WONDER MAN versus CHAMPION OF THE UNIVERSE

And They Shall Call Him... Champion! (Marvel)
Where: Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7 When: 1982
Why: Tom DeFalco How: Ron Wilson

The Story So Far...
The Fantastic Four's Thing has earned a reputation as one of the universe's greatest fighters, having battled some of the most powerful beings of multiple galaxies! Enter: Proja - Promoter Supreme!

Charged with signing worthy opponents to challenge The Champion of the Universe -- Proja sees big box office potential in a main event match between The Thing and his client!

Madison Square Garden is the only arena in the world that could stage the once in a lifetime title bout, but you can't have a main event without an undercard! The Champ welcomes the challenge of some of Earth's most powerful defenders, but his pugilistic code swiftly eliminates Thor and Hulk from defending their planet.

Sasquatch did his best to test The Champ's ring awareness with brains and brawn, while the steely determination of the X-Man Colossus prompted The Champ to unleash a brutal beating. Now it's time for celebrity powerhouse Wonder Man to leave the film set and step into the ring as one of Earth's Mightiest Heroes!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Champion 7 (Omnipotent)
Intelligence: Draw 2 (Average)
Speed: Draw 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Champion 7 (Unstoppable)
Agility: Draw 2 (Average)
Fighting: Champion 7 (Living Weapon)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Champion of the Universe 29 (Metahuman)

So far Earth's challengers have been a mixed bag! Doc Samson failed to make it out of training - kayoed by a sparring robot, while the royal Sub-Mariner plain refused to even respond to the lowly challenge, let alone train for it.

After side-stepping a disqualified Thor and delisted Hulk -- The Champion of the Universe finally showed everyone he's as dangerous as they say by knocking out Sasquatch, and pummeling Colossus into a forced stoppage!

Next on the card of Earthborn challengers is Wonder Man: a then-recently retired Avenger-turned-actor with super-human strength, durability -- and serious doubts about his own suitability as a contender!

Simon Williams was recruited into the Masters of Evil when his family munitions business, Williams Innovations, faced crippling competition from Stark Industries. Guilty of embezzlement and involvement with organized crime; the desperate and inexperienced business heir accepted help from Baron Zemo in exchange for subjecting himself to experiments with ionic rays and radioactive chemicals.

Deployed to The Avengers as a double-agent; Wonder Man's conscience eventually led him to align with the heroes for real -- but a brush with death would plague his psyche and destroy his confidence. The anxious hero eventually decided to leave super-heroics behind, but the call always brings him back to the fight!

Wonder Man is a heavyhitter to be sure, demonstrating his strength in a weight-lifting challenge with USAgent, and taking on later battles against a super-charged Ronan, a renegade Hercules, and symbiote-possessed Avengers.

He's got the ionic might to stand his ground, but at the time of The Champion's challenge it's Wonder Man's mental game that might be his biggest downfall.

Simon Williams never set out to be a super-hero -- now he's one of Earth's last hopes against potential annihilation. We saw him struggle with his resurrected brother in a spotlight from a later issue. So how did the Avenger-slash-actor fare when the spotlight is turned on him? Let's find out...

The Tape: Champion of the Universe Ranking: Champion of the Universe (#74)

What Went Down...
The gravity of the situation dawns on Wonder Man as he watches attendants carry an unconscious Colossus on a stretcher through the training room. He and The Thing are the only heroes left. "What will happen to the Earth if we also fail?"

The Avenger disappears as Thing tells him to forget the stakes: "Ya got a fight ta win! Think about that -- and nothin' else!" Wonder Man vows to do his best.

Alas, the harsh realities of the boxing ring quickly take their toll!

Clearly warmed up by his previous battles, The Champion of the Universe works swiftly to take control of the match. We join the fight shortly after the opening bell to witness a right hook that launches Wonder Man over the top rope -- and into an invisible force-field surrounding the ring!

The Avenger drops to the mat, doubled over on his knees and contemplating his reluctance to even be there.

Wonder Man doesn't want to be a hero. Doesn't want to fight. He knows he can't take much more punishment -- but the chants of the crowd reach beyond his inner doubts. The spirit of the people wills him to get back up. Slowly but surely, with agony tearing through his body -- he does!

Back on his feet, Wonder Man makes a bold show of things!

Seemingly frustrated with the struggle and adrenalized by the crowd -- Wonder Man grabs at the ring mat and tears a piece of it up!

The Avenger is apparently tired of playing by the rules, but it's the rules that have seen him undone. For damaging the ring he is immediately disqualified. Another hero fallen before the match could even be decided.

The Hammer...

As anyone who's paid to watch a fight knows - there is always the risk that a bout will end in less than satisfying fashion. That means another inconclusive result for our record books, but what about the rules of the competition?

On the surface of it - it seems frustration got the better of Wonder Man, ending the match in a disqualification, but there is an intriguing possibility of reading into this result as an easy way out of a fight he didn't really want to have...

When Colossus was brought through the training area after losing his match, The Thing had a clear impression of how the young X-Man "did 'imself proud". So we could assume there's a live feed showing waiting challengers each match. Which means Wonder Man would've known Hulk was disqualified for a similar outburst.

