Secret Wars #5 Review (w/SPOILERS)

[jackolover]

I don't see how this could have been issue four and last one five either. I started off really liking this event but now I am kinda over it. Burnt out with all the minis and ready for all new Marvel which who knows when that will start

I'm not burnt out but I understand the fatigue level.

And I would have difficulty believing issue 5 came before issue 4, especially the death of Strange happening after his funeral, unless Hickman cut a few scenes and switched them around in the books. But certainly, not the way they exist now.

[tahhat]

I enjoyed the subtle details of the story. In issue #2 there were two rafts that looked like the Battleworld arenas from the original Secret Wars series. In this issue the Future Foundation HQ looks like Magnetos HQ in the original Secret Wars series.
Also I agree the explanations do not fully explain the whole time bomb idea vs the MM bomb. Unless Doom was explaining if you hit them with a surprise attack they cannot reach back in time and stop you from launching the attack. I thought it was nice to see the platform they were standing on served a purpose. It was a super-sized version of the tech Doom used in the original Secret Wars series to steal the Beyonders power.
There could be an in story reason for Doom and Owen's conversation taking the form it did. Dr Strange previously stated that people's memories were confused due to the merger of the pieces of the universes mixing their histories together. The way Steven said it I got the impression that some of his memories had been effected as well. Perhaps Doom, Steven, and Owen need to periodically rehash their shared past to stave off the memory confusion the world causes. Otherwise they would forget all that came before just like all the citizens of Battleworld.

[jackolover]

Another good issue. Answered a lot of questions about how Battleworld came to be and set-up the beginning of the end of God Emperor Doom's reign.
I also liked the bit about the "Doom energy" and how it implies that everything with "Doom energy" was created by Doom so the things that have an absence of that energy are things that survived the death of the multiverse.

The Captain Marvel in Carol Corp had a lack of Doom energy also, so how could there be a 616 Carol captured in Bar Sinister?

[jackolover]

The man is crazy.

How is Molecule Man crazy, if there is only one of him? He gets crazier and crazier after more MM exist. He got saner the more MM the Swans killed, till he was sane again when they fought the Beyonders. But the fact he is crazy may be a clue that there are still many alternate universes out there with many Owen Reeces! That could be a shocking fact.

I enjoyed the issue.

Notice that it answered one mystery - we knew the Black Swam had seen something in Doom's inner chamber that made her betray him. We never knew what - some people assumed it was just the time machine we were shown.

This issue actually answers what it was: while the Swam's religion was built around killing the Molecule Men, Doom had actually been capturing and altering them right inside his inner chamber. Seeing a collection of their enemy within her god's inner room is what made the Black Swam betray Doom.

It also explains how Doom killed the Beyonders - in a very Doom-ish move, he used their own bomb against them.

I liked the issue. I have the feeling we will see the conclusion to many of those storylines in tie-ins, and that many tie-ins will be disrupted by people from the rafts suddenly appearing out of nowhere (see Thanos in the Shield for an example of both), but the main event itself continues to be interesting.

(Oh, and I loved the S.H.I.E.L.D. cameos. I wish the final issues were released already, though, and that Marvel would follow it up with a collected hardcover.)

What SHIELD cameos?

I agree the MM weapon made the most sense for the Swan revolution but in NA he told strange the weapon was based on the beyounders being linear and not able to time travel and that doesn't fit with the MM bomb so it seems like a plot hole

That could have been a reference to the fact the Beyonders are unable to time travel to stop Doom killing MM in the past. The Beyonderss just have to take what surprises Doom springs on them?

DING DING DING WE HAVE A WINNER!



It's not beyond strange to conjure up a love potion between them



It's not the lack of action i'm disappointed in, it's the lack of spotlight on OTHER characters too.
Doom's taking up 80% of it in the main book. It's not so bad if it was a Doctor Doom: Secret Wars book..which is'nt the case here

I was expecting that we learn Molecule Man was the Real Great Destroyer, and that we learn where the Raftees are scattered too in Battleworld. Beyond that, I wasn't expecting any more.

[Darth Kal-el]

I think Secret Wars in general is a Dr Doom book so the main mini will always focus on his story. The raft survivors are showing up in some of the minis

[dzub]

I was expecting that we learn Molecule Man was the Real Great Destroyer, and that we learn where the Raftees are scattered too in Battleworld. Beyond that, I wasn't expecting any more.

i'd like to see what the raftees are doing too.
we might never know what the reeds were doing between this issue and the last save for a few flash backs?

I think Secret Wars in general is a Dr Doom book so the main mini will always focus on his story. The raft survivors are showing up in some of the minis

it definitely is a Dr Doom book and it's right they focus on him.
the last 2 events Infinity and Original Sin, as bad as it as did'nt have thanos or nick fury telling expositions for 2 whole issues

[Biclopcicle]

It's not the lack of action. It's that all we learned were about the MM weapon which does make sense with why the black swans would revolt. But the conversation made zero sense because though the new audience needed the information MM and Doom wouldn't have that conversation because they both lived it. It would be like a couple discussing the details of last night's dinner they both had together. It was unnatural and took me out of the story. There had to be someone else Doom could have given the information too or something. Plus the MM weapon doesn't fit the time weapon described in NA 33. Plus I don't see how this could originally have been issue four

They nevsaid that the box was a time weapon. I know it could seem like that because Doom mentioned, in close proximity to each other, that a) the Beyonders were linear, and b) he had found a way to defeat them. Remember that he also said that "I took what is yours and made it mine" and looked at Owen Reece. So that was a clue.

e still don't know if the molecule man bomb destroyed most of the multiverse, or if he "devoured" it. We also still don't know why or howDoom chose the domains of Battlworld.

