As the title implies, Marvel Comics’ The End shows how various heroes eventually meet their respective ends. While these are more “What If…?” tales set in a possible future that show how each hero’s story could end, they still aim to pack an emotional punch and work as an interesting character piece that examines what their time as a superhero ultimately amounts to.
Marvel first launched The End line of comics back in 2004, and now a new batch has been released showing the potential fates of six more iconic characters. Here’s a breakdown of how Doctor Strange, Captain Marvel, Captain America, Spider-Man Miles Morales, Deadpool, and Venom meet their ends, and our thoughts on whether it was a fitting end for each respective character.
Warning: full spoilers ahead!
The End of Doctor Strange
Written by Joe Kelly | Art by Mike Hawthorne | Cover by Rahzzah
Doctor Strange’s story finds him in a future cyberpunk dystopia where technology rules and magic has all but died out. Wong is dead and so are the rest of Earth’s sorcerers, leaving him to go stir-crazy as he sits alone in the Sanctum Santorum with no one to talk to but an AI program.
The Story
Fed up with the lack of magic in the world, Doctor Strange is goaded by the spirit of Wong into replenishing the world’s magic by seeking out magical artifacts across the globe. Strange stops by the graves of the Scarlet Witch and Doctor Voodoo to grab their remains, then journeys to the far reaches of the world to collect whatever magical relics he can find. Upon returning home, he starts a ritual where he feeds a magical fire everything he collected, even the entire cabinet holding Wong’s memorial. Finally, Doctor Strange strips down and enters the fire himself.
How It Ends
Doctor Strange sacrifices his body to complete the ritual, and we watch as magic is slowly returned to the world.
We also see that Illyana Rasputin aka Magik was not dead but trapped in suspended animation, and Strange’s ritual had the side effect of releasing her from imprisonment. Magik returns to the earthly plane and assumes the mantle of the Sorcerer Supreme to watch over the world with its magic now restored by Doctor Strange.
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Was It a Fitting End?
While Doctor Strange sacrificing himself to rekindle Earth’s magic makes for an honorable end, the story up until that point doesn’t exactly paint him in the best light. He literally goes around desecrating the graves of his friends and fellow heroes, carelessly tossing their decayed bones into a cabinet. Granted, the story does make a point that he’s a bit off his rocker in his old age, but he comes off a bit too mean-spirited even for a grumpy senior citizen. By the end of the story, it’s almost a relief that he takes himself off the board so Illyana can replace him, which probably isn’t what the creative team intended.
The End of Captain Marvel
Written by Kelly Thompson | Art by Carmen Carnero | Cover by Rahzzah
It’s the year 2051 and Captain Marvel has been out in deep space helping those in need for decades. She’s taken on a new look with a black-and-white costume, and her power level has increased considerably over the years. Her trusty Avengers beeper lights up with an SOS, calling her back to her home planet of Earth after a very long time.
The Story
Carol Danvers arrives back on Earth to find it experiencing an early Ice Age of sorts. The sun has started to die and the Earth is covered in sheets of ice with overcast skies that refuse to clear up. Carol was under the impression that everyone on Earth had died, so she’s shocked to find a group of various heroes that survived by using their powers to endure the harsh climate (extreme cold, radiation exposure, etc.). Her best friend Jessica Drew aka Spider-Woman is still alive as an elderly woman and her son Gerry is now fully grown and sporting a red-and-yellow costume resembling his mother’s.
After a tearful reunion, Jess explains that they called Carol back to help them defeat a giant creature born of the Earth’s unnatural new environment. It’s a close call, but Captain Marvel teams up with the remaining heavyweights to kill the monster. However, the real problem is much bigger than a single enemy. The Earth is still dying because of the fading sun, leaving Carol with a tough choice.
How It Ends
Carol’s spirit is revitalized after seeing her friends and loved ones again. She realizes that their safety and happiness means more to her than anything, so she decides to fly into the sun and unleash her full power, sacrificing herself so that the survivors on Earth get a second chance. Back on Earth, the planet warms and the skies clear as the survivors rejoice.
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Was It a Fitting End?
This story does an incredible job at conveying Carol’s emotional journey that ends in her sacrifice. Sacrifice is a common theme in the various The End stories, but rarely do they execute it with the emotional power seen here. There’s a genuine bittersweet happiness to it all as Carol finds renewed hope in her loved ones and then pays the ultimate price to ensure that hope lives on in them.
Keep reading for the ends of Captain America, Spider-Man Miles Morales, and more!
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Source: IGN.com Marvel’s The End Reveals How 6 Heroes Meet Their Demise