Ultimately, I think we're to take it all at face value. Yes, Simon Williams had deep seeded doubts about his ability and desire to fight, but the support of the crowd spurred him to find his heroic spirit, and despite looking more spry than Sasquatch after taking The Champ's punches -- the weight of the situation, combined with the restrictions of the squared circle, just got him riled up.

Stepping away from the page; we of course know this result is in service of setting up a main event collision between the series headliner and The Champion of The Universe! A match we've been slowly building toward as we've continued to return to Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7 over the many years!

Since our last entry - a unique adaptation of Wonder Man has become a Marvel Disney+ streaming series, and even more appropriately, The Champion of the Universe has been revealed to finally be taking the obvious role of a video game final boss in the upcoming Marvel Tokon: Fighting Souls.

The Champ did make it into the Contest of Champions mobile game a few years back, but as a noted fan of Capcom's Marvel fighting classics, it always made sense to me that he would fit perfectly into the classic fighting format, either as a powerhouse sub-boss, or as the engine for the entire game, as in Marvel Tokon.

Actually, Capcom's Marvel Super Heroes, with its Infinity Gem system loosely inspired by The Infinity Gauntlet, always seemed like a good place for The Champion to slot right in as a sub-boss. Particularly given his later association with the Infinity Stone of Power, seen as a pivotal plot point in his fight with She-Hulk and the all-important rematch.

The Champ also could've worked well in a new Marvel vs Capcom game, if Arc System Works didn't beat them to it for Tokon. It might've been nice to see Balrog (aka; M.Bison, aka; "Boxer") make some kind of appearance there. Heck. I don't particularly need to see Wonder Man in a fighting game roster, but the thought occurs that he was Johnny Cage before there was a Johnny Cage! Note that The Avenger slash actor is fighting with his sunglasses still on in our feature.

Next time we see The Champion of the Universe, it will no doubt be his classic main event blockbuster with The Thing -- but this won't be the end of our fun with Tryco Slatterus. There's a whole other card I'd like to explore in future entries!

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Winner: No Contest (Draw)
#71 (+3) Champion of the Universe [+1 draw]
#76 (+6) Wonder Man [+1 draw]

AVENGERS versus MANDARIN

Thieves Honor (Marvel)
Where: Avengers #313 When: January 1990
Why: John Byrne How: Paul Ryan & Tom Palmer

The Story So Far...
A series of sudden super-villain attacks have stretched the ranks of The Avengers across the country as they respond to the decimation of their coastal island Hydrobase, and underground Manhattan headquarters!

Only Edwin Jarvis is on hand to raise the alarm when The Mandarin begins a frontal assault on an already damaged & unguarded Avengers Park. All thanks to Loki and his Acts of Vengeance designed to organize and consolidate the resources of some of the world's most powerful super-criminals!

Not content to leave their butler to face another siege: Captain America leads the call to assemble on Central Park -- but with The Wizard circling the skies over New York City, the star-spangled super-soldier will have to rely on the few local heroes able to answer the call!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Mandarin 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Captain America 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Black Widow 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Mandarin 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Captain America 28 (Metahuman)

The Avengers are: Captain America, Black Widow, and Hellcat.

Wonder Man and Vision accompanied Captain America on the trip from the West Coast, but had to peel away to take on The Wizard. That means Cap is relying on unpowered first responders Black Widow and Hellcat -- less than ideal against the ten rings of power wielded by The Mandarin!

Although appearing mystical in nature, each of Mandarin's rings is originally part of an alien technology that grants him specific skills. The names and breadth of their power has changed over the years, but the basics remain true:

The Ice Blast, or "Zero" Ring, is worn on the left little finger, and does exactly what it sounds like, generating sufficient cold to freeze anything in ice. That might give Cap some unfortunate flashbacks to his post-war suspended animation, but as we saw when he battled Cold War, he can keep a handle on it.

The Mento-Intensifier, or "Liar" Ring, is worn on the left ring finger, and can be used to bring a person under Mandarin's thrall, or generate a world of inescapable illusion penetrating the victim's very mind.

The Electro-Blast, or "Lightning" Ring, is on the left middle finger, and can deliver powerful bolts of electricity through the air! A power not unlike its namesake, but Cap's shield was able to absorb Loki's electric attacks in Avengers (Vol.2) #1.

The Flame Blast, or "Incandescence" Ring, worn on the left index finger, can super-heat the air by emitting radiation to fire potent jets of flame of varying intensities. Another one handily blocked by Cap's shield, as seen when he met Ghost Rider in Avengers #214!

The White Light, or "Daimonic" Ring, is worn on the left thumb, and traditionally emits various electro-magnetic spectrums, which has also been known to effect a susceptible target's mood, or mental state.

The Black Light, or "Nightbringer" Ring, sits on the right little finger, and projects an area of total darkness. Its energies are associated with the inter-dimensional Darkforce used by Darkstar for a variety of offensive & defensive projections, and contained within Cloak, who can trap opponents within its endless darkness.

The Disintegration Beam, or "Spectral" Ring, worn on the right ring finger, is traditionally used to destroy anything it strikes, unmaking it on a molecular level with an estimated 20-minute charge time. Cap's no stranger to avoiding those kinds of attacks, dodging Red Skull's blast cannons since the Second World War!