Finally, we need to realize we have 3 issues left, and two of those are going to be 56 pages. That's 144 pages, which is closer to 5 issues left. There's plenty to come

[Bunai]

...

Finally, we need to realize we have 3 issues left, and two of those are going to be 56 pages. That's 144 pages, which is closer to 5 issues left. There's plenty to come

Anything that takes 'some' focus off Doom and his emo performance is fine with me. Appreciative of what the character is doing (saving whatever he could) but his lack of passion for it is really bumming me out.

Where is the info about the page numbers? I do hope it is true.

[Biclopcicle]

Anything that takes 'some' focus off Doom and his emo performance is fine with me. Appreciative of what the character is doing (saving whatever he could) but his lack of passion for it is really bumming me out.

Where is the info about the page numbers? I do hope it is true.

The solicits have the page numbers

[Byakko]

I can't follow all 8 pages of discussion, just my minor gripe, I felt the sudden exposition-Owen-Reece was too forced, and obviously trying to bring all readers up to speed, which I appreciate really but it felt a little clumsy. Also I still can't get over how...generic...the Beyonders look. I sort of wish they remained formless/faceless, or energy beings, because ah, giant grey aliens, so boring.

A lot more revelations are happening in the other tie-ins, which adds to the unease that Doom feels here, so in the grand picture, it's fine. As a standalone issue, I felt it was weaker in terms of plot actually happening compared to the previous ones. Still, I'm still much intrigued.

[klefmung]

I can't follow all 8 pages of discussion, just my minor gripe, I felt the sudden exposition-Owen-Reece was too forced, and obviously trying to bring all readers up to speed, which I appreciate really but it felt a little clumsy. Also I still can't get over how...generic...the Beyonders look. I sort of wish they remained formless/faceless, or energy beings, because ah, giant grey aliens, so boring.

A lot more revelations are happening in the other tie-ins, which adds to the unease that Doom feels here, so in the grand picture, it's fine. As a standalone issue, I felt it was weaker in terms of plot actually happening compared to the previous ones. Still, I'm still much intrigued.

It's been established that that's just the best that we can interpret their appearance. I believe Pym said so after he saw them.

[Byakko]

It's been established that that's just the best that we can interpret their appearance. I believe Pym said so after he saw them.

It kinda makes us the readers seem a lot more unimaginative. I mean, even the armor seemed tacky odd to say. If I imagine an all-powerful being, I don't imagine them needing armor if they're that strong. Naked grey aliens would at least be intimidating in their...nakedness.

[Omnipitus]

This right here is the biggest thing I dont' like about this event adn why, currently, I am only reading the main title.

I can't tell who is who and from what universe and... it just all feels pointless for me.

If you ignore the stuff Bendis writes, and just look at it as fan fiction that the series will have to make sense out of, the whole SW thing is pretty tight. All characters on both rafts are themselves, and supposedly the last survivors of 616 and Ultimates were on the Manhattan island, the then...Bendis. I have really gotten into the SW stuff, besides the crap Jason Aaron writes, and Ultimate End. I have picked up old man logan, and even that seems out of whack with what SW is heading towards.

[Doombot]

So I'm wondering if we're again getting clues that Doom is not as powerful as he seems? The Future Foundation have learned how to get readings of Doom's power, or at least what became of the Beyonder's power, staying it all stems from the very top of Castle Doom, where Doom lives. But we see in this issue, directly beneath the castle, or at it's centre, is either Owen's prison or the gateway to his prison. This is interesting because, in the flashback scenes, it's said that the power of the Beyonders was siphoned off to "store it someplace safe, where is could be used to preserve some of what had been lost." Then Doom says to Strange that Owen will serve as a "conduit" and "together we can save the remnants of worlds."

So what does this mean? Does Doom not actually possess the power of the Beyonders? Does he instead use the Molecule Man as sort of a well to draw that power from and use as he sees fit? Could this ability be stolen from Doom? I have no idea if this is the correct way to see this, it's just the idea of the Beyonders' power being "stored" and Owen being a "conduit" really stuck in my head. Does Doom actually possess the power of the Beyonders or does he not?

[The Fury]

I can't follow all 8 pages of discussion, just my minor gripe, I felt the sudden exposition-Owen-Reece was too forced, and obviously trying to bring all readers up to speed, which I appreciate really but it felt a little clumsy. Also I still can't get over how...generic...the Beyonders look. I sort of wish they remained formless/faceless, or energy beings, because ah, giant grey aliens, so boring.

A lot more revelations are happening in the other tie-ins, which adds to the unease that Doom feels here, so in the grand picture, it's fine. As a standalone issue, I felt it was weaker in terms of plot actually happening compared to the previous ones. Still, I'm still much intrigued.

Indeed, agree. A race of being so powerful they can shape worlds and their form is that of little green aliens. The idea of the Beyonders is far more threatening than ever having them in an actual form. Given them form takes from their threat.



My thoughts on the issue are that it was another explanation issue with nothing happening. Sure it explains what happened but that took half the book and the other half was Valeria finding people, people we already know who they are, it's not a mystery to us so why is the writer exploring it as such?

5 issues so far, could have been 2.