Secret Wars (2015 comic book)
"Secret Wars" is a 2015–16 comic book storyline published by Marvel Comics. 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 and drawn by Esad Ribić, 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 after Marvel decided to cancel the title due to a film rights dispute with 20th Century Fox.
The storyline involves the destruction of the Marvel Universe and various other alternate universes, with each universe's respective Earth combining with each other into Battleworld, 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 resides and evolves. 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 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. Following the events of this storyline Miles Morales, who originated within the Ultimate universe was integrated alongside his family and friends into the prime Marvel Universe or Earth-616.
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 which ends the Ultimate Marvel imprint after 15 years. Ultimate End was written by Brian Michael Bendis and artist Mark Bagley, the team that began the Ultimate Marvel universe with Ultimate Spider-Man.
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 and came out of the current Avengers and New Avengers "Time Runs Out" storyline. The basic premise involves the collision, or what is referred to as an inter-dimensional "incursion", of the Marvel 616 Universe with the Ultimate Marvel 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", "Age of Apocalypse", "Days of Future Past" and "Armor Wars". 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 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
In a last-ditch attempt to save the Multiverse, Doctor Doom, Doctor Strange, and the Molecule Man confront the Beyonders, the all-powerful entities responsible for the multiverse's destruction. As the final incursion of Earth-1610 and Earth-616 begins, heroes from each universe confront one another. Mister Fantastic and the Maker 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. The Maker sends a doomsday weapon and the Children of Tomorrow to Earth-616. Black Bolt, Rocket Raccoon, Groot, Black Widow, Spider-Woman, 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, who kills all the villains.Manifold begins teleporting heroes to the lifeboat -- a special ship designed to survive the collision of the universes. Cyclops merges with the Phoenix Force and destroys the Children of Tomorrow before being teleported onto the ship. Mister Fantastic and Black Panther pilot the ship to the center of the incursion. A hull breach occurs, separating the part of the ship carrying the Invisible Woman, the Thing and most of the young Future Foundation. 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 is shown joining the Thor Corps, 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 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 in battle and defeats him. Before he can deal the killing blow, Doom intervenes. To save his brother, Baron James Braddock confesses to crimes against Doom. Doom banishes James to the Shield, a massive wall that protects 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.In the Kingdom of Utopolis, Minister Alex Power 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 Strange what has happened. As he leaves, the Cabal and Maker emerge from the lifeboat. Thanos 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 Doom had battled the Beyonders and managed to salvage various fragments of the Earths that were being destroyed. 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, Strange tells the hidden Miles Morales 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. Strange realizes the heroes are from his timeline when he sees his fellow Illuminati Black Panther and Mister Fantastic. Strange reveals they have been in stasis for eight years and that Doom saved them all when he created Battleworld. In Utopolis, the Cabal and the Maker are discovered by the Thor Corps.
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 version of Thor teleports to Castle Doom to report his findings. 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 Doom and temporarily gains the upper hand. Doom recovers, snaps Cyclops' neck, and orders the invaders to surrender. Strange teleports the surviving members to safety. Enraged, Doom kills Strange with a blast of energy.Issue five
After Sheriff Strange's funeral, God Emperor Doom enters a realm located below the Doctor Strange 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. Doom, 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 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 appear in Egyptia, Captain Marvel in Bar Sinister, and Black Swan in Doomstadt. At the end of the issue, Thanos appears at the base of the Shield.