A young member of the ancient, otherworldly race known as the Beyonders, the Beyonder wishes to achieve completeness and understand the concept of desire. To explore his feelings, he orchestrates the events of the first Secret Wars.
From Beyond
The Beyonder’s origins are clouded in contradictions. It’s believed that he emanates from a pocket realm created by the unseen Beyonders, all-powerful beings outside of the universe. His pocket realm, like many others similar to it, is used to store vast energies that are often harnessed within the universe by sentient beings to empower reality-altering Cosmic Cubes. His realm becomes punctured when scientist Owen Reece’s equipment malfunctions, inundating Reece with some of the potential Cube’s power, after which Reece becomes the Molecule Man. What would become the Beyonder gains awareness during this event, and peers through the pinhole caused by the accident, observing the universe. While intrigued by the various beings he watches, he cannot fully understand them. He becomes interested in their ability to desire, believing it drives the beings he observes, who are “incomplete,” unlike him. As he studies them, the near-omnipotent being realizes that since he was not all that existed, he too was incomplete.
Seeking to understand the concept of “desire,” he stages an experiment in which he gathers numerous Super Heroes and Super Villains (including Dr. Victor von Doom, AKA Doctor Doom, who was not physically present in the current time period and so was taken from the future instead) in two large circular constructs, which then teleport into outer space. The heroes and villains watch as the Beyonder’s power destroys a galaxy, save for one star, and creates the planet Battleworld to orbit it. The formless Beyonder speaks to the various beings he had abducted, inviting them to destroy their enemies in exchange for which they would receive “all they desire.” During these Secret Wars, Doctor Doom uses his scientific prowess to absorb the Beyonder’s powers into himself; however, the Beyonder enters the form of Doom’s ally Ulysses Klaw, AKA Klaw, and eventually reclaims his powers from Doom. The Beyonder departs, and most of the participants return to Earth.
Vast Powers
The near-omnipotent Beyonder can alter reality effortlessly. Dwarfed in power by only the mightiest cosmic entities, he can perform virtually any task he chooses to do, from traveling through time/space to reviving the dead. Due to his lack of understanding of mystical powers, they have harmed him in the past.
In his Maker form, he/she retains only a fraction of his/her true abilities, though even that was still vast. This form is also mortal, allowing him/her to suffer from afflictions normal to such a form.
Tenuous Friends and Foes
Though he tries to aid the Avengers, often he attempts to manipulate them, leading to distrust and conflict between the otherworldy being and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Learning from his ally gangster Vinnie Carbo, Beyonder takes over the criminal underworld for a time. The Beyonder also befriends the Molecule Man, though later they end up on opposite sides.
Doctor Doom proves to be a formidable foe to the Beyonder, having taken his powers from him, though the Beyonder takes them back. The Beyonder faces his fellow Beyonders, who strip him of his powers on account of using them to capture the Lost One.
A History Beyond the Universe
Shortly after the Secret Wars, the Beyonder left his realm and traveled to Earth. As he entered the Earth’s solar system, telepath Charles Xavier, AKA Professor X—a veteran of the Secret Wars —detected Beyonder’s presence and alerted his fellow “llluminati” members. He then revealed that while on Battleworld, he had tried to make telepathic contact with the Beyonder, and the Beyonder had shown him images of the Inhumans’ Royal Family. Believing the Beyonder might be a mutant Inhuman who had received his powers by entering the Terrigen Mists, the “Illuminati” set forth into space to confront him. They found him on a small planetoid hidden in an asteroid belt, where he had taken on a form from his future and allowed upcoming events to play out around him. When faced with Inhuman monarch Blackagar Boltagon, AKA Black Bolt, Beyonder acknowledged and bowed to him, and when the “Illuminati” demanded he return to the pocket realm in which he had existed, he seemed to comply; however, once the group departed, the Beyonder reappeared and continued playing out future events. Under unrevealed circumstances, the “Illuminati” forgot this encounter for some time, and Professor X’s revelations remain unverified.
