Secret Wars: Difference between revisions

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An omnipotent [[Anthropomorphic Personification|Cosmic Entity]] by the name of The Beyonder, fascinated by the presence of [[Humans Are Special|superheroes on Earth and their potential]], chooses groups of both heroes and supervillains and teleports them against their will to "Battleworld", a planet created by him in a distant galaxy, stocked with alien weapons, technology and [[Patchwork World|mismatched parts from different worlds]]. He tells them to kill each other, and, to the victor, his greatest desire will be granted. His purpose is to understand the (to him) alien concept of "desire".

The heroes include the [[Fantastic Four]] (minus Sue Storm, who was pregnant at the time), [[The Mighty Thor]], the [[War Machine (Comic Book)|Jim Rhodes]] version of [[Iron Man]], the Monica Rambeau version of [[Captain Mar-Vell|Captain Marvel]], [[She Hulk]], [[Spider Man]], [[The Incredible Hulk]], [[Hawkeye]], [[Captain America]] and [[The Wasp]], with the second [[Spider Woman]] (Julia Carpenter) showing up several issues in (in her first appearance). Members of the [[X Men]] (Professor X, Cyclops, [[Storm]], Colossus, [[Wolverine]], Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Lockheed The Dragon) split off from the main heroic team and act as a separate faction for much of the book. [[Magneto]], buffing up his [[Anti-Villain]] credentials, also does his own thing for awhile before joining with his fellow mutants.

The heroes include the [[Fantastic Four]] (minus Sue Storm, who was pregnant at the time), [[The Mighty Thor]], the [[War Machine (Comic Book)|Jim Rhodes]] version of [[Iron Man]], the Monica Rambeau version of [[Captain Mar-Vell|Captain Marvel]], [[She Hulk]], [[Spider-Man]], [[The Incredible Hulk]], [[Hawkeye]], [[Captain America]] and [[The Wasp]], with the second [[Spider Woman]] (Julia Carpenter) showing up several issues in (in her first appearance). Members of the [[X-Men]] (Professor X, Cyclops, [[Storm]], Colossus, [[Wolverine]], Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Lockheed The Dragon) split off from the main heroic team and act as a separate faction for much of the book. [[Magneto]], buffing up his [[Anti-Villain]] credentials, also does his own thing for awhile before joining with his fellow mutants.

Villains include [[Doctor Doom]], Doctor Octopus, Klaw, Ultron, The Lizard, The Wrecking Crew, The Enchantress, Kang The Conqueror, Molecule Man, The Absorbing Man, and new villains Titania and Volcana. [[Galactus]] The [[Planet Eater]] is also there acting as his own non-allied entity.

So, as you might guess, new friends are made, old alliances are tested, complicated intrigues are formulated, and in the end, everyone gets home without anyone dying, though Spidey gets a shiny new black costume inspired by [[Spider Woman]]'s (which would later become the Venom symbiote), [[She Hulk]] replaces The Thing in the [[Fantastic Four]] (who stays behind after he finds he can revert to human form on the Battleworld), Volcana hooks up with Molecule Man, and Colossus gets [[Strangled By the Red String]] to an alien healer, causing him to break up with Kitty Pryde. The toy line sold poorly, but the comics sold well, and the whole thing was continued the next year in ''[[Secret Wars II]]'' in which the Beyonder came to Earth and tried becoming human. This series was seen by some as a [[Self-Insert Fic]] by [[Jim Shooter]] (writer of both series and current Editor in Chief of Marvel at the time.)

So, as you might guess, new friends are made, old alliances are tested, complicated intrigues are formulated, and in the end, everyone gets home without anyone dying, though Spidey gets a shiny new black costume inspired by [[Spider Woman]]'s (which would later become the Venom symbiote), [[She Hulk]] replaces The Thing in the [[Fantastic Four]] (who stays behind after he finds he can revert to human form on the Battleworld), Volcana hooks up with Molecule Man, and Colossus gets [[Strangled by the Red String]] to an alien healer, causing him to break up with Kitty Pryde. The toy line sold poorly, but the comics sold well, and the whole thing was continued the next year in ''[[Secret Wars II]]'' in which the Beyonder came to Earth and tried becoming human. This series was seen by some as a [[Self-Insert Fic]] by [[Jim Shooter]] (writer of both series and current Editor in Chief of Marvel at the time.)

The Beyonder got [[Retcon|retconned]] into a delusional lesser cosmic being, not really omnipotent (still more powerful than Earth's heroes, however) in a Fantastic Four story years later, in what was apparently a [[Take That]] at Shooter. Steve Englehart, FF writer at the time, [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=5785 reported that this was editorial interference.]

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There was also a miniseries entitled "Beyond!" in which the events of the first series seemed to be playing all over again, with a reduced cast of heroes and villains. It was finally revealed not to be the Beyonder, but {{spoiler|The Stranger}} pretending for "research purposes".

