What are Doctor Doom’s biggest power grabs?
Doctor Doom has stolen power at least five times in the comics: the Silver Surfer’s Power Cosmic (Fantastic Four #57 to 60, 1966), the Beyonder’s godlike power (Secret Wars, 1984), Scarlet Witch’s reality-warping power (Avengers: The Children’s Crusade, 2011), the Beyonders’ power as God Emperor Doom (Secret Wars, 2015) and Doctor Strange’s title of Sorcerer Supreme (Blood Hunt, 2024).
Spoiler note: this covers major plot points from Marvel comics published between 1966 and 2025. It has no film spoilers.
Quick facts
| Power | Comic | Creators | How it ended |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power Cosmic (Silver Surfer) | Fantastic Four #57 to 60 (1966 to 67) | Stan Lee, Jack Kirby | Doom loses it when the board flies into space |
| The Beyonder’s power | Secret Wars #10 to 12 (1984 to 85) | Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck | The Beyonder takes it back |
| Scarlet Witch’s power | Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #7 (2011) | Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung | Wanda and Wiccan strip it from him |
| The Beyonders’ power | Secret Wars (2015) | Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribić | Molecule Man cuts him off; Reed takes the power |
| Sorcerer Supreme | Blood Hunt #4 to 5 (2024) | Jed MacKay, Pepe Larraz | Doom keeps it |
How did Doom steal the Silver Surfer’s Power Cosmic?
In Fantastic Four #57 to 60, by Lee and Kirby. Doom invites the Silver Surfer to Castle Doom, then attaches devices to him and drains his Power Cosmic into himself. He uses it against the Fantastic Four. It doesn’t last. When the Surfer’s board flies into space, Doom passes a point where the power cuts out, and the board returns to its owner. He pulls the same trick on Terrax in Fantastic Four #258, by John Byrne.
How did Doom steal the Beyonder’s power in the original Secret Wars?
In Shooter and Zeck’s 1984 Secret Wars, Doom builds a machine, with help from Klaw, that absorbs Galactus’s power. Then he goes after the Beyonder. In issues #10 to 12, Doom takes the Beyonder’s power and becomes close to omnipotent. He keeps it until the final issue, when the Beyonder takes it back.
How did Doom steal Scarlet Witch’s power?
In Avengers: The Children’s Crusade (2010 to 2012), by Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung. Doom holds Wanda captive. In #7, he ends up with all of the Scarlet Witch’s powers, and his first act is to heal his own face. Wanda and Wiccan then strip the power from him, and he admits he was behind what happened to her after Avengers Disassembled.
How did Doom become God Emperor Doom in Secret Wars (2015)?
This is the biggest one. In Hickman and Ribić’s Secret Wars, the Beyonders destroy the multiverse. Doom and Molecule Man kill the Beyonders, and Molecule Man channels their power into Doom. He uses it to build Battleworld from what’s left, and rules it as God Emperor Doom. In issue #8 he kills Thanos.
His reign ends when Molecule Man stops channeling the power. Doom and Reed Richards fight as equals, and Reed ends up with the power.
How did Doom steal the Sorcerer Supreme title?
He didn’t have to take it by force. In Blood Hunt #4 (2024), by Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz, Strange agrees to make Doom the Sorcerer Supreme on one condition: Doom gives it back once the world is saved. Doom saves the world, then tells Strange he’s only getting started. In #5 he keeps the title. One World Under Doom (2025), by Ryan North and R.B. Silva, follows, and Strange’s own series ends.
Which of Doom’s power grabs is the biggest?
Our ranking, by scale:
- God Emperor Doom (Secret Wars, 2015)
- The Beyonder’s power (Secret Wars, 1984)
- Sorcerer Supreme (Blood Hunt, 2024)
- Scarlet Witch’s power (Children’s Crusade, 2011)
- The Power Cosmic (Fantastic Four #57 to 60, 1966)
The only one that lasts is the one he doesn’t steal outright: the Sorcerer Supreme title. Every other grab ends with Doom losing the power.
What does this mean for Avengers: Doomsday?
Marvel hasn’t said which Doom the film uses. Kevin Feige said in July, as reported by ComicBookMovie.com, that Doomsday and Secret Wars are largely inspired by “Time Runs Out” and “Secret Wars”, and the 2015 Secret Wars is the story where Doom takes the Beyonders’ power. Speculation: if the films follow that arc, the power-grab climax belongs to Secret Wars, not Doomsday. Our comic roadmap lays out which comics to read, and our incursion explainer covers how the multiverse ends.
Doctor Doom power grabs FAQ
What has Doctor Doom stolen? The Silver Surfer’s Power Cosmic, the Beyonder’s power, Scarlet Witch’s power, the Beyonders’ power, and the Sorcerer Supreme title.
Did Doom ever keep stolen power? Only the Sorcerer Supreme title. The rest he loses.
Who defeated God Emperor Doom? Molecule Man cut off his power, and Reed Richards took over.
Is Doom stronger than Thanos? In Secret Wars #8, as God Emperor Doom, he kills him.
Is this in Avengers: Doomsday? Marvel hasn’t said.
Updated October 23, 2026