“The Marvel Universe as you know it is done,” announced Tom Brevoort, Marvel Senior Vice President and Executive Editor.

Once the next major Marvel event, Secret Wars, kicks off this May, the entire 616 universe (as it is lovingly referred to) will be destroyed.

Secret Wars, written by Jonathan Hickman with art by Esad Ribic and covers by Alex Ross, is the culmination of the "Incursion" storyline that Hickman has been telling for the past two years in the pages of Avengers and New Avengers. Essentially, the universes that comprise Marvel’s multiverse have been crashing into and destroying each other.  And which universe has the pleasure of finally crashing into and destroying the Marvel Universe?  None other than Marvel’s Ultimate Universe.

But the destruction of everything Marvel has ever published is only the beginning of the event, and from their ashes will rise something new - something called Battleworld.  Brevoort explains, “Battleworld essentially is the detritus that’s left over after the destruction of the Marvel Universe and the Ultimate Universe.  And it is the little melting pot in which the new Marvel Universe will be created.”

Battleworld will be pieced together using fragments of other universes by the Beyonder, a cosmic being who first appeared in Marvel’s original Secret Wars series in 1984.  An interactive map of Battleworld is already available, though not all of it has been revealed yet. 

Some of the more popular universes the Beyonder will be pulling from include Old Man Logan, Age of Apocalypse, Age of Ultron, Armor Wars, Future Imperfect, 2099, House of M, and Marvel Zombies.

Each section of Battleworld will be represented by a new comic series, some limited, some ongoing, but according to Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso, “All of them will have legs.  They will import new things into the Marvel Universe moving forward.”

But once the story is over and the hype has settled, will the Marvel Universe really look that different?  Marvel has always been “Your Universe,” and I strongly suspect that the new Marvel Universe will bear an uncanny resemblance to New York City, circa 2015. 

Sure, it’ll need a new number (how about 617?), and maybe a few dead characters will find their way back to us (I officially predict a new Steve Rogers straight out of World War Two). 

But I can’t imagine Marvel will pull any truly shocking changes like bringing Mickey Mouse or Luke Skywalker into the Marvel U.  The biggest stretch I can imagine would be the inclusion of some Marvel Cinematic Universe characters, perhaps Agent Sharon Carter?  (Just a guess, because she’s already not a part of the MCU’s ‘present.’)

I’ve always felt like the best events are those that create a scenario where writers are free to tell stories they wouldn’t otherwise be able to tell given the Marvel Universe’s status quo.  And while Secret Wars is definitely providing that opportunity, I also feel like it is coming far too quickly off the heels of Age of Ultron, which destroyed the time-space continuum.  We already have the five original X-Men, Spider-Man 2099, and even Angela from the Spawn universe running around in the 616, and I don’t feel like those stories are finished being told.

That being said, I will definitely be buying Secret Wars, because I want to know what happens.  And thus, for better or worse, Marvel has accomplished EXACTLY what they set out to do.

If you want to see more details so you can make your own predictions, the entire announcement was recorded by CBR and can be seen here.

Searnold is an indie comic writer originally from Sacramento.  He currently resides in LA where he received an MFA in writing from CSULA.  If you want to see more of the nifty things he’s written, you can do so at www.SuperSearnold.com. Tweet him @SuperSearnold

Searnold