"Secret Wars" is a 2015–16
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...
storyline published by
Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics is an American comic book publishing, publisher and the flagship property of Marvel Entertainment, a divsion of The Walt Disney Company since September 1, 2009. Evolving from Timely Comics in 1939, ''Magazine Management/Atlas Co ...
. It recalls the 1984–1985 miniseries
of the same name. Released on May 6, 2015, the storyline includes a core ''Secret Wars'' miniseries, written by
Jonathan Hickman
Jonathan Hickman (born September 3, 1972) is an American comic book writer and artist, best known for his creator-owned series '' The Nightly News'', '' The Manhattan Projects'' and ''East of West'', as well as his lengthy stints as a writer on Ma ...
and drawn by
Esad Ribić
Esad T. Ribić (born 10 November 1972) is a Croatian comic book artist and animator, known for his work on various titles for Marvel Comics, including '' Loki'', '' Silver Surfer: Requiem'', '' Sub-Mariner: The Depths'' and the 2015 ''Secret Wars ...
, which picks up from where the "Time Runs Out" storyline running in ''
The Avengers'' and ''
New Avengers'' ended. The event also served as a conclusion to the ''
Fantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in ''The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover dated Nov. 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism in the medium. It was the first ...
'' (which Hickman had written from 2009 through 2012) after Marvel decided to cancel the title due to a film rights dispute with
20th Century Fox
20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
and declining sales.
The storyline involves the destruction of the
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is a fictional shared universe where the stories in most American comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Comics take place. Super-teams such as the Avengers, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, the Guardians of ...
and various other alternate universes (including those seen in the
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
and
Marvel 2099
Marvel 2099 is a Marvel Comics imprint, started in 1992, that was originally one possible future of the Marvel Universe, but later revealed in a climax of ''Superior Spider-Man Goblin Nation arc'' and ''Amazing Spider-Man'' Vol. 3 #14 to be the ...
imprints, the "
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...
" storyline, the ''
Marvel 1602
''Marvel 1602'' is an eight-issue comic book limited series published in 2003 by Marvel Comics. The limited series was written by Neil Gaiman, penciled by Andy Kubert, and digitally painted by Richard Isanove; Scott McKowen illustrated the distin ...
'' universe, and the "
House of M
"House of M" is a 2005 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a core eight-issue comic book limited series written by Brian Michael Bendis and illustrated by Olivier Coipel and a number of crossover tie-in books. Its fir ...
" storyline), with each universe's respective Earth combining with each other into
Battleworld
Battleworld is a fictional patchwork planet appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first Battleworld debuted in the ''Secret Wars'' crossover where it was created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck.
The s ...
, a planet that exhibits the aspects of the various universes. The planet itself is divided in many territories that are mostly self-contained and where a "pocket universe" composed of a specific storyline or universe reside and evolve. Various versions of individual Marvel characters can be present multiple times on the Battleworld. For example, there is a Tony Stark present in many of the territories where the Kingdom of Manhattan has both the Earth-1610 and the
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.
History of the term
The term was first used in "Rough Justice", a story credited to both Alan Moore and Alan Davis p ...
versions, and many versions of Thor serve as a peace-keeping force. The stories depicted in the miniseries about each domain's characters' powers and personal histories vastly differ from the ones portrayed in the main Marvel universe(s).
The core limited series was originally to be eight issues long, but was later decided to extend to a ninth. The series ran for nine months. The miniseries are in three categories, which are Battleworld, Warzones, and Last Days. One of the core miniseries is ''
Ultimate End
The ultimate end is a concept in the moral philosophy of Max Weber, in which individuals act in a faithful, rather than rational, manner.
"We must be clear about the fact that all ethically oriented conduct may be guided by one of two fundamental ...
'' which ends the Ultimate Marvel imprint after 15 years. ''Ultimate End'' was written by
Brian Michael Bendis
Brian Michael Bendis (; born August 18, 1967) is an American comic book writer and artist. He has won five Eisner Awards for both his creator-owned work and his work on various Marvel Comics books.Bendis, Brian Michael and Oeming, Michael Avon, ' ...
and artist
Mark Bagley
Mark Bagley (; born August 7, 1957) is an American comics artist. He has worked for Marvel Comics on such titles as ''The Amazing Spider-Man'', '' Thunderbolts'', ''New Warriors'', ''Venom'' and ''Ultimate Spider-Man'' and for DC Comics on ''Justic ...
