Doctor Doom's steampunk armor was a hint to Iron Man's future as a steampunk warrior in Marvel's apocalypse - but Doom beats him in one important way.

Marvel's Doctor Doom has exchanged his classic green costume for an armored-up steampunk variant that strongly resembles Iron Man's similar tech - but the villain's suit bests Tony's in one important way. Victor Von Doom is one of the most powerful villains in the Marvel Universe, but unlike the heroes he fights - namely the Fantastic Four - he rarely changes his attire in such drastic fashion (with his appearance at the X-Men's Hellfire Gala an exception). But the variant cover for Doctor Doom #3 proves otherwise, as Doom exchanges his simple Silver Age attire for a metallic contraption that wouldn't look out of place in Marvel's Dark Ages series.

Victor Von Doom isn't just physically power and an incredibly difficult opponent to fight for the heroes of the Marvel Universe, he's also legally powerful. As the absolute ruler of Latveria, Doom has diplomatic immunity and the power of an entire country. This makes any incursion into Latveria problematic; in Captain America: Symbol of Truth #3, Doom nearly causes an international incident when he imprisons Captain America for trespassing on Latverian soil unannounced. Were he to actually attack America in retaliation, Doom would perhaps wear armor into battle - and armor modeled after Iron Man's 2020 suit wouldn't be out of the question.

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The variant cover of Doctor Doom #3, by Patch Zircher and Morry Hollowell, reimagines Doctor Doom as an armored behemoth of a supervillain. His arms have been enhanced by massive gears, his gauntlets glow with otherworldly power (that is presumably a combination of Doom's magic and technological prowess) and his iconic mask appears to have gas filtration units on either side. A sidearm is present on Doom's right hip (though exactly what the gun fires is entirely unknown) and the look is completed with leather straps on the center of the torso, finishing off with circular glowing power source - similar to Iron Man's famous arc reactor used to power his many suits.

The armor is reminiscent of Iron Man's 2020 armor, which contained massive gears in lieu of shoulder pads. The armor was also far bulkier in appearance. Doom's look on the variant cover would also possibly inspire 2021's Dark Ages steampunk armor for Tony Stark, in which the inventor built a steam-powered suit that didn't rely on electricity. But while Iron Man depended on steam, Doom could simply use his own magical occult powers to move this suit - and in that respect, Doom has the advantage over Tony Stark.

The Dark Ages series alas did not grant Doctor Doom bulky steampunk armor (though it did give him a variant of his old costume with golden accents). It must be noted that Doom actually worked with Iron Man and the rest of the heroes in that series in their attempt to save the world from Apocalypse. In all of his comic book appearances, Doctor Doom never intends to destroy the world - he seeks only to rule it.

Next: Iron Man Proves He's Stronger Than The Original Captain Marvel

Joshua Isaak is a Comics Staff Writer for Screenrant and attended New York University. He currently lives in the United States and writes about Marvel, DC, Star Wars and other properties.