ULTRON versus THE VILLAINS

The War Begins (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1 When: May 1984 Why: Jim Shooter How: Michael Zeck

The Story So Far...
In a distant corner of space comes the existence of a sophisticated station suddenly populated with the confused ranks of many of Earth's mightiest heroes!

Abducted by an unknown force -- these Avengers, X-Men, and more await the intentions of their unseen captor, with little understanding, or influence, over their impending fate.

Amidst the assembly Captain America spies a second construct floating in the starry void above. The probing mind of Professor X finds a repellent aura of evil as he detects an identical predicament shared by some of their deadliest adversaries. As a galaxy is wiped away, and a new planet begins to form before awestruck eyes -- the villains begin to stir!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Galactus 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Galactus 7 (Omniscient)
Speed: Lizard 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Galactus 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Lizard 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: The Wrecker 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Galactus 7 (Cosmic Power)
Total: Galactus 34 (Super)

The Beyonder may have distributed everyone into two camps, but if you expected the first blows of the Secret Wars to come between good and evil -- you were wrong! Ultron has no interest in forming alliances with any organic lifeforms!

The other villains are: Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, Kang The Conqueror, Enchantress, Absorbing Man, The Wrecker, Piledriver, Thunderball, Bulldozer, Lizard, and Molecule Man, with Galactus.

Ultron has a fusion reactor core powering his movements, capable of dishing out some serious firepower as well, with a composite adamantium hardshell durable enough to withstand a collision with The Thing!

Ultron is clearly a serious threat, but if The Wrecker and his Crew were to apply themselves -- they could probably pin Ultron down long enough to do some real damage. Throw in the Absorbing Man, able to copy Ultron's adamantium body for himself, and you've got a magically powered five-man trash compactor!

In the event the muscle needs a little direction, there's plenty of genius to go around. Doctor Doom is the obvious alpha in the group, but Enchantress is no stranger to directing or manipulating powerhouses into doing her bidding.

Kang The Conqueror has the resources and nous to potentially take on the Ultron problem alone, but that's no guarantee. Molecule Man is perhaps the best suited for that -- his ability to control things on a molecular level makes him nigh omnipotent. The only problem is a reluctance to use his awesome powers after repenting for a history of villainy with committed psychotherapy.

Doctor Octopus and Lizard are apex predators in their own environment, but here they may be the most vulnerable to Ultron's attack. Still, you'd like to think they're wily enough to join the other ranks -- provided they don't all turn on each other. Let's see exactly how it went!

The Tape: The Villains Ranking: Doctor Doom (#88)

What Went Down...

An incredible cosmic dance draws the eyes of the villainous collective upward as pieces of disparate land converge to form a new planet overhead. It's enough to leave Doctor Doom awestruck, but not all company is as unwaveringly focused.

Doctor Octopus doesn't take kindly to being jostled by the burly Absorbing Man.

The pair trade verbal barbs until suddenly -- a blast of energy engulfs them both!

Ultron simmers with power -- and the nearest thing approximating disdain -- as his robotic circuits struggle to make sense of his apparent reconstruction, and presence on the mysterious ship. From confusion defers basic function:

"I am Ultron! I do not understand the events transpiring! I do not understand how I came to be resurrected... Nor how I came to be here! Nothing computes... Insignificant! I am Ultron! My purpose is to slay that which lives. You are all living things, ergo -- Ultron must destroy you!"

Ultron takes flight and fires beams that narrowly miss Piledriver, Molecule Man, Kang, and Doctor Octopus -- but this time Absorbing Man is ready. He receives the energy and instantly nullifies its effects by assuming its properties!

The gambit inspires Doctor Doom to action, if not tactic, as he recognizes the potential threat of Ultron's adamantium body and fusion reactor.

The monarch lays his gauntlets on Molecule Man, grabbing him by his shirt to compel him to use his powers to stop Ultron. Alas, timid Owen Reece is just as overwhelmed as the robot, and reverts to a vow of abstinence made with his therapist. In a remarkable show of Molecule Man's power -- Doom compromises!

Determined to stop Ultron, but accepting Molecule Man's reluctance to harm anyone -- Doom offers an alternative minor act of mischief to Reece, which could make use of the unfathomable cosmic might at Galactus' disposal instead.

As Ultron's blasts explode between The Wrecking Crew and Enchantress; Molecule Man takes control of the subatomic make-up of the robot -- and sends him hurtling into the massive legs of Galactus!

For the first time since their arrival, The Devourer of Worlds pays notice to the tiny mortals scurrying around his feet.

Ultron begins to levitate by means other than his own, but continues to brandish his adamantium body and energy blasts in contempt for all that lives.

He sees Galactus as just another organic sentience to extinguish, perhaps failing to comprehend the forces that now control him.

Galactus gazes silently at the murderous robot as it floats to meet his eyeline.

Ultron dares to threaten The Devourer with a slow death for his affront.

The extinguishing of Ultron's flame takes a mere blinding moment as Galactus drains the robot's fusion reactor of all traces of energy without a word or gesture. A lifetime's supply of power gone in an instant -- a mere snack between the thumb and forefinger of a being beyond true comprehension!

The Hammer...

Just like that the first shots of the Secret Wars are fired -- but they aren't across enemy lines of good and evil!

There are essentially two sides to this conflict, with a faction or two forming somewhere in between, but it's the bad guys who are the first to fracture. A nice little bit of character detail that establishes the stakes, the scale of power that's in play, and gets us a taste of the action while introducing some of the stacked side of villainy.

It would've been so easy to have Ultron simply fall in line with the other bad guys, or undergo some sort of reprogramming from the outset, but instead we get the unadulterated joy of a homicidal robot immediately intent on extinguishing all organic life -- no matter how grand and beyond its reach it actually is! Bliss!

