In a shock move,Marvel has revealed new seriesBattleworld, putting a new spin on theAvengers’Secret Warsconcept. The series will hurl together fragments of different realities from across the multiverse, creating a new world where heroes and villains are locked in a series of battles for survival.
This series is a major clue as to how the MCU will handle multiple versions of reality smashing together inSecret Wars.
The concept is an echo of 1984’sSecret Wars, wherethe all-powerful Beyonder created a Battleworldas the setting for a contest between Marvel’s heroes and villains, with Doctor Doom accomplishing something similar in 2015’sSecret Warsevent. Now, a new Battleworld has been formed with its own heroes from across Marvel’s past and present comics.
BATTLEWORLD #1 (OF 5)
Cover Artist:
Leinil Francis Yu
SLAY YOUR ENEMIES, PROVE YOUR WORTH AND ALL YOU DESIRE SHALL BE YOURS IN THE WORLD TO COME!
The Battleworld from Secret Wars returns! Heroes from across the Multiverse are thrown together on a patchwork world to engage in their own Secret Wars for the survival of their timelines! Who or what has created this Battleworld, and for what nefarious purpose? Enter Maestro. Is he friend, or foe?
The new series will include multiversal characters including King Thor, the Maestro Hulk and theoriginal Star Brand of theNew Universeimprintfrom 1986. There will also benew versions of Spider-Man, the Wasp and Captain Marvel, many of who can be seen in epic variant covers from Greg Land, Mark Bagley, Ros Reis and a wraparound cover from Nick Bradshaw.
Battleworldwriter Christos Gage reveals some details, including the presence of cosmic villain Korvac…
Battleworld Pits the Multiverse’s Heroes Against a God-Tier Villain
The Ambitious Story Foreshadows the MCU’s Upcoming Secret Wars
In a press release about the new series, writer Christos Gage reveals some details, includingthe presence of cosmic villain Korvac- a longtime foe of the Avengers and Iron Man in particular, who is able to manipulate reality itself. Gage reveals:
When Wil suggested that the fragments of Battleworld could come from different timelines, I jumped at that, because Marvel has so many awesome ones, from Days of Future Past to 2099. Using Hank gave me the idea to build a team of characters with mistakes to atone for or tragedies to overcome, so we added a very young Spider-Man whose guilt over Uncle Ben is as raw as his inexperience; a newly sober Carol Danvers; King Thor, who rules over a dead future Earth; a fugitive Luke Cage, Hero for Hire; Bucky Barnes, fresh from the front lines of WWII; and more. But then, when I thought I was already in nerd heaven, they let me have Star Brand. The ORIGINAL Star Brand, Ken Connell! I still have the entire run of his New Universe comic that I bought personally between 1986 and 1989, so yeah, we’re gonna go a little nuts with this one. I haven’t even mentioned our Big Bad, Korvac, and Hank Pym’s first encounter with Arcade since he kidnapped a bunch of Hank’s Avengers Academy students…
Cover art reveals a combination of old and new characters, including Maestro (the Hulk from a post-apocalyptic future), Days of Future Past Storm (Ororo Munroe from a reality where mutants have been hunted to extinction) and Kushala (a mystic who combines the Sorcerer Supreme powers with those of the Ghost Rider.)There’s also a young Wasp - potentially a version of the MCU’s Hope van Dyne, who doesn’t yet exist in Marvel’s mainstream continuity.Artist Marcus To says:
When Wil approached me about being the artist for Battleworld with Christos Gage, I jumped at the opportunity. As a comic fan growing up, my favorite stories were books like Avengers Forever, Onslaught, Heroes Reborn and others. I was always excited to see all these different heroes and villains share the stage with each other, and I couldn’t wait to draw all these heroes and villains that I have loved reading.
The introduction of a new Battleworld is noteworthy because of the MCU’s upcomingAvengers: Secret Wars. Multiple versions of theSecret Warsstory exist, but each involves the formation of a Battleworld made from shattered pieces of the multiverse. These different worlds create many different terrains for Marvel’s heroes to fight over, packed with unexpected threats, technologies and allies (indeed, visiting Battleworld ishow Spider-Man first encountered the alien Venom.)
This series could be a major clue as to how the movie will handle multiple versions of reality smashing together inSecret Wars, especially since Marvel is enthusiastically bringing fans' attention back to the Battleworld concept - however, fans won’t know the full story until the series arrives this September.