The Vortex Beam, or "Spin" Ring, is wielded on the right middle finger, and can allow The Mandarin to fly, levitate targets, or generate massive swirling winds as offensive weapons. It has also been associated with moving at super-speeds.

The Impact Beam, or "Influence" Ring, is a standard favourite for The Mandarin, using his right index finger to direct powerful blasts and waves of energy. It's an equivalent to a lot of energy blasters, such as Titanium Man's, which Black Widow was agile and canny enough to avoid, with added shielding from Iron Man!

The Matter Re-Arranger, or "Remaker" Ring, is worn on the right thumb and allows for limited molecular and atomic manipulation of matter. It's commonly used for generating poisonous gases from thin-air, and altering Mandarin's appearance.

Agility and avoidance are the greatest tools Captain America, Black Widow, and Hellcat have at their disposal. The Mandarin's rings are incredibly powerful, but also limited in their scope. His defense is shored with a modern suit of armor, but a coordinated strike could potentially still defeat him!

The Tape: Avengers Ranking: Captain America (#7)

What Went Down...

Black Widow and Hellcat leap across the rooftops as Captain America's modified quinjet soars down beside them on a course towards Avengers Park.

He hails the assembling heroes over the jet's exterior speaker and advises them to hang back while he takes a recon flight over the attack sight. It's a good plan to protect his unpowered teammates, but the Captain never gets to make the flight -- blasted out of the sky by The Mandarin!

The Quinjet makes a dramatic, skidding crash landing into the rubble of Avengers Park as The Mandarin gloats over his successful strike!

Mandarin stalks toward his prey with Cap slumped in the exposed driver's seat -- rattled by the violent impact that tore the jet open like a tin can! 

The villain clutches the barely conscious Captain in the pilot's seat and raises his hand to prepare a killing blow -- but it's suddenly snared by the Black Widow's high tensile line!

Black Widow yanks The Mandarin away from the jet and introduces herself to the stunned villain.

Enraged at her interference he pivots to draw his free hand and blast a stream of fire from the ring of Incandescence. Widow narrowly avoids it, delighting at the unseen arrival of her comrade in arms -- Hellcat!

Hellcat leaps onto The Mandarin's armored shoulders and rakes her steel alloy claws across his frustrated façade!

The villain struggles beneath the grip of Hellcat's entangled arms and legs while Black Widow takes the opportunity to rush in an deliver a flying kick!

The two-on-one advantage doesn't last long. The Mandarin catches Black Widow by the ankle and tosses her across the park -- while also flipping Hellcat off his back and over his shoulder!

They spill across the rocky terrain -- vulnerable to another of his ring attacks!

The Influencer ring sprays concussive energy blasts across the battlefield that shatter the very ground beneath Black Widow & Hellcat's feet!

The heroic pair look severely outgunned when The Mandarin is once again caught by surprise from another attack at the rear!

This time it's Captain America who's able to return the favour to his allies, tossing his mighty shield directly into The Mandarin's armored helmet!

The chauvinistic villain is frustrated by Cap's recovery, but accepts that the battle can now be between men "as it should be". His Ice Blast "Zero" ring makes for an unfortunate irony as he encases Captain America's feet in ice -- a chilly fate all too familiar to the super-soldier once suspended in a frozen tundra.

At that same time -- Mandarin's partner in the Acts of Vengeance, The Wingless Wizard, glides overhead, bringing his battle with Wonder Man & Vision into convergence with the other Avenger's struggle.

Spotting the immobilized Captain America from the sky above -- The Wizard attempts to finish him off with a blast from his gauntlet, but Cap lurches forward into an evasive diving roll!

Wonder Man regains The Wizard's attentions, while The Mandarin plots a strategic retreat, blaming his ally for fouling his attack. He's so distracted by the failure he doesn't notice yet another Avenger arriving until his struck by his hammer!

Mjolnir collides with Mandarin's armored body and knocks him off his feet before flying back to the waiting hand of Thor!

The God of Thunder doesn't take kindly to The Mandarin's abuse of his powers!

He charges the rising villain, striking mightily with with a hammer-held uppercut!

Meanwhile, Vision comes to Captain America's aid, melting the ice from his feet with carefully applied eye beams. The liberation allows all Avengers present to assemble against the tyrannical twosome!

The Mandarin summons the dark forces of the Black Light Nightbringer ring to shroud his enemies -- and The Wizard -- in inescapable darkness!

He condemns his ally to suffer the consequences of their defeat, while the veil of darkness allows The Mandarin a clean getaway. He flies into the air -- gone before the heroes regain their sight.

The Hammer...

The arrival of Thor tips the scales in favour of The Avengers and drives The Mandarin into a hasty retreat. Bad news for The Wizard, who's left to face the music when his co-conspirator in the Acts of Vengeance betrays him upon exit!

Wizard was otherwise engaged in a completely separate aerial skirmish with Wonder Man and Vision, but chose to converge with the fighting in Avengers Park, taking potshots at Captain America. Not his only tactical error it would seem, but we'll take a closer look at his fight another time.