Ultron-10 was destroyed by Machine Man, The Thing, and Jocasta a couple of years prior in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One #93, contributing to the confusion of a tenth reconstruction in Secret Wars.

I guess The Beyonder is an Avengers fan who saw fit to bring Ultron back along with all the other popular toys. Doctor Doom will reprogram the defeated robot in the next issue, rebooting him for more play, but if you only knew the original twelve-part maxi-series as a tie-in ostensibly meant to sell action figures, you would've been surprised that an Ultron toy was never actually produced.

It's perhaps then doubly surprising that Galactus is ultimately the one to take Ultron down in the first real fight of the series.

The Devourer of Worlds is no stranger to conflict, but he isn't exactly known for trading blows with the rank and file, and also doesn't appear in the Mattel action figure line. The mark of a toymaker's unfulfilled aspirations -- or fanboy-turned-EIC Jim Shooter demanding a standard of quality for tie-in comics that would meet comic book readers' expectations beyond promotional consideration?

A few lines have attempted Galactus toys in the decades since Secret Wars, with Heroclix notably having the benefit of a small scale to work with, but it's only in the last couple of years that Marvel Legends has delivered the 32" tall Galactus action figure of our dreams. Standard 6" heralds fit in the palm of his hand. Not bad for $400 as a 2021 HasLabs backer, but undoubtedly a tough sell in 1984.

So if Galactus isn't in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars to be a deluxe playset, or towering lump of plastic sold through the Seers catalogue -- why is he here?

His concerns are typically much loftier than the mere mortals assembled to be bashed together in the hands of children, but I suppose if you asked me to name my most desired villains of the time, Galactus would probably be in the list, somewhere along with various other Fantastic Four opponents.

Galactus lends star-power and a sense of cosmic grandeur to the whole event, demonstrating just how high a level The Beyonder must be working on.

I suppose there's also an underlying potential for a ticking clock. Eventually Galactus will have to feed, and the composite planet created to host everyone is pretty much the only bar & grill that seems to be open in this corner of the universe. Existential drama only Galactus can provide in backdrop to a superhero war.

As for this battle: Galactus is clearly the winner, but could this result have been achieved without the involvement of Doctor Doom and Molecule Man?

The short answer is no -- but after careful deliberation, I've determined their actions, though vital, still only constitute a minor gesture: an assist.

Once his initial hopes to use Molecule Man's powers to end the fight are dashed, Doctor Doom conceives a plan to essentially gain Galactus' attention and pass the problem on to him. By throwing Ultron at the cosmic giant, Molecule Man merely triggers Galactus' entry into the fight, and the result is rendered from there.

We should also note that Thunderball and Bulldozer don't appear in this sequence until the fight is over, and Ultron's lifeless husk crashes back to the ground. The Lizard isn't even seen post-introductions until a vague group shot a couple pages after this. Characters clearly present will receive an assist stat for drawing fire, but it's unclear if these three even stuck around for the fight. We might infer Lizard ran and hid. For that reason I've omitted them from the minor count.

This was the very first fight, but we already opened the door last year with Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #3. I'm hoping we'll be able to continue working through the series in a linear fashion, taking in some of the interesting match-ups that come about, and tracking the progress of characters like Molecule Man, and newcomers Titania & Volcana.

You can catch all of that, and more, by following links throughout this post, or by plunging into unending secret wars of the Secret Archive! That's where all you desire is indexed in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 700 battles and ranked more than 1,000 iconic characters! You can make sure there are many more to come by becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you for your patronage you'll find additional updates and multiple tiers to sponsor more feature content.

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Winner: Galactus (w/ Molecule Man & Doctor Doom)
#128 (+246) Galactus
#640 (new) Molecule Man [+1 assist]
#88 (--) Doctor Doom [+1 assist]
#374 (+20) The Wrecker [+1 assist]
#375 (+22) Piledriver [+1 assist]
#376 (+44) Kang The Conqueror [+1 assist]
#641 (new) Amora the Enchantress [+1 assist]
#670 (+315) Absorbing Man [+1 assist]
#988 (-2) Doctor Octopus [+1 assist]
#381 (-146) Ultron

HAWKEYE & SANDMAN versus DOCTOR OCTOPUS & MADAME MENACE

Even an Octopus Needs Arms (Marvel)
Where: Solo Avengers #17 When: April 1989 Why: Tom DeFalco & Ralph Macchio How: Al Milgrom & Don Heck

The Story So Far...
An anonymous tip to Avengers HQ brings Hawkeye to a late night rendezvous in a Los Angeles waterfront warehouse.

From the shadows of the rafters overhead he spies the trappings of an illegal hi-tech arms deal, but fails to notice the hulking presence lurking up behind him! Lucky for him it's just the one who called it in -- The Sandman! 

Unsure of his status as a reserve Avenger, Sandman summoned fellow ex-con Hawkeye in the hopes he could get a helping hand taking down Madame Menace while on mission for Silver Sable. Hawkeye's none too happy to do the job of a mercenary, but with a high-profile buyer entering the picture these Avengers must assemble to thwart the exchange!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Sandman 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Doctor Octopus 5 (Professor)
Speed: Hawkeye 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Sandman 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Sandman 7 (Unlimited)
Fighting: Hawkeye 4 (Trained)
Energy: Hawkeye 4 (Arsenal)
Total: Sandman 26 (Metahuman)

Hawkeye and Sandman might seem like an unlikely team-up, but in 1989 the Spider-Man villain had put petty crime behind him to work as a member of Silver Sable's altruistic mercenary group, The Wild Pack, while also earning reservist status with The Avengers. Quite a turnaround!

