What was the impact of Marvel's latest Secret Wars event ???

[Jack00]

From my understanding, this was to bring all the universes into the same to finally just have one and be rid of all the parallel dimensions, alternate universes and all the different version of the same character.
But now i'm reading the ultimates, and it seems like we are still dealing with the same old thing again with parallel dimensions, multiverse talk and what not. So i'm wondering, what was the impact of secret wars if it was to "simplify" the MU, to start all over again with multiverse stories ?

[Wiccan]

They needed an excuse to bring AU characters like Miles, OML and etc to the main universe, and to get rid of the Fantastic Four without just pretending they didn't exist.

[MajorHoy]

The purpose was to have another excuse to re-launch titles with shiny-new "OMG! #1 Don't-Miss-This-Must-Buy" issues (often with a higher cover price).

And, yes, I'm cynical.

[kilderkin]

In literal terms not much imo

Some temporary things like Parker industries but much less than I had expected

Some stuff in the ultimates has suggested good ideas but in real terms I see little

A few characters added a few missing

But it's no reboot or house cleaning

A trick missed imo

[gurkle]

The impact was to get a lot of people talking and writing about what impact it was going to have. It was a marketing gimmick to create coverage of whether or not it would be a reboot.

They'll never actually get rid of parallel universes and other stuff, and a New 52-style reboot is not in the cards after DC more or less admitted it was a mistake.

So like a lot of events, it didn't change much except to bring some characters into the main Marvel Universe.

[kilderkin]

The impact was to get a lot of people talking and writing about what impact it was going to have. It was a marketing gimmick to create coverage of whether or not it would be a reboot.

They'll never actually get rid of parallel universes and other stuff, and a New 52-style reboot is not in the cards after DC more or less admitted it was a mistake.

So like a lot of events, it didn't change much except to bring some characters into the main Marvel Universe.

Agreed

I loved the idea behind it and felt let down coz it could have been so much more of a payoff

[Knives]

Nothing is definitive in comics.

And we are not sure if all the realities or dimensions destroyed in the event continue to exist or not though Ultimates pass that impression.

Now about characters Doom remains hero or something close to that.
Most of the FF remains absent acting as the new Gods of the Marvel Universe, for some strange reason the original five X-mens can not go back into the past since the universe created copies of them making them exiles from the timeline with no place to return.

And some characters of other dimensions as well as objects managed to survive the destruction and came to Earth Prime (616 for some).

[Iron Maiden]

From my understanding, this was to bring all the universes into the same to finally just have one and be rid of all the parallel dimensions, alternate universes and all the different version of the same character.
But now i'm reading the ultimates, and it seems like we are still dealing with the same old thing again with parallel dimensions, multiverse talk and what not. So i'm wondering, what was the impact of secret wars if it was to "simplify" the MU, to start all over again with multiverse stories ?

To some degree, yes. The last of the incursions was between the Earth of the Ultimate Universe and the Earth of the MU. But when the Molecule Man transferred the combined powers of the Beyonders from Doom to Reed, he was giving him the power to create the multiverse anew. MU Earth is known as Earth Prime and Reed, Owen Reese (the Molecule Man) and Franklin are putting things out there again. I don't really keep up with the Ultimates so I can't answer to what goes on there.

[Jack00]

To some degree, yes. The last of the incursions was between the Earth of the Ultimate Universe and the Earth of the MU. But when the Molecule Man transferred the combined powers of the Beyonders from Doom to Reed, he was giving him the power to create the multiverse anew. MU Earth is known as Earth Prime and Reed, Owen Reese (the Molecule Man) and Franklin are putting things out there again. I don't really keep up with the Ultimates so I can't answer to what goes on there.

Right, so in the end, its Reed and his son recreating the multiverse as they see fit. Bottom line, nothing has changed...

[JKtheMac]

From my understanding, this was to bring all the universes into the same to finally just have one and be rid of all the parallel dimensions, alternate universes and all the different version of the same character.
But now i'm reading the ultimates, and it seems like we are still dealing with the same old thing again with parallel dimensions, multiverse talk and what not. So i'm wondering, what was the impact of secret wars if it was to "simplify" the MU, to start all over again with multiverse stories ?

Actually in one way you are correct. It wasn't trying to remove the alternative universes, but it was trying to fold in many characters and ideas into a single universe, even while maintaining a multiverse. If you have been reading Ultimates you will notice the folding in of New Universe characters for example. Basically any character that Marvel has the rights to could pop up in the new MU with very little explanation.

[Jack00]

Hmm, shame. I liked the whole idea of one universe and no more complexe parallel time lines and **** like that.

[jackolover]

Agreed

I loved the idea behind it and felt let down coz it could have been so much more of a payoff

Loved the different stories in the different domains of Battleworld. (I still don't know why there wasn't a spinoff series of Infinity Gauntlet). So from the structure of SWII, it was a huge showcase of a lot of What If's that could happen (under the strict regime of God Doom though), and was it to relive nostalgia of bygone Marvel?

Look at how it set up ANAD Earth. Secret Wars II certainly changed Prime Earth and the way the Multiverse behaves affecting magic, but that may only be because of the First Firmament chaining Eternity, but that's now been resolved. If we weren't cynical we'd say ANAD was some transition from the classical to the legacy, but that has yet to be fully realised I think. Marvel will have to do a lot of mending till that can happen. I get a feeling from Secret Empire that some cathartic experience has occurred to the classical heroes, as to the way they do things, and that they realised they became very brutal, and beaurocratic in their structures, and that maybe they should tear that down and get to be more individualised. The whole idea of the Illuminati having been there for decades emphasises that corporate structure being there this whole time after the Skrull/Kree War, as though that battle forced super heroes to think too much like cold, hard, government, than the carefree, freelance vigilantes they started as?

[Mike_Murdock]

Does anyone ask what the purpose of Age of Apocalypse was? This was basically line-wide Age of Apocalypse. And the result was the same, the universe continued as before, but they added a few AU characters into the main universe. Plus, I'll take Miles Morales over X-Man any day.

[WebLurker]

Well, as far as impact went, they did use it to set up the next relaunch. Some of the tie-in miniseries also received subsequent ongoings as well (albeit not all of them lasting).