Doctor Doom and Reed Richards have spent more than 60 years trying to destroy each other. On October 21, 2026, they locked lips. The moment happened in Doomquest #5, a Marvel Comics issue that puts Doom’s mind inside the body of Sue Storm, Richards’ wife. Reed kisses Sue after watching her pull off amazing feats during Galactus‘s first attack on Earth. He has no idea Doom is driving. The scene has divided readers, sparked a debate about consent, and pushed a time-travel series into the mainstream conversation. Here is how the moment happened, what it means, and where the story goes from here.
What Happened in Doomquest #5
Doomquest is a 10-issue maxi-series from Marvel Comics. Writer Ryan North and artist Francesco Mobili built the story around Doom jumping through time and landing in other people’s bodies, Quantum Leap-style. Issue #5 drops Doom into Sue Storm at the exact moment Galactus arrives to consume Earth.
This is not the first time Doom has controlled another person. Earlier issues placed him inside powerful men from history. Sue is the first woman, and the issue makes a point of showing how much stronger she could have been if she had known her own limits. Doom uses her invisibility and force fields with a skill Sue had not yet developed at that point in Marvel history. He takes the lead against Galactus and the Silver Surfer, and the Fantastic Four watch in shock.
Comic Watch described the setup as Doom finding himself in “the body of a powerful woman — and better yet, she just might be the most powerful woman on the planet”. The issue reworks the original Galactus Trilogy from Fantastic Four #48-50, a story first published in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.
The Kiss Scene, Step by Step
Reed watches Sue fly, redirect light, and push back cosmic-level threats. He is impressed in a way he has never been before. He pulls her close and plants a large kiss on her lips. Doom freezes. The kiss is not returned.
Doom shoves Reed away with an invisible force construct. He then demands that Reed travel to Latveria and “apologize to Victor von Doom for all your misdeeds”. Doom flies off in Sue’s body, leaving Reed, Ben Grimm, and Johnny Storm to work out what just happened. They eventually realise Doom was in control the whole time, though they first assume it is the present-day Doom rather than a time-displaced version.
Screen Rant called it “arguably the issue’s most hilarious moment”, noting that Reed kisses Sue “much to his longtime rival’s shock”. The site also confirmed that Earth-616’s Doom now knows what it is like to kiss Reed Richards, “much to his disgust”.
Why Doom Was Inside Sue Storm
The body-swap premise comes from Reed himself. In Doomquest #1, Reed announces a retirement project: he wants to travel through history and fix every era humanity wasted on war. Doom hears this and decides to beat Reed to the punch. He builds his own time machine, and the Fantastic Four intervene. The fight leaves Doom bouncing through time with no control over where he lands.
Marvel’s official description for the series says Doom’s mind has been inside “many powerful men” before issue #5, but Sue is the first woman. The publisher framed the issue as a turning point in Doom’s quest, with the cover copy asking: “Can Doom keep Earth safe — and get what he wants? And what is to be done about RICHARDS?”
The Creative Team Behind the Issue
Ryan North wrote the issue. He also writes the ongoing Fantastic Four series and previously handled Doom in One World Under Doom. Francesco Mobili drew the issue, with colours by Frank D’Armata and letters by Cory Petit. Alex Ross provided the main cover, with variant covers from Luciano Vecchio, Benjamin Su, Mark Chiarello, Phil Noto, and ACO.
Marvel Comics announced Doomquest on February 5, 2026, as a standalone story designed to introduce new readers to Doom ahead of Avengers: Doomsday. The series launched on May 27, 2026. Issue #5 arrived on October 21, 2026, priced at $4.99 for 32 pages.
How Critics Responded
Reviews were strong. ComicBookRoundup lists a 9.7 critic rating from three reviews. ComicBook.com gave the issue a 5 out of 5, writing that “Doctor Doom in the body of Sue Richards is everything you want it to be”. The review also praised Mobili’s art and D’Armata’s colours for lifting the issue.
AIPT gave it a 9.0, calling it “a clever and wildly entertaining reimagining of one of Marvel’s most iconic stories”. The review highlighted the opening pages, which reuse Jack Kirby‘s original art from Fantastic Four #48 before Mobili takes over in Kirby’s style. Nerd Initiative gave it a 10, calling Doomquest “easily one of the best series out today from any publisher”.
Fan Reactions: Consent and Bodily Autonomy Debate
Not every reader found the kiss funny. A widely shared post on X argued that none of the three characters consented to what happened. Reed thought he was kissing his wife. Doom rejected the kiss immediately. Sue’s body was used without her agreement.
“All three of the characters involved do not want nor consent to the kiss. (Reed thought it was Sue, Doom rejected it immediately and most importantly:) Sue’s autoatmy was violated.” — @Joramie2000 on X
The same user called the scene “a very outdated ‘ewww Reed kissed Doom thinking it was Sue’ joke”. Other readers pushed back, arguing that the body-swap premise is a classic comic book device and that the scene is meant as comedy, not romance.
Where to Buy Doomquest #5
Doomquest #5 is available at local comic book shops in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and India. Digital copies are sold through Marvel.com and the Marvel Unlimited app. The issue is priced at $4.99 in the US. Variant covers cost more depending on the retailer. Marvel’s digital store listed the issue as published on October 21, 2026, with a final order cutoff date of September 21, 2026.
Doomquest Reading Order and Release Schedule
- Doomquest #1 — May 27, 2026
- Doomquest #2 — June 24, 2026
- Doomquest #3 — July 29, 2026
- Doomquest #4 — September 2026
- Doomquest #5 — October 21, 2026
- Doomquest #6 — November 2026 (scheduled)
- Doomquest #7-10 — dates to be confirmed by Marvel
The series is set before the events of One World Under Doom, the 2025 event that put Doom in charge of Earth. Marvel has described Doomquest as an “evergreen” story, meaning it can be read on its own without following every other Marvel title.
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What the Kiss Means for Marvel Continuity
Doomquest #5 takes place inside a changed version of the Galactus Trilogy, and Marvel has not confirmed whether the changes will stick in the main timeline. The publisher has left it unclear how the series fits into ongoing continuity. That ambiguity is part of the story’s design: Doom is rewriting history, and the question of what stays changed is central to the plot.
The kiss itself is now part of Marvel canon. Reed Richards kissed Victor von Doom, and Doom knows it. The moment has already become one of the most talked-about comic book scenes of 2026, and it sits alongside Doomquest‘s larger question: what happens when the smartest villain in the Marvel Universe gets to rewrite the past without asking permission.
For more Marvel Comics breakdowns and issue reviews, keep reading VvipTimes.
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