When the Beyonder arrived on Earth, he took on a composite form drawn from various Secret Wars participants and sought out Owen Reece, hoping to learn more about desire. Owen’s girlfriend Marsha Rosenberg, AKA Volcana, suggested he go to Los Angeles, and the Beyonder journeyed there. He was attracted to the shouting of Stewart Cadwall, and when Cadwall wished he had the Beyonder’s powers, the powerful being transformed him into Thundersword. After Professor X alerted them to the Beyonder’s arrival, the X-Men, the New Mutants, Steve Rogers, AKA Captain America, and Jim Rhodes, AKA Iron Man, soon found themselves in battle with Thundersword, which the Beyonder invisibly observed. The X-Man Rachel Summers detected Beyonder’s presence and he briefly revealed himself before again disappearing. Part of his essence followed the New Mutants, where he became intrigued by Illyana Rasputin, AKA Magik’s dual nature, while he also trailed Captain America. After seeing “Cap” defeat Antonio Rodriguez, AKA Armadillo, the Beyonder created a physical form for himself, patterning it after Cap’s. His quest for understanding led him to follow the X-Men, and he was puzzled as to why such powerful beings did not use their powers for their own benefit; he soon located Peter Parker, AKA Spider-Man, whom he knew from Battleworld. Spider-Man could not answer the Beyonder’s questions and directed him to Reed Richards, AKA Mister Fantastic. His encounter with Mister Fantastic proved equally unenlightening, but the Beyonder soon found the homeless Elise and, later, Heroes for Hire partners Luke Cage, AKA Power Man, and Danny Rand, AKA Iron Fist, all of whom explained the concept of money to him. In return for their help, the Beyonder transformed the Heroes for Hire office building into pure gold before departing.
Recognizing the Beyonder’s power and naivety, gangster Vinnie Carbo took him in. Over a period of time, Carbo introduced the Beyonder, whom he nicknamed Frank, to many of the world’s pleasures, all the time using him to bolster his own crime syndicate. Eventually, Carbo told the Beyonder that he had learned all he could from the gangster and it was time to make his own way in the world.
Using the knowledge of the underworld he had gained, the Beyonder used his powers to control various crime lords and took over the underworld. Not satisfied, he conquered the government and military and, finally, the entire world, with even the animals, plants and molecules bending to his will. As he studied his new subjects, who had no will of their own, he came across CircuitBreaker, who had been injured by a robot of unrevealed origins (unlike her Earth-120185 counterpart, who had been paralyzed by a Cybertronian). Disturbed by her hatred of emotionless beings, the Beyonder sought out Toots, a prostitute he had known from his days working for Carbo. He released her from his will, and she showered him with affection for helping her leave her street-walking days behind, having become a waitress afterwards. Enamored by this showing of unforced gratitude, the Beyonder released everything and everyone from his will.
Seeking more gratitude for helping others, he tried to aid the Avengers against the space pirate Nebula, but botched their capture of her. He then decided to legally own the world without using mind-control, and sought the legal aid of Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil, to help him. He tried to pay Murdock by restoring the blind lawyer’s eyesight, but Murdock declined the offer.
The Beyonder soon realized there were realities and universes outside Earth’s, and traversed them before encountering Bruce Banner, AKA Hulk, in the Crossroads dimensional nexus. Believing he was helping, he manipulated an energy hook used by Walter Langkowski, AKA Box, who was searching for a suitable new host-body, to home in on Banner.