, the team that began the Ultimate Marvel universe with ''
Ultimate Spider-Man
''Ultimate Spider-Man'' is a superhero comic book series that was published by Marvel Comics from 2000 to 2011. The series is a modernized re-imagining of Marvel's long-running Spider-Man comic book franchise as part of the company's Ultimate ...
''.
The series was released to positive reviews, with critics praising the storyline, characters, action, and art styles.
Premise
The series was introduced with two issues in May 2015, then ran monthly until December. The series began with a nine-issue miniseries (plus a
Free Comic Book Day
Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) is an annual promotional effort by the North American comic book industry to attract new readers to independent comic book stores. It usually takes place on the first Saturday of May and is often cross-promoted wit ...
issue #0) and came out of the current ''
Avengers
Avenger, Avengers, The Avenger, or The Avengers may refer to:
Arts and entertainment In the Marvel Comics universe
* Avengers (comics), a team of superheroes
**Avengers (Marvel Cinematic Universe), a central team of protagonist superheroes of ...
'' and ''
New Avengers'' "Time Runs Out" storyline. The basic premise involves the collision of the
Marvel
Marvel may refer to:
Business
* Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company
** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment
** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe
** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics
...
616 Universe with the
Ultimate Marvel
Ultimate Marvel, later known as Ultimate Comics, was an imprint of comic books published by Marvel Comics, featuring re-imagined and modernized versions of the company's superhero characters from the Ultimate Marvel Universe. Those characters in ...
1610 Universe, which destroys both. Pieces of the two universes are mysteriously saved and combined with other post-collision universes, creating the "Battleworld."
Tie-in branding
Numerous tie-in miniseries and ongoing titles fleshed out the event with many of them revisiting previous Marvel storylines such as "
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
", "
Age of Apocalypse
"Age of Apocalypse" is a 1995 comic book crossover storyline mostly published in the X-Men franchise of books by Marvel Comics. The ''Age of Apocalypse'' briefly replaced the universe of Earth-616 and had ramifications in the main Marvel Comic ...
", "
Days of Future Past
"Days of Future Past" is a storyline in the Marvel Comics comic book ''The Uncanny X-Men'' issues #141–142, published in 1981. It deals with a dystopian future in which mutants are incarcerated in internment camps. An adult Kate Pryde transfer ...
" (renamed, in this 2015 event, to "Years of Future Past") and "
Armor Wars
"Armor Wars" is a seven-issue Iron Man story arc written by David Michelinie and Bob Layton with art by Mark D. Bright and Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Marvel Comics. The arc first appears in ''Iron Man'' #225–232.
Publication history
...
". All of the tie-ins were aligned into one of three subtitles during the event consisting of ''Last Days'', ''Battleworld'', and ''Warzones''. Warzones, Battleworld and Last Days made Secret Wars one of the most expansive crossovers to date.
Marvel's executive editor
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort () is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as '' New Avengers'', ''Civil War'', and ''Fantastic Four''. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was prom ...
revealed that "Last Days" would show several characters from Captain America and Ms. Marvel to Loki and Magneto in their final adventures before the Marvel Universe comes to an end in Secret Wars, "Warzones" would focus on the individual domains, and "Battleworld" would be concerned with the infrastructure of the Battleworld as a whole.
Plot
Issue one
As
Doctor Doom
Doctor Victor Von Doom is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and first appeared in ''The Fantastic Four'' #5 in July 1962. The monarch of the fi ...
,
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
, and the
Molecule Man
The Molecule Man (Owen Reece) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #20 in November 1963 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He is often portrayed as a supervi ...
confront the
Beyonders in a last-ditch attempt to save the Multiverse, the final Incursion of
Earth-1610 and
Earth-616
In the fictional Marvel Comics multiverse, Earth-616 is the primary continuity in which most Marvel Comics titles take place.
History of the term
The term was first used in "Rough Justice", a story credited to both Alan Moore and Alan Davis p ...
begins. Heroes from each universe confront one another.