William Baker's ability to shift his body from a state of rock-hard compressed sand, to a trail of fine granules, makes him a powerful and versatile ally -- but it's also his past affiliations with the Sinister Six and Frightful Four that gives him unique intelligence insights into the criminal fraternity.

Sandman is certainly no stranger to Doctor Octopus: the "Master Planner" who recruited him into the original lineup of the Sinister Six.

Doc Ock can usually count on outsmarting or manipulating a heavy like Sandman, but the focused power behind his electronic octo-arms, which've been known to smack around the Hulk, won't do him much good punching through fine sand!

The brilliant mind of Otto Octavius is certainly ingenious enough to devise other means of disrupting Sandman's unique physical composition. We saw his arsenal of machines reach an apex in Amazing Spider-Man #600, but that was after a total loss of mobility. Traditionally he seems to travel light, which is one reason he's out shopping for weapons designed by the equally brilliant Madame Menace.

Menace, aka; Sunset Bain, is a genius with special acumen for advanced machine engineering. As founder of Baintronics Incorporated, she was a rival and former flame for Tony Stark, who also used her unique electro-magnet tech and sonic disrupter cannon in pursuit of Machine Man and Jocasta.

Hawkeye might not be able to match today's opponents in invention, but he does have a quiver of trick arrows packed with his own high frequency sonic emitters, and various other useful devices for disrupting the designs of evil-doers.

We haven't profiled Hawkeye as much as we should, but we've seen him draw his bow against the likes of USAgent in Invaders #0, The Destroyer in Thor (Vol.2) #1, Hulk in Avengers (Vol.2) #4, and even Galactus in What If...? #70!

He and Sandman have teamed up prior to today's battle, but it's anyone's guess if they'll be able to stay on the same page long enough to beat a duo as dastardly as Doctor Octopus and Madame Menace! Let's get into it!

The Tape: Sandman & Hawkeye Ranking: Hawkeye (#156)

What Went Down...

Signaled with a single beam of light: a helicopter touches down on the docks to produce a sturdy figure hidden beneath a hat and trench coat.

The mysteryman strides into the waterfront warehouse carrying a briefcase filled with payment for a shipment of Madame Menace's finest state-of-the-art arms -- even though he's secretly packing four deadly hi-tech arms beneath his coat.

Watching from the rafters overhead, Sandman informs Hawkeye that he's only been ordered by Silver Sable to take out the seller -- which lights a fire under the Avenger, who draws his bow and gets to work firing on buyer & seller both!

Henchmen representing both parties point their pistols skyward and send a volley of bullets and energy blasts in the heroes' direction!

Hawkeye quickly drops clear of the fray and lets Sandman harmlessly absorb their blasts. Sandman extends his torso to send himself streaming toward the lower levels like a massive rock-hard piledriver!

The impact of a compressed column of sand making touchdown topples Madame Menace's masked minions with a mighty tremor!

The unexpected appearance of an old ally is enough to raise the ire of Otto Octavius, who rips away his trench coat disguise to reveal the telescopic arms of Doctor Octopus!

Hawkeye rides a zip line straight through a pack of heavily armed mooks, giving them the broadside of the bottom of his boots as he touches down and runs through a brief mental recap of Avengers files on Doc Ock.

The archer tries his luck with a double shot at the buyer, but Doctor Octopus has arms to spare -- catching one arrow with a mechanical claw, while blocking an exploding variety with two of his other arms crossed over.

Meanwhile, Sandman finds himself under assault from high-tech sonic disruptors that fire from a caterpillar cannon tank, and a handgun wielded by its driver.

The blasts punch right through his chest, but Sandman fans his particles even more broadly to wash his attackers away with a tidal wave of sand!

As quickly as he dissipates Sandman pulls his particles back together, forming a tightly compressed, gigantic hammer-fist that smashes through the cannon barrel to sheer its gunhead off and leave twisted metal in its wake!

Hawkeye calls for a few "pailfulls of yourself" from his powerful ally, but Sandman is sticking strictly to Silver Sable's orders. He's just here for the seller and that means the archer is on his own, desperately leaping clear of Doc Ock's tentacles!

Madame Menace is more willing to get involved, joining her minions to surround Sandman with advanced turning fork guns that send a powerful high pitched frequency resonating through his particles -- and the ears of all who hear it!

A recent bout of hearing loss gives Hawkeye an unexpected edge. He deactivates the hearing aids in his cowl and holds his nerve long enough to draw his bow and shoot the sonic weapons out of enemy hands!

The distraction gives Doc Ock the opening he needs to sneak up on Hawkeye with his long reaching tentacles!

The archer is helpless as he's yanked into the air by the telescopic metal limbs, but this time his cries for assistance won't fall on deaf ears!

Sandman pulls himself together and steps up to repay his Avengers ally for the earlier save. He hoists the tank over his head and dares Doctor Octopus to use his extra arms to play a little catch!

Doc Ock has no choice but to drop the archer and take evasive action, raising himself as the massive machine flies dangerously past to crash through the warehouse wall!

Madame Menace calls the operation untenable and invites Doctor Octopus to reconvene at another time. The buyer agrees, joining her in a hasty exit through the damaged wall -- but Sandman isn't letting them off the hook that easy!

Madame Menace gets airborne with a jet pack and summons some more hi-tech support, this time in the form of a massive flying mechanical hand that smashes through Sandman's body right as he's about to capture her!

Sandman will pull himself back together, but the delay is enough to give Madame Menace free passage to the night sky.

Hawkeye hopes to prevent the same exit for Doctor Octopus, who scrambles to his descending helicopter on extended octo-arms.

With a daring leap from the warehouse roof -- the archer catches the end of one of Doc Ock's arms, but it's a futile effort. Already latched on to the helicopter with two of his arms, the Doctor uses his free tentacle to swat Hawkeye loose.