The Beyonder subsequently studied the concept of love and tried to force Alison Blaire, AKA Dazzler, to love him, but again realized he could not force someone to do so without them losing their will. As he continued to perform acts to seek gratification, including curing Rick Jones of cancer, transporting Brandy Clark to Galador to be with her love Rom, and rescuing Elizabeth Twoyoungmen, AKA Talisman, from another dimension, he again ran afoul of the Avengers. With no way to contain or incarcerate him, they offered him membership on the team in hopes of keeping an eye on him. He declined, wanting to experience more of the world and humanity. He soon encountered the suicidal mutant Tabitha Smith, AKA Boom-Boom, and sought to help her overcome her depression. He took her on a tour through space, to what he believed was the Celestials’ home, the Worldcomplex. After Boom-Boom pointed out they didn’t even notice him, he tried to engage them to prove he was more powerful than they were, but they allowed themselves to appear to be defeated by him, though he did not realize that he had been tricked. When he returned to Earth, the Avengers attacked him and he simply walked away, feeling dejected because a frightened Boom-Boom had contacted the heroes to arrange this ambush.
He soon began frequenting bars, where Ethan Thurm recruited him into the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation superhuman professional wrestling league. The UCWF’s champion Ben Grimm, AKA the Thing, tried to beat the Beyonder to death for manipulating him on Battleworld, which had seemingly cost Grimm his girlfriend, Alicia Masters. A visit to sorcerer Dr. Stephen Strange, AKA Doctor Strange, reinforced the idea that self-sacrifice was key to gaining enlightenment, and though the Beyonder was not fully convinced, he promised to try.
He soon became a self-professed champion of life, averting many disasters and saving many lives, and with news reporter Dave Shooter by his side, announced to the world that he planned to wipe out death itself. Various cosmic entities pleaded with the Beyonder not to do this, but Dave gave a chalice containing some of the Beyonder’s power to the physical manifestation of Death. Drinking it, Death vanished. Realizing what was happening, the Molecule Man arrived and explained to the Beyonder why death was important to the cycle of life. Dave offered to sacrifice himself to bring Death back, and the Beyonder used his powers to kill Dave, restarting the cycle of death in the universe. He then continued his mission to be a hero, aiding Power Pack, the Micronauts and Thor Odinson, AKA Thor. At some point during this time, he toyed with altering reality while watching a group of heroes battle the Lethal Legion. He eventually decided his role in the universe was to help others discover their roles within it.
While on Earth, the Beyonder gained many enemies who feared his power, including S.H.I.E.L.D., who tried to destroy one of his headquarters; Mephisto, who recruited an army of Super Villains to attack him as the Legion Accursed, using the vast forces of Eternity to empower them; Wilson Fisk, AKA Kingpin, who hired the mercenary Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool, in a failed attempt to kill the Beyonder; and the Kisanti tribe of Native Americans, who sent their champion Thomas Fireheart, AKA Puma, to assassinate the godlike being.
A cult called Cosmic Oneness sprang up, espousing the Beyonder as a prophet, and he tried to recruit Illyana Rasputin, AKA Magik, as his disciple. He later tried to aid Heather Douglas, AKA Moondragon, granting her great power that she used against her estranged Defenders teammates under the influence of the demonic Dragon of the Moon; in the end, the Dragon was seemingly destroyed and Moondragon’s spirit freed, which may have been Beyonder’s true goal all along. Seeking a way to kill the Beyonder, Puma consulted his old mentor Muramoto, but found the trainer had already converted to the Beyonder’s ways. Muramoto was later killed by a disenchanted Cosmic Oneness member, and the Beyonder began to rethink his purpose. He wished to not feel incomplete anymore and believed the only way to do so was by erasing the existence of everything else. The Molecule Man talked him out of this, and the Beyonder decided to become mortal instead, but when he announced this to Owen his friend attacked him, still fearing the Beyonder was set on destroying the universe.
Frustrated, the Beyonder resumed his plans to destroy the universe and started by slaughtering the New Mutants, erasing them from existence. He then erased a fleet of alien ships sent to destroy him, as well as the home worlds the aliens came from. Though lesser beings now had no memory of that which he had eliminated, the greater cosmic forces still did, and so the Beyonder set about destroying them as well. To stave off destruction, Mephisto engaged the Beyonder in a wager, and when Mephisto’s champion Spider-Man defeated the Beyonder’s champion Zarathos, the Beyonder agreed to wait one more day before continuing his plans.