Mister Fantastic
Mister Fantastic (Reed Richards) is a superhero character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member, and the leader, of the Fantastic Four. Richards has a mastery of mechanical, aerospace a ...
and the
Maker (the Mister Fantastic of Earth-1610) make plans to survive the cataclysm with a small group of colleagues; Mister Fantastic selects heroes and important scientists, while the Maker intends to save himself and the
Cabal
A cabal is a group of people who are united in some close design, usually to promote their private views or interests in an ideology, a state, or another community, often by intrigue and usually unbeknownst to those who are outside their group. Th ...
. The Maker sends a doomsday weapon and the
Children of Tomorrow to Earth-616.
Black Bolt
Black Bolt (Blackagar Boltagon) is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appears in '' Fantastic Four'' #45 (December 1965). Black Bolt is the ...
,
Rocket Raccoon
Rocket Raccoon is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Bill Mantlo and artist Keith Giffen, the character first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #7 (Summer 1976). He is an intelligent ...
,
Groot
Groot () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #13 (Nov. 1960). An extraterrestrial, sentien ...
,
Black Widow,
Spider-Woman
Spider-Woman is the code name of several fictional Character (arts), characters in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The first and original version is Spider-Woman (Jessica Drew), Jessica Drew (later impersonated by Veranke), the second ve ...
, and
Beast are killed, and Stark Tower is destroyed. Meanwhile, the
Kingpin hosts a viewing party of the incursion for villains. The festivities are interrupted by the arrival of the
Punisher
The Punisher (Francis "Frank" Castle, born Castiglione) is an antihero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. The Punisher made ...
, who kills all the villains.
Manifold
In mathematics, a manifold is a topological space that locally resembles Euclidean space near each point. More precisely, an n-dimensional manifold, or ''n-manifold'' for short, is a topological space with the property that each point has a n ...
begins teleporting heroes to the lifeboat.
Cyclops
In Greek mythology and later Roman mythology, the Cyclopes ( ; el, Κύκλωπες, ''Kýklōpes'', "Circle-eyes" or "Round-eyes"; singular Cyclops ; , ''Kýklōps'') are giant one-eyed creatures. Three groups of Cyclopes can be distinguish ...
merges with the
Phoenix Force and destroys the Children of Tomorrow before being teleported onto the ship. Mister Fantastic and
Black Panther
A black panther is the melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical rosettes are also present. They have been d ...
pilot the ship to the center of the Incursion. A hull breach occurs, separating the part of the ship carrying the
Invisible Woman
The Invisible Woman (Susan "Sue" Storm-Richards) is a superheroine appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is a founding member of the Fantastic Four and was the first female superhero created by Marvel during ...
, the
Thing
Thing or The Thing may refer to:
Philosophy
* An object
* Broadly, an entity
* Thing-in-itself (or ''noumenon''), the reality that underlies perceptions, a term coined by Immanuel Kant
* Thing theory, a branch of critical theory that focuses ...
and most of the young
Future Foundation
The Future Foundation is a fictional organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jonathan Hickman, the team first appeared in ''Fantastic Four'' #579 (July 2010) and stars in the series ''FF,'' wr ...
. They are destroyed by the Incursion before Mister Fantastic can rescue them. The world fades to white as the two Earths collide. Doctor Doom's mask appears out of the white void, before the white turns to black. The life raft comes to rest on a mysterious planet.
Issue two
A new
Thor
Thor (; from non, Þórr ) is a prominent god in Germanic paganism. In Norse mythology, he is a hammer-wielding æsir, god associated with lightning, thunder, storms, sacred trees and groves in Germanic paganism and mythology, sacred groves ...
is shown joining the
Thor Corps
The comic book stories published by Marvel Comics since the 1940s have featured several fictional teams and organizations and this page lists them.
0–9 198
A A-Force
A-Next
A.I. Army
Because of his revelation that he is now a simulated ...
, a police force composed of different versions of Thor. The young Thor from the Battleworld domain of Higher Avalon tells the story of how God Emperor Doom created the Earth and the universe. The Thor of Higher Avalon and Old Thor travel to Bar Sinister to bring its baron
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Maraud ...
to Castle Doom, where Doom holds court from his throne on the World Tree. Sinister is charged with secretly aligning with Baron
Hyperion of Utopolis in opposition to Higher Avalon. Sinister chooses to face his accuser
Brian Braddock
Brian Braddock is a fictional superhero appearing in Marvel UK, British and American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created in 1976 by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, with later contributions from Alan Moore and Alan Davi ...
in battle and defeats him. Before he can deal the killing blow, God Emperor Doom intervenes. To save his brother, Baron
James Braddock confesses to crimes against God Emperor Doom. God Emperor Doom banishes James to the Shield, a massive wall that protects God Emperor Doom's realm from outside horrors. Thor of Higher Avalon and Old Thor escort Baron James to the Shield, where he jumps into the Deadlands and dies fighting
zombies
A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...
