Secret Wars Omnibus

I had meant to read Secret Wars since elementary school, but I never made it a priority. I owned issue #3 (of 12), and while it seemed interesting, it didn’t blow me away. I figured I’d catch up one day via a trade paperback, but even when a collection was released in the early ’90s, I passed.

Nearly twenty years later, I came across the Secret Wars Marvel Omnibus at a relatively low price. It seemed like a good opportunity to finally read the series—and if I didn’t enjoy it, I could always resell the book on eBay. I went in with low expectations but with genuine curiosity. After all, this was Marvel’s first large-scale crossover event, the blueprint for countless events that followed.

The story centered on a godlike alien known as the Beyonder, who gathered many of Marvel’s heroes and villains on a makeshift planet called Battleworld, assembled from fragments of various other worlds. His goal? To see what happened when they were forced to fight for survival.

ℹ️ Context note: This crossover was created partly to support a toy line deal with Mattel, not Kenner—a direct response to DC Comics’ merchandising success with the Super Powers line. Marvel’s editorial team needed a narrative that could support the toys, and thus, Secret Wars was born. The toy-first influence explains some of the abrupt costume redesigns, like Spider-Man’s black suit and Iron Man’s armor tweak.

Spoiler Warning

If you haven’t read Secret Wars and plan to, consider this a spoiler-filled review from here on.

Although the series featured a large ensemble of Marvel characters, only a few took the spotlight. Doctor Doom was clearly the main character. His arc dominated the story and culminated in an epic (if convoluted) attempt to steal the Beyonder’s power. In many ways, Doom’s story overshadowed the heroes entirely. His philosophical musings and megalomania gave the event some unexpected weight.

A few supporting villains, like Molecule Man, were also given surprising depth. Initially dismissed as a joke, Molecule Man became a central figure by the climax, showcasing both his raw power and deep emotional insecurity. His relationship with Volcana added some grounded, even endearing, human drama amidst the cosmic chaos.

Heroic highlights were more scattered. The Hulk had moments of reluctant nobility, though he battled his own psychological instability. He was portrayed as a mixture of brute and strategist, holding up an entire mountain to save his allies at one point—a feat that’s become iconic in Marvel lore. Meanwhile, Iron Man was actually Jim Rhodes at the time (not Tony Stark), a fact that newer readers might miss. His presence was treated almost as background noise, and the implications of a non-Tony Iron Man on Battleworld were never explored.

The Avengers, X-Men, and villains were awkwardly framed as three competing factions. The Avengers, oddly, treated the X-Men like second-class heroes. This dynamic had potential, but the story never convincingly explored it. Magneto, who straddled the line between hero and villain, was given an ambiguous role. His flirtation with Wasp was bizarre, and his solo subplot felt undercooked, though it hinted at his later evolution into a more complex antihero.

Some character choices were jarring. For example, this story marked the beginning of a rift between Colossus and Kitty Pryde. Colossus arrived on Battleworld missing her deeply, but after being healed by a mysterious village girl transported to the planet, he quickly became infatuated. The comic hinted her powers may have caused this, but his attachment lingered even after her death—ultimately ending his relationship with Kitty and sending both characters into the X-Men’s background for a while.

Other major players—like Spiderman and Wolverine—felt oddly muted. Spider-Man’s most lasting contribution was stumbling upon an alien device that gave him a black suit. While iconic in hindsight, it was introduced almost incidentally. Wolverine, on the other hand, was present for several battles but didn’t get any character development. He was just “the guy with claws” rather than the layered antihero fans would come to love in the decades to follow.

Bonus Content in the Omnibus

Because this was a Marvel Omnibus edition, it included more than the main 12-issue series. One highlight was a later She-Hulk story by Dan Slott, which retconned the backstory of Titania, a villain who appeared out of nowhere in Secret Wars as one of Doctor Doom’s empowered recruits.

Slott revealed that Titania had originated from a suburban Denver neighborhood transported to Battleworld by the Beyonder. This retelling brought genuine emotion and clarity—far more than the original series provided. That a decades-later backup story outshined the event itself says a lot.

The omnibus also includes creator notes, original pencils, and promo artwork that give additional context to the series’ development. Seeing Jim Shooter’s editorial notes and penciler Mike Zeck’s original designs adds depth for anyone interested in Marvel’s editorial process during the 1980s.

Final Thoughts

Secret Wars was followed by a sequel, Secret Wars II, in 1985. It also received an Omnibus edition in 2009. I had no interest in reading it. While the first series had nostalgic appeal and historic value, the storytelling was uneven, and the character work inconsistent.

Still, its influence on comic book publishing can’t be overstated. It helped define the “event” format and paved the way for Infinity Gauntlet, Civil War, House of M, and other crossovers. It also triggered major changes in character arcs—Spider-Man’s black suit, Doom’s power obsession, and the X-Men’s strained ties with the wider Marvel Universe.

For me, the Secret Wars Omnibus was worth a read once—but not a reread. It’s a product of its time: ambitious but flawed, imaginative but rushed. Still, as a historical document of Marvel’s evolution into a multimedia powerhouse, it’s worth examining.

Works Cited

Shooter, Jim. Secret Wars Omnibus. Marvel, 2008.
—. Secret Wars II Omnibus. Marvel, 2009.