After the Avengers failed in an attack on him, the Beyonder then tried to manipulate Rachel Summers, now Phoenix, into destroying the M’kraan Crystal in hopes that it would reset the universe, returning him to his own realm, oblivious to the multiverse outside it. Rethinking his plans, the Beyonder once again decided to become mortal, but while he was inside the machine he had designed to accomplish the task, the Molecule Man wrecked it, killing the Beyonder’s infant mortal form. Molecule Man then directed all of the Beyonder’s powers back into his pocket realm, where it created a rapidly developing new universe.
Doctor Doom and members of the Fantastic Four later entered the Beyonder’s universe and confronted him, as Doom wanted the memories he had lost due to the Beyonder’s time manipulations restored. Kubik and the Shaper of Worlds, both formerly Cosmic Cubes, arrived and, with Owen, they revealed to the Beyonder his origins as an incomplete Cosmic Cube. Accepting this, he merged with Molecule Man and transformed into a Cube. After an incubation period, the Cube transformed into the female Kosmos, expunging Molecule Man back to Earth.
Kubik took Kosmos under his guidance and they traveled the multiverse and beyond as they studied its workings. Suffering from a dissociative personality disorder, Molecule Man later tore the Beyonder’s essence from Kosmos in order to defeat him, but Kubik’s pleas to restore the Beyonder into Kosmos to save her triggered Molecule Man’s true personality and he complied, realizing that Kubik loved Kosmos.
Under unrevealed circumstances, Kosmos took mortal form and obliviously destroyed a Shi’ar colony containing tens of thousands of settlers, after which Shi’ar Imperial Guardsman Lady Sybil, AKA Oracle, shut down her mind. The Shi’ar, not realizing what they were dealing with, imprisoned the being in the Kyln, where she became known as the Maker. She eventually escaped her individual cell and began to regain her sanity. Thanos (whom the Beyonder had once encountered during Thanos’ youth, most likely through time travel), had recently arrived in the Kyln, and during their confrontation her mind shut down again. Thanos advised the others to keep her brain-dead body alive, as her death would release the fully-powered Beyonder upon the universe again. When the Annihilation Wave destroyed the Kyln, Thanos sent the Fallen One to insure that the Maker survived, but he found her corpse instead. With the mortal body destroyed, the Beyonder’s full power presumably once again walks the multiverse.
When the Defenders ended up journeying outside the Multiverse, the Beyonder encountered them and demanded that they return from whence they came. America Chavez, AKA America, possessed the Eternity Mask and tired of his claims that he could defeat them, she punched him across multiple planes of reality, to the point where he felt pain he had never experienced, which excited him. When the Defenders didn’t obey, the Beyonder followed them into the White Hot Room, where he ended up in Loki Laufeyson, AKA Loki’s life, the Land of Couldn’t-Be-Shouldn’t-Be and the House of Ideas. In the House of Ideas, he ripped free of their paper constraints, declaring that he wasn’t just another Beyonder, he was The Beyonder and would return to the world on his terms.
When the Beyonder was being hunted by his creator, the immensely powerful being, Cal-Horra, AKA the Lost One, he fled to Earth where he manipulated the Avengers into fighting for him. He provided them with a planetary shield powered by alien crystals that trapped them on the planet along with the Lost One. But the Beyonder’s compatriots were angered by his scheming and stripped his powers and memories, banishing him to Earth where the Lost One and Avengers awaited him. Though anticipating this move, the Beyonder left a memory in simulacrum form on Earth that contained the shield deactivation instructions. He offered the Lost One a trade, his cosmic power returned for freedom. The Lost One took the offer but instead of returning the Beyonder’s powers, he dissipated him.
