Marvel Super-Heroes Secret Wars #6
Secret Wars #6 — titled "A Little Death...!" — lands at the narrative midpoint of Marvel's first company-wide crossover limited series, a publishing milestone that effectively invented the modern event comic and brought the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man together on one stage for the first time. Within this specific chapter, the Wasp becomes the series' first casualty when the Wrecking Crew shoots her, giving the story its first genuine dramatic stakes and hinting that no character was truly safe. The issue also contains the shadow-panel cameo debut of Julia Carpenter, the second Spider-Woman — a character who would go on to serve with the Avengers West Coast and eventually inherit the mantle of Madame Web. Doctor Doom's cold-blooded recruitment of the reconstituted Klaw aboard Galactus' worldship further seeds his long-game play for the Beyonder's power, the arc that would define the series' climax.
In "A Little Death...", the fate of the universe hangs in the balance as Galactus prepares his final assault, while the Wasp crash-lands in a murky swamp, stranded with the Lizard. Amid shifting alliances and hidden agendas, Xavier sends half the X-Men to infiltrate the villainous camp, where Colossus grapples with unexpected emotions and Cyclops triggers a chain reaction of volcanic chaos. Written by Jim Shooter and illustrated by Mike Zeck, with inks by John Beatty and colors by Christie Scheele, this pivotal issue sees the stakes rise as new threats emerge and old enemies collide—cover by Bob Layton.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The 12-issue limited series was conceived by Marvel's editor-in-chief Jim Shooter at the request of toy manufacturer Mattel, which wanted a publishing hook to support a new action-figure line; focus-group research indicated young consumers responded favorably to the words 'secret' and 'wars,' and the book was renamed accordingly from its working title Cosmic Champions. Shooter wrote every chapter himself, with penciller Mike Zeck and inker John Beatty handling the art for issue #6 as they had for the series' key early chapters, while Tom DeFalco served as editor. The series was designed from the outset to ripple outward into Marvel's ongoing titles — changes like Spider-Man's new black costume and She-Hulk's enrollment in the Fantastic Four were seeded here and paid off in the characters' home books, a cross-title architecture that became the template for decades of Marvel events.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Story title: "A Little Death...!" — Part 6 of 12 of the limited series; published October 1984, written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and John Beatty, edited by Tom DeFalco.
- First cameo appearance of Julia Carpenter as the second Spider-Woman: she appears only as a shadowed figure in the final panel; her first full appearance follows in Secret Wars #7.
- The Wasp (Janet Van Dyne) is shot by the Wrecking Crew after crashing her stolen aircraft in a Battleworld swamp — making her the event's first named hero to fall in battle.
- Doctor Doom discovers the energy-form of Klaw aboard Galactus' worldship and reconstitutes him, explaining that Klaw had earlier been absorbed by Dazzler; Doom dispatches Klaw to relay orders to the villain faction.
- Colossus begins developing romantic feelings for the alien healer Zsaji in this issue, planting the seed of the subplot that will ultimately shatter his relationship with Kitty Pryde.
- Cyclops, Wolverine, and Rogue clash with a Doom-sent squad (including Molecule Man, who is wounded by Wolverine), after which Cyclops deliberately triggers a chain reaction of volcanic eruptions.
- Titania (Mary MacPherran) and Volcana (Marsha Rosenberg), both created by Shooter and Zeck, appear in this issue as established villain-faction members; their debut was Secret Wars #3 (July 1984), not this issue.
- The series itself was Marvel's first company-wide crossover event and, according to contemporary accounts, outsold any Marvel title of the preceding 25 years; Secret Wars #6 was reprinted in over a dozen international editions as well as in the 2008 Secret Wars Omnibus and the 2011 trade paperback collection.
Cast · 40 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Galactus begins assembling his equipment. The Wasp crashes her ship and ends up in a swamp with the Lizard. Dr. Doom discovers Klaw on Galactus' ship and sends him to relay a message to the villains. Xavier mind probes the planet and learns a little of Doom's plans, he dispatches half of the X-Men to spy on the villains. Colossus develops feelings for Zsaji. Cyclops, Wolverine and Rogue take on Doom's small task force and Wolverine hurts the Molecule Man badly. Cyclops begins a chain reaction of volcanic eruptions. Another team of baddies shows up to retrieve the Lizard and shoot the Wasp.
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).