The blow sends Hawkeye into a plunging freefall, but Sandman has his back once again, launching into a geyser of sand that catches the Avenger and brings him safely back down to the docks.

The Hammer...

Sandman and Hawkeye may have managed to drive Madame Menace and Doctor Octopus into a hasty retreat, but both sides got their licks in right to the finish, leaving us with no conclusive winners.

Of course, Sandman lays the blame for failing to complete his mission on Hawkeye, who he insists is also working for Silver Sable. A fun little callback to prior team-ups in Solo Avengers #3, and #6-7, in terms the Avenger strenuously objects to.

Truth be told, it might not have been such a bad idea for Hawkeye to join up with The Wild Pack eventually. He would've lent a little extra star-power to the group when they got their own series in 1992, freshening up his own circumstances after Solo Avengers had become Avengers Spotlight, and run its course with other characters in '91.

Solo Avengers had basically functioned as a Hawkeye version of Marvel Team-Up, but by having two feature stories you also got some other interesting Avengers tangents, starring Black Widow, Falcon, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, and more.

Hawk' has a fun, bantering dynamic with Sandman, whose good-natured belief he shares a bond of brotherhood with his fellow ex-con provides just the right amount of common ground, with odd couple friction.

For Hawkeye, his early days on the wrong side of the law are a long and distant memory, and while he'd probably rather not have Sandman palling around, he just can't turn his back on the Avengers reservist, who could clearly benefit from a little guidance in his venture into heroic redemption. Or at least his intel.

Sandman has a long and tenured heart of gold, but he'll inevitably slip back into causing trouble for Spider-Man and friends on the wrong side of the law.

He and Hawkeye never quite stoke up a lasting relationship, but they did eventually collaborate again when Hawkeye recruited him for a two-issue team-up with his band of former-villains in Thunderbolts #40. Another example of utilizing Sandman for information, and a nice nod to shared history from writer Fabian Nicieza, even if he couldn't make it a permanent fixture.

Longtime readers know these are the interesting little connections I enjoy. Asides that make a series like Solo Avengers a whole lot of fun by taking full advantage of a chance to spotlight an unusual team-up, irregular foes, or in this case: both.

Today's feature fight has been on my desk for a long time, and the convergence of the live-action Disney+ series, Hawkeye, with the theatrical release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, has made it the perfect time to finally take a look!

I've really been wanting to expand the Doc Ock file for quite some time. Although I enjoyed the experimental development of Amazing Spider-Man #600 - what we really need to examine is more of the classics! This was a good start, but hopefully we'll find time to explore Otto Octavius with a bit more focus.

I also wouldn't mind coming back to Madame Menace. She isn't one of the first Marvel Comics combatants you might think of, but she's had some interesting exploits over the years. This is her rankings debut, but if you'd like to find future entries, or more from any characters featured, follow links throughout this post.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 650 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! You can discover them all by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue!

Help make the continued growth of the project possible by becoming a supporter on Patreon. As a thank you you'll unlock access to additional updates, polls, and customizable feature articles at the higher levels.

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Winners: Inconclusive (Draw)
#156 (--) Hawkeye
#428 (+3) Sandman
#479 (new) Madame Menace
#967 (+5) Doctor Octopus

SPIDER-MAN versus DOCTOR OCTOPUS
Last Legs (Marvel)
Where: Amazing Spider-man #600 When: September 2009 Why: Dan Slott How: John Romita Jr

The Story So Far...
As one of the longest standing villains in Spider-man's list of lethal foes; Doctor Octopus has been a man fighting well above his weight for a long time. With his only noteable superpower being a harness of four tentacles under his mental control, spiralling battles with the likes of Captain America, Daredevil, Hulk, and rival villains in the super-powered criminal fraternity, have taken their toll on his far too human body.

Compounded by the absorbed radiation that first fused the trademark tentacle harness to his body and mind, Dr. Otto Octavius's physical condition has become irreversably degenerative as a result of the many punishments his body has been forced to endure during his life of crime. Conventional medicine rates his future unlikely to exceed a modest eighteen months, inspiring in the Doctor renewed urgency to right the wrongs of his past in a final gesture of scientific brilliance.

With a network of cybernetics, slave drones, and vast upgrades to his tentacle harness technology sustaining his decrepit form -- Doctor Octopus has become more machine than man, able to reach out into the world through it's many dependencies on technology in everyday life. Projecting a digital version of his former self, he promises New York City the utopia of an infrastructure entirely governed by his unparalleled brilliance. Alas; throughout the city, his underlying resentment for former flame May Parker's pending wedding, and Spider-man's lingering presence, result in his subconscious lashing out through the city. Doc Ock's octo-bots kidnapped the groom to be, J. Jonah Jameson, as well as the budding young women investigating his disappearance, cop Carlie Cooper and Front Line investigative journalist, Norah Winters.

With the Secret Avengers protecting people on the streets, and the Human Torch tagging along to lend support; Spidey leaps into battle against his arch-nemesis once more, unaware of the strange new Doc Ock that waits him. A cyber-organic nightmare whose autonomous "octo-bots" have taken three of Peter Parker's closet friends hostage -- and will stop at nothing to destroy Spider-man!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Spider-man 5 (Superhuman)
Intelligence: Dr. Octopus 5 (Professor)
Speed: Spider-man 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Spider-man 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting: Spider-man 3 (Street Wise)
Energy: Spider-man 2 (Projectiles)


- A bite from a radioactive spider should have killed high school nerd, Peter Parker, but would instead irradiate his blood, granting him the extraordinary powers of an arachnid! After turning his unique abilities to a life of profit and celebrity, Peter was inspired to use his gifts for good when his decision to selfishly allow a burglar to escape him led to the murder of his adoptive parent and uncle, Ben Parker. Ben's sage-like mantra, "with great power comes great responsibility", becomes the inspiration for the hero of the everyman - the Amazing Spider-man!

