While there are numerous interesting character interactions, primary focus rests on these 5<\/p>\n
- \n
- Captain America and Iron Man<\/li>\n
- Black Panther and Namor<\/li>\n
- Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange<\/li>\n
- Reed Richards and Reed Richards<\/li>\n
- Doctor Doom and Reed Richards<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Captain America and Iron Man<\/h2>\n
It might be more apt to describe this interaction as the love and betrayal between two friends \u2013 Steve Rogers and Tony Stark.\u00a0 Or perhaps it should be thought of as a Civil War redux, in which the core differences in their character forces them into opposite sides of an issue. \u00a0In any event, from the very beginning Hickman hints at the coming conflict between these two \u2013 conflict made much more bitter because of the great friendship they have.<\/p>\n
In Hickman\u2019s own words, put down at the beginning of the Avengers<\/em> series:<\/p>\n
![\"One](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/One-Was-Life-and-One-Was-Death-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nTheir differing ways of facing the incursion threat is what drives them apart.\u00a0 As mentioned earlier, in Part 2 of this review<\/a>, the Illuminati wiped Captain America\u2019s memory of the threat of the incursions when he would not go along with their plan to choose \u2018the lesser evil\u2019.<\/p>\n
Having nothing but bad dreams that hint at his maltreatment at the hands of the Illuminati, Captain America continues to regard Iron Man as a loyal friend up through the end of the Infinity cross-over event.\u00a0 However, the bad dreams eventually become full-fledged memories and the good captain, gathering a host of Avengers he trusts, confronts the eccentric genius with the cover-up<\/p>\n
![\"Cap](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Cap-Remembers.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThis revelation, part of the kick-off of the Original Sin<\/em> cross-over event, \u00a0immediately pits the Avengers against the Illuminati \u2013 friend versus friend \u2013 as both the Avengers<\/em> and New Avengers<\/em> series race to completion.\u00a0 It culminates in a bloody hand-to-hand confrontation to the death between the two in Avengers<\/em> #44, the last of the series.<\/p>\n
Black Panther and Namor<\/h2>\n
While the events between Captain America and Iron Man were running their course in the Avengers, an even more bitter hatred was developing within the Illuminati between the Black Panther and Namor the Sub-Mariner.<\/p>\n
As monarchs of their own empires, one might think that the conflict between T\u2019Challa and Namor only comes about due to Wakanda and Atlantis being on the brink of war<\/p>\n
![\"Wakanda](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Wakanda-and-Atlantis-at-War.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\ndue to the massive tsunami that Namor unleased upon Wakanda<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Namor](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Namor-Floods-Wakanda.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nduring the conflict between the Avengers and the X-Men. \u00a0But no doubt their personalities have a lot to do with it as well.\u00a0 Both are proud men, willful men and it seemed inevitable that they would clash. \u00a0In particular, Hickman portrays Namor as the one member of the Illuminati most willing to end another Earth for the sake of his own.<\/p>\n
Their conflict and the estrangement that it brings to the Illuminati, results in Namor aligning himself with Thanos\u2019 new group the Cabal (more details below), which has no scruples in brutally ending alternate Earths.\u00a0 The sadistic pleasure that the Cabal revels in eventually turns Namor\u2019s stomach and he finally teams up with the Black Panther to provide the crucial distraction that allows Reed Richards to defeat Doctor Doom at the end of Secret Wars<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange<\/h2>\n
The strangest and, perhaps most important inter-character relationship is the unlikely one between Doctor Doom and Doctor Strange.\u00a0 Upon it hinges most of the Secret Wars<\/em> storyline.\u00a0 However, its roots are firmly planted in the events of the New Avengers<\/em>.<\/p>\n
Throughout most the events in Everything Dies<\/em>, the two doctors \u2013 Doom and Strange \u2013 seem to be ill-fit.\u00a0 Doctor Strange was, of course, an original member of the Illuminati, but as the group seemed to be working towards a technological solution to the incursion problem what use did they have for a sorcerer.\u00a0 Likewise, even though Doctor Doom\u2019s home country of Latveria plays host to an incursion site and he, himself, manages to hold off the Mapmakers, he is afforded no role by the Illuminati.As a result, both of them go to extraordinary means to solve the incursion problem.<\/p>\n
The good Doctor Strange finds himself in the curious position of selling his soul for the power needed to stop the incursions once and for all.<\/p>\n
![\"Doc](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Doc-Sells-His-Soul.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDoing so, he then assumes the head of the Black Priests, one of the two groups who destroy worlds to prevent incursions and who were mentioned with fear and awe by Black Swan.<\/p>\n
![\"Black](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Black-Priests.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nDoctor Doom takes a different route to power.\u00a0 Using the physical evidence left behind at the Latverian incursion, Doom pieces together, using some type of spectral analysis, the frequency signature of the Mapmakers.\u00a0 To his surprise, it matches the signature of the Molecule Man (aka Owen Reese), suggesting the two have the same origin. When confronted with this fact, Molecule Man launches them both into a journey through time, space, and the areas outside the multiverse.\u00a0 In the first leg, the Molecule Man brings Doom to moment where the former gains his powers and explains<\/p>\n
![\"Molecule](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Molecule-Copy.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nAs soon as this alternate-universe doppleganger receives his powers, Molecule Man steps forward and murders him.\u00a0 It seems that exact copies of the Molecule Man have been placed in every universe of the multiverse by the Beyonders, the Ivory Kings of Black Swan\u2019s warnings, with the express purpose of ending all existence.<\/p>\n
![\"Beyonders](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Beyonders-Plan.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n
