Avengers: Secret Wars Won’t Be Able To Adapt 1 of the Most Important Plot Points from the Comics

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been in a bit of a rut lately. Although there have been some recent highlights in the franchise, it hasn’t been anywhere near as consistent as it once was, and that is a real shame for fans. At its peak, the MCU had some of the best live-action superhero stories in cinematic history, and the fact that it has struggled in recent years to remain as compelling is disappointing.

The future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe arguably rests on the shoulders of the two upcoming Avengers films: Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Hopefully, the two epic event films will be a return to form for the MCU, and the promise of audiences seeing all of their favorite Marvel heroes together on the big screen again is incredibly exciting, but there are still doubts about either Avengers sequel being able to deliver an experience as memorable as what came before in live-action, or even what came in the comic book source material.

The Secret Wars Event Is One of Marvel’s Best in Decades

2015’s Secret Wars Is One of Marvel’s Finest Crossover Books

With so much of the recent Marvel Cinematic Universe output somehow connecting to the concept of the multiverse, many fans knew that Secret Wars was where it was all leading. Even before the titles of the upcoming Avengers movies were announced, comic book readers figured that, if there had to be some sort of epic finale to the ongoing “Multiverse Saga”, then Secret Wars would be the perfect thing. Not to be confused with the 1984 comic book crossover event of the same name, Jonathan Hickman’s 2015 Secret Wars event saw the Marvel multiverse crashing in on itself.

Having led up to this terrifying event for years in previous series, such as Fantastic Four, Avengers, and New Avengers, Hickman was able to craft one of the most shocking, exciting, and emotionally compelling Marvel events in decades. After a series of terrifying “incursions” occur across the multiverse, an infinite number of alternate Earths begin to dwindle.

Finally, the two worlds left standing are the mainline Earth-616 that fans know and love, and the Ultimate Universe on Earth-1610. With so much at stake for each world, comic readers were terrified of what might come to pass with each beloved universe. Eventually, both universes seemingly died, with the heroes of the Marvel multiverse unable to devise a solution to save the dying universe.

Miraculously, Doctor Doom harnessed the power of the Beyonder and utilized the remnants of the dead universes to create Battleworld, a hodgepodge of scattered pieces and characters from across Marvel’s multiversal history. Positioning himself as the God Emperor over all living things, Doctor Doom controlled Battleworld, and despite the fact that it was now the last refuge of life in the universe, he ruled with an iron fist.

With the universe re-shaped in his image, many characters present in Secret Wars didn’t even realize that the world they lived in was wrong until a group of survivors from before the last incursion arrived to challenge Victor. What follows is one of the most emotionally arresting comic book stories in years, and a major part of that is due to the fact that the climax of the book is so deeply rooted in one of Marvel’s greatest rivalries: the antagonistic, competitive relationship between Victor Von Doom and Reed Richards, aka Mister Fantastic of the Fantastic Four.

The Rivalry Between Doom and Reed Richards Is Vital to Marvel Comics

The Doom/Richards Relationship Is the Core of Many Marvel Stories, Secret Wars Included

Doctor Doom is one of Marvel’s greatest villains and arguably one of the best villains in comic book history. Complex, threatening, beautifully designed, and emotionally engaging, Doom has everything a great villain needs, and it’s a real shame that live-action interpretations have repeatedly failed to accurately depict him. Each Fantastic Four live-action film has royally failed to bring Doctor Doom to life in a way that satisfied fans, and each time, many felt he came off as a mediocre, boring villain facing off against a lame team of superheroes. This couldn’t be further from the source material, and it’s a shame that mainstream audiences associate Doctor Doom and the Fantastic Four with mediocrity.

One of the most essential aspects of Doom’s character is his complicated relationship with the Fantastic Four and their leader, Reed Richards. The two powerful characters, who attended the same college as young men and grew into a bitter rivalry, have been locked in an endless battle for decades. Dating back all the way to Fantastic Four #5 in 1962, Doctor Doom’s battles against Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four have resulted in some of the most compelling and fan-favorite comic book stories in Marvel’s entire history. The relationship between Doom and Reed Richards is almost as vital to Marvel as the rivalry between Batman and the Joker in DC Comics.

Their unspoken respect for one another’s intellect is essential to their dynamic, and Doom’s constant attempts to outdo Reed and his family reveal a great deal about his character. Doom is obsessed with himself. He’s a vain, arrogant dictator, and he finds it practically impossible to admit that anyone on Earth could possibly be his better.

Doom is constantly at odds with the Fantastic Four, and even though he’s one of the most dangerous villains in the Marvel Universe, the humanity beneath his steely exterior occasionally shines through. For example, Doom’s relationship with Valeria Richards, the daughter of Reed Richards and Sue Storm, is incredibly interesting, in no small part due to the fact that she is one of the few people he seems to genuinely care for on Earth, even though she’s the child of his greatest enemies.

Avengers: Secret Wars Can’t Possibly Adapt Reed and Doom’s Rivalry Effectively

The MCU Iterations of Each Character Won’t Have Enough Time to Build Up Their Relationship

With over fifty years’ worth of comic book stories to build off of with Reed and Doom’s relationship, 2015’s Secret Wars was able to craft an emotional climax for the bitter rivals. The final few issues contain some of the most powerful character writing in Marvel Comics history, and the way Jonathan Hickman handles the ever-evolving narrative between Reed and Doom is nothing short of masterful. Their relationship is the core of the story, and while almost all the heroes of the Marvel Universe are involved in some way, it’s clearly rooted in the Fantastic Four and their shared history.

The MCU doesn’t have much history with the Fantastic Four or Doctor Doom to draw from, and that makes Avengers: Secret Wars a tough sell for fans of the comics. The MCU has veered far from the source material before without issue, but the impact and importance of Secret Wars, especially its depiction of Doom and Reed, is so central to the Marvel Universe that ignoring it would be hard to justify. A live-action adaptation will likely need to be changed beyond recognition, which is a real shame. The casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom suggests yet another major departure for the character that’s likely different from what comic fans are hoping for.

Together, it’s an indicator that the MCU is once again refusing to embrace the source material, and is instead trying to recreate the cinematic magic of their past by rehashing story beats, bringing back actors who left on high notes, and generating hype for things that weren’t effectively built up in the first place. Secret Wars is one of Marvel’s best events, and the fact that the MCU has chosen to completely disregard one of its core aspects is exceptionally disappointing. It seems like Doctor Doom is once again headed for another mediocre live-action adaptation, and it’s looking more and more likely that he’ll barely even have a connection to Reed Richards and the Fantastic Four.

“}]] Avengers: Secret Wars has many fans excited, but comic book readers are apprehensive about the film’s inability to adapt a key part from the book.  Read More