Now that Marvel has announced an Avengers: Secret Wars film, to be released in May 2026, fans may be wondering what to expect. A good place to start might be the original Secret Wars comics, which were published from 1984 to 1985. At the time, it was one of the first-ever comic book events. Secret Wars was the first time a comic book had a large plot that structurally changed the way that the characters and the universe were perceived. You could think of it as a form of a historical event for the Marvel universe, in a way. It was also the first time that different parts of the Marvel universe such as X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers were seen in the same place at the same time. This allowed for answers to a lot of hypothetical questions such as, “How would Wolverine and Spider-Man interact with one another?” If you are curious to hear what happened when Earth’s mightiest heroes and most devilishly evil villains collide, then join us as we break down the original Secret Wars.
Who Fights in the Secret Wars?
The scene starts with the heroes and villains being transported onto two vessels against their wills. On the vessel with the heroes are notably the Avengers (who at the time were composed of Captain America, Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Thor, the Hulk & the She-Hulk, the Wasp, and Hawkeye), the X-Men (Professor X, Wolverine, Storm, Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Rogue, and Lockheed the Dragon), The Fantastic Four (excluding Invisible Woman), along with Spider-Man. Also included with the heroes is Magneto, which causes a lot of tension throughout the story. Spider-Woman joins the heroes as well, but she is introduced later instead of being on the original transport vessel. On the side of the villains are, notably, Doctor Doom, Ultron, Galactus, and Molecule Man, along with others such as Absorbing Man, Doctor Octopus, the Enchantress, and the Lizard. Two other villains make their first appearance later in this story, Titania and Volcana, and there is the return of Klaw later in the story. Perhaps most important to the film is Kang the Conqueror, as Avengers: The Kang Dynasty is set to be released in May 2025, preceding Secret Wars.
Both vessels are granted a perfect view of a galaxy that seemingly disappears before their eyes. In its place, Battleworld is formed with various pieces of the universe, including Denver, Colorado from Earth, and a proposition is given to a mysterious character referred to as the Beyonder “I am from beyond! Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours! Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!” This offer immediately entices Galactus, who wishes to have their insatiable urge to consume removed, and after the giant being had so easily defeated Ultron (who at the time was seen as very powerful with their impenetrable adamantium body) just moments prior, it came as even more of a shock when he was swatted away with ease. This was the proof of the Beyonder’s power, and it immediately caught the attention of everyone present. Before anything else can be said, the heroes and villains are transported onto the surface of Battleworld, and conflicts begin to arise.
Who Else Shows Up?
Multiple skirmishes arise between the heroes and the villains, including an entire mountain range being placed on top of the heroes which the Hulk holds up just long enough for them to make an escape. Magneto leaves the heroes and is eventually joined by the X-Men, who also decide to remain on their own for the time being. Doctor Doom finds two women who were in Denver when it got transformed into part of Battleworld and grants them powers, turning them into Titania and Volcana in an attempt to bolster the strength of the villains. Also transported to Battleworld via their presence on Denver is Spider-Woman, who joins the heroes. Amongst all the skirmishes, Spider-Man also obtains his symbiote suit for the first time, which would later leave him and attach to Eddie Brock to create Venom.
How Do the Heroes Defeat Doctor Doom and Klaw?
Ultimately, Doctor Doom manages to find a way to siphon Galactus’ powers with the help of Klaw, who Doom found on the ship of Galactus. With the new power, Doctor Doom defeats the Beyonder and takes their power for himself as well. The rest of the villains end up leaving the Battleworld with Denver thanks to the powers of Molecule Man and his realization from Doctor Doom that he can do anything because of his powers. This leaves only the heroes and Doctor Doom on Battleworld, and when they refuse his offer to join him, Doctor Doom completely annihilates the heroes.
At least, that is what he thinks at first. Klaw, now imbued with a piece of the Beyonder, starts to mess with Doctor Doom’s mind and the possibility that he might not have actually killed the heroes if he didn’t truly want them dead. These thoughts agitate Doctor Doom, and eventually, it is revealed that the heroes in fact did survive before being confronted by Captain America. Doctor Doom continuously destroys Captain America, but he keeps being resurrected, either from an outside force or from Doom not actually wanting to kill Captain America. In a moment of vulnerability, the fragment of the Beyonder that lies within Klaw seizes the moment to regain its power, and it sends Doctor Doom and Klaw back to where they came from.
After the departure of Doctor Doom and Klaw, the heroes find that residual energies from the Beyonder have allowed the planet to grant wishes to those with strong enough will. This new power enables Mister Fantastic to create a portal device that would allow everyone to go back home. With that, the original Secret Wars ends, and She-Hulk takes the place of the Thing in The Fantastic Four while he goes on a journey of his own.
How Can the MCU Adapt the Secret Wars Storyline?
It is no secret that Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame were praised as being one of the greatest crossovers in media history, so it is easy to see how excitement is building for a Secret Wars film. The movie could potentially be an even grander version of the MCU’s grand two-part story, with the inclusion of the X-Men and The Fantastic Four. In addition, a faithful adaptation would allow fans to see many popular villains united for the first time. Yes, we’ll have Thunderbolts coming to theaters in 2024 and featuring many of the previous MCU villains. But that doesn’t really count since all the members of the MCU version of the team are more antiheroes and not actual villains.
Unfortunately, Avengers: Secret Wars is unlikely to draw inspiration from the original comic book storyline. First, it seems like the big villain of the MCU’s “Multiversal Saga” is Jonathan Major’s Kang the Conqueror. After being introduced in Loki, Kang’s full might will be unleashed in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. So, it would feel strange if Marvel Studios were to introduce the Beyonder in one of the final movies of Phase 6. Instead, it’s most obvious that the Secret Wars movie will riff on the original idea to make Kang responsible for the multiversal conflict. In addition, there’s just not enough time to introduce the X-Men before the next Avengers crossover films. Besides that, we should expect the heroes to fight other versions of themselves, not only villains, since one of the recurring themes of Phase 4 is facing different versions of yourself. That happened in WandaVision, Loki, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, and Spider-Man: No Way Home.
Infinity War and Endgame were only major hits because Marvel Studios took its sweet time to make sure we cared about each hero and their fate. So, introducing a vast cast of characters last minute just for the sake of sticking close to the comic books sounds like a bad strategy. Instead, Marvel Studios will probably focus on the new cast of heroes introduced in Phase 4, throw some Variants in the mix, and make sure the cinematic version of Battleworld pays proper homage to the classic comic book story without restricting itself to the confines of the original script.
During Phase 5, we should also understand better what is Marvel Studio's goal with the “Multiversal Saga.” Besides properly introducing Kang as the main villain, Phase 5 also focuses on multiple Civil War-like events. For instance, Secret Invasion will follow Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) as he uncovers a conspiracy involving Skrulls posing as other people, possibly even heroes. Then, Armor Wars will deal with the legacy of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and feature multiple MCU heroes. Armor Wars is so big for the MCU future that the TV show has been refurbished into a theatrical movie so fans can watch the crossover on the silver screen.
There’s still a long way before Battleworld, but the pieces of the ultimate superhero war have already started falling into place. Hopefully, Marvel Studios will be able to outdo itself and make the next two-part Avengers story even more memorable than Infinity War and Endgame.