.
In the Kingdom of Utopolis, Minister
Alex Power
Power Pack is a superhero team consisting of four young siblings appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Louise Simonson and artist June Brigman, they first appeared in their own series in 1984, which l ...
is brought to an object uncovered by an "earthquake": the life raft from Earth-1610.
Valeria tells Sheriff Strange that the object is much older than the believed age of Earth. Strange tasks the Thor of Higher Avalon and Old Thor to enforce a quarantine around the discovery site. One of the Moloid diggers on site inadvertently opens the craft, and Old Thor is killed by weapons thrown from within. The young Thor flees to tell Sheriff Strange what has happened. As he leaves, the Cabal and Maker emerge from the lifeboat.
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
is told by a Moloid that they are in Battleworld.
Issue three
Sheriff Strange informs God Emperor Doom of recent events in the domains of Battleworld. Before a statue of the Molecule Man, they reminisce how God Emperor Doom had battled the Beyonders and managed to salvage various fragments of the Earths that were being destroyed. Sheriff Strange is summoned to Utopolis by the Thor Corps to examine the Cabal's life raft. A group of Thors are sent to apprehend the Cabal. Once all the Thors, aside from the Thor of Higher Avalon, have left, Sheriff Strange tells the hidden
Miles Morales
Miles Gonzalo MoralesAhmed, Saladin (w), Garrón, Javier (a). ''Miles Morales: Spider-Man'' #1 (2018) Marvel Comics (New York). () is a fictional character, a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, and is on ...
that he may come out of hiding. Miles reveals he snuck on to the ship just before the Incursion destroyed his planet.
On the Isle of Agamotto, Sheriff Strange explains Battleworld to Miles, then reveals he has found the other life raft. The Thor of Higher Avalon opens the vessel and the survivors of Earth-616 exit stasis. Sheriff Strange realizes the heroes are from his timeline when he sees his fellow Illuminati Black Panther and Mister Fantastic. Sheriff Strange reveals they have been in stasis for eight years and that God Emperor Doom saved them all when he created Battleworld. In Utopolis, the Cabal and the Maker are discovered by the Thor Corps.
[''Secret Wars'' #3]
Issue four
In Utopolis, the Thor Corps battle Thanos, the Cabal, and the Maker. On the Isle of Agamotto, Sheriff Strange explains to the life rafters that the Beyonders were the ones behind the universes crashing together and that he and Doctor Doom were able to kill them and take their power. A
wild boar
The wild boar (''Sus scrofa''), also known as the wild swine, common wild pig, Eurasian wild pig, or simply wild pig, is a suid native to much of Eurasia and North Africa, and has been introduced to the Americas and Oceania. The species is ...
version of Thor teleports to Castle Doom to report his findings. Sheriff Strange arrives at the battle with the raft survivors. God Emperor Doom also teleports to the battle and unleashes his power against the Cabal and the surviving members of the life raft. Cyclops, powered by the Phoenix Force, confronts God Emperor Doom and temporarily gains the upper hand. God Emperor Doom recovers, snaps Cyclops' neck, and orders the invaders to surrender. Sheriff Strange teleports the surviving members to safety. Enraged, God Emperor Doom kills Sheriff Strange with a blast of energy.
[''Secret Wars'' #4]
Issue five
After Sheriff Strange's funeral, God Emperor Doom enters a realm located below the Doctor Strange's statue and talks to the real Molecule Man, who lives there. It is explained that the Beyonders were the originators of reality, but eventually became harbingers of destruction. The Molecule Man was unique across the multiverse: a being whose presence in each reality represented a sliver of a single inter-dimensional entity. The Beyonders would initiate the end of a particular reality by detonating that reality's Molecule Man. God Emperor Doom, Sheriff Strange, and the Earth-616 Molecule Man had gathered Molecule Men from across the multiverse and combined them into a bomb, which they directed towards the unsuspecting Beyonders. The detonation killed the Beyonders and allowed the Earth-616 Molecule Man to absorb their power and channel it to God Emperor Doom, who in turn created Battleworld.
