There’s a new wave of Doctor Doom speculation surfing social media, and that makes this a prime opportunity to check on three mega keys.

A recent report from Fandomwire says that Marvel Studios has its eyes on Adam Driver. Whether or not there’s any truth here remains to be seen, but the site claims the studio offered him two major roles in the upcoming Fantastic Four film: Reed Richards and Victor Von Doom.

No question, an actor of Driver’s caliber would make a convincing Mister Fantastic, but he would be an exceptional choice for Doctor Doom. While we can’t take this as confirmation by any means, it should lead to more speculation that the Latverian dictator will make his MCU debut in the FF film. That will have implications for several key issues beginning with these.

FANTASTIC FOUR #5

This issue is nearly as iconic as FF #1 with Doom’s imposing figure emblazoned on the cover of his first appearance. FF #5 is an amazing piece to own and a showpiece of any Silver Age collection. Having earned its holy grail status long ago, FF #5 definitely has the price tags to match its legendary status.

Over the past year, a graded 9.4 earned a whopping $162,000 at auction while a 9.2 surpassed that mark with $180,000 of its own. Even if you find a graded 1.0, you’ll still pay nearly $5k on average.

FANTASTIC FOUR #6

When it comes to classic FF villains, there’s no denying the connection between Doom and Namor. These were two of the earliest antagonists for Marvel’s First Family, and they would have the first of many meetings in FF #6.

What’s more is that this issue constitutes Marvel’s first ever team-up between two villains, a hallmark in itself. That makes it a historic issue to own with the prices to prove it. In the past year, the graded 9.4 has sold for over $15k. At the bottom of the barrel, the lowly 1.5 is a $550 comic.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5

After Doctor Doom arrived on the Silver Age scene, he was quickly ushered to the head of the villain’s table. As such, he crossed into other Marvel titles to help give them a sales boost. In 1966, he confronted the Avengers for the first time, but perhaps more important is ASM #5.

It was 1963, and Spider-Man was still the new hit sensation. After having met the FF in ASM #1, it was only fitting that he was paired with their arch nemesis four issues later. It has since become an iconic image and early appearance for each character, making ASM #5 one of the premiere crossovers in all of Marvel’s Silver Age.

Being another holy grail on today’s list, this comic commands a steep price. If you simply must have something in the near-mint range, you can expect to cough up over $21k for a 9.4. Willing to settle for a 0.5? It’s averaged under $300 for the past 90 days, but that’s a mighty drop in quality.

DOOM’S DAY

It’s hard to imagine Marvel Studios leaving a major villain like Doctor Doom on the shelf for too long. Whether or not he will be part of the FF film is a mystery at this point, and there’s still no official casting news for the movie. Personally, I think Giancarlo Esposito would make for a great Victor Von Doom, but maybe that’s just me. 

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.