The infinite copies of Owen Reese are a multiversal bomb awaiting detonation.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/The-Beyonders-Plan.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBut Doom is wrong, something did happen when the doppleganger died, although the reader is left to infer this rather than having it spelled-out.\u00a0 When the Molecule Man killed his twin he set in motion the first premature death of a universe and started the incursion process.<\/p>\n
The Molecule Man then brings Doom to the Library of Worlds, a place outside the normal structure of the multiverse.<\/p>\n
![\"Library](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Library-of-Worlds.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Library of Worlds serves as a base of operations where Doom can start his own religion peopled by the Black Swans.\u00a0 They will call him Rabum Alal and they will serve as his hands in killing all the copies of the Molecule Man so as to stop the simultaneous destruction of the multiverse at the hands of the Beyonders.\u00a0 Incidentally, the creation of the Black Swans leads to the creation of the Mapmakers and the Sidera Maris by the Beyonders so that they could determine why their grand experiment was going awry.<\/p>\n
![\"Map](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Map-Makers-Origin.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Black Priests, who are another manifestation of the universe\u2019s\/multiverse\u2019s attempt to prevent disaster are the natural enemies to both the Ivory Kings and Rabum Alal.\u00a0 They eventually find the Library of Worlds<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/The-Priests-Find-the-Library.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nand penetrate it with Doctor Strange leading the way.\u00a0 Unfortunately, it is a trap<\/p>\n
![\"Swans](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Swans-Trap-the-Priests.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nand they are overcome by not having the air they need to articulate their magic words.<\/p>\n
Doom captures Doctor Strange and offers him a chance to help in stopping the Beyonders.\u00a0 Strange agrees and a most unexpected alliance is forged, in which they, along with the Molecule Man succeed in stopping the Beyonders.<\/p>\n
![\"Killing](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Killing-the-Beyonders.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHowever, by this point, the multiverse had been destroyed.\u00a0 Using the powers of the Beyonders, Strange and Doom (a strange doom?) piece together a patchwork-quilt of existence<\/p>\n
![\"Saving](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Saving-Some-of-Whats-Lost.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nthat is latter called Battleworld.<\/p>\n
Reed Richards and Reed Richards<\/h2>\n
Only two life rafts escape the destruction of the multiverse \u2013 one from Earth-616, which is the most familiar of the Marvel Earths, and one from Earth-1610, which was the Ultimate Universe.\u00a0 When Doom and Strange call Battleworld into existence, these vessels are drawn to the only reality available.\u00a0 The life raft from the Earth-616 carried, amongst others, the Black Panther and Reed Richards.\u00a0 The life raft from Earth-1610 carried, amongst others, the Cabal and the Maker.<\/p>\n
The Cabal, a group of multiversal villains under the direction of Thanos, counts Black Swan, Namor, Maximus, members of the Cull Obsidian, and alternate-universe Terrax as its members.\u00a0 The Maker, is an \u2018evil version\u2019 of Reed Richards from the Ultimate Universe.<\/p>\n
Together, both Reed Richards\u2019s seek out Doom\u2019s power source, seeking to dethrone Doom.\u00a0 They find that Molecule Man is that source.<\/p>\n
![\"Molecule](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Molecule-Man-as-a-Battery.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe Maker, being truly made in the image of Machiavelli, betrays Reed in an attempt to wrest all the power for himself.\u00a0 Unfortunately, he didn\u2019t count on Molecule Man\u2019s feelings and he is quickly devoured (literally as a pizza) to satisfy the former\u2019s hunger.<\/p>\n
![\"Maker](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Maker-Pizza.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nReed is now ready for the final showdown.<\/p>\n
Doctor Doom and Reed Richards<\/h2>\n
In the final showdown, Reed confronts the god Doom.\u00a0 Willing to hear Reeds argument that there may be a better way to fix things than backing Doom, Molecule Man is willing to sit back and see who \u2018deserves\u2019 all the power that he holds.\u00a0 Reed and Victor slug it out both physically and mentally.\u00a0 Reed gets the better in this test of wills when he badgers Doom into admitting that he could have done a better job with all the power at his disposal.<\/p>\n
At this point, Owen is convinced that the best person to back is Reed.\u00a0 At this point Battleworld cease to exist and Reed, vested with the power of the Beyonders, sets things right.\u00a0 Using the power from the Molecule Man and the natural ability of his oldest child, Franklin, Reed recreates everything.\u00a0 As explained by Valeria to her mother, Sue Storm,<\/p>\n
![\"Starting](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/Starting-over-with-Owen.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nFranklin (the son) dreams up and shapes each new multiverse and Reed (the father) bestows the power to make the shape a reality and Owen (the spirit) becomes the life of the new world.\u00a0 A truly Trinitarian concept.<\/p>\n
![\"The](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/The-New-Beyonders.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBefore I draw this penultimate installment to a close, I offer the following diagram as an abbreviated attempt to show the major players in the Everything Dies<\/em> storyline.<\/p>\n
![\"Everything](\"http:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Everything-Dies-Friends-and-Enemies-1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\nNext week, I’ll finish up with a discussion about what worked and what didn’t in Hickman’s epic.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Last week\u2019s installment covered the Universe\u2019s response to impending doom: the mounting of an assault on the Earth, which is the fulcrum between survival and Armageddon.\u00a0 Several new groups were… Read more ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=773"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":793,"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/773\/revisions\/793"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=773"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=773"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aboutcomics.blogwyrm.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=773"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}