Avengers #266 (1986)
by Roger Stern & John Buscema
We have finally reached the end: this is the epilogue to Secret Wars II.
It’s also the first time I learned how it ended and the first time Molecule Man story I ever read: I wouldn’t get to read the miniseries, or the earlier Molecule Man stories, until later.
Reading Marvel comics in Italy in the 80s and 90s was a challenge.
The Stern & Buscema issues are probably my favorite Avengers run of all time, so that’s already a massive improvement over most tie-ins.
But also we FINALLY acknowledge that Silver Surfer is still stranded on Earth at this time!
His regular series wouldn’t start until a year after this story. A pity that he didn’t have a tie-in, because it would’ve made a ton of sense to have him interact properly with the Beyonder… they’re both strangers to Earth with cosmic powers and a tendency to philosophize.
Just imagine what Secret Wars II would’ve been with John Buscema pencils instead of Al Milgrom.
The main threat of this issue is the MASSIVE damage to Earth done by the Beyonder in Secret Wars II #9. That story paid lip service to how destructive it was, but Milgrom’s artwork failed to capture its majesty.
Things are SO serious that Earth itself is going to pull itself apart (!!!), as the second Captain Marvel informs Silver Surfer.
She gives a recap of who the Beyonder was and of what he did, but Sterns is careful enough to include ONLY things that Captain Marvel knows by personal experience.
That’s just good writing. It would’ve been easy, and perhaps acceptable, to have her add more details with something like “and Reed Richards told me everything else” or something, but that would’ve been clunkier.
I find it interesting that only the Avengers and the Fantastic Four stayed to deal with the aftermath. Captain Marvel says the others either left or “were sent home”.
I think the street-level heroes (Cloak, Dagger, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Spider-Man) just left on their own… it’s not like they could’ve done anything.
The Hulk immediately leaving the second there isn’t anyone to smash is the most Hulk thing ever.
Scarlet Witch was pregnant at the time, so I buy her and Vision leaving.
That leaves the various super-teams. Captain Marvel says they sent the others home before they realized the magnitude of the problem, so they might have sent home the X-Men, the New Mutants and Alpha Flight.
But why the heck aren’t the West Coast Avengers involved!?
The story is set in the Rocky Mountains, presumably in Colorado.
The story does a fantastic job selling this as a big deal. Even leaving aside the whole “the Earth is going to tear itself apart” bit, the fact that ENTIRE MOUNTAINS HAVE BEEN VAPORIZED is terrifying.
Good news: the Earth is going to crumble in the next six hours.
Well that’s actually the bad news. Also there are no good news.
One of the highlights of the Stern run is the presence of Hercules, because as I’ve said before including Hercules in your comic immediately makes it better.
But this is even better because his rivalry with Namor, who was in the same team at the time, lead to some great banter.
Namor is his usual curmudgeon self during his Avengers membership, except with former Invaders teammate Captain America. And now with former Defenders teammate Silver Surfer.
Still, Silver Surfer is ridiculously overpowered. He will surely be able to solve the situation on his own, right?
Or not. I guess it’s not a big surprise that the guy who was given powers by someone who eats planets wouldn’t be well-equipped to fix a planet.
Captain America remembers that if even Silver Surfer isn’t powerful enough, there IS someone around who is even more ridiculously overpowered: the Molecule Man.
This includes a re-drawn version of the same scene from Secret Wars II; its inclusion is probably Jim Shooter is credited for “extra dialogue” in this story.
As much as I don’t like the last issue of the miniseries, I will always defend this interaction as a true masterpiece.
Most of the people present know Molecule Man from the original Secret Wars, so understandably they’re not keen on trusting the fate of the world on a supervillain.
Hercules suggests forcing Molecule Man to help, but as Black Knight notes that’s not exactly easy.
(he looks like this because he injured his shoulder earlier)
Molecule Man isn’t feeling so good. Apparently his fight with the Beyonder took far more energy than he let on.
“And then the tent turns into a balloon” is not a sentence I expected to write.
That’s when Captain Marvel attempts to recruit Molecule Man. Which is not a great idea with Volcana around, because she only knows Captain Marvel as one of the heroes from Secret Wars.
The other heroes attempt to calm her down, and this is a great moment both for Volcana (one of the few times she’s allowed to use her powers) and for Invisible Woman, who protects everyone with her force field.
We now get to the core of the issue: convincing Molecule Man to save the planet, even if it means killing him. Because, even if he’s badly injured, he’s STILL holding Earth together!!!