Valeria's Justice Division of the Future Foundation prepares to hunt down the Earth-616 heroes and also the Cabal. Thor appears in Doomgard where the Thor Corps are located, Black Panther and
Namor
Namor (), also known as the Sub-Mariner, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Debuting in early 1939, the character was created by writer-artist Bill Everett for comic book packager Funnies Inc. ...
appear in Egyptia,
Captain Marvel in Bar Sinister, and the Black Swan in Doomstadt. At the end of the issue, Thanos appears at the base of the Shield.
Issue six
Three weeks later, Battleworld is in disarray with several kingdoms in open rebellion. Someone called "the Prophet" has formed an army against God Emperor Doom, and has toppled the upper and lower kingdoms of Egyptia. God Emperor Doom orders his most loyal Barons (
Mister Sinister
Mister Sinister (Nathaniel Essex) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont, the character was first mentioned as the employer behind the team of assassins known as the Maraud ...
,
Maestro
Maestro (; from the Italian ''wikt:maestro#Italian, maestro'' , meaning "wikt:master, master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music ...
,
Apocalypse
Apocalypse () is a literary genre in which a supernatural being reveals cosmic mysteries or the future to a human intermediary. The means of mediation include dreams, visions and heavenly journeys, and they typically feature symbolic imager ...
, and
Madelyne Pryor
Madelyne Jennifer Pryor is a Character (arts), fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Chris Claremont and artist Paul Smith (comics), Paul Smith, the character first appeared in ''Uncann ...
) to deal with the threat of the Prophet. Of the other Cabal members, only Proxima Midnight and Corvus Glaive have been captured, while the Black Swan offers help to God Emperor Doom. The Foundation find the source of God Emperor Doom's power and inform Valeria, who has become suspicious of her father.
Mister Fantastic and the Maker team up to find the source of God Emperor Doom's power, and send
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
and Miles to infiltrate Castle Doom. The Spider-Men meet Valeria, who chooses not to go with them. Valeria demands to know who killed Sheriff Strange and Peter confirms Valeria's suspicions that no one from the raft was responsible. After entering a trapdoor under the Molecule Man's statue, the Spider-Men are confronted by the real Molecule Man. Meanwhile, Namor and Black Panther arrive at the Isle of Agamotto. Using the Key of Agamotto given to them by Sheriff Strange, they are given access to powerful items Sheriff Strange had collected over the years including the Siege Courageous and an Infinity Gauntlet that works only in Doomstadt.
Thanos, who had been captured by the Hel-Rangers, talks to the sentient structure that forms the Shield (a giant alternate version of Ben Grimm), and convinces him to reject God Emperor Doom and rise, causing the Shield to fall down.
[''Secret Wars'' #6]
Issue seven
The Prophet, who is revealed to be
Maximus
Maximus (Hellenised as Maximos) is the Latin term for "greatest" or "largest". In this connection it may refer to:
* Circus Maximus (disambiguation)
* Pontifex maximus, the highest priest of the College of Pontiffs in ancient Rome
People Roman h ...
, marches his troops to Castle Doom. Baron Sinister takes the chance to turn against Baroness Pryor, but is subsequently struck down by the former Baron Apocalypse. The Thor Corps joins the battle against God Emperor Doom, as Jane Foster has managed to convince her fellow Thors to fight against their god. Former Baron Maestro joins the battle with his army of Worldbreakers. The two Reed Richards use the fight ensuing on the steps of Castle Doom as cover to infiltrate the building and steal "the most valuable thing that's left from the Multiverse" from God Emperor Doom. The Black Panther and Namor travel to the Deadlands for reinforcements and the Black Panther uses his title as the King of the Dead to convince the zombies to join the forces opposing God Emperor Doom.