As it happens: the in-fighting is rife amongst the bad guys, who're duking it out while observing from their private meeting chambers, as well.

It seems Doctor Doom has nothing but contempt for The Mandarin and the inefficiencies of his frivolous, showy fighting style, while Red Skull is losing patience with Doom's arrogance. An inevitably violent clash of egos ensues -- another battle for us to return to some time in the future.

As a matter of housekeeping: Aficionados may also be interested to note I've chosen to predominantly refer to The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #15 when breaking down The Mandarin's rings in The Tape section.

That particular 1984 issue is the wonderfully informative "Book of Weapons, Hardware, and Paraphernalia" -- a reference tome that answered a lot of common fan questions about the basic practicality of various devices, and locations.

With regards to The Mandarin's rings; The Handbook is obviously a little outdated, but the basics remain true. You'll note that I've also included, and alluded to, the more recent names & abilities outlined in 2010's Invincible Iron Man Annual #1.

If you didn't pay close attention to the information, you might like to scroll back and take a second look. It will allow you to appreciate the exquisite attention to detail of artist Paul Ryan's pencils, which assign each blast from The Mandarin's rings to the exact finger. Scripted or not -- it's the mark of a great comics artist!

Ryan was also saddled with the slightly less intricate design Mandarin was wearing around this time. I've never been all that crazy about this armor. It's serviceable, but never seemed to ring true. I suppose I would've preferred something more ornate, reminiscent of the colourfully stylized Chinese armor popular in wuxia.

A colour scheme of green, gold, and a little red or purple would've recalled other eras of Mandarin's design, but I suspect distancing the character from earlier incarnations was a deliberate conceit. When he wasn't in this blue & silver shell, he could typically be found wearing a tasteful suit consistent with his corporate machinations of the time. A welcome evolution for the modern era.

Modernizing the character has been an on-going concern, with greater emphasis on science-based explanations for his rings redefining them as Makluan machine parts accessing other dimensions. Personally, I think this flirts with a loss of imagination, and prefer a Mandarin whose mysticism clashes with Iron Man's technology -- not that the two ideas necessarily have to be mutually exclusive.

I do enjoy the more pulpy depictions of Mandarin, though. At the risk of being regressive: I think my favourite Mandarin design is the green & gold robes he returned to throughout much of the nineties. Its a style that very vaguely alludes to over-the-top villainy of Fu Manchu, albeit with a slightly more convincing approximation of Chinese imperial robes than Christopher Lee's qipao.

These allusions made the character a bit of a tricky subject when Marvel Studios attempted to adapt the character in Iron Man 3, and again, as a Fu Manchu stand-in in Shang-Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings.

The substitution was as much a product of Shang-Chi's fictional father not being a Marvel owned property, but so fraught was their efforts to navigate the minefield of cultural sensitivities for the Chinese theatrical market, it seems the studio took a blank cheque approach. They retained so little from the source that the titular ten rings aren't even worn on the fingers! Not that Marvel Studios have ever been overly concerned with their comic book counterparts...

Here in comic book land Avengers #313 is a serviceable chapter in the Acts of Vengeance storyline, delivering one of the heavy hitters from the inner-circle of the villainous alliance. It's a little weird that so many heroes were dispersed after the action of the last issue, but anti-Avengers public protests explains that.

It's a fun time in Marvel Comics and Avengers history, and I particularly get a kick out of the unlikely team-up between Black Widow and Hellcat! They're out of their league taking on Mandarin, but turn out to be a terrifically fun tag team!

If you'd like to see the entirety of the team-up and today's featured fight you can find it all collected in Avengers: Acts of Vengeance and Avengers by John Byrne. Use the Amazon purchase links provided and you'll not only assemble a great deal delivered to your door -- you'll also help support the site at no extra cost!

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Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! You can discover them all by following links throughout this post, or by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

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Winner: Thor (w/ Captain America, Black Widow & Hellcat)
#20 (+1) Thor
#7 (--) Captain America [+1 assist]
#41 (+1) Black Widow [+1 assist]
#101 (+6) Hellcat [+1 assist]
#144 (--) Vision [+1 assist]
#418 (+3) The Wizard [+1 assist]
#972 (-257) The Mandarin

AVENGERS & X-MEN versus RONAN

Whatever The Cost! (Marvel)
Where: Maximum Security #3 When: January 2001
Why: Kurt Busiek How: Jerry Ordway

The Story So Far...
A sudden global surge in extraterrestrial conflict reveals a master plan by the Intergalactic Council of empires to declare Earth a prison planet!

Encounters with the Kree, Skrull, Shi'ar, and more have earned humans a meddlesome reputation. To further delay them from reaching beyond the stars, the untamable scum of the universe are now interned to keep Earth busy. Energy lattice surrounds the solar system in an effort to contain humanity and the prisoners from further interference.

