Circle of Doom

Victor Von Doom’s ponderous ego spares little room for others in his heart, yet a chosen few have
somehow been graced with his favor in his life, if not exactly what one would call true friendship.

A Latverian gypsy named Boris promised his best friend, Doom’s father, to take care of young Victor
as the elder Von Doom lay dying. Since that time, Boris has served the doctor loyally over the years,
perhaps providing his master with a touchstone to his late parents. In return, Doom has always kept
him close at hand, watching over him just as the old man watches over the doctor.

A young orphan called Kristoff was brought into Doom’s graces when his mother died in Doom’s
presence. The doctor secured him in his castle and began to groom him as an heir, and at one point
even imprinted the boy’s brain with his own memories. Kristoff then believed he was Doctor Doom
and for a time treated his master as an imposter and usurper until his mind reverted to its natural
state. Later, after being revived from a death-like stasis, Doom graciously allowed the young man to
leave Latveria to attempt to live his own life.

When Sue Richards, the Fantastic Four’s Invisible Woman, entered into a dangerous labor to her
pregnancy, Doom was approached to lend his advanced technology to aid in the unborn child’s
delivery. As a reward for his services, he demanded he be allowed to name the child, and when the
request was honored by Sue, Doom called the girl Valeria after a long-lost love from his younger
days. A child genius, Valeria Richards so impressed the doctor he placed a spell on her to make her
his familiar, and when he later constructed a new reality from shards of multiple universes, he
refashioned Valeria as his own daughter.