You’d have to retcon that the accident damage was extensive in terms of area, but ultimately superficial for the most part, and eventually healed well except for a remnant (which might be very annoying in a psychological sense in his mind – to get to *almost* perfect, with the nagging reminder always “in your face”).

My understanding was, like most of the folks here, the scarring from the accident was small, and that his disfigurment is the result of the red-hot mask you show. Why? Because, to Doom, once his “perfection” was marred, what’s the point? Putting on the mask was not about adding to the scarring–it was that he didn’t care about his appearance anymore.

To get all psychobabbly, it’s Victor’s equivalent of being a cutter. He took the inner pain of his only failure, a failure his now-marred face could never let him forget, and externalized it with massive burns. The physical pain distracted from the psychic one. Also, with the red-hot mask, he chose to be scarred. His disfigurement became no longer the result of his carelessness, but rather a symbol of (what he takes to be) his iron will. Deeper down, it was an act of self-loathing and mortification. Least, that’s my theory.

1) Look at his posture. Doom is tough and all, but if that mask were really hot enough to burn flesh, I think he’d at least *flinch* a little.

2) The lackey who’s helping him put the mask on is touching it with his bare hands. No indication that he’s in pain either.