William Shakespeare once said, “The evil that men do lives after them.” Such is the case with Doctor Doom, whose apparent death has led to widespread chaos in the main Marvel universe. His home nation of Latveria faces civil war, with other interests pillaging Doom’s armories. It is into this firestorm that Captain America arrives, discovering an old ally turned enemy and an apparent lost relative of the von Doom line.
The current Captain America storyline, Doom’s Shadow, finds Steve Rogers surrounded by trouble in Latveria. Officially, he’s part of a SHIELD team seeking to reclaim advanced weapons and magical artifacts once possessed by Doctor Doom. Personally, Captain America is trying to learn something about who is fighting within Latveria and what their political goals are.
There are three factions fighting the current civil war within Latveria. First, there is True Latveria, which has seized power and is led by a masked man known as Salvation. Many believe Salvation is truly Doctor Doom in disguise. Next are the Latverian Liberators, who have turned to violence fighting True Latveria. Finally, there is the Homeland Party, which organizes peaceful protests and is led by a mysterious woman known only as Alina.
Captain America #7 by Chip Zdarsky, Delio Diaz, and Frank Alpizar sees Steve Rogers encountering each of the factions. He first encounters True Latveria and the Latverian Liberators, being caught in a fire-fight alongside civilians. However, when the battle is over, Steve is surprised to meet Salvation himself and realize they’ve already met.
Who are the new heirs of Doctor Doom?
Salvation is revealed to be Marius Wolf, the revolutionary who led the first rebellion after Doctor Doom after seized power in Lateveria. Wolf first appeared in the ‘Our Secret Wars’ story which opened the current Captain America series. The retro storyline detailed how Steve Rogers became involved in a covert US military mission shortly after being unfrozen.
The goal, as explained to Steve Rogers, was to stop Doom from becoming the next Red Skull. However, it soon became apparent that despite Doom’s many sins, he truly did care for his people. The same could not be said of Wolf, who was more interested in revenge despite his talk of starting a Latverian democracy.
Captain America soon realizes that time has not stemmed Wolf’s bloodlust. Indeed, as Salvation, Wolf seems to have ironically become everything he hated about Doctor Doom. He also hides behind a mask and denies accountability for the deaths that occurred on his watch.
By the issue’s end, Steve Rogers is once again contacted by one of the Latverian rebel factions. In this case, it is the mysterious Alina, who leads the Homeland Party. However, she reveals that her full name is Alina von Doom.
The issue ends before Alina van reveal her relation to Doctor Doom. She appears young enough to be his daughter. It is worth noting, however, that Doom has never canonically been confirmed to have a daughter. And yet, he has had enough romantic interests and adopted children in the past to make such a thing possible. Indeed, it is rumored that Doom is the father of sorceress Morgan LaFay’s daughter Caroline.
Captain America #7 is now available at comic shops everywhere.