With the Kree seemingly conquered by the Shi'ar Empire, Ronan The Accuser was appointed overseer of the new prison planet, but in truth he has conspired to launch a new Kree uprising. With the mutated Ruul army at his command, and an infestation of the Earth by Ego feeding him unlimited power, Ronan stands poised to lead the Supreme Intelligence to ultimate victory!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Ronan 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Goliath 6 (Genius)
Speed: Nova 7 (Light Speed)
Stamina: Thor 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-Man 5 (Cat-Like)
Fighting: Wolverine 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Ronan 6 (Mass Destruction)
Total: Ronan The Accuser 34 (Super)

Earth's heroes are: Thor, Warbird, Sub-Mariner, Wonder Man, She-Hulk, Goliath, Hercules, Thing, Beta Ray Bill, Rogue, Colossus, Sunfire, with USAgent, Quasar, Captain America, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Nova, Namorita, Speedball, Triathlon, and Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, Bruce Banner, Silver Surfer.

Several other heroes can be seen teleporting into action with Quasar, but for the sake of clarity, we're only focusing on those identifiably involved in the battle. This includes support troops led by USAgent fighting on the ground.

Ronan The Accuser has been dramatically augmented by Ego, who has begun to infest the Earth. The flow of power Ego supplies adds to Ronan's already impressive Kree might, and results in a massive increase in his physical size.

Working on the Ego problem are Mister Fantastic, Iron Man, and Bruce Banner. They've built a machine to repel the infestation, and drain Ronan's power by funneling it into a captive host. Silver Surfer has volunteered for the potentially lethal absorption, but it means he's taken out of the battle.

Silver Surfer's absence from the fight will be felt. We saw him beat Ronan back in Silver Surfer #13, but there are still plenty of other heavy hitters on the field who have credentials beating some prominent cosmic opponents!

Thor can match his hammer against Ronan's Universal Weapon, having used it to best Super-Skrull in Thor #465. Warbird (Carol Danvers) gained her powers from the Kree and has a late win over Thanos [FCBD Civil War II #1]. She-Hulk performed the rare feat of defeating Champion of the Universe in She-Hulk #8. Sub-Mariner was one of the first heroes to valiantly face Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet #4, joining She-Hulk in a noteworthy grim stand. Even Colossus has memorable cosmic face-offs, including a win over Ord in Astonishing X-Men #5!

Thing has made a career of taking on the universe's deadliest fighters. His renown across galaxies was built on battles against Ronan himself, The Champion, and villains like Ego, The Living Planet [Fantastic Four #235], Gladiator [Fantastic Four #249], Paibok The Power Skrull [Fantastic Four #358], and even his own Magus created Doppelganger [Fantastic Four #367]!

The heroes can also count on the aide of Beta Ray Bill, who was interned on Earth as part of the intergalactic council's designation as a prison planet. Beta Ray Bill famously defeated Thor in Thor #337, proving worthy to wield Mjolnir before Odin granted him his own hammer: Stormbreaker. He once fought Silver Surfer to a standstill in Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2, and fought valiantly by his side against the unstoppable Tyrant in Silver Surfer #82!

This all spells one phenomenal fighting force, but will it be enough to mitigate the incredible power boost received by Ronan The Accuser? They're literally fighting a man with the power of an entire planet -- and a Kree army!

The Tape: Earth's Allied Heroes Ranking: Spider-Man (#2)

What Went Down...
A sudden flash of light signals the arrival of Ronan The Accuser. He hovers menacingly in the air, a towering titan gazing down at the aggravating heroes who have begun to threaten his power source.

With a gesture of his Universal Weapon, he summons an army of Kree imperial soldiers, and warns Earth's heroic brains trust that they will be destroyed if they reactivate their machine. Then -- another flash of light: the cavalry!

Quasar teleports a troop of heroes over thirty-strong and when Ronan  threatens to kill them all -- USAgent steps forward to order the heroes against him. They swarm the giant-sized Accuser!

Thor, Wonder Man, and Warbird come in high with blows to the head and face, while Sub-Mariner contends with the giant's right arm, and Beta Ray Bill and Goliath lock up the left! Working the body is Hercules and Colossus, while She-Hulk and Thing come in hot from below as the giant threatens to lose footing!

Around Ronan's feet, Kree soldiers scurry as they contend with the heroes' support forces. USAgent bats at a small group, while Spider-Man, Wolverine, Nova, Triathlon, Namorita, Speedball, and Captain America do the same!

Overhead: Ronan delivers his first decisive blow as he targets Thor with his own hammer-like weapon and unleashes the planetary force of Ego!

With a wild backhanded chop, The Accuser dispatches with Beta Ray Bill, Hercules, and Sub-Mariner! He then turns his attentions to the ionic Wonder Man and brings his massive Universal Weapon slamming down upon him!

USAgent bats a Kree soldier with his photonic shield and contemplates the fragility of humanity's hopes against the invaders, while across the battlefield Mister Fantastic rallies the Thing and Human Torch to defend their ace.

Bruce Banner and Iron Man finish loading the Silver Surfer into their device and in an agonizing instant Ego's incredible power begins flooding into his body! His back arches, while on the horizon the infested landscape that is Ego begins to contort violently -- and Ronan The Accuser begins to shrink!

Ronan is caught completely off guard as his unfathomable power weakens ever so slightly and his mass begins to reduce. The sudden change signals the opportunity for the heroes to strike!

Rogue calls out his sudden weakening, with Thor, Warbird, Wonder Man, Sub-Mariner, Beta Ray Bill and Colossus rushing in to capitalize!

