DC Under Doom Chapter 4: Doom's Ultimatum.

Chapter 4: Doom's Ultimatum.

-0-

The Justice League’s war room was tense.

Doom had walked into the UN, challenged them to their faces, and won the room. That wasn’t supposed to happen.

Superman stood with his arms crossed, his jaw tight. “We can’t let this stand.”

Green Lantern nodded. “He made us look weak. That’s not good for us or the world.”

Aquaman, leaning against the table, frowned. “You’re assuming the world still sees us as its protectors. Right now? I’m not so sure.”

The truth of that statement hung heavy over them.

Doom had flipped the narrative. Instead of a madman, he had made himself a savior. Instead of a villain, he had made the League seem like ineffective overseers who refused to act.

Batman, silent until now, finally spoke.

“We can’t outfight him. We can’t outargue him. We have to outmaneuver him.”

The League turned to face him.

Superman frowned. “Meaning?”

Batman’s expression was unreadable. “Doom won the debate because he used facts. So, we do the same.”

Green Lantern raised a brow. “And where exactly do we find ‘facts’ on a guy who seems to always be ten steps ahead?”

Batman’s answer was immediate.

“Latveria."

He pressed a button, and a holographic projection of Latveria appeared.

“Doom has built his kingdom in secrecy. And no nation thrives in secrecy without skeletons in its closet. We find them. We expose them.”

Superman nodded, catching on. “We show the world that Doom isn’t a savior. That he’s just another tyrant.”

Batman’s eyes narrowed. “Exactly.”

But not everyone was convinced.

Wonder Woman crossed her arms. “This is not our way.” Her voice was firm. “We do not play the games of mortals. We do not scheme.”

Batman met her gaze evenly. “Then we lose.”

A long silence followed.

Finally, Flash spoke up. “Look, I get it. This feels… dirty. But if Doom gets his way, how long before people start accepting him as their actual ruler? It's already weird enough that no one is curious why or how Latveria came here. But before long, they might start asking if maybe he should run everything?”

Aquaman nodded. “I don’t like it, but Batman is right. If we let Doom control the narrative, we’ve already lost.”

Wonder Woman’s expression hardened. She did not trust this plan.

But she was outnumbered.

Superman turned to Batman. “What’s our next move?”

Batman didn’t hesitate.

“We infiltrate Latveria.”

Miles away, across the Earth, in the heart of Castle Doom, Victor Von Doom sat upon his throne.

Before him, dozens of holographic screens flickered, each one displaying a different view of the world.

One in particular was focused on the Watchtower.

The League believed themselves hidden, their conversation private.

They were wrong.

Doom’s mask reflected the blue light of the screens as he listened to every word.

A Doombot approached. “The League is planning to infiltrate Latveria, my Lord.”

Doom did not react. His fingers tapped against the throne’s armrest in quiet amusement.

Then, in the stillness, he smiled beneath his mask.

“Let them try.”

The streets of Doomstadt, Latveria’s capital, were silent.

Not because the city was abandoned—far from it. Every building, every street, every technological marvel stood in pristine condition.

There were no signs of crime, no signs of poverty, no signs of fear. Only order.

It was a paradise, if you accepted its ruler.

At the heart of the city, past the sprawling plazas and towering structures, stood Castle Doom.

And in front of its massive gates, two figures landed.

Superman and Wonder Woman.

The guards at the entrance did not react, their faces concealed by advanced Latverian armor, their weapons humming with energy far beyond Earth’s capabilities. They did not attack. They did not question.

They simply waited.

Superman stepped forward. “We request an audience with Doom.”

The response was immediate.

The gates of Castle Doom opened.

While Superman and Wonder Woman walked through the halls, guided toward Doom’s throne room, another visitor had already arrived.

Invisible to the naked eye, faster than any Latverian security measure could detect—

Or so he thought.

Barry Allen, the Fastest Man Alive, blurred through the castle halls, his every step silent.

He moved through the grand corridors, past golden statues, past libraries filled with books in languages he didn’t even recognize.

"Batman, you getting all this?" Flash whispered, tapping his communicator.

In the Batcave, Batman analyzed the live-feed data from Flash’s visor.

"Every inch of it. Keep moving."

Flash zig-zagged past security drones, dodging automated turrets before they even activated.

Everything about Castle Doom was impossibly advanced.

The architecture was unlike anything on Earth.

The defenses? Far beyond even the Batcave.

But for all its grandeur, Flash wasn’t finding anything useful.

“I don’t get it, Bats. No secret prisons. No hidden labs. Nothing that screams ‘evil overlord lair.’ Just a bunch of cool sci-fi tech.”

"Keep going. Check the throne room."

Flash grinned. “On it.”

The doors to the throne room were massive, carved from blackened metal and lined with Latverian scripture.

Flash phased through them.

The throne room was empty.

Massive banners bearing Doom’s crest hung from the towering walls. The very air felt different here, charged with something beyond just technology.

Flash approached the throne.

It was a work of art—forged from metal and adorned with arcane symbols etched into its surface.

Then, it happened.

The moment Flash placed a hand on the throne—

The entire room warped.

Flash felt it instantly.

His body froze mid-step.

The world around him slowed—no, not slowed. Stopped.

"Bats—Bats, I think I just triggered something—"

But his voice was caught in the distortion.

He was moving at full speed, yet somehow, time was bending against him.

The throne was a trap.

A temporal trap.

And he had just walked into it.

-0-

Back in the grand hall, Superman and Wonder Woman entered the throne room.

Doom was already waiting for them, seated on his throne, completely at ease.

The moment they stepped inside, the doors slammed shut behind them.

Doom’s mask reflected the firelight from the grand chandeliers.

"Your distraction has failed," he said simply.

Superman’s eyes narrowed. “What?”

Doom slowly rose to his feet, his emerald cloak flowing behind him.

“Your League assumed I would not anticipate deception.” He tilted his head slightly. “A predictable error.”

Wonder Woman took a step forward. “What have you done?”

Doom raised a single gauntlet—and the throne shimmered.

Superman and Wonder Woman turned—just in time to see Flash, frozen mid-motion, caught in a suspended state.

Superman’s blood ran cold.

“Flash!”

Doom descended from his throne, his movements deliberate.

“Under Latverian law, trespassers within the royal chambers are guilty of espionage.”

His tone remained calm, unwavering.

“And espionage is punishable by death.”

The words hung heavy in the air.

Superman’s fists clenched. “You can’t be serious.”

Doom turned to him, unfazed.

“I am always serious.”

Superman took a step forward. “If you hurt him—”

Doom’s gaze did not falter.

“You misunderstand, Kryptonian. I do not need to harm him.”

He turned slightly, looking at them both.

“You will.”

Superman narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”

Doom gestured toward the frozen Flash.

“If you want your friend to live, there is only one condition.”

He let the words settle.

Then he spoke the demand.

“The Justice League must disband. Immediately.”

Superman and Wonder Woman stared at him in shock.

The weight of Doom’s move crashed down on them.

Doom had trapped them in a game they weren’t prepared for.

And now, they had a choice:

Dismantle the League. Or let Flash die.