Real
Name: Inapplicable
Occupation: Inapplicable
Identity: The Beyonder's existence is unknown to
the general populace of Earth.
Legal Status: Inapplicable
Other Aliases: Frank