As I said this was my first exposure to Molecule Man, and this story has led me to have a soft spot for the guy. There’s something fascinating on how this ordinary guy treats his enormous powers so casually.
He’s not evil, he’s not a hero, he just cares about the small things.
This raises an interesting moral dilemma. Would the Avengers be morally justified in forcing Molecule Man, or even holding Volcana hostage, if it meant saving the world?
Molecule Man is also quite cynical, not caring to save a world that has not been kind for him. Even Wasp’s romantic speech fails to inspire him…
…but instead it’s his love for TELEVISION RE-RUNS that saves the world!!!
Yes, Stern even manages to take Shooter’s lame running gag of Molecule Man being addicted to television and turn into a great moment.
I had never heard of the western sitcom F Troop before this story.
Is it worth saving the Earth for?
Good thing the Beyonder didn’t attack Earth before VCRs and DVDs were invented.
Molecule Man’s look varies a lot between artists. John Buscema has a very distinct way of drawing him, especially his eyes; he almost looks Asian.
I also love Molecule Man’s understated “uh-huh” to Volcana.
Silver Surfer and Molecule Man are going to combine their powers to fix the Earth.
Notice Molecule Man is still extremely cynical about the whole situation.
Both characters have arguably done more impressive things, but the way it’s shown makes it epic on a whole other level.
It works, completely restoring the Rocky Mountains (!!!!), but Molecule Man loses his powers in the process.
Namor and Hercules feeling threatened by the wimpy-looking Molecule Man will always be funny, but it also shows they have hidden depths.
Silver Surfer brings Molecule Man back home, where we learn that as a bonus he undid every single damage caused by the Beyonder throughout the entire event.
Also, surprising nobody who knows the character, Silver Surfer honored the deal and didn’t push Molecule Man further than he could manage… so he still has his powers!!!
It’s cool to see the normally holier-than-thou Silver Surfer being inspired by such an ordinary guy.
If you’re wondering how long it took the heroes to discover Molecule Man still has powers… his next appearance is Fantastic Four #318 two years later, and that’s the beginning of a storyline that will make him presumed dead for a while.
Molecule Man choosing an ordinary life is treated as a triumph for him, in contrast with the Jim Shooter stories that seemed to treat it as a bad thing.
And that is honestly the very last Secret Wars II story I’m going to review.
We won’t revisit the Secret Wars retrospective until the Doctor Doom one reaches the 2015 series.
Historical significance: 6/10
Oh how I wish THIS was the conclusion, but as an epilogue it’s a worthy reward for sticking to the event. With one minor exception I’ll talk about soon, though, it doesn’t have repercussions.
Silver Age-ness: 0/10
The apocalyptic damages are treated with a distinct lack of Silver Age-ness.
Does it stand the test of time? 10/10
A great Avengers story, a great Molecule Man story, and even a great Silver Surfer story. Stern and Buscema are at the top of their game.
I don’t doubt Jim Shooter could’ve written Secret Wars II much better than he did… after all we know the man can write… but this REALLY makes me wish Roger Stern was the one writing it.
Bonus: this story is an important plot point 2009’s “Eye of the camera” miniseries, the sequel to Marvels.
Perhaps not surprising since Roger Stern was co-writing it with Kurt Busiek; Jay Anacleto provides the artwork. It’s a HIGHLY recommended read and a worthy conclusion to Marvels.
Issue #4 includes some deep cuts, including the justifiably forgotten Fantastic Four #188.
As this issue covers the mid-eighties, naturally there’s Secret Wars II shenanigans in the background.
The damage caused by the Beyonder is perhaps even more terrifying with the realistic artwork.
Protagonist Phil Sheldon even notices the Molecule Man hanging around. The attention to detail is perfect: Molecule Man is even wearing the correct shirt! It’s the small things sometimes.
We also have a marvelous (pun intended) recreation of Silver Surfer and Molecule Man fixing the planet.
This is an important plot point in the series, because it’s happening when Phil has cancer and he sees this as a sign to keep fighting.
Not sure if the fact that this is treated as national news really fits the original story, but it works great here.
READ THIS SERIES, I consider it at the same level of Marvels.
I wonder if Buscema maybe based his version of Molecule Man on Gene Wilder? It doesn’t look like he went for an exact likeness or anything, but something about him feels Wilder-ish to me. He definitely would’ve been a perfect model for the character.
I don’t know that F Troop would’ve been worth saving the world for, but it had its moments, and a pretty memorable theme song.
In total agreement on Stern’s Avengers. The Avenger’s title was never as good before Stern or since. Why he isn’t on the Mount Rushmore of writers I shall never fathom.