The Silver Surfer betrays his struggle as he begins to moan and his chrome skin burns ever brighter with blistering energy. Iron Man can see the strain is too great, but before any of the genius heroes can act -- Silver Surfer is torn free!

His smoldering and cracked body falls limply to the ground even as he attempts to volunteer for another try. The words catch in his throat as he passes out. There will be no reprieve for The Surfer.

From the air above, Quasar spots the brains trust of Banner, Richards, and Iron Man gathering over the exhausted cosmic rider. He scans the horizon, taking in the vista of his home planet Earth, then leaves Nova battling the Kree warriors.

It seems Silver Surfer's power cosmic could not contain the energies absorbed from Ego, but Quasar assures Reed Richards that his quantum power is more adaptive. Knowing the risks, he volunteers to be strapped into the machine and the draining process begins anew!

Sensing the sudden pull of his energy once more -- Ronan lashes out wildly by swatting Thor, Rogue, and Sunfire out of the air! The Kree Accuser can tell that the drain is more smooth than before, hastening his desire to find the cause.

Still gigantic; Ronan stomps across a smoking battlefield littered with the beaten bodies of Thor, Hercules, and more. He sets his sights on the machine attacking Ego's infestation of Earth, and prepares to battle Earth's last line of defense!

The Hammer...

Ronan does a very convincing job of cleaning house before setting his sights on the next challenge. The battle is won, but the war is certainly not over!

War is very much the tone here. I think the more superhero universes became proliferated with identifiable characters - the greater the desire to see a war-like scenario. Several series tried it. There are obvious echoes of Operation: Galactic Storm and Infinity Gauntlet in this one. I can't help but think of Annihilation as well, which took the hell of cosmic warfare even deeper into the trenches.

1984's Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars may be the most recognized example of conflict between warring Marvel factions, but that was much more about isolating defined sides and smashing them together like (tie-in) toys. Speaking of which: Isn't it about damn time we featured the site's namesake? I digress...

In a continuum of those memorable Marvel events, Maximum Security makes a lot of sense. Through the prism of published releases in 2001, however, it reads almost anachronistic.

The event feels like the last gasp of a movement begun with the soft Heroes Return reset of 1998. There's a colourful, fluffy house style in the artwork, and a confluence of references to Marvel's favoured past, and the character designs of the misguided mid-90s and probing millennium. All would soon go away.

Indeed, the concluding issue of Maximum Security may be cover dated 2001, but it very much belongs to the final throes of 2000, when it actually hit racks.

The release of the first X-Men movie that same year is arguably what changed comics forever. It was a foundation stone for the next two decades of superhero domination in cinema, but it would also influence two of the defining releases of 2001: Ultimate X-Men, and Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely's New X-Men.

Both were incredibly intriguing in their own way, participating in a movement towards more sedate art direction, and denser character work. Everything was being deliberately rethought. Designs got blacker, and bombastic super-heroics were taking a slight step back as written concepts took greater focus.

I was vaguely aware of the Maximum Security crossover unfolding when it came out, but it didn't connect with me. It seems like every ardent comic book fan has a lull in their reading, and for me, it was very much 99-2000. They were generally exciting times, and other interests just started to eclipse a lifetime of reading comics.

In hindsight, Maximum Security was a little old fashioned, but I think if I'd taken the time to look closer, I would've enjoyed it. It was certainly an interesting piece of history to revisit when I picked up back issues many years later.

Three issues doesn't give the core mini-series a lot of room to expand upon a fast moving plot, but there are, of course, many tie-in issues that focus closer on relevant characters and spillover. There may be no better marker of time than Gambit #23: a series I frequently forget even existed.

Ronan The Accuser stands out as a main villain, which feels like a culmination of sorts. Growing up I'd always thought of Ronan as a big deal (and a classic Fantastic Four villain), but under scrutiny it becomes apparent his appearances were steady, but infrequent. He's really more of a Captain Marvel character, and for many years he hung his accuser's hat on the legendary Kree-Skrull War.

At the start of Maximum Security he poses as another banished alien forced to warden the Earth prison. A dirty tactic, but a nice set up for his coming out as a literal big bad. It's fun to see him swatting around some of the heaviest hitters in the Marvel Universe, even if the interactions are a tad impersonal.

I'll look forward to returning to the next phase of the battle in the future, when the other, more surprising featured character comes back to the fore: USAgent!

In the mean time, Blogger restrictions means this entry will only appear tagged for the fighters featured tackling Ronan. For most of the others, we have an assist stat that acknowledges their support role. You can check out the updated character rankings and results at the bottom of this post.

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Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 950 characters! You can find them all indexed in the Secret Archive by publisher, series, and issue number. Or simply discover more wonders by following links throughout this and other feature articles.

