Help understanding Secret Wars, Battleworld etc.

[Tim13530]

I am a huge Marvel comic fan, but have only been reading comics for just over a year. There is literally nothing that I have picked up that I did not enjoy from Marvel (besides Spider-Man & The X-Men, thought it was awful) with Jason Aaron's run on Thor probably my favorite series. I am also a subscriber to Marvel Unlimited. I definitely plan on going all in on Secret Wars, I'm just not quite sure I understand the general concept. Is it just that all of the universes are colliding? Or is 616 just ending? I have not been around comics long enough to completely understand what Marvel is doing with all of this. I have many current Marvel titles on my pull, which some of them will be ending when Secret Wars starts up. Basically, I am just trying to grasp the basic concept of what is happening in Secret Wars, and why it is happening, so if anyone could help me to understand, I would be very grateful. I would very much appreciate anyones help, as I am very excited for Secret wars to start up, but am a bit overwhelmed. Thank you in advance to anyone that replies!

Also, if anyone has any suggestions for some good titles, lay them on me.

Thanks!

[Songbird/Diamondback]

Welcome to your first big time event!

Every year, Marvel usually does a big story called an event, where there is a main book, and then tie in books. You can read the main event book just fine without needing to read tie ins, but a lot of the tie ins are usually pretty fun. This event in particular, Marvel made into a MEGA event, where pretty much everything is tying into it.

Secret Wars has been a part of Hickman's (Somewhat confusing) Avengers run. The universes have been colliding. Secret Wars will involve all the remaining universes out there all a spot on the same planet. So you'll have 616 New York, some pieces of Ultimate new York, an area Apocalypse rules, an area where everyone is a Hulk, and a walled off area where Marvel Zombies, Ultron's army and Thanos' army dwell.

Secret Wars will divide the titles into 3 subtitles:
-Last Days, where heroes spend their last days on 616 Earth.
-Battleworld, where two countries interact.
-Warzones!, where the story takes place on one territory.

Just pick and choose what interests you and never feel pressured that you have to read certain books. That's just a trap. Just browse around and get what you feel comfortable with. These things can be money traps.

(I thought Spider-Man and the X-Men was kinda fun...)

[cyberhubbs]

All the universes are ending, not just the 616. What survives, fragments from those various universes, will collide and form Battleworld in the aftermath. The survivors will rebuild and I imagine that the stories pick up several years afterward, with the newly formed lands warring and interacting, or just trying to not get eaten by super-powered zombies.

At the end of the event, new comics will emerge and so will a new 616. Maybe not radically different, at least I believe it won't be, but there will be changes. Just not sure to what extent yet.

[dragonmp93]

Well, Secret Wars is about the ending of the Marvel Multiverse; the Battleworld is a patchwork planet created by pieces of the universes that are still around during the Incursion between the 616 and the Ultimate Universe.

[Derek Metaltron]

Effectively Secret Wars is the conclusion to a storyline that Jon Hickman has been writing in his Avengers and New Avengers books since he started at the end of 2012. There has been Incursion taking place across the multiverse which has seen universes and their Earths erased from existence, and numerous groups including the Illuminati have bee poised to attempt to protect their own universe. The most recent issues have been occurring in the storyline Time Runs Out, which is a little in the future to the rest of Marvel, and has seen the Avengers split into numerous factions over the issue.

Secret Wars opens with the latest Incursion which is with the Ultimate Universe, a reality similar to the classic Marvel universe but with key differences such as Peter Parker's death and replacement by Miles Morales as the Ultimate Spider-Man, and numerous other heroes dead or changed. Both universes will strive to save themselves in the eight hour window you get with Incursions, but both will fail, and both will die.

#2 opens up then on Battleworld, a mysterious planet comprised of the remains of numerous universes by an unknown overseer (though there are theories to his identity) and Barons who oversee each domain of Battleworld. There is a capital domain called 'The City', a location where the Manhattans of both the 616 and Ultimate Universes survive, and many other domains where things are different, often dangerously so, to what is known in the 616 universe.

Secret Wars therefore comprises of numerous titles set across these domains with various alternate versions of characters like Captain America, Iron Man, Hulk, the X-Men, Spider-Man and more. Some titles seem to replace current ones, so there is a Thors comic with various alternate versions of Thor acting as a police force for Battleworld.

Hope that helps! Probably bestto read Hickman's Avengers and maybe look at the Battleworld ma to get an idea of the geography of Secret Wars. As for what comes after, that is presently unknown, though we might see a newly merged Earth, Battleworld remain as the new universe, a combo of both or a more understandable multiverse.

[Tim13530]

Wow this was extremely helpful Songbird! Thank you. Im glad that you said don't feel pressured, because I've always felt that I'd be missing something if I didn't pick up a certain tie-in book. For example with Axis I almost felt obligated to pick up all of the tie-ins just so I would always know exactly what was going on, turns out that that was not the case haha. Very helpful suggestion. I definitely understand this much better! Thanks again for explaining!

