LARIN  

Real Name: Larin (it is unreavealed whether this is his first name, his surname, or, perhaps, his sole name)

Identity/Class: Human (magic-user);
    possibly Tibetan (see comments)

Occupation: Monk/priest

Group Membership: "Wise Ones" ("Monks of Doom") - he likely worked with Otto before his departure, and was also an associate of the member who would become Mahatma Doom (see comments)

Affiliations: Dr. Doom (Victor von Doom), Latverian rebels (against King Vladimir);
    Valeria (she would probably consider him an enemy, though he was almost certainly doing her a favor)

Enemies: King Vladimir and his forces;
    possibly the Chinese army, Crucible (Maris Morlak, Wladyslav Shinsky), Dr. Doom, Nightmare, Shadow Doom, Thanos

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: None (see comments)

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly the cave/temple/lamasery/monastery within unspecified region of Tibetan mountains

First Appearance: Books of Doom#4 (April, 2006)

Powers/Abilities: Larin possessed extensive technological knowledge and abilities, at least specifically in constructing powerful robots. 

    He likely possessed mystic powers of an specified level. 

        He did not demonstrate any magical abilities, so any further discussion would be speculative.

    Larin was humble and patient. He seemed to understand and appreciate Doom's ego thoroughly.

    Larin likely had significant skills in the martial arts, as well.   

Height: Unrevealed (perhaps 5'8")
Weight: Unreaveled (perhaps 150 lbs.)
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Bald (likely shaved) with dark brown or black eyebrows

History: 
(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) / Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - The fallen von Doom was taken in by the mysterious order of monks of which Larin was a member.

(Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - A week later, Doom awakened with his wounds healed. As he wandered from his room, the monks happily noted his survival and gathered their numbers to greet him. 

(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) / Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - Von Doom stayed with monks month after month, learning their ancient secrets and lore, both magical and scientific.

(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) / Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - Eventually, after five years, the monks noted that they had taught him all they knew and he had learned well. They hailed him as their better and as "master," noting that he grew beyond them and his mind sought answers to questions they had yet to ask. They bowed before Doom, calling him "Great One."

(Books of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - Doom took a group (three) of monks with him as he visited the people in villages at the mountain bases as he surveyed how the world and people had changed, and as he gathered supplies for his future endeavors.

(Books of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - Upon return to the monk's sanctum, Doom established the top level of its inner sanctum as his private quarters, and he and his servants built a device with which he could observe the whole world.

(Books of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - The monks noted that their master became more eccentric.

(Books of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - Hearing Richards called doctor, Doom insisted the monks call him Doctor Doom.
    Though some of the monks found Doom's behavior odd, but Larin and others accepted this, as they always knew that he would not be like other men. 

(Books of Doom#4 (fb) - BTS) - To block what he believed was Mephisto causing him to be plagued by images of his past history and frailities, Doom resolved to forge a suit of armor to serve as a second skin. Adaptive technology would line the inner working of the armor, and an enchantment would seal it from demonic influences, blocking Mephisto from his dreams; however, the cold metal on his skin would remind him of Mephisto's existence and that he held his mother's soul captive.

(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb) / Fantastic Four I#278 (fb) / Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - Using the great furnace and demanding ever-more heat, von Doom forged his armor.

    As they placed his armor, the monks noted it was like none ever worn by mortal man and asked if it pained him, but he assured them pain was for lesser men; as they raised his mask, one of the monks cautioned that it had not completely cooled yet, but another monk admonished the first, instructing him to be silent as he noted that the master would tolerate no further delay: Such a man cannot wait, as others can.

(Fantastic Four Annual#2 (fb)) - After von Doom donned the mask, re-christened himself "Doctor Doom," and noted how only he could remove the mask via the ring on his middle finger, the Monks confirmed his wishes that they would cover the ring with special herbs, camoflaging it so none would see it.

    Von Doom noted that the monks had served him well, as all men would do some day.

(Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - Doom took with him Larin, one of his most faithful servants, to aid him in his task of conquering Latveria.
    Larin noted that he was honored to have been chosen to assist his master, and Doom replied, "Of course you are." They left in a flying platform.

(Books of Doom#5 (fb) - BTS) - In Latveria, Doom and Larin swiftly established a base of operations in an old abandoned castle, over looking a small village, long-abandoned after the deaths, in one night, of all the children who lived there.

(Books of Doom#5 (fb)) - Larin built robot warriors under Doom's guidance. 

(Books of Doom#5 (fb) - BTS) - Doom and Larin built the weapons they needed and gathered the people around them.