A pared down version of the first ''Secret Wars'' was adapted for ''[[Spider Man ~~the~~ Animated Series]]'', reducing the number of characters involved and making Spider-Man the leader of the forces of good rather than Captain America. It was well-received and is considered one of the greatest episode arcs of the show.

A pared down version of the first ''Secret Wars'' was adapted for ''[[Spider-Man: The Animated Series]]'', reducing the number of characters involved and making Spider-Man the leader of the forces of good rather than Captain America. It was well-received and is considered one of the greatest episode arcs of the show.

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* [[Be Careful What You Wish For]]: Although the characters don't realize it, Battleworld was ''granting their wishes all along''. This is why both Colossus and The Human Torch find "the perfect girlfriend" (Zsaji) and The Thing can change back to human.

** Actually the Thing was revealed prior to that that he had already gained that ability but his belief that his GF could only love him as the Thing had been the reason Reed's attempts at cures had been failing in recent years. Reed never told him (leading to a What The Hell, Hero? moment for Reed) and only the idea that they likely would never return to Earth broke down those limitations.

* [[Christmas Rushed]]: Marvel's corporate offices ordered production on this series sped up so they could get it to stores before DC's ''[[Crisis On Infinite Earths]]''. It shows in some of the dialogue and the ham-handed (in-story) way in which the various heroes and villains were shoe-horned into it.

* [[Christmas Rushed]]: Marvel's corporate offices ordered production on this series sped up so they could get it to stores before DC's ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]''. It shows in some of the dialogue and the ham-handed (in-story) way in which the various heroes and villains were shoe-horned into it.

* [[C List Fodder]]: Surprisingly averted. The Wasp gets shot through the heart at one point, and Doom offs a couple of minor villains out of pique, but in the end they're [[Only Mostly Dead]].

* [[C-List Fodder]]: Surprisingly averted. The Wasp gets shot through the heart at one point, and Doom offs a couple of minor villains out of pique, but in the end they're [[Only Mostly Dead]].

* [[Continuity Snarl]]: Doctor Doom was dead at the time of this series, but was too big a baddie to be left out. The ''[[Fantastic Four]]'' comic spent much of the next year unraveling how Doom could be present for the Wars while dead.

* [[Convection, Schmonvection]]: When the Human Torch uses his "nova flame" to take out Ultron, it burns so hot that it melts clean through the surrounding solid-metal walls and floor. When the smoke clears, Captain America, who was standing a few yards away and protected only by huddling his upper body behind his shield, is perfectly unharmed. Apparently, his body's melting point is a lot higher than that of whatever alien metal was used to build Doombase.

** Well, obviously. Mundane fire, no matter how hot, will never burn bright enough to melt ''[[Patriotic Fervor|AMERICA]].''

* [[Crisis Crossover]]: Though the whole story was presented in its own mini-series.

** Kind of the [[Trope Maker]], if only because Marvel rushed to beat DC to it -- they'd gotten wind of ''[[Crisis On Infinite Earths]]'' and wanted to make a big "event" series first.

** Kind of the [[Trope Maker]], if only because Marvel rushed to beat DC to it -- they'd gotten wind of ''[[Crisis on Infinite Earths]]'' and wanted to make a big "event" series first.

*** Good thing too, otherwise we'd have to call it "Secret Crossover"

* [[Curb Stomp Battle]]: Spider-Man using his vastly superior agility, reaction-time, and combat experience to take out Titania. She not only never landed a punch on him, but he ''took his time'' while delivering her beat down, all the while delivering a classic [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]. It made her fearful of Spider-Man for ''years'', despite the fact that she is much, much stronger and [[Nigh Invulnerable]].

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* [[Hold Your Hippogriffs]]: Colossus once exclaims "Lenin's beard!"

* [[Hollywood Pudgy]]: Volcana isn't as fat to get all those insults from Enchantress.

** Of course the Enchantress is supernaturally beautiful, legendarily vain, and and doesn't have much use for mortals to begin with; it's entirely possible she was just zeroing in on something Volcana was self-conscious about and exaggerating it to make her feel bad. Of course, [[Depending On the Artist|later artists]] tend to draw her much chubbier, so either she gained weight after the mini-series or she was supposed to be larger than the art depicted her.

** Of course the Enchantress is supernaturally beautiful, legendarily vain, and and doesn't have much use for mortals to begin with; it's entirely possible she was just zeroing in on something Volcana was self-conscious about and exaggerating it to make her feel bad. Of course, [[Depending on the Artist|later artists]] tend to draw her much chubbier, so either she gained weight after the mini-series or she was supposed to be larger than the art depicted her.

* [[I Broke a Nail]]: Wasp

* [[Load-Bearing Hero]]: The Hulk holding up a mountain range.