Warning: contains spoilers for One World Under Doom #1!

The rumors are true: Marvel just killed off two classic foes of Captain America. For over 80 years, Captain America has faced down grave threats to the country and Earth, but two stand above the rest: the Red Skull and Baron Zemo. Both villains are ruthless fascists who murder indiscriminately. Yet now, in One World Under Doom #1, both of these villains meet brutal ends.

One World Under Doom #1 is written by Ryan North and drawn by RB Silva. Doctor Doom has somehow seized control over every nation on Earth. Opposing Doom is Baron Zemo, who marshals his HYDRA forces to march on Latveria. Shortly afterward, Zemo seemingly allies himself with Doom. However, it is all a ruse, as Doom in reality killed Zemo and replaced him with a robot. As Doom slaughters the HYDRA soldiers, he confesses to not only killing Zemo, but also the Red Skull.

Both men were “proud, unrepentant Nazis” who posed a threat to Doom’s vision for the world.

One World Under Doom Is The Master Stroke for Marvel's Best Villain

The Red Skull and Baron Zemo Faced Doctor Doom's Wrath

These two kills kick off Marvel’s massive One World Under Doom crossover event, and prove that Doctor Doom means business. In last year’s Blood Hunt, Doom usurped the title of Sorcerer Supreme from Doctor Strange. He then retreats to Latveria before emerging at the beginning of One World Under Doom, where he addresses a world seemingly caught in his thrall. One World Under Doom sees the villain at long last achieve his goals of domination, and his “carrot and the stick” approach seen in the first issue has hooked the people of Earth–but not the Avengers, nor other villains.

That Baron Zemo and the Red Skull would be first on Doctor Doom’s “hit list” should not come as a shock to fans.

That Baron Zemo and the Red Skull would be first on Doctor Doom’s “hit list” should not come as a shock to fans. As Doom rightly points out, both the Red Skull and Zemo are Nazis. The Red Skull reported directly to Hitler, and Zemo’s family has long ties with the Nazis as well. Both villains keep the fascist spirit alive in everything they do, and have become some of Marvel’s most vile villains. Doom’s family was the Romani, a group heavily targeted by the Nazis during the Holocaust. Doom has not forgotten what the Nazis did to his people.

Doctor Doom's Plans for Conquest Make Him a Fascist Too

Doctor Doom's Hatred of the Red Skull Is Understandable

While Doctor Doom’s hatred of Nazis and HYDRA is justifiable, his own actions in One World Under Doom #1 are not. Doom decries Zemo and the Red Skull for being fascists, but seizing control of a planet and stomping out all forms of dissent falls under the fascist umbrella as well. Doom is imposing his absolute will on Earth, ruthlessly killing those who disagree with him: in the first issue’s opening pages, Doom detects an uprising and immediately dispatches Doombots to quell it. While fans do not know how Doom killed the Red Skull, he crushed Zemo’s head.

Doctor Doom has multitudes, and his killing of these two classic Captain America villains proves it. In true Doctor Doom fashion, he spins their killings in his favor: he tells the world that the Avengers and others had been trying to put Nazis and fascism down for decades, but Doom did it in a day. Doctor Doom made himself look good at the expense of someone else, all in the name of fronting his agenda of conquest. Doom uses his personal hatred of Nazis as a front to kill off two potential rivals to his twisted vision.

One World Under Doom #1 is on sale now from Marvel Comics!