(Books of Doom#5 (fb)) - As Doom stared at a map of Latveria, Larin asked what troubled him.
    Doom corrected Larin, noting that he should know that nothing troubled Doom. Larin acknowledged this, but clarified that Doom seemed lost in thoughts, more than usual. Doom explained that he had realized his current plan would take too long, and -- when Larin asked if he had a plan to accomplish this more quickly -- Doom noted that he would do so by gathering the family he had long left behind (the Zefiro people).

(Books of Doom#5 (fb)) - When Valeria visited Doom and questioned if the armor kept out the dreams of his mother, Doom had Larin show Valeria out.

(Books of Doom#4 (fb)) - Larin was interviewed about Doom, and he discussed how he accepted (and seemed to respect and enjoy) Doom's eccentricities.

Comments: Created by  Ed Brubaker, Pablo Raimondi, and Mark Farmer.

    There is no reason to think Larin would not have been with the "Monks of Doom" before Otto departed, but it is unconfirmed.

    Oddly, we don't see Larin after he escorted Valeria out of the castle, but Larin was still associated with Doom recently enough to have been interviewed in Books of Doom#4, which would presumably mean that he survived the slaughter by Crucible, even if only because he was still in Latveria. 
    Alternatively, it is possible that Larin was one of the two monks that Crucible spared and forced to forge his armor and to serve him. I don't like that option, as I believe Larin was -- at least at the time of his interview in Books of Doom -- completely loyal to Doom and would have chosen death before serving Crucible...and that Doom would almost certainly have slain any of the Monks that had served Crucible (more on that below).

    Further, it is quite possible that Larin IS Mahatma Doom, but there's nothing else to support that other than the possibility.
    However, it makes good sense:

•     Say Larin stayed in Latveria, quietly (or, at least, behind-the-scenes) serving Doom as needed. That would have meant he was not at the temple/monastery/lamisery when Crucible arrived.
•     Crucible slaughtered perhaps all but two of the monks, whom he forced to save him.
•     The fates of the two monks is unrevealed, as there was a change of writers during the building stories of Crucible (from Lobdell to Claremont), and they weren't seen (as far as I saw) after #5.
•     It's possible Crucible killed them, or that they served him behind-the-scenes, or that he forgot about them. Assuming one of the two latter options, perhaps the two monks returned to their temple after Crucible's defeat.
•     It makes sense that Doom might have returned to the monks' temple at some point, perhaps alongside Larin. Finding the temple in disrepair, Doom was apalled to learn how the monks had allowed Crucible to slaughter and dominate them; it seems pretty Doom-esque that he might have slain them for what he would perceive as weakness and betrayal.
•     Perhaps the slaughter of his brothers would have made Larin question his loyalty to Doom.
•     Or maybe the discussion about Doom slaying the Monks in Mahatma Doom's origin was a mistake and meant to refer to Crucible having slain the monks...
•     Or maybe there was Secret Wars shenanigans...

    Though his face was shown/confirmed in a couple panels just before Doom created his armor, Larin was present at the time of Doom's arrival, and for Doom to choose him as one of his "most loyal," I would think it extremely likely that Larin was involved with most aspects of Doom's time at their base.

    I don't know whether all of the "Monks of Doom" were skilled in both science and sorcery. Larin demonstrated only the former, but that doesn't mean he was not skilled in the latter. I suspect it was his mastery of technology that led Doom to chose him to take with him back to Latveria.

    The robots built by Larin were likely the earliest incarnations of Doom's Servo-Guards and the Doombots.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Larin should be distinguished from:

• Other Larins..
  

images: (without ads)
Books of Doom#4, pg. 15, panel 4-5 (Larin face; serious and smiling);
        pg. 16, panel 1 (Doom's bed chamber - distant);
        pg. 17, panel 1 (Doom' bed chamber - close);
        pg. 18, panel 1 (great forge);
        pg. 19, panel 1 (placing spell on armor);
        pg. 21 panel 2-3 (departing with Larin; close and distant)
    #5, pg. 6, panel 2 (Larin working on robots)

Appearances:
Books of Doom#4 (April, 2006) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Pablo Raimondi (penciler), Mark Farmer with Drew Hennessy (inker), Molly Lazer and Aubrey Sitterson (assistant editors), Andy Schmidt (associate editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)
Books of Doom#5 (May, 2006) - Ed Brubaker (writer), Pablo Raimondi (penciler), Drew Hennessy with Robin Riggs (inker), Molly Lazer and Aubrey Sitterson (assistant editors), Andy Schmidt (associate editor), Tom Brevoort (editor)

Last updated: 01/22/18

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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