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Marvel’s Secret Wars ending explained: What really happened in the Avengers-centric Secret Wars comics

How Marvel’s 1984 and 2015 Secret Wars crossovers ended, and how they changed the Marvel Universe forever

Guides by Joshua Lapin-Bertone, Contributing writer

Published on Fri Jan 16 2026

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The Marvel Universe has had many events, but few have been as consequential as Secret Wars. The original 1984 miniseries was one of Marvel’s first crossover events, setting the template for future storylines. The 2015 event raised the stakes, destroying the Ultimate Universe, making Doctor Doom a god, and reshaping all of reality. It’s not hyperbole to say that the Marvel Universe was changed forever.

Marvel Studios is currently planning its own version of Secret Wars, and if it’s anything like the 1984 or 2015 storyline, the MCU won’t know what hit them. If you’re not familiar with Secret Wars or how it reshaped Marvel, Popverse has you covered. Let’s break down the 1984 and 2015 comics, and how they reshaped Marvel’s future.

What happened in the Secret Wars 1984 ending?

The war between the heroes and villains is never completed, and neither side claims the Beyonder’s great prize. Using some of Battleworld’s scientific equipment, Doctor Doom crafts a machine that helps him steal the Beyonder’s powers, seemingly killing the cosmic being. Molecule Man helps the rest of the villains (except for Klaw and Lizard) return to Earth.

Doom uses his new powers to kill the heroes, but Klaw manipulates his self-doubts, causing him to bring the heroes back. It turns out that the Beyonder had survived Doom’s attack and had hidden himself in Klaw’s mind. Doom loses control over his powers, which return to the Beyonder. The heroes then use Battleworld’s scientific tech to return home, along with the Lizard, who has transformed back into Curt Connors.

Ben Grimm decides to stay behind and find himself. While on Battleworld, Ben is able to transform back to human at will, something he can’t do on Earth, and he wants to get to the bottom of it. She-Hulk takes his place on the Fantastic Four, returning to Earth with the team. Spider-Man takes his new black costume with him, unaware that it’s a living alien symbiote. This would cause him years of grief.

What happened in the Secret Wars 2015 ending?

Secret Wars 2015 ends with Reed Richards confronting Doom, who is now God Emperor Doom, thanks to his omnipotent powers. Molecule Man had been channeling the Beyonder's powers to Doom, but he levels the playing field by cutting Doom off. This allows Doom and Reed to have a brief brawl as equals. Seeing that Reed is a more worthy candidate, Molecule Man gives him the Beyonders powers, ending Doom’s reign over Battleworld.

Battleworld disappears as Reed uses his new powers to restore the multiverse, one world at a time. However, they’re unable to restore Earth-1610, since they can’t undo the Incursion that destroyed that reality. Molecule Man is grateful to Miles Morales for showing him kindness and repays the favor by rewriting history so that Miles and his family were always residents of Earth-616. In reshaping reality, Molecule Man also brings back Miles’s mother, Rio, who had been killed on Earth-1610 years earlier.

Speaking of acts of kindness, when Reed restores the multiverse, he uses his powers to heal the scars on Doom’s face. The entire experience causes Doom to rethink his place in the world and try to be a hero. He even took on the Iron Man mantle for a time, which was explored in the Infamous Iron Man comic series.

What’s the difference between Secret Wars 1984 and Secret Wars 2015?

Secret Wars 1984 is a 12-issue limited series that finds the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe transported to another world, where a cosmic being known as the Beyonder pits them against one another. Secret Wars 2015 is a 9-issue limited series where Doctor Doom remakes reality, positioning himself as a god.

The story of Secret Wars 1984 is self-contained, with the entire narrative told in the 12-issue limited series. In contrast, Secret Wars 2015 has countless tie-in miniseries. This is a perfect example of the differences between how Marvel did events in the 80s compared to the modern era.

Both Secret Wars storylines involve Doctor Doom stealing godlike powers from a being known as the Beyonder. Molecule Man also plays a large role in both stories. Both storylines are also set on a planet called Battleworld (same name, different planets).

How did Secret Wars set up Marvel’s future?

The biggest way Secret Wars set up Marvel’s future was by incorporating the Ultimate Universe characters into the mainstream Marvel Universe. Prior to Secret Wars, the heroes and villains of Earth-1610 lived in their own universe, separated from Marvel’s mainstream Earth-616. Characters like Miles Morales would only team up with Peter Parker during special interdimensional crossovers like Spider-Men. Secret Wars destroyed the Ultimate Universe, with characters like Miles Morales and the Maker becoming permanent 616 residents.

What is the reading order for Secret Wars?

For the 1984 Secret Wars event, simply read Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1-12. While other titles show the aftermath of the event, you just need to read the original miniseries in order to get the complete story.

The 2015 Secret Wars event is a bit trickier, due to its many tie-ins. The main story is told in Secret Wars #1-9, but there are numerous miniseries exploring life on Battleworld, in addition to prologue and epilogue stories in Marvel’s various titles. If you’re just looking to get the basic story, here are the trade paperbacks you should pick up.

Secret Wars 2015 trade paperback order

What is Battleworld?

It depends on which Battleworld you’re talking about.

