This past week we have seen three new additions to the insanity that is going to be Marvel’s Summer 2015 Super Fun Beach Party/Barbeque Super Event. The first event released was “Old Man Logan”, complete with all of the familiar faces of the Mark Millar and Steve McNiven story.
The next day we were gifted with another teaser, “Inhumans: Attilan Rising“, a play off of the Fantastic Four/Namor crossover “Atlantis Rising”
The final teaser we got this week was “Ultimates: The End“, another reference to a previously released comic, this time referencing “The End” a series of mini-series that catalog our favorite heroes last days.
Now here comes my theory, what if these are just arcs? What if all of these teasers are our heroes facing things that changed who they were at their core. Faced with a collapsing universe where space and time are unwinding (as I explore in this article here), the heroes are finding themselves in alternate times, and alternate universes. On top of that, these same alternate worlds are finding our heroes in 616. This can mean our heroes are forced to relive; entirely, partially or even just in essence; some part of their lives that hurt them and changed who they were. Maybe it’s as simple as battling their worst enemies, themselves, as seen by the Planet Hulk and Armor Wars teasers, or maybe it’s as complex as the emotional toll that comes to Spider-Man as he is ripped apart by two warring sides in Civil War.
This theory does get shaken a little bit by things like Age of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies and Atillan Rising, but maybe while some of our heroes are out fighting their demons (or alternate versions of themselves), characters like Deadpool getting sucked into a ridiculous conflict between robots and zombies. Maybe The Inhumans, or at least some of them, find themselves in a world where they rule all. There is even a chance that The Ultimate Universe discovers a universe in which Galactus succeeds in killing our favorite counterpart universe. I think the scope of this event, if my theory stands, could lend its self to a wide variety of character exploration and overall chaos.
I feel it is also to point out that Dan Buckley, President of Publishing for Marvel Comics, has been quoted as saying “every story in every book is leading into Secret Wars“. This gives me what I believe to be ample evidence to support that these may be arcs in the ongoings. Hulk getting Planet Hulk, Superior Iron-Man getting Armor Wars, Spider-Man getting Civil War, Deadpool getting Age of Ultron vs. Marvel Zombies, All-New X-Men getting Years of Futures Past, Uncanny Avengers getting House of M, Nova getting Infinity Gauntlet, the upcoming Wolverines getting Old Man Logan, Inhumans getting Attilan Rising and Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man getting The End. This is all just a theory though and even if I hit the nail on the head, I doubt my speculations on which series will get which “event” will hold any ground.
I can not begin to tell you guys how excited I am for this. Honestly though, I think that’s because I am having a ridiculously fun time speculating what the fresh hell is going to cause all of this. Marvel has been hitting it out of the park recently, and I think this is going to be something incredible. I’m giddy just thinking about it.
Be sure to check out whatever it is that’s happening Summer 2015. As for now, keep speculating my fellow Towelites!