[dragonmp93]

Wow this was extremely helpful Songbird! Thank you. Im glad that you said don't feel pressured, because I've always felt that I'd be missing something if I didn't pick up a certain tie-in book. For example with Axis I almost felt obligated to pick up all of the tie-ins just so I would always know exactly what was going on, turns out that that was not the case haha. Very helpful suggestion. I definitely understand this much better! Thanks again for explaining!

Yeah, for the event you just need to know about Hicksman's run and the main Secret Wars book, the rest is optional.

[Tim13530]

Thank you everyone! It all makes MUCH more sense to me now. Im definitely going to check out Hickmans run on the Avengers, just need to figure out a good jumping on point, and finish up in time for the start of the event, even though I have plenty of time (but taking 18 credits at my university is keeping me plenty busy) Again, thanks everyone and I am getting real excited for this event.

[Derek Metaltron]

Thank you everyone! It all makes MUCH more sense to me now. Im definitely going to check out Hickmans run on the Avengers, just need to figure out a good jumping on point, and finish up in time for the start of the event, even though I have plenty of time (but taking 18 credits at my university is keeping me plenty busy) Again, thanks everyone and I am getting real excited for this event.

No problem, as others say when you get to reading Secret Wars check out the main series and then any other series which interests you, as I mentioned since you're a Thor fan you'll probably want to read Thors, and Spidey will be getting Renew Your Vows and Spider Verse (though the latter might be best read after reading the Spider Verse event from earlier this year first) and X-Men a LOT of stuff.

[robreedwrites]

Secret Wars is spinning out of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers and New Avengers run (the majority of which is available on Marvel Unlimited). I’m going to avoid details so that I don’t spoil that run in case you want to read it for yourself. Essentially what is happening is that the Earths of various universes are colliding into one another, and when they hit, they set off a chain of events that destroy both universes. The way to avoid this is to destroy the other Earth before impact, saving both universes.

The exact ins-and-outs of how Battleworld works have not been revealed and will likely remain that way until Secret Wars begins, but yes, all of the Multiverse is collapsing, not just the 616. As far as why it is happening, we still don’t really know. We have ideas and speculation, but nothing concrete. Portions of this will likely be answered in the final issues of Avengers/New Avengers and the beginning of Secret Wars.

Some quick suggestions for good titles:
Priest’s Black Panther (it’s the 1998-2003 run on Marvel Unlimited)
Ms. Marvel (the 2014-onward run starring Kamala Khan)
Black Widow (Nathan Edmondson’s run from 2014 onward)
Morrison’s New X-Men (not sure how this is categorized in Marvel Unlimited)

[Tim13530]

No problem, as others say when you get to reading Secret Wars check out the main series and then any other series which interests you, as I mentioned since you're a Thor fan you'll probably want to read Thors, and Spidey will be getting Renew Your Vows and Spider Verse (though the latter might be best read after reading the Spider Verse event from earlier this year first) and X-Men a LOT of stuff.

Yup, I really enjoyed Spider-Verse so I'll for sure be picking up the Spidey related books. And besides the main Secret War issue, I am looking forward to "Thors" the most. I just really enjoy Jason Aaron's work.

[dragonmp93]

Thank you everyone! It all makes MUCH more sense to me now. Im definitely going to check out Hickmans run on the Avengers, just need to figure out a good jumping on point, and finish up in time for the start of the event, even though I have plenty of time (but taking 18 credits at my university is keeping me plenty busy) Again, thanks everyone and I am getting real excited for this event.

Well, my jumping point was the time jump back in September with the help of the Marvel's wiki and the spoiler threads.

[whitewolf]

Thank you everyone! It all makes MUCH more sense to me now. Im definitely going to check out Hickmans run on the Avengers, just need to figure out a good jumping on point, and finish up in time for the start of the event, even though I have plenty of time (but taking 18 credits at my university is keeping me plenty busy) Again, thanks everyone and I am getting real excited for this event.

In this particular case I'd highly recommend you start at issue 1 of both Avengers and New Avengers. There are a ton of tiny details hidden in each issue and very little filler. Plus you can buy most of them in trades now and this kind of long-form story telling works better in trade. Also, I think a lot of the issues are up on Marvel Unlimited right now.

[MikeMC005]

In this particular case I'd highly recommend you start at issue 1 of both Avengers and New Avengers. There are a ton of tiny details hidden in each issue and very little filler. Plus you can buy most of them in trades now and this kind of long-form story telling works better in trade. Also, I think a lot of the issues are up on Marvel Unlimited right now.

I would agree. This story has been building since the very first page of Avenger / New Avengers. Its been through alot but it really all ties back to 2 lines the first was in Avengers #1 when captain america says "we need to get bigger" and in New Avengers #1 when reed says "Everything dies". Those 2 panels really foreshadow everything that happens afterword.

[MindofShadow]

I agree, gotta go back to the beginning of NA/AV by Hickman