[''Secret Wars'' #7]
Issue eight
Chaos continues on the outskirts of Castle Doom. Mister Fantastic, Maker, and
Star-Lord
Star-Lord (Peter Jason Quill) is a fictional character and superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character, created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan, first appeared in ''Marvel Preview'' #4 (January 1976) ...
fly to Castle Doom, but a Hulk causes their ship to crash. The Maestro calls God Emperor Doom out to face him, but is met instead by the giant Ben Grimm who is destroying everything in his path. Susan, Valeria, and one of the Black Swans save God Emperor Doom. Grimm continues his rampage until
Franklin
Franklin may refer to:
People
* Franklin (given name)
* Franklin (surname)
* Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class
Places Australia
* Franklin, Tasmania, a township
* Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...
and
Galactus
Galactus () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Formerly a mortal man, Galactus is a cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his life force, and serves a functional role in the upkeep of ...
arrive. Franklin reveals God Emperor Doom is his father. Ben realizes Franklin is the son of Susan and allows the Franklin-controlled Galactus to destroy him rather than fight the boy. Susan bursts into tears until Valeria asks Susan to come with her.
In Castle Doom, Star-Lord is attacked by the Black Swan while he is repairing his ship. Star-Lord manages to prick his Groot 'toothpick' into the World-Tree, causing the toothpick to merge with the tree to form a giant
Groot
Groot () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Tales to Astonish'' #13 (Nov. 1960). An extraterrestrial, sentien ...
. Susan and Valeria head to the statues of the Molecule Man and Sheriff Strange, but stop when they see the Mister Fantastic and Maker.
God Emperor Doom arrives on the battlefield and gives Thanos a chance to be a Baron. Thanos refuses the offer as he believes he is already a god. God Emperor Doom rips out Thanos' skeleton. The battle continues until Captain Marvel spots the zombies coming from the remains of the Shield. Black Panther (with the Infinity Gauntlet) and Namor arrive, declaring to God Emperor Doom that his reign is over.
Issue nine
Namor and Black Panther battle with God Emperor Doom wielding the power of the Beyonders and the Black Panther wielding the Infinity Gauntlet. Susan does not recognize Mister Fantastic and accuses him of being one of the "murderers" of Sheriff Strange. Mister Fantastic reveals that God Emperor Doom killed Sheriff Strange. Mister Fantastic and Maker meet with Molecule Man, after which Maker betrays Mister Fantastic by trapping him in a temporal bubble that devolves him into an ape. Molecule Man intervenes, rescuing Mister Fantastic while splitting the Maker into meat slices. Back on the battlefield, God Emperor Doom realizes Black Panther's fight is a distraction, and teleports to the Molecule Man's statue to confront Mister Fantastic.
God Emperor Doom tries to use his powers to destroy his rival, but he finds that Molecule Man has taken away most of his abilities so that the confrontation between the two will be fair. Mister Fantastic and God Emperor Doom face off. God Emperor Doom, exclaiming of how it always comes down to him and Mister Fantastic like this, begins gaining the upper hand by mocking Mister Fantastic for, as the genius that he is, not having been able to find a way to save the entire Multiverse. Mister Fantastic counters by calling God Emperor Doom out for his insecurity, as the first thing that God Emperor Doom did when he obtained the Beyonders' powers was to steal Mister Fantastic's life and family, making God Emperor Doom confess that Mister Fantastic would have done a better job with the Beyonders' power. Hearing this, the Molecule Man transfers the Beyonders' power to Mister Fantastic, which destroys Battleworld. In the wake of the destruction, the Black Panther uses the Reality Gem to recreate and teleport himself to Wakanda. There, he finds three Wakandan prodigies (the same he talked to in ''New Avengers'' #1) to whom he tasks with granting wisdom to the stars.
Miles Morales awakens on the restored Earth-616, now known as Marvel's Earth Prime, along with his friends and his mother (who was brought back to life by the Molecule Man as gratitude for giving him a hamburger). Still shaken by the recent events, Miles goes on patrol with Peter as Spider-Man. Meanwhile, Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Valeria, Franklin, the members of Future Foundation, and Molecule Man work to restore the Multiverse one reality at a time. In Latveria, Doctor Doom removes his mask, reveals his face is no longer disfigured, and laughs with joy.
Battleworld
Following numerous incursions across the multiverse, the remains of various realities have been fused together to create a new
Battleworld
Battleworld is a fictional patchwork planet appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first Battleworld debuted in the ''Secret Wars'' crossover where it was created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck.
The s ...