In Secret Wars 1984, Battleworld was a planet made up of pieces of various other worlds. The cosmic being known as the Beyonder created Battleworld as an arena for Marvel’s heroes and villains to fight one another.

In Secret Wars 2015, Battleworld was a patchwork planet made up of various worlds from Marvel’s multiverse. This version of Battleworld was created by Doctor Doom using powers he had stolen from the Beyonders after all the worlds in the multiverse were destroyed. Doom ruled Battleworld as God Emperor Doom, and the world was divided into different regions, each representing their world in the former multiverse.

Who is the Beyonder?

The Beyonder is a cosmic being who orchestrated the heroes versus villains brawl in the 1984 Secret Wars miniseries. The original Secret Wars presented him as an omnipotent being with nearly infinite powers, but subsequent stories like New Avengers: Illuminati and Secret Wars III play down his power levels. In the 1985 Secret Wars II crossover, the Beyonder took on a human form, which included getting a Michael Jackson-inspired Jheri curl. To this day, the character is still seen with the hairdo, proving that some people never leave the 80s behind, even if they’re a powerful cosmic being.

Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run introduced an entire race of Beyonders, revealing that the Beyonder we met in the original Secret Wars paled in comparison to their powers. These Beyonders are considered some of the most powerful beings in the universe. Doctor Doom was able to kill a group of Beyonders by using Molecule Man as a human bomb. Molecule Man then absorbed their powers and channeled them into Doom, allowing him to become a human god.

Is Secret Wars 1984 canon?

Yes, the events of Secret Wars 1984 are canon. Not only is the original Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars event canon, but the 12-issue limited series had lasting effects on heroes, some of which can still be felt today. When Spider-Man returned from Battleworld, he brought home the alien symbiote that eventually became Venom. The Thing would remain on Battleworld, with She-Hulk replacing him on the Fantastic Four for a time. This caused his girlfriend Alicia, to marry Johnny Storm (it’s complicated), and it was years before everything would go back to “normal.”

What happens to Battleworld at the end of Secret Wars?

In Secret Wars 1984, the heroes leave Battleworld and return to Earth, while the Thing remains behind. Thing spends a few months on Battleworld, trying to figure out why he’s able to change back to Ben Grimm on the planet, while he can’t on Earth. After working through his issues, Ben returns to Earth in The Thing #22 (1984), and Battleworld explodes, presumably because it’s served its purpose.

In Secret Wars 2015, Reed Richards disassembles Battleworld in order to rebuild the multiverse. Reed was able to do this because Molecule Man had temporarily given him extra cosmic powers. Essentially, the patchwork that was Battleworld was unwoven, with the planet’s different regions going back to their respective realities.

How does Doom lose his powers at the end of Secret Wars?

In Secret Wars 1984, Doctor Doom steals the Beyonder’s powers. However, the Beyonder takes control of Klaw’s mind and uses the villain to manipulate Doom, making him doubt himself. This causes Doom to lose control of his powers, which return to the Beyonder.

In Secret Wars 2015 ,Doom loses his godlike powers when Molecule Man stops channeling them into his body. This forces Doom to fight Reed Richards as a mortal, leveling the playing field. Believing Reed to be worthy of the cosmic powers, Molecule Man channels them into his body, and Doom is quickly defeated.

Did Secret Wars 2015 reboot Marvel?

It depends on what you consider a reboot. The 2015 Secret Wars storyline didn’t do a clean reset of the Marvel Universe, but there are some reboot elements. For example, the history of the Marvel Universe was changed so that Ultimate Universe characters like Miles Morales had lived on Earth-616 all along.

Many of Marvel’s titles were relaunched after Secret Wars as part of the All-New, All-Different Marvel publishing initiative. However, these were publishing reboots, rather than continuity reboots. For example, Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 4 continues to build off the plot threads from Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3.

Who fixed the multiverse at the end of Secret Wars?

Reed Richards and Molecule Man fix the multiverse at the end of Secret Wars. Molecule Man uses his powers to channel the cosmic power of the Beyonders into Reed’s body, allowing him to restore the destroyed multiverse, one reality at a time. The Future Foundation (a thinktank of Fantastic Four allies) help, but Reed and Molecule Man do most of the heavy lifting.

What’s Doctor Doom’s role in the Secret Wars comics?

In Secret Wars 1984, Doctor Doom was the leader of the villains, and in the third act, he changed the game by stealing the Beyonder’s omnipotent powers. This allowed him to heal the scars on his face and become the ruler he always longed to be. However, Doom wasn’t able to control the vast powers, and it wasn’t long before he lost control and the powers returned to the Beyonder.

In Secret Wars 2015, Doctor Doom is the big bad, ruling the remade reality as God Emperor Doom. The citizens of Battleworld view Doom as their god, thanks to the omnipotent powers he stole from the Beyonders. As detailed in other sections of this guide, Doom would eventually lose those powers and return to normal. Still, Secret Wars 2015 is considered one of the highest points in Doom’s villainous career.

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Joshua Lapin-Bertone: Joshua is a pop culture writer specializing in comic book media. His work has appeared on the official DC Comics website, the DC Universe subscription service, HBO Max promotional videos, the Batman Universe fansite, and more. In between traveling around the country to cover various comic conventions, Joshua resides in Florida where he binges superhero television and reads obscure comics from yesteryear.