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Topic: Is Victor von Doom Smarter Than Reed Richards? (Topic Closed Topic Closed) Post ReplyPost New Topic
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Andrew Bitner
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 7:23am | IP Logged | 1  

What say you? (I'll share my opinion after you all have the chance to weigh in.)
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John Byrne
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 7:25am | IP Logged | 2  

Doom is smarter, but his ego always messes him up.
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Josh Goldberg
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 7:37am | IP Logged | 3  

Ah, so the greatest superpower of all is humility?  Take note, kids.
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John Byrne
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 7:52am | IP Logged | 4  

Ah, so the greatest superpower of all is humility?

••

Humility? A guy who calls himself "Mister Fantastic" can hardly be accused of that!

But, in the words of Harry Callahan, "A man's got to know his limitations." Doom's ego does not permit him to even consider that he might have any.

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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 8:20am | IP Logged | 5  

Doom does make the pursuit of science look effortless. It's almost like he could create a machine and split an atom at the same time as breakfast! 
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Vinny Valenti
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 10:41am | IP Logged | 6  

"This is a contingency I had not expected."

STILL my favorite Doom line.
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Andrew Bitner
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 11:01am | IP Logged | 7  

Absolutely agree with JB. Doom *would be* the greatest mind on the planet--and the world's ruler, possibly--if he weren't blinded by his own hubris.

In pure intellect, he surpasses Reed. However, Reed has the advantage of not *always* assuming he's figured out every possible flaw in advance; he's made that mistake sometimes, sure, but he's more aware than Doom that his plans can fail.

It's the tragedy of Doom that he's prevented from becoming the greatest because he is already so certain that he is.

Edited by Andrew Bitner on 23 June 2016 at 11:03am
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David Miller
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 12:13pm | IP Logged | 8  

Nah, the tragedy of Doom is he is so metatastically vain he forever defined himself as a grotesque because of a scratch on his face. His hubris may be a tragic flaw, but it was vanity that sent him into the wilderness. If his genius were for hairdressing or fashion, hubris may even have been a positive trait. 
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Robert Shepherd
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 1:08pm | IP Logged | 9  

My take on Doom was that he wasn't as smart as Reed but his ego would never allow him to acknowledge he was second best at anything. That's just my take.
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Michael Penn
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 1:26pm | IP Logged | 10  

I'd have to think that Doom's dual grasp of mystic arts and the sciences could not begin to be matched by Reed Richards.

Whose intellect, among human characters, is equal or superior to Doom's? 
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Robbie Parry
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 1:35pm | IP Logged | 11  

Doctor Octopus? Maybe. Or near to Doom's intellect. Okay, I'm pushing it a bit, but he did seem very smart, not only in his own field, but generally. 
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John Byrne
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Posted: 23 June 2016 at 2:15pm | IP Logged | 12  

I see Octavius as more of a specialist. Although writers have sometimes fallen back on giving him "a degree in Science," his field is mostly radiation, and I don't think he has the broad palette of Reed or Doom.
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