When Gods Came Calling
In 1984, Marvel Comics changed the superhero landscape forever. Secret Wars wasn't just another crossover — it was the first major company-wide event, a twelve-issue series that brought together virtually every significant Marvel character for a cosmic battle that would reshape the universe. And at the center of it all, seizing an opportunity no one else could see, was Doctor Doom.
The Beyonder's arrival marks the beginning of this saga. An entity of incomprehensible power, the Beyonder plucked heroes and villains from Earth and deposited them on Battleworld, a patchwork planet constructed for his amusement. "Slay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours" — a simple command that set the stage for one of comics' most ambitious stories.
The Event That Changed Comics
Before Secret Wars, crossover events were relatively modest affairs. Characters might guest-star in each other's books, but the idea of a single story spanning multiple titles and requiring readers to follow a central miniseries was revolutionary. Secret Wars established the template that would define superhero comics for decades.
The commercial success was unprecedented. The tie-in toy line from Mattel drove the narrative decisions, but writer Jim Shooter crafted a story that transcended its merchandising origins. The series introduced the black Spider-Man costume (later revealed as the symbiote that would become Venom), reshaped the Fantastic Four, and established Doom as a cosmic-level threat.
For Doom specifically, Secret Wars was transformative. While other villains saw the Beyonder as an obstacle or an enemy, Doom saw opportunity. His plan to steal the Beyonder's power — and his temporary success in doing so — elevated him from a Fantastic Four villain to a universal threat.
The Beyonder: Power Beyond Comprehension
The Beyonder represented something new in Marvel cosmology — an entity from outside the known multiverse, possessing power that dwarfed even cosmic beings like Galactus. His motivations were inscrutable, his methods arbitrary. He created Battleworld on a whim, summoned Earth's mightiest beings for entertainment, and offered ultimate power as a prize.
Most characters reacted to the Beyonder with fear or confusion. They fought the battles he arranged, pursued the goals he set, played the game by his rules. Doom alone looked at this omnipotent being and saw not an insurmountable obstacle but a target. If the Beyonder had power, that power could be taken.
This audacity defines Doom. Where others see limits, he sees challenges. Where others accept the rules of the game, he rewrites them. The Beyonder's arrival wasn't a crisis for Doom — it was the opportunity of a lifetime.
Mike Zeck's Cosmic Vision
Artist Mike Zeck brought Secret Wars to life with artwork that balanced intimate character moments with cosmic spectacle. His Beyonder is appropriately alien and overwhelming, a figure whose very presence distorts the panel around him. The arrival scene captures both the wonder and the terror of encountering something truly beyond human comprehension.
Zeck's Doom throughout the series is particularly memorable. He rendered the character with a sense of coiled potential, always calculating, always planning, even when surrounded by beings of far greater raw power. The artwork conveys Doom's certainty that he belongs among these cosmic players.
MCU: Avengers Secret Wars
The MCU's announced Avengers: Secret Wars will draw from both the 1984 original and the 2015 Jonathan Hickman series. The Beyonder's arrival — or some equivalent cosmic inciting incident — will likely serve as the catalyst for the film's events. This makes material from Secret Wars #1 particularly relevant for collectors.
Robert Downey Jr.'s Doom will presumably play a central role in this adaptation. The original Secret Wars established Doom as the villain who could challenge cosmic entities; the MCU version will need to establish similar credentials. Scenes of Doom confronting or manipulating beings of immense power will be essential.
The "arrival" concept — the moment when ordinary reality gives way to cosmic events — is cinematic gold. The MCU has done arrival scenes before (Thanos in Infinity War, the Celestials in Eternals), but Secret Wars promises something even larger in scale. Source material capturing these moments has obvious adaptation potential.
Collector Investment Thesis
Secret Wars #1 is already a key issue for Marvel collectors. It's the beginning of the event, the first appearance of the Beyonder, and the setup for everything that follows. Any Comic Cut from this issue carries the weight of that significance.
Card #43 specifically captures the cosmic dimension of the story — the moment when ordinary superhero conflicts give way to something larger. For collectors building Secret Wars-themed sets, this card represents the beginning, the inciting incident that makes everything else possible.
With Avengers: Secret Wars in development, demand for 1984 Secret Wars material will likely increase. The film's marketing will inevitably reference the original series, driving new collectors to seek out related items. Early positioning in this material could prove advantageous.