Secret Wars

The series was conceived by Marvel Comics' Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter. In the eleventh issue of the Marvel Age news magazine, published February 1984, a news column announced the series as Cosmic Champions. One month later, the twelfth issue of Marvel Age featured a cover story on the series, now with the revised title of Secret Wars.

Shooter stated:

Kenner had licensed the DC Heroes, and Mattel had He-Man, but wanted to hedge in case superheroes became the next big fad. They were interested in Marvel's characters, but only if we staged a publishing event that would get a lot of attention, and they could build a theme around. Fans, especially young fans often suggested to me "one big story with all the heroes and all the villains in it," so I proposed that.[1]

Shooter further explained Mattel's input for the series:

We went through a number of ideas for names for the toy line and series. Mattel's focus group tests indicated that kids reacted positively to the words 'wars' and 'secret'. Okay.

Mattel had a number of other requirements. Doctor Doom, they said, looked too medieval. His armor would have to be made more high-tech. So would Iron Man’s, because their focus groups indicated that kids reacted positively...etc. Okay.

They also said there had to be new fortresses, vehicles and weapons because they wanted playsets, higher price point merchandise and additional play value. Okay.
When time came to actually do it, I realized that only I could write it.[2]

Crossover titles include The Amazing Spider-Man #251–252,[3] The Avengers #242–243,[4] Captain America #292,[5] The Incredible Hulk #294–295,[6] Iron Man #181–183,[7] The Thing #10–22,[8] Fantastic Four #265,[9] Marvel Team-Up #141,[10] Thor #341 and 383,[11] The Uncanny X-Men #178–181,[12]

The cover of Secret Wars #8, which featured the origin of Spider-Man's black costume. Art by Mike Zeck.

A cosmic entity called the Beyonder observes the mainstream Marvel universe. Fascinated by the presence of superheroes on Earth and their potential, this entity chooses a group of both heroes and supervillains and teleports characters against their will to "Battleworld," a planet created by the Beyonder in a distant galaxy. This world has also been stocked with alien weapons and technology. The Beyonder then declares: "I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all that you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"[13]

The heroes include the Avengers (Captain America, Monica Rambeau, Hawkeye, Iron Man, She-Hulk, Thor and the Wasp); three members of the Fantastic Four (Human Torch, Mister Fantastic and The Thing); solo heroes (Spider-Man, Spider-Woman and the Hulk); and the mutant team X-Men (Colossus, Cyclops, Nightcrawler, Professor X, Rogue, Storm, Wolverine, and Lockheed the Dragon). Magneto is featured as a hero, but immediately becomes non-aligned when the Avengers question his presence. In 2015 Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars revealed that Deadpool was also a chosen hero, but the Wasp accidentally caused the other characters to forget his involvement.

The villains include the Absorbing Man, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Enchantress, Kang the Conqueror, Klaw, Lizard, Molecule Man, Titania, Ultron, Volcana, and the Wrecking Crew. The cosmic entity Galactus also appears as a villain who immediately becomes a non-aligned entity.

The heroes (the X-Men choose to remain a separate unit) and villains have several skirmishes. There are several significant developments in the series: villainesses Titania and Volcana are created;[14] the second Spider-Woman, Julia Carpenter, is introduced;[15] Spider-Man finds and wears the black costume (in the story inspired by Carpenter's costume) for the first time, initially unaware that it is actually an alien symbiote (the symbiote would subsequently bond with journalist Eddie Brock, giving birth to the villain known as Venom);[16][17] Doctor Doom temporarily steals the Beyonder's power;[18] having fallen in love with the alien healer Zsaji (who sacrifices her life on Battleworld to save the heroes), mutant Colossus ends his romantic relationship with a heartbroken Kitty Pryde;[19] and the Thing gains the ability to revert to his original human form at will and chooses to remain behind on Battleworld and explores the galaxy for a year,[20] with She-Hulk temporarily joining the Fantastic Four as his replacement.[21]

The next issues of series tie-ins with Secret Wars open right after the return of the Marvel combatants. Immediate developments include: Thing replaced by She-Hulk in the FF, Spider-Man has a new costume, and Hulk has an injured leg and the savage side is re-emerging (to culminate in a totally animalistic, inarticulate Hulk in #299–300). Readers would have to read Secret Wars through to find what caused these changes.

Secret Wars was a best-seller when it was published in 1984, selling more copies than any other comic in the previous 25 years. While it was a financial success, it was not well received by critics when it was published, being criticized for its uninspired and juvenile content. An announcement of a sequel series, Secret Wars II, from Carol Kalish, Marvel's Direct Sales Manager at the time, was first met with boos. Kalish was even quoted saying, "Let's be honest. Secret Wars was crap, right? But did it sell?"[22]

In 2011, IGN listed Secret Wars as one of the best comic book events. Their writers found the action and goofiness of the story to be enjoyable. They also highlighted the effect it had on the Marvel Universe by introducing the symbiote and new characters.[23] In 2011, Alex Zalben of MTV News ranked Secret Wars as the second biggest comic event ever, after only DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths event. Zalben praised Secret Wars' story and lasting effect on the Marvel universe, as well as honouring the storyline as the "semi-official first Event Comics ever."[24]

One year later, Secret Wars II was published, with the Beyonder visiting Earth and having a tie-in with almost every Marvel comic book written at the time.[25]

Marvel also published a third Secret Wars tale written by Steve Englehart and drawn by Keith Pollard within two issues of the Fantastic Four series (the "Secret Wars III" story in Fantastic Four #318–319 (September–October 1988)).

In 2010, a Marvel Adventures all-ages non-canonical miniseries titled Spider-Man & the Secret Wars was released. It tells the story from Spider-Man's perspective and features major discrepancies with the original event. These tales include him receiving the Beyonder's power and creating "New Parker City", Spider-Man and the Thing spying on Dr. Doom, and a story featuring Spider-Man's suspicions concerning the Hulk. It was released in conjunction with Avengers & The Infinity Gauntlet and Captain America & The Korvac Saga, similar self-contained, all-ages re-imaginations of past events, that appear to take place in their own separate continuities in the standard "Marvel Adventures" manner.[26]

In 2015, as part of the modern day Secret Wars event, Deadpool's Secret Secret Wars was released. This four-issue miniseries retold the events of the original miniseries from Deadpool's point of view and fixed inconsistencies with the original and later events. Among these was the Wasp and Magneto's sudden one-night stand, and the purpose of the Secret Shields from the original toyline. It was ultimately revealed that the Wasp, out of either disgust or regret for seeing Deadpool's cancer-ridden body, accidentally caused everyone to forget his involvement in the storyline, creating the inconsistencies.

The IDW Publishing 6-issue comic miniseries Cartoon Network Super Secret Crisis War featuring various characters from Cartoon Network is a spoof of both Marvel Comics' Secret Wars and DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths with its title taken from those two books.

• Secret Wars at Marvel.com