From the Fantastic Four to the Avengers, Doctor Doom has a number of powerful foes, but he’s never been able to fully overcome Squirrel Girl.
Doctor Doom has always been the greatest rival of the Fantastic Four, and he has gone up against almost every hero from across the Marvel Universe at one time or another. With a suit on par with Iron Man’s armor, a Doctor Strange-level of mystic mastery and an entire nation at his disposal, Doom is a truly flexible villain.
However, his most dedicated nemesis might not seem like the most likely hero at first glance. It’s Squirrel Girl, and this unbeatable hero has achieved some of the greatest victories over Doctor Doom, cementing her as one of the villain’s greatest rivals.
RELATED: Fantastic Four: Doctor Doom’s Debut Made The Thing… Blackbeard?!
SQUIRREL GIRL AND DOCTOR DOOM’S FIRST FIGHT
Squirrel Girl’s very first appearance came in the Marvel Super-Heroes Vol.2 #8. One of the three stories featured in the issue is “The Coming of… Squirrel Girl” by Steve Ditko and Will Murray, which introduces the titular teen superhero. She initially tries to pitch herself as a new partner to Iron Man. Although Iron Man is reluctant to bring her along, she points out that she’s already encountered her first villain – not realizing it was Doctor Doom. Doom surprises the pair and captures them both, placing them in a death trap for their efforts against him.
But Squirrel Girl is able to use her powers to summon a legion of squirrels to infiltrate the ship that cut through the electrical wiring of Doom’s ship. This allows Iron Man to free them. The two heroes then discover that the squirrels have also surrounded Doctor Doom and attacked him, leaving the villain flailing in a panic before being forced to flee to avoid being brought down by Iron Man. While the Armored Avenger congratulates Squirrel Girl on her first superhero victory, he still doesn’t accept her as his partner.
SQUIRREL GIRL THROUGH TIME
While at college at the start of Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s Unbeatable Squirrel Girl Vol. 2, Squirrel Girl found herself with an unexpected rival: a fellow student named Cody. With his grades being affected negatively by the good grades of his classmates, he used a device left to him by one of his ancestors to send them back in time, thus giving him the chance to excel in class. One of these people ended up being Squirrel Girl, who quickly adapted to being trapped in the 1960s. Working with the other students who’d been sent back in time to try and find a way home, Squirrel Girl and her allies were shocked to discover a plot by Doctor Doom to take over the world in that era. Using the time-machine, Doom was able to go back in time and prevent the lives of his greatest rivals, leaving him almost unopposed in his rule over the planet.