helicarrier Director Sharon Carter talks to Thing. Ben Grimm comments that even as the supposedly-good Iron Man Dr Doom still causes havoc like this. He readily agrees when Carter sends him to hunt Doom down (again).
Back in wherever-it-is Cynthia asks her son why he has taken the mantle of Iron Man. Victor claims to be keeping the flame alive for the comatose Tony Stark. She says she's seen him taking down other super-villains - is that his plan? He replies that when he's gone through the important single villains he'll move on to tackle groups such as Hydra and AIM. He may not be able to defeat all villainy but he can certainly level the playing field.
Victor comments that he could have done this a long time ago if he hadn't gone down the path of Dr Doom. Cynthia accepts blame for that because she had led him to witchcraft and taught him that the world hated witches (and Victor thought that world had killed her). But he denies that blame - he made his own choices.
Now he asks her to teach him some of her advanced magic. But during the conversation Victor has been gradually manifesting his 'Iron Man' armour around himself. Cynthia asks him to remove it because he's safe here. But Doom keeps it on.
Thing has flown his Fantasticar to the ruin of Doom's castle in Latveria. Thing met Doom here in #4, and Ironheart found him here in #8, so Ben thinks this is a good place to start. But instead he finds a young girl scrounging for stuff to sell for food. She says she wishes Lord Doom was back in charge - things were much better then.
Cynthia shows Victor some impressive magic, and she says it doesn't require anything to be sacrificed, and it doesn't drain power from the caster but instead empowers them. She shows him the spell in a book (presumably the chained 1).
Ben Grimm explores the castle, passing an array of Dr Doom armours (or Doombots?). He finds a framed photograph of himself, Reed Richards and Victor in college - and is amazed that Doom treasured it.
Victor gradually sheds his armour as he achieves the magic effect his mother had done. He comments that it is very different from sacrificing baby frogs (not rabbits) in the woods of Mount Hortwurt, and Cynthia agrees. Presumably this makes Victor suspicious again because he suits up. And the Maker appears to chide her for bringing Victor here.
Back in Castle Doom Iron Doom makes an explosive appearance before Thing, having been ejected from Cynthia's domain. And Victor strongly advises Ben to run away.