Over the years, Spidey's exploits have earned him a multitude of powerful enemies. Among his most lethal foes are: Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, Vulture, Chameleon, Kingpin, Jackal, Kraven the Hunter, Venom, Carnage, Sandman, Rhino, Lizard, Electro, and many more. Fortunately for Spidey, he finds himself in good stead with as many heroes as he does villains, eventuating in official membership with Captain America's Avengers, later known as the Secret Avengers.

Spider-man possesses the proportional strength, speed, and agility of a spider. Adding to his arsenal is a precognitive spider-sense that warns him of pending danger. Self-made mechanical webshooters round out Spidey's abilities, allowing him to ensnare opponents in a variety of modes; travel through the city by web-line; and form basic constructs based on the available quantities of his own formula of web-fluid.

- The product of a childhood of schoolyard taunting and abuse from his father, Otto Octavius was inspired at his mother's behest to sharpen a brilliant mind as his ultimate weapon against a harsh world. Expert in the fields of nuclear physics, technical engineering, and atomic science; Octavius served as a university lecturer, whilst being best noted for his invention of a mechanical harness that allowed for the safe handling of radiocative elements in his scientific experiments.

Octavius would forever be changed when a lab accident fused the four-armed harness to his body, pushing his brilliant mind to the breaking point, and into a life of crime. As Dr. Octopus, he unwittingly becomes the arch-nemesis of one of his students, Peter Parker, who is better known to the world as the spectacular Spider-man. The bitter feud eventuating between the two funded much of "Doc Ock"'s early attacks against New York City, eventually leading to his official entry into the world of organized crime in Manhattan's underworld. While a telepathic link developed between he and his four metallic tentacles grants him the power necessary to tackle super-powered foes -- thanks to their adamantium make-up and various upgrades -- it is arguably his brilliant mind that remains his greatest power, however twisted and immoral it might have become.

Math: Spider-man Ranking: Spider-man (#2)

What Went Down...
Having had the destructive potential of an entire city to contend with, it's with help from the Human Torch and Reed Richards' technology that Spider-man takes the fight to the man responsible -- Doctor Octopus! Their feud seems set to come full circle as a phone trace on Spidey's kidnapped friends leads him to the place where it all began, the secret base where Doc Ock first met him!

Following the signal, the two heroes are surprised by an attack from the very hostages they'd hoped to rescue! Tied-up and ensnared within duplicates of Doc Ock's harness -- J. Jonah Jameson Sr, Carlie Cooper, and Norah Winters become weapons almost as deadly as the Doctor himself! Fortunately, the duo make light work of the "octo-suits" when, after a few evasive manouevers and impromptu weldings, Spider-man discovers their easily destroyed power source on the back!

Incapacitated, the trio are rescued and released, surrendered to the safety of the Human Torch while Spider-man travels ahead toward a confrontation with his old nemesis -- over confident in the thought that he is an unimpressive "tubby guy in glasses with four metal pipe-cleaners." An insult that inspires the Doctor in his newly empowered resistance to the wisecracking wallcrawler!

Thus, when Spidey sneaks up on the Doctor in the monitoring room of his lair, the silhouette Spider-man leaps at is not an all-too easily subdued Doctor Octopus, but rather a cunning decoy comprised of hundreds of the Doc's tiny octo-bots!

The gambit leaves Spidey wide-open to a sneak attack of the Doc's prescription!
Metallic tentacles smash and toss, rendering the danger-warning tingle of spidey-sense moot, Spidey's body limp and vulnerable to the four-pronged grappling of Doc Ock's deadly tentacles. With an arm clamping Spider-man's throat, wrists, and ankles, the hero notes the numerical imbalance of the good Doctor's new look. It is invitation for clarification from the reborn Dr. Octopus -- a declaration that reaffirms the importance of his mind and it's power over his form and the form of the entire city.

Doc Ock tosses Spidey into the surrounding machinery, only to have the techno-debris hurled back at him with the confronting fact of his "city of the future" and the destructive influence his electronic subconsciousness has had. It is a truth the frail villain is not ready to hear -- provoking the continuation of the physical confrontation!

The proportionate strength, speed and agility of a spider comes into play as Spidey evades Doc Ock's strikes and crawls through the HQ infrastructure, forcing Dr. Octopus to apply his eight super-strong arms to protecting him from the implosive destruction of his hideout! The act buys Spidey time to access Doc Ock's neuro-interface, allowing him to apply the power of his brain to the battle.

Jakked in via the direct interface helmet, Spidey challenges the influence of Doc Ock's will, interrupting even the villain's control over his own tentacle arms. He desperately clings to focus, fighting to save his twisted vision of a perfect world and a legacy that will see him remembered as something more than the crippled punching bag for greater men than he. As it had been in his life as a crook, his will proves too weak to beat his nemesis.

Defeated, Doctor Octopus crumples like a dying spider, his metallic arms frozen in a twisted shamble. His useless body slumps as his mind reveals a similar frailty, his dreams shattered like the bones in his body. It is in contrast to the message broadcast through the infinite web by a triumphant Spider-man.

In his moment, Spider-man is steadfast in his dedication to justice, bordering on callousness. He brushes off the Doctor's feeble mutterings about his impending mortality, promising a twilight in imprisonment. It is a fate unacceptable to Doc Ock and his remotely controlled octo-bots. The tiny machines flood into the partially collapsed hideout, engulfing Spider-man in black, whilst stealing their defeated inventor away into a trapdoor escape hatch in the floor.

With Spidey engulfed in techno turmoil, the Human Torch returns to make an amazing eleventh hour save! His flames burn away the torrent of tiny hi-tech terrors in the nick of time. The city and Spidey are saved.

