Review: Secret Wars (2015) #4
Previously in Secret Wars #3
Isle of Agamotto
In the Second Offense, Sheriff Strange remains full of surprises. He explains to our surviving heroes the how and why of Battleworld’s existence. Unable to stop the plan The Beyonders had already set in motion to destroy all worlds, they killed them and took on their power to salvage a bit of all the worlds. At the crucial moment, Strange was unwilling to take on the responsibility, so Doom did. For better or worse, he is a god, their creator. Cyclops/Phoenix wonders if Strange’s real responsibility now is to destroy it all to build something better. Strange’s protest is interrupted when the rookie Thor’s hammer glows, alerting them to a problem elsewhere.
Utopolis
Thors fight The Cabal and don’t seem to be doing so well. One leaves to personally alert Doom of the chaos. He projects a vision for Doom to see the fighting for himself. Doom is unconcerned with what he sees and considers it beneath him to get involved. Basically, ain’t nobody got time for that. Susan disagrees, noting the enemies seem to be doing a great job handling the Thors. Doom remains unconvinced, especially when he notes Strange’s arrival on the scene. Susan recalculates and predicts a more favorable outcome, but she still believes there’s something off about all of it. When she spots Reed Richards, she calls out for Victor.
Suddenly, he has time for that.
Doom appears and immediately puts a stop to the fighting. Reed points out how typical it was for Doom to place himself in charge of an entire world, but Doom counters he was their savior. Everyone would have been destroyed - across all worlds - if not for him. Thanos taunts Doom, saying if he’s playing at being a god, he shouldn’t be afraid to just admit it. And admit he does. Quickly and firmly.
“I am God.”
Cyclops/Phoenix has a little something to say about that in the form of molten lava to Doom’s body. Doom recovers quickly and is about to snap Cyclops’ neck.
Strange tells T’Challa he has seen many things he wished he could forget. Then he asks him to remember what he’s about to do. With his arms outstretched, Strange blasts everyone but Doom away.
He explains to his leader he scattered them all over Battleword to avoid more bloodshed. He refuses Doom’s order to bring them back. Then he warns Doom that Reed will eventually figure out Doom took Reed’s life. Doom has had enough. He kills Strange and then stands before the waves of smoke where Strange’s body used to be.
Overall Thoughts:
- Well, all of that escalated quickly as hell. For those of us who hadn’t read any of the comic books which may have led up to Secret Wars, a full explanation of how Doom came to be in charge was appreciated. And it’s interesting that what Doom did could be seen as a mercy… at least if you ask him.
- Is Strange gone for good? We know there are various versions of everyone scattered around this patchwork universe. I wonder if the Strange in Wolverine’s body will ever come into play.
- Have you been reading the tie-ins? If you’re reading ones other than the titles I’m reviewing, I’d love to hear about them. Clearly, I don’t think I’m giving Comixology enough of my money every Wednesday.
- I am dying to know where everyone was sent. Are their memories intact or do we have a situation like what’s going on in Spider-Verse?