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Winner: Ronan The Accuser
#398 (+286) Ronan The Accuser
#613 (+279) Ego The Living Planet [+1 assist]
#31 (-1) Sub-Mariner
#32 (--) Thor
#35 (--) Silver Surfer
#49 (-2) Warbird (Carol Danvers)
#70 (-12) Rogue
#74 (-3) Wonder Man
#80 (-6) Goliath (Hank Pym)
#145 (-1) She-Hulk
#400 (-56) Beta Ray Bill
#419 (-7) Hercules
#423 (-3) Colossus
#591 (-137) Sunfire
#2 (--) Spider-Man [+1 assist]
#3 (--) Iron Man [+1 assist]
#4 (--) Wolverine [+1 assist]
#6 (--) Hulk (Bruce Banner) [+1 assist]
#10 (--) Mister Fantastic [+1 assist]
#12 (--) Thing [+1 assist]
#115 (+1) Nova (Richard Rider) [+1 assist]
#130 (+2) USAgent [+1 assist]
#428 (--) Speedball [+1 assist]
#614 (+282) Quasar [+1 assist]
#922 (new) Namorita [+1 assist]
#923 (new) Triathlon [+1 assist]

MIGHTY AVENGERS versus
SECRET AVENGERS
The Trust: Part Five (Marvel)
Where: New Avengers #36 When: January 2008
Why: Brian Bendis How: Leinil Yu

The Story So Far...
Once, the gods and heroes could be trusted to protect humanity in it's time of need, but when the least of their kind entered into a battle that cost the lives of hundreds, a new control was demanded by a traumatized public.

For men like Tony Stark, the prospect of thorough screening and training became a price he was all too willing to pay to repent for the willful negligence of he and his fellows. Trusted powers whose morals had come to harbor cosmically volatile forces within their quarters. A philosophy that puts him at odds with both those who have reasons to hide, and those with a strong belief in the privacy and trust earned by the super-powered guardians.

Divided, Earth's mightiest heroes continue in two factions. Stark's Avengers hunt their secretive counterparts, distracted from the evils the underground heroes continue to pursue with clarity. It is the Secret Avengers who learn of The Hood's play for Kingpin of Villains, and the emergence of a Skrull incursion. Neither, however, could have hoped to anticipate a Latverian satellite position above the Earth. A weapon containing a symbiote bomb that escapes it's master's control and sends an infestation of madness to New York City as an unprepared Secret Avengers is possessed and thrown into battle with their counterparts.

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Wonder Man 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Iron Man 5 (Professor)
Speed: The Sentry 6 (Mach-Speeds)
Stamina: Iron Man 6 (Generator)
Agility: Spider-man 5 (Cat-like)
Fighting Ability: Ares 7 (Warrior)
Energy Power: The Sentry 7 (Cosmic)


- The Mighty Avengers are: Iron Man, Ms. Marvel, Wonder Man, Sentry, Black Widow, Ares, accompanied by Luke Cage and Wolverine.

Plotting against his half-brother, the Norse god of mischief, Loki, uses illusions to manipulate the rages of the green goliath known as the Hulk!
The scheme is intended to draw Thor into a combative trap, but Loki's plans come unravelled when a distress call from Rick Jones is picked up not only by Thor, but also the Wasp, Ant-Man, and Iron Man! Despite initial misunderstandings, the unlikely team forms an alliance and easily defeats the god of mischief - thus, the Avengers are born!

Though their adventures would see the roster subject to change, the growing number of associated heroes would only lend credence to the claim that they are Earth's mightiest heroes! United, the many iterations of the Avengers would face foes of minor, or cosmic natures, always willing to put their lives on the line for the greater good, a philosophy embodied by charter members like iconic early recruit, Captain America.

After the superhero Civil War, the team was segregated between those heroes supportive of the Superhuman Registration Act, and those opposed. The Avengers continue officially as a government agency led by the registration's leading advocate, Tony Stark, who was also appointed Director of SHIELD.

- The Secret Avengers are: Dr. Strange, Iron Fist, Ronin, Echo, Spider-man, and Wasp.

Confronted with a government intending to pit him against the reluctant and unwilling in a mandatory Superhero Registration; Captain America throws his training and leadership against SHIELD and the US Government to instead lead a resistance against the movement. These Secret Avengers emerge to protect those who have pledged their lives to protecting the innocent, intent on preserving their right to anonymity.
Among the most prominent of the ready and willing to join the Captain's cause are; Hercules, Goliath, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Falcon, Cloak, Dagger, and Cable.

Captain America's surrender to Tony Stark during the superhero Civil War, and subsequent assassination, galvanizes the efforts of an underground team allowed leniency by the powers-that-be. Thus, the Secret Avengers continue on in the memory of their leader, dedicated to the same justice they always sought.

Additional: The Secret Avengers are possessed by alien symbiote creatures similar to those warn by Mac Gargan and Cletus Kasady. The creatures have dramatically reduced their reasoning, while enhancing their strength.

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

What Went Down...
Watching their government sponsored counterparts descend to the streets below, the Secret Avengers witness panic in the streets as the results of a symbiote bomb wreak havoc with innocent bystanders. Before they can intervene, the Secret Avengers themselves become possessed by alien creatures, save Luke Cage, whose impenetrable skin may be the reason for his safety.

Set upon by his fellows; Cage struggles as symbiote-possessed Ronin, Spider-man, and Echo launch and acrobatic assault against him. Even his best friend, Iron Fist, throws a taloned swipe that would kill an ordinary man! Overwhelmed by the pummelling of all but Wolverine, Cage briefly loses consciousness.