The Hammer...
Ladies and gentlemen, I am very pleased to give you the exciting victory by Spider-man over Dr. Octopus in this titanic anniversary issue struggle between! There are many reasons to feel joyous about this declaration, not the least of which is the overdue personalized introduction of Doc Ock into the Infinite Wars rankings!

Enthusiastic readers will know Doc Ock currently holds ranking on the site via twin appearances in the Marvel Zombies series, but this is the first true blue appearance of the villain -- one of Spidey's most significant arch-nemesis.
It's a moment of dual significance, given that this was also the big return of the villain to the pages of Amazing after an extended absence. It's the first of what promises to be many classic returns, which as we've seen, might not necessarily be as simple as bringing back an old favourite.

When absorbing this seemingly radical recreation of a classic foe, it's difficult to ignore the recent memory of his apparent death. Doc Ock was a casualty of the infamous mid-nineties Clone Saga, claimed by the violent imperfect Peter Parker clone known as Kaine, only to be resurrected by The Hand in a later, unrelated story. The death, interestingly enough, gave us a female version of the villain, whose plotlines became wrapped up entirely in the prospects of a digital virtual reality, which is an end this new Octopus reinvention might very well lead to.

That possible future weighs heavily on this issue, juxtaposing the fact that the character is given a death sentence as motivation for his rebirth. The ending points in no uncertain terms to another terrible return for the character, who, admittedly, is only dying under the terms of a vague explanation, as opposed to the hard-and-fast death he suffered in the nineties.

This question of causality obviously goes far and beyond one simple character, the predicament of corporate franchise characters in general. If this were to be a lasting change for Doc Ock, one that leads to his eventual permanent death, it would be all the more exciting, I think. In some ways, it would set things right, depending on your view on death in superhero comics. Personally, I think custodians over these characters should be aware of their predicament, and make their decisions with the according understanding. Death should not be taken lightly, and despite the inevitability of the prolonged existence of most characters, I am always disappointed by the decision to kill them off without due consideration.

As mentioned, however, the death sentence of Doc Ock's physical deterioration is really only a malleable motivation -- an extention of the clever and unused fact of physical injury. In a strange way, respect for the causality of longterm injuries has been better managed by comics writers, than death, where frivilously undoing crippling injuries might be even more damaging to the credibility of the material. Afterall, at least undoing death is a completely fantastic fact, which would have a limited meaningful impact to humanity in general, neatly contained by the mythic quality of the typcial resurrection. Medical marvels, on the other hand, would not benefit from any understanding if a hero were to remain actively committed to the betterment of humanity. But I digress...

What I really like about this new Doc Ock is that it doesn't change anything at the core of the character. To a similar extent as fictional death, we can be seen to be jaded by the frivilous claims of adaptations, particularly in film, that an interpretation remains "true" to "the spirit" of the character -- which usually preceeds certain disappointment. This reinvention of Dr. Octopus gives the vernacular meaning, truly representing a faithful adaptation of a character that unashamedly commits to the refreshment of deviation and evolution.

The idea of rendering Doc Ock's body completely irrelevant plays on ideas that were well explored by artists like Erik Larsen, whom I remember in particular describing the use of mundane acts, such as pouring coffee, as a graphic beat to juxtapose Otto Octavius' physical ability, with the power of his mind his vital invention -- the tentacles! This emphasis on the power of the tentacles is also adequately embellished by the introduction of an extra four mechanical tentacles -- something that breaks the cartoon convention of brand management, and gives us a Dr. Octopus who is more interested in being deadly, than the idea of living up to a numerical expectation of his limbs, real and invented.

I also really like the science of the octobots, which have a sense of independent character and seem scientifically reminiscent of the kinds of bug-like AI tech drones that litter robotics offices around the globe. The kinds of little chipped sprites that bounce around on tiny tin legs and communicate with the world through sensors and rudimentary self-teaching programming. I like those types of techno-touchstones in pop comics.

If I had a criticism of this giant-sized issue, it's the value of the Doc Ock rebirth to the overall story. I wouldn't like to wade back into the Brand New Day debate, but the lazy presumption that history could be rewritten was done upon the premise of reinvigorating Spider-man and his supporting cast. That supporting cast, namely the resurrected Aunt May and her husband-to-be, are on show here with a fun recounting of classic Spidey stories [ie; Doc Ock's almost marrying Aunt May way back], but fail to live up to the editorial pressure put upon them, or my interests in general. There's definitely a bit of the anniversary issue blues about Amazing Spider-man #600, complete with gratuitous guest appearances by longtime Spidey allies; Daredevil, Johnny Storm (and the Fantastic Four), and the New Avengers. It's inorganic filler, but utterly forgiveable. I particularly enjoyed the classically tinged DD team-up, which lacks the baggage of the Matt Murdocks solo adventures, content to indulge in B-list villain bashing. That fight was the originally intended subject of this entry, but replaced due to the more important Doc Ock spotlight. DD's appearance might return at a later date.

Scattershot back-up material don't do the issue a whole lot, but that's par for the course, too. It doesn't make it right, but at least it doesn't completely abandon justification for the hefty $4.99 pricetag. I dread the thought that the price might eventually come with out supplemental justification. I'm reluctant enough as it is to support these kinds of prices, but I shant let my thrift engulf this late update.

As a warning shot that forecasts a wave of returns in Amazing Spider-man, I can't help but walk away from this issue enthused. In it's own right, it isn't a defining moment in comics, but it will inevitably be the spiritual predecessor to what is fast becoming one of my most anticipated storylines of 2009 -- The Gauntlet!

