Why “War of the Realms” is a must-read Marvel Comics event

Mark Lynch

Image Source: Comixology Digital Comics

Why “War of the Realms” is one of the best Marvel Comics crossover in years.

Comic book crossovers have been a big part of Marvel Comics for decades. Once upon a time, they weren’t yearly events, but were reserved for major moments. Sometimes you could go years without characters like the X-Men and the Avengers crossing paths. But as time went on, big events became a huge part of the Marvel Universe, and the success House of M, Civil War, and World War Hulk solidified that major events would become a yearly staple for Marvel Comics. However, reading these crossovers has gradually become more of a chore than fun.

There were too many events, and what was even worse was that not all of them ended with any major effects on the universe. A little while back, War of the Realms was teased. The idea of another crossover seemed like a bad idea but, after reading the issues and the tie-ins, it became obvious that this was going to be something special. In fact, it became a must-read for Marvel Comics fans. It’s already given readers humor, tragedy, and excitement, but it’s not just those things that makes War of the Realms a special crossover.

You can also catch up on War of the Realms with our recaps of the series.

Image Source: Marvel Digital Comics

Years of preparation

In 2013, Jason Aaron wrote a story called “The God Butcher” in the series Thor: God of Thunder. Later, he wrote a series called “The Accursed.” This was the beginning of Malekith starting what will end in War of the Realms. Then, in Original Sin, Thor became unworthy, which led to Jane Foster becoming Thor, and Malekith chopped Thor’s arm off. All of this led to Thor becoming unlike anything we’ve seen from him. He was depressed, disappointed in himself, doubtful of abilities, and dependent on alcohol. Eventually, Thor stopped feeling sorry for himself and became more proactive. He tried to have the right hammer built for him and did deeds to try to collect Asgardian items that were scattered around the world.

This may seem like a long journey to get here, but it was worth the trek. Everything that happened when Jason Aaron started Thor was leading to this, even “The God Butcher” series. If that didn’t happen, Nick Fury wouldn’t have whispered, “Gorr was right,” which led to Thor becoming unworthy. Jason Aaron took Thor and broke him down until he hit rock bottom, which was a great idea. Every hero needs a definitive story when things look completely bleak, it makes their rise back greater. And it’s not just Thor, either. Jane Foster went from being a side character to having an amazing run as Thor and will be starting a new series as a Valkyrie.

Image Source: Comixology Digital Comics

The interpretation of war

The word “war” is thrown around a lot in comic books. What we normally get is a short fight that lasts about a day. This was even the case in Civil War. There were two sides, but the battle was short lived. War of the Realms was war. This wasn’t something that was going to be done and over with in a few days. Looking at the way the crossovers have gone and how the heroes have been growing facial hair, dealing with their emotions,or even feeling doubt, you can tell that this ordeal is weighing heavy on them. Spider-Man has seen his fair share of battles, and even he was worried that he’d never see his love Mary Jane again. This is what war is like, it’s ugly and people are hurt both physically and emotionally.

It was interesting to see how Jason Aaron has portrayed what is going on. Malekith’s forces have taken over the world. Everything from Frost Giants to trolls have people running scared, while the heroes are doing what they can to protect innocent people. There are people who hate mutants, but are so desperate that they’re okay with being protected by the X-Men. Shakespeare may have said in best when he wrote, “Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows.” War of the Realms is going to change the way comic book writers in all companies portray war. Invincible did a phenomenal job with this, as well. However, this crossover is spanning multiple comic books and affecting everyone.

Image Source: Comixology Digital Comics

Combinations we wouldn’t normally see

One thing that makes a crossover fun are the character combinations. Some characters we would never think to put together will fight and team up. We’ll also see some of our favorite duos work together again. While it’s to be expected, War of the Realms has done this and thensome. We aren’t just getting the normal combos like Wolverine and Captain America. There have been groups put together that fans never knew they wanted to see. For example, the Queen Mother Freyja and Frank Castle teaming up was exciting.

It’s easy to see why the Punisher and Freyja would gain so much respect for each other, as both of them have lost family and friends in their lifetime. They also know what it’s like to truly be in a war and that you must have a different mentality when you’re fighting for the lives of billions of people. Having said all of that, it was still weird. There was also Heimdall and Daredevil. One used to be able to see everything in the universe and is now blind. And the other was blinded and now sees everything, so much so that it’s overwhelming, even for a guy who can smell and hear a fart 100 yards away. And The irony is certainly not lost on them.

These are just a couple of examples. This crossover has put teams together that we may never see again. Hopefully, it won’t be. The War Avengers squad needs to be the new Secret Avengers or Thunderbolts kind of book.

Image Source: Comixology Digital Comics

Deaths means something

A lot of people die in comics. Sometimes the people die off panel or, even worse, their death adds nothing to the story. It frustrates comic book fans when deaths are pointless, and we’ve seen this time and time again. The series will end, the heroes will have a memorial service after the event, and they’ll move on to the next thing like nothing happened. It feels different in War of the Realms.

In the second issue, the Valkyries were slaughtered. Even their leader and most famous of them Brunhilde was killed by Malekith in a graphic scene. Then there’s the death of two major characters in the fourth issue. The visual was intense. Russell Dauterman drew that scene and made it impossible to not feel sad after watching her die.

If we’re going to be completely honest, a lot of the heroes and villains who die in this series will be back. It’s just the way comic books work. But that doesn’t mean the deaths weren’t meaningful. Going back to the idea of the story of war being written well, the heroes didn’t have time or the resources to collect the dead and give them a proper burial. However, in War of the Realms: Strike Force “Land of the Giants” the team charged with rescuing Thor made it a point to bury their dead allies. A moment that was unlike anything we’ve seen, especially considering who it was that died. Even though characters may come back to life after this series, their deaths weren’t pointless.

Image Source: Comixology Digital Comics

Side books with a purpose

Crossover events sometimes have tie-ins in other comics. Civil War had so many that it seemed impossible to buy and read them all. Nevertheless, they were there. These tie-ins answer questions that readers may have. For example, what happened to certain heroes while the main title was going on? Why weren’t they involved? They can sometimes be a bit much. War of the Realms has more than a few crossovers. However, they’ve all been incredibly entertaining and not only that, they’ve created teams that could be used in the future.