Fantastic Four #288
Full Circle
Secret Wars II continues from Uncanny X-Men #203, this story continued from last issue...
Tracking his sister Sue's distress signal to the Latverian embassy, the Human Torch easily fights his way past the robots that guard the building. Smashing his way through the front doors, Johnny makes short work of the other guards and almost blasts an old lady named Sarah. Sarah explains that she came to the embassy with her daughter Peggy MacArthur. As it turns out, Peggy's husband Norman had been acting strange of late and began talking in a strange accent. Making Peggy a prisoner in her own home, Norman fashioned a costume based on that of the old Fantastic Four villain the Invincible Man and went into the city to attack the Fantastic Four. When Sarah and Peggy saw news footage of Norman's battle they came to the Latverian embassy where they saw Norman fighting the Invisible Woman. Not wishing to see her husband hurt, Peggy then struck Sue over the head knocking her out. Unmasking the Invincible Man mask Peggy was shocked to see the mask of Doctor Doom underneath instead of that of her husband. Sarah fled and Peggy was captured, Sarah was on her way out when she ran into the Torch.
Telling the elderly woman to find safety, Johnny rushes off to find his sister and finds Reed, She-Hulk and the Wasp instead and helps them fight more Doombots. Their reunion is brief when they are suddenly confronted by Doom who fells the four heroes with a sonic blaster device. When the Fantastic Four revive they find themselves bound in specially made cages that counteract their powers. Before the FF, Wasp and Peggy MacArthur, Doom explains that he intends them to witness his greatest triumph before killing them all. Unmasking, Peggy is shocked to see the face of her husband Norman underneath. However, Doom explains that when his body was slain during the clash between the Silver Surfer and Terrax his mind survived when he used a mind swapping trick he learned from the Ovids to transfer his mind into the body of Norman MacArthur. He then bided his time to get his ultimate revenge.
He shows them a mystical portal that he has created in which he intends to use the powers of sorcery to do what science could not: restore his original body. Using his arcane might he call upon the ultimate power, and much to the surprise to those gathered succeeds in summoning the Beyonder. However, despite Doom's attempts to subjugate the Beyonder, the One From Beyond -- no longer having patience for humans -- easily defeats him. When Richards protests killing Doom, the Beyonder frees him and asks why.
When it's pointed out that the Beyonder does not recognize Doom (As he sees people auras, and since Doom is in a different body, his aura is different), Richards theorizes that Doom acted as though he never met the Beyonder before and that he acted as though he was clashing with the She-Hulk for the first time as well. He theorizes that when the Beyonder originally pulled Dr. Doom to Battleworld for the Secret Wars it was during a period when Doom's body was destroyed. He realizes that the Beyonder must have plucked Dr. Doom from some point in the future after his body was restored. When the Beyonder confirms this, Richards warns him against killing Doom as it would alter history so that Doom was never sent back in time to participate in the Secret War and the possible consequences could destroy all time. When the Beyonder cannot be certain that if he could survive the destruction of all time, he decides to set things right: Using his vast powers, he recreates Doom's original body and reverses Doom's mind swap with MacArthur. With Doom in his proper body, the Beyonder sends him back in time to participate in the Secret War. With the time cycle complete, the Beyonder teleports away.
With the threat over, Mr. Fantastic rushes everyone outside of the embassy before Doom is returned to this spot following his defeat at the hands of the Beyonder in the past.
Secret Wars II concludes in Secret Wars II #9....
Recurring Characters
Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, She-Hulk), Wasp, Norman McArthur, Peggy McArthur, Doctor Doom, Beyonder
Continuity Notes
As previously established, Dr. Doom was seemingly slain in Fantastic Four #260, however, he cheated death by swapping bodies with Norman McArthur using a trick he learned from the Ovoids back in Fantastic Four #10.
Reed recaps the events of the original Secret Wars, touching on the following specifics:
The gathering of heroes and villains to do battle in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1.
When Doom stole the powers of Galactus in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #9
Then later stole the power of the Beyonder in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #10
Doom confronting the heroes with his god-like powers in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #11
And ultimately the defeat of Doom and the hands of the Beyonder and his banishment from Battleworld in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #12
The Beyonder reforms Doom's body and restores Norman McArthur here. Doom is sent back in time to the beginning of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #1.
Following this story, the Fantastic Four, Wasp and the Beyonder are all next seen in Secret Wars II #9 where the final fate of the Beyonder is decided.
Secret Wars II Reading Order
Secret Wars II #1, New Mutants #30, Captain America, #308, Uncanny X-Men #196, Iron Man #197, Secret Wars II #2, Web of Spider-Man #6, Amazing Spider-Man #268, Fantastic Four #282, Secret Wars II #3, Daredevil #223, Incredible Hulk #312, Avengers #260, Secret Wars II #4, Dazzler #40, Alpha Flight #28, Rom #72, Avengers #261, Secret Wars II #5, Thing #30, Doctor Strange (vol. 2) #74, Fantastic Four #285, Secret Wars II #6, Cloak and Dagger (vol. 2) #4, Power Pack #18, Micronauts (vol. 2) #16, Thor #363, Power Man and Iron Fist #121, Secret Wars II #7, New Mutants #36, Amazing Spider-Man #273, Spectacular Spider-Man #111, Uncanny X-Men #202, Defenders #152, Secret Wars II #8, New Mutants #37, Amazing Spider-Man #274, Avengers #265, Uncanny X-Men #203, Fantastic Four #288, Secret Wars II #9, Avengers #266