Max Fiumara provides amazing artwork somewhere in the league of Paul Pope by way of David Lafuente in a Gauntlet teaser that has me absolutely salivating! It features Madame Web visions of Spider-Woman, Araña, Lizard, Rhino, and Kraven the Hunter! It's bound to be a wild ride!

EDIT [July 24, 2010]: Finishing this entry a year late, I'm appreciative of how many significant moments this preview featured. The only noteable disappointment is that it featured the wrong Spider-Woman. Those who've read the recently concluded Grim Hunt know that it was the Julia Carpenter version of the character, better known recently as Arachne. You'll also understand the significance of surprisingly vivid scenes -- such as the handprint scar on Sasha Kravinoff's face, the knife plunged into Spidey's chest, and the apparent return of Kraven the Hunter. Earlier in the year I wrote an unpublished review of an issue of Kraven's Last Hunt, which this story riffs on. The Gauntlet and Grim Hunt issues are also already stacked for feature should the Infinite Wars backlog continue to unfold into 2010.

The Fight: 5 The Story: 4

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ZOMBIES versus ZOMBIES
Marvel Zombies Conclusion (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Zombies #5 When: June 2006
Why: Robert Kirkman How: Sean Phillips

The Story So Far...
Earth 2419: A frightening twisted version of the Marvel Universe, infected by the decay of an alien virus that turns all infected into decomposing, viracious zombies.

With the Earth's population decimated by the super powered zombies, food supplies begin to run low.
Failing to follow their zombified Fantastic Four into a parallel universe (Earth-1610), the zombies finish the last active snack, Magneto, before the heavens present a miracle.

The timing of his arrival affected by unknown elements of this universe; the Silver Surfer descends in present-day to assess the viability of the Earth for consumption by his master - Galactus: Devourer of Worlds. Irony smiles upon the fortunes of Earth, however, and the Surfer is quickly devoured by the once heroic collective of Avengers, granting them the alien energies of the power cosmic!

With their newly aquired powers the zombies seek to feast on Galactus himself, but first they must face the zombie horde of those who opposed them in life. Freed of the moral constraints that spurred their infinite war, the rabid heroes march against their enemies in a battle to the undead-death.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Hulk 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Dr. Doom 6 (Genius)
Speed: Colonel America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Juggernaut 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Super-Skrull 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy Power: Super-Skrull 6 (UWMD)


- The zombie-heroes are: Colonel America, Luke Cage, Wolverine, Hulk, Iron Man, Spider-man, and Giant-Man.

The Avengers were the first to fall before the zombie infestation of Earth-2419.
Carried by an alternate universe Sentry who had escaped from the gates of the afterlife; the plague spread to even the most powerful members, benefitting from the powers of the likes of Thor to spread the undead plague throughout the superhero community.

Despite retaining cognitive function, the heroes quickly abandon their morals, driven mad by the bloodlust of hunger, to lay waste to the Earth's population.
The few who remain uninfected whittle the zombies number, among them; Magneto, the Acolytes, Black Panther, and Reed Richards of Earth-1610.

Eventually the zombies themselves decimate their own in desperation, leaving only Hulk, Spider-man, Wolverine, Iron Man, Power Man, and Giant-Man, to devour and absorb the powers of Galactus, becoming the interdimensional menace called The Galacti.

As the Galacti they possess the immense energies of the power cosmic, while the many zombies previous retained their abilities from life, with a deminished physical integrity and penchant for bouts of mindless violence caused by the hunger.

- The zombie-villains are: Red Skull, Mole Man, Green Goblin, Super-Skrull, Rhino, Juggernaut, Venom, Dr. Octopus, Stilt-Man, Lizard, and Dr. Doom.

Like their heroic counterparts, the villains of Earth-2419 succumbed to the spread of the zombie plague. Their already questionable morals were altered far less than their counterparts, but in a world where the ravenous hordes quickly became the mainstream, their struggles are on an even kilter.

As with the hero zombies; the villains possess all the abilities they had prior to infection, albeit with a dramatically reduced physical integrity due to decay. Likewise, they are also susceptible to the intellectual haze caused by hunger.

Math: Villains (Ttl) Heroes (Avg) Ranking: Iron Man (#3)

What Went Down...
With Galactus toppled by the cosmic powers of the heroic zombies, the villains who played an integral part in the assault find themselves at odds with their traditional foes. The two factions face off to fight for their food, with the first shot fired by a cosmically endowed Colonel America, who blasts the head clean off of Mole Man's shoulders!

The two sides clash, but the villains quickly find themselves outmatched by the heroes who gained control over the power cosmic by devouring Silver Surfer [Marvel Zombies #3].

Spider-man endures a slash from the taloned fingertips of Venom, only to return fire with a blast of cosmic energy. The costume recoils from Eddie Brock's body, revealing the zombie corpse to be an insufficient host for the symbiotic creature.

Meanwhile, the armored Juggernaut scoffs Wolverine's one-armed stand.
With his healing factor decimated by decomposition, Wolverine's own adamantium laced claws tore through his now missing limb. The already dimwitted Juggernaut suffers for his boast as Wolverine plunges his clawed hand into the exposed mouth of his magically endowed foe, only to blast his decrepid flesh with a swelling mass of cosmic energy!

The raging X-Man turns his attentions to his undead nemesis, Sabretooth, while Giant-Man does away with Rhino with a decapitating blast of the power cosmic.

Colonel America has his own personal showdown, facing off in a physical mismatch with the Nazi, Red Skull. Already his physical superior, the zombified Skull provides little challenge for the zombie icon.

At close quarters, Red Skull loses an arm for his troubles, but delights in the Colonel's absent mindedness. Having had the top of his head sliced open by Magneto [Marvel Zombies #1], the Colonel's wounds provide Red Skull the ultimate equaliser. Tearing at the rotting remnants of Colonel America's brain, Red Skull puts an end to the undead life of the zombie super-soldier.

