Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom

Marvel's Wastelanders #5

by Mark Waid, James Tae Kim

After thirty years of imprisonment, Doctor Doom has freed himself and seeks revenge on the former allies who betrayed him on The Day The Villains Won. To achieve this, he teams up with Valeria Richards, the daughter of his most hated enemy, Reed Richards of the Fantastic Four – but whose side is she really on?

Marvel's Wastelanders: Doom is the fifth installment in the “Marvel's Wastelanders” audio epic. Starring Dylan Baker as Doctor Doom and featuring performances by Danny Burstein (Hulk), Keith David (Kingpin), John Hawkes (Klaw), Kristen Johnston (She-Hulk), Elijah Jones (Johnny), Rebecca Naomi Jones (Valeria Richards), Hamish Linklater (Sandman), and Nadine Malouf (Cora). Directed by Jade King Carroll. Original sound design and music by Mark Henry Phillips. Story by Mark Waid. Written by Mark Waid and James Tae Kim.

Genres: Marvel, Audiobook, Comics

Audiobook

Published September 1, 2022

About the author

Mark Waid (born March 21, 1962 in Hueytown, Alabama) is an American comic book writer. He is best known for his eight-year run as writer of the DC Comics' title The Flash, as well as his scripting of the limited series Kingdom Come and Superman: Birthright, and his work on Marvel Comics' Captain America.

Reviews

[Hayley Hobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been the best of the Wastelanders series so far.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This podcast is the fifth of a new series that takes place in an apocalyptic world, 30 years after the fall of the Avengers and X-Men heroes. This series began with Star-Lord, then moved on to Hawkeye, Black Widow, and Wolverine- and now we get the perspective of the anti-hero Doctor Doom.

Finally, the podcasts are starting to come together with an introduction that directly links a petulant Doctor Doom to the first Wastelanders podcast about Star-Lord! Doom has to reluctantly align with Valeria, the daughter of Doom's nemesis Reed and Sue Richards of the Fantastic Four. But Valeria is hiding her own secrets (of course) and the two get mixed up with the mutant Hulk family and try to harness the powers of the Cosmic Cube. With only one season remaining, I am anxious to find out how everyone finds one another, and if they will be able to work together for the greater good.

For a longer review, episode by episode, read my blog review at: https://graphicnovelty2.com/2022/11/1...

[Özge Yildiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die fünfte Staffel, die vor einigen Tagen erschienen ist, war wieder richtig spannend. Hab es echt gerne gehört und konnte nicht aufhören. Es war fesselnd und spannend. In die Figuren kann man sich sehr gut hineinversetzen. Auch die Sprecherinnen und Sprecher haben ihre Arbeit sehr großartig gemacht.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was definitely not the best installment in the overall series. It was a little all over the place, and just when I thought I was connecting to the characters, the plot would shift and throw all of that away. It had some really great moments, even some really funny ones, but it just didn't hit overall.

[Algert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun chapter all in all. Doom is well designed, and the recorder is quite fitting as a partner. The same can not be said for Valeria, who does not manage to be interesting. I found the pace on this one to be slightly slower but somehow balanced by the introduction of many Marvel concepts/characters/locations.

The ending is sooooo cliché that I am not sure if I should praise Marvel for the consistency or be angry for the lack of originality.

Recommended to people who want to see the good side in Doom despite him not having one in the canonic Marvel universe.

[Sebastian · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story was somehow convoluted, but again: great audio design & mix production! Actors did a tremendous job also.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

Doom is back, and just as haughty and egomaniacal as ever, seeking vengeance on Hulk for putting the beat-down on him 30 years ago (for what Doom did to him, natch). Ah, good ol' Victor. He's seen better days. All he wants is what is rightfully his. And yet, what is he really after? And what is this soft spot he has for his goddaughter Valeria, child of his lifelong enemy Reed Richards, whose heart-rending demise, along with the entire Fantastic Four, he orchestrated way back then?

While I enjoyed Dylan Baker's put-upon, grumpy Old Man Doom (especially drunk Doom) to no end, the writing in this penultimate installment of the storied Wastelanders series fell flat for me, and I almost rage quit in the ninth episode. Unimaginative boss fights, predictable escalations, so many senseless deaths, and missed opportunities. In particular, so much more could've been done with Jennifer Walters; what Waid did with She-Hulk is an insult to her history.

Other misses: The whole subplot with Johnny goes nowhere, changes nothing. Valeria's tortured rationalizations for continuing to help Doom are cringeworthy. Even Cora's arc, which you knew was going to set up the final season, suffers from an inexplicable, unmotivated, apocalyptic finale, which again accomplishes nothing. And gone is Doom's evil genius: all he seems to have left are a few cantrips, monologues, and betrayals. "How far the mighty have fallen" doesn't begin to describe it.

Looking forward to the last season, when our heroes assemble, and fix this timeline. Or not. This season had its moments, but was a disappointment.

[Bernard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dylan Baker as Doom--perfect. He channeled his inner Willem Dafoe perfectly for the role of the obsessed Victor von Doom. Not that he needed to, but I just couldn't get over how similar their voices are! This was another brilliant installment of the Wastelanders series although apparently I listened to it out of order (as clued in by a reference to something that presumably happened in Wastelanders: Wolverine that of course I hadn't known yet, doh). The cast here was all good, and the plot a bit tighter that some previous Marvel's Wastelanders installments. Well done!

[Christian Umami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Habe via Audible alle 10 Teile (a 30 Minuten) gehört.
Ein gut gemachtes Hörspiel mit tollen Sprechern.

Leider ist die Action sehr limitiert, verglichen mit Comics und deren Effekten.
An sich fand ich die Story echt interessant, schwächelt leider hier und da etwas.

[Vinayak Naicker · Rating 3 out of 5]

What solid disappointment. I was so hyped up for Ashish Vidyarthi. Though Ashish Vidyarthi did a wonderful job but felt flat with storytelling. Nothing exciting.