When Power Man comes to, he is greeted by Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel of the "Mighty" Avengers. With the streets of Manhattan filled with the symbiote possessed, all grudges are dropped as Cage joins the fight that has also claimed Wasp, in giant-form, from the Mighty team.

Contending with Giant-Woman and a cluster of anonymous symbiotes tossed by the towering creature; Iron Man attempts to make an escape, seeking to resolve the threat from it's source. He leaves behind two teams, at odds, but on the common grounds of doing all they can to protect the innocent.

The Sentry waves a street lamp at clambering creatures, while Luke Cage relies on his own unbreakable fists to fight back against the hordes. He's joined by Wolverine who remains unclaimed by the symbiote clinging to his body, racked with pain as his mutant healing factor keeps the creature at bay, allowing him to turn those skills against the other aliens.

The sixty-foot Giant-Wasp symbiote crashes to the ground, walloped with the super-strength of the Sentry. Ares, Wonder Man and Ms. Marvel do the same, using their impressive powers to tackle multiple creatures at once! Wolverine's efforts prove equally as effective as he topples the creatures with mortal fists.

Fighting despite the endless numerical advantage of the swarm, the heroes are rewarded. Just as sudden as the infestation had begun, the symbiotes disappear in an instant, the handy work of Iron Man, Director of SHIELD!

The Hammer...
As far as conclusions go it's a scrappy one, but I give you your year-end winners: Iron Man, Luke Cage, Wolverine, and the Mighty Avengers!

This is ordinarily where we reflect upon the issue with a conversation topic, but for a simple example of superhero smackdown, there are an awful lot of implications from this one issue. The convergence of ideas come from before and after, this issue being part of the transitional period from Civil War, to Secret Invasion.

In a year defined by the "Invasion" with little compromise, this issue of New Avengers reminds us of many things sorely absent from Marvel's 2008.
In fact, they're all fairly simple principles that reflect quite negatively on Brian Bendis' second attempt at a Marvel-wide crossover. Working against him was a promotion that suggested something far more involving, something resembling the Skrull invasion never quite seen to it's logical conclusion. Instead, Secret Invasion amounted to something resembling Infinity War, built out of specials dealing with super-powered Skrulls in the various subsets of Marvel characters.

Like the many writers who picked up themes and concepts from the central plot, Bendis himself expanded the event through threads in the two Avengers titles.
Here, we were again reminded that within Brian Bendis is the capacity to deliver a satisfying superhero story. It would be unfair to drudge up the old theory that Bendis can't handle groups of characters, but it seems entirely convincing that directing the larger picture is not his particular forté. [See also; House of M] It is merely an unfortunate coincidence that these bungles both include large casts.

A tendency to humanize characters - sometimes to the point of losing their character (and differentiation) all together - invariably makes the New Avengers the stronger of the two titles. Alas; each positive seems to come equipped with it's own undermining 'Void' alter-ego, such as New's thematic consistency of often failing to actually deliver the titular grouping.

These problems, of course, do not exist in today's feature issue.
In stark contrast to the dragging inanity of Secret Invasion, the much-hyped symbiote bomb delivers almost too little. Resolved over the course of a couple of issues with fist-pounding simplicity, it is everything the major crossovers of recent years have not been, (from either company). In some ways, I almost wish the Skrulls and Symbiotes could've switched places. A couple of simple battles to resolve the invading super-Skrulls would have been far more palatable, particularly if the dramatic potential of symbiote-infested heroes could've been fulfilled in the traditional crossover model. The model that exacerbated the very worst about Secret Invasion.

Looking back on year through the first issues print-dated 2008, we recognise an event that was much more fun to anticipate than deal with. So, what of 2009?

Marvel appears to be going back to the well again, this time repackaging Acts of Vengeance with a smoother, more organic transition than some recent concepts. Dark Reign is described as a new 'status quo', rather than an event.
While the terminology immediately makes it difficult to feel anything but cynical, it does have the benefit of drawing directly from events outside of the best forgotten Skrull invasion. Norman Osborn's path as a character has made the disappointment of his late nineties resurrection all the easier to swallow, drawing heavily on the 'wolf in sheeps clothing' motiff of the Thunderbolts.

Bendis' "Dark Illuminati" might finally give breathing space to The Hood, whose play for Kingpin of Villains fell disappointingly to the constant interruptions of the Skrull crossover, and other indulgent distractions. With DC's investment across the street with Grant Morrison and a similarly themed direction for Libra, it's been all the harder to take The Hood seriously in his bid to rise from urban thuggery, to mastermind status.

2009 will be a real acid test for Marvel's simmering concepts and ability to bounce back from such an awful lynchpin. As far as the Infinite Wars is concerned, despite noteworthy triumphs, Marvel conceded 2008 to a DC that started slow. Is that about to change? We'll be keen to see!

The Fight: 4 The Issue: 5

Want to start the new year with the best of 2008? Looking for after-Christmas bargains? Check out "The Trust" in collected format! By using Amazon purchase links on the Infinite Wars you help support our tireless efforts! The Gift Shoppe also contains collected versions featuring most reviewed titles from the three years of Secret Archiving! Stay tuned for more belated review on the year that was, continuing with yet another exciting secret war, deviating from the events that drove 2008!