. Each domain is the incursion point from that reality's destruction, as this is all that remains from each one. All of these realities are known as domains and have the ability to interact with each other, except for three: the Deadlands, Perfection and New Xandar. These domains are separated from the rest by a giant wall called the Shield because they contain threats that, if set loose, would destroy all the others:
zombie
A zombie (Haitian French: , ht, zonbi) is a mythological undead corporeal revenant created through the reanimation of a corpse. Zombies are most commonly found in horror and fantasy genre works. The term comes from Haitian folklore, in whic ...
s,
Ultron
Ultron () is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was created by writer Roy Thomas and artist John Buscema, and initially made his debut as an unnamed character in '' The Avengers'' #54 (July ...
drones, creatures that make up the
Annihilation Wave
"Annihilation" is a 2006 crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, highlighting several outer space-related characters in the Marvel Universe. The central miniseries was written by Keith Giffen, with editor Andy Schmidt.
Publication histo ...
, and an alternate reality version of
Thanos
Thanos is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, and first appeared in '' The Invincible Iron Man'' #55 ( cover date February 1973). An Eternal– Deviant w ...
trying to reconstruct the
Infinity Gauntlet
''The Infinity Gauntlet'' is an American comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. In addition to an eponymous, six-issue limited series (comics), limited series written by Jim Starlin and Penciller, pencilled by George Pérez and Ron ...
.
Each domain has an appointed leader called a
Baron
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
, who runs their domain with permission from
God Emperor Doom, the Lord and Messiah of Battleworld. To ensure all domains remain separate from each other, the Thor Corps have been formed (containing all alternate versions of Thor) and they act as a police force for Battleworld under the leadership of Sheriff Strange. Those who transgress the borders are sent to the Shield to work there whilst those who spectacularly break this rule are sent into exile over the Shield into one of the three dangerous domains.
Battleworld is one of the three celestial bodies in its universe. The second celestial body and Battleworld's source of light is revealed to be the Human Torch himself who acts as the "Sun" after being lifted into the sky during the early days of Battleworld's creation and where he still remains trapped as punishment for acting against God Emperor Doom. The Sun orbits Battleworld instead of the other way around.
The third celestial body is Knowhere, which orbits Battleworld as its "Moon". Apart from these celestial bodies, there were no other stars, until Singularity, a mysterious young girl who actually represents a pocket universe that gained sentience during the multiversal collapse, appeared to give her life to save the citizens of Arcadia from a horde of zombies, which returned the stars to its universe.
The reality where Battleworld was fashioned has since been dubbed as Earth-15513.
Titles
Secret Wars
Battleworld
Reception
According to
review aggregator
A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews of products and services (such as films, books, video games, software, hardware, and cars). This system stores the reviews and uses them for purposes such as supporting a website where users ...
Comic Book Roundup, Issue #0 received an average score of 7.9 out of 10 based on 5 reviews. Mat Elfring from Comic Vine wrote "If you're a Marvel fan, this book is a must have, for the SECRET WARS part. Sure, the ending doesn't feel like it works as smoothly as everything else, but this is a great catch-up to the upcoming event and it's great to see it all through the eyes of the Future Foundation."
Issue #1 received an average score of 8.2 out of 10 based on 46 reviews. Jeremy Matcho from All-Comic wrote "This is how an event should start. Hickman blew the gates off of this issue and laid down the bar for every event issue in the future. Great writing mixed with great art and even better build up makes Secret Wars a cant miss read! "
Issue #2 received an average score of 8.5 out of 10 based on 40 reviews. Tony 'G-Man' Guerrero from Comic Vine wrote "There's so much to see here. It's not just hero fighting hero. The other areas of Battleworld are being set up but there's a deep story going on here as well. Hickman, like the 'god' character we see here is creating a fascinating story with the idea of Battleworld and how each area relates to one another. The more you see, the more you want to see. Hickman makes it hard not to be excited. Esad Ribic's art and Ive Svorcina's colors gives this a great vibe. If you are craving more big fights, it looks like you'll be getting some of that as well as Hickman continues to set the stage for big things"
Issue #3 received an average score of 8.6 out of 10 based on 34 reviews. Chuck from Chuck's Comic of the day wrote "The slam on the original
Secret Wars
''Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars'', commonly known as ''Secret Wars'' for short, is a twelve-issue American comic book Fictional crossover, crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written ...
maxi-series was that the story was simplistic. You'll find no such complaints here."