Spider-man spots the showdown too late to intervene, but scores a vengeful blow for his fallen leader, decapitating the cackling Red Skull with an energy blast, leaving the head to burst like a tomato beneath the heel of Giant-Man.

Green Goblin falls to the cosmic power of Spider-man, while Super-Skrull is stretched to breaking by Giant-Man, who also decimates Dr. Doom with the power cosmic. Finally, Wolverine finishes Dr. Octopus, severing the two remaining mechanical arms, before ending the villain.

The heroes stand triumphant as Galactus rises, crackling with energy. Little does the great devourer know, he faces an enemy like none he has ever seen... [Marvel Zombies #5]

The Hammer...
The Marvel Zombies win! Fatali... Er, you get the idea.

Alright, let's work out how this went down.
Colonel America killed Mole Man; Spider-man took out Venom & Green Goblin; Wolverine killed Juggernaut, Sabretooth, (& Dr. Octopus); Giant-Man killed Rhino, Red Skull, Super-Skrull, and Dr. Doom; and Red Skull killed Colonel America (downgrading his contribution to an assist).

For the trainspotters: Lizard and Stilt-Man go almost unnoticed, but if you look carefully enough, you'll know they're there. The action is really focused on key skirmishes, but Philips works in enough background detail to imply vital input from heroes like Luke Cage and Iron Man, and the presence of these mostly obscured villains.

I don't want to get too wrapped up in the 'game' aspect of the Infinite Wars, but it's probably worth elaborating on the ranking aspects for those who came in late.
Our interpretation is that these alternate universe versions of characters fairly contribute to the win/loss tally by representing elements of unlocked potential. For versions deemed definitively removed (ie; Superboy-Prime) we accept a seperate ranking, but in the case of Earth-2149, only zombie infection differentiates the basic make-up of the characters.

It's a fine line that might be subject to change, and if you have an opinion on this aspect of the blog, you should feel encouraged to drop a comment. It's a discussion we usually prefer to avoid, but it doesn't hurt to hear your thoughts.

As you might have gathered Marvel Zombies is just another perfect contribution to our October spookfest here on the Infinite Wars. As is becoming characteristic of the site, our schedule is running a week behind, suitably enough this time because I had an infection of my own. We're not here to hear about that, though.

Whilst sick I fell in love with zombies all over again whilst watching plague films like Doomsday, Resident Evil, and the Dawn of the Dead remake (which turned out to be much better than I had imagined). Of course, while this immersion in the genre made it easy to come back to Marvel's version of the undead, it did shine further light on the gaping weaknesses of the series.

For a high-concept spin-off from the Ultimate books [ie; UFF #23]; Zombies probably deserves some accolade for grafting something very similar to a plot to the mini. However, after seemingly attempting to take back the derogatory 'Marvel Zombie' descriptor, the series has come to encompass the type of oveworked brand serviced by those very same mindlessly dedicated fans.

I feel a little inside-out talking about the series in negative terms.
To be fair, the most recent incarnation [Marvel Zombies 3] manages to lend gravitas to the brand by admirably introducing it to the Marvel Universe proper. This kind of investment in the concept is what I believe will win Geoff Johns' inevitably compared Black Lanterns kudos, benefitting from the more immediate sense of meaning. It's a point that encompasses Marvel's situation.

I think it's retroactive perspective that has me looking far more negatively upon the first series, which was at the time, fun enough, if already clichéd.

As if presenting a fasttrack guide to Marvel's historic development processes; the Zombies series have arguably found their narrative strength the farther they've gone. Millar's original required only a vague antagonising concept akin to the anonymous threat best associated with zombies, while Kirkman elaborates on the very same characters immediately after Millar's work, indulging moreso in retro superheroes, whilst perhaps saving the good ideas for his own series (Image's; Walking Dead).

The concept of superhero zombies is a very interesting one.
Kirkman, whilst doing little to use the strong conventions of the sub-genre, offers some justification with the simple exploration of the superhero zombie. By keeping elements of the characters intact he really does tell more of a macabre superhero story than a zombie thriller, but even this has it's own merits. I have to at least acknowledge this version's conceits of cognitive function -- which deteriorates with the rise of hunger, but is diminished (in Zombies 2) with a clarity provided by longterm starvation. It provides a chance, albeit a shallow one, to look at zombies with some sense of existential self-awareness.

This only goes so far, however, leaving questions of sustainability and other reflections provided by the genre to his creator-owned work. Not that I say that with any contempt. I haven't read the stuff, but arguably because I anticipate a competence I would not want influencing me in my own aspirations to explore the genre in comics. [Is now a bad time to plug my $1.99 comic?]

On that self-indulgence; there's the matter of the origins of the zombie plague. Later series awkwardly bound the Marvel Zombies to licensed contributions from Sam Raimi's Evil Dead franchise, a fact sure to bite them in the arse in decades to come (so buy now if you want it), but still answered some questions about the spread. The origins, of course, like so many zombie tales, remain obscured, provided by an interdimensional introduction similar to our first meeting with the concept (in Millar's Crossover arc of Ultimate Fantastic Four).


As a bit of a fan for procedural detail, I think the most fascinating concept not yet hammered in to the ground by zombie comics and film is the origin story. Not so much the cause of the plague, which was given a competent sci-fi origin in Resident Evil, but how traditional zombies can achieve their terrifying hordes. While I have to admit, the concept lends a slow burn potentially fatal to audiences, but it's a concept I'd very much like to explore.

With any luck we'll talk speculatively a bit more about what history might lie behind the history of the Marvel Zombies. Probably a refreshing change from the repetitive brow furrowing these entries tend to devolve into.

The Fight: 4.5 The Issue: 4.5

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