In other media
Film
*
Doctor Strange
Doctor Stephen Strange is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Steve Ditko, the character first appeared in ''Strange Tales'' #110 (cover-dated July 1963). Doctor Strange serves as Sorce ...
and an alternate-world
Christine Palmer visit an Earth affected by an Incursion in the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
movie ''
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
''. At the end of the film,
Clea
Clea Strange () is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by co-plotters Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, Clea first appeared in the Doctor Strange feature in ''Strange Tales'' #126 (November 1964). S ...
, a sorcerer from the
Dark Dimension, informs Strange that his actions from the film have caused another incursion. Strange follows Clea into the Dark Dimension.
*In July 2022 at the
San Diego Comic Con, producer and head of
Marvel Studios
Marvel Studios, LLC (originally known as Marvel Films from 1993 to 1996) is an American film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Walt Disney Company. Marvel Studios produces the Mar ...
,
Kevin Feige
Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer who has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a combin ...
, announced that a film adaptation, ''
Avengers: Secret Wars'' was in development as part of
Phase Six of the
Marvel Cinematic Universe
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appear in American comic books published by ...
(MCU), and is to be released on May 1, 2026, directly following ''
Avengers: The Kang Dynasty'' on May 2, 2025.
Video games
* The "Secret Wars" version of various Marvel characters appear as playable or non-playable in the mobile game ''
Marvel: Future Fight''.
* Characters based from the "Secret Wars" and the "
Spider-Island
"Spider-Island" is a 2011 comic book storyline starting in ''The Amazing Spider-Man'' and crossing over into other comic books published by Marvel Comics, most of which were limited series or one-shots specifically for this storyline. The main ...
" versions appear in the mobile game ''
Spider-Man Unlimited
''Spider-Man Unlimited'' is an American animated series by Saban Entertainment which features the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, intended as a loose sequel series to the previous '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', which ran from 199 ...
''.
* The "Secret Wars" storyline is featured in ''Marvel: Mighty Heroes''.
* Incursions were incorporated into the gameplay and plots of ''
Marvel: Avengers Alliance''.
* Characters from the "Secret Wars" are available in the mobile game ''Marvel: Battle Lines''.
* God Emperor Doom appears as the final boss in the Expansion Pass of ''
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order''.
* ''
Marvel Realm of Champions
''Marvel Realm of Champions'' was a mobile fighting game developed by Kabam as a spinoff for their other Marvel game '' Contest of Champions''. The free-to-play game with in-game Store purchases launched globally on December 16, 2020. On January 13 ...
'' is set on the patchwork
Battleworld
Battleworld is a fictional patchwork planet appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Publication history
The first Battleworld debuted in the ''Secret Wars'' crossover where it was created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck.
The s ...
made from various alternate Earths, which is divided into "Houses" ruled by the "Barons".
* ''
Marvel Future Revolution'' adapts the storyline directly, depicting collisions between alternate Earths that obliterate them both, which in-game is called "Convergence". The heroes of one Earth attempt to save their Earth, but fail.
Vision
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...
then sacrifices himself to merge several Earths together peacefully into a single
Primary Earth, which contains regions such as technologically advanced
New Stark City or Earth colonized by refugees from
Xandar
Xandar () is a fictional planet appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The planet is depicted as being in the Tranta system in the Andromeda Galaxy. It is best known as the home world of the Nova Corps, an intergalactic poli ...
.
See also
* ''
Convergence
Convergence may refer to:
Arts and media Literature
*''Convergence'' (book series), edited by Ruth Nanda Anshen
* "Convergence" (comics), two separate story lines published by DC Comics:
**A four-part crossover storyline that united the four Wei ...
''
*
List of All-New, All-Different Marvel publications
In October 2015, Marvel Comics relaunched their entire line of publications, dubbing the new publishing initiative as the All-New, All-Different Marvel. The initiative consisted of a new imprint of titles in a rebooted Marvel Universe post-"Secret ...
* ''
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
''Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'' is a 2022 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the character Doctor Strange. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is the sequel ...
''
References
External links
Secret Wars 2015at Marvel.com
{{Portal bar, Comics
2015 comics debuts
2015 in comics
Comics by Jonathan Hickman
Comics about parallel universes
Comics set on fictional planets
Secret Wars
Superhero comics
Comic book reboots
Comics about the end of the universe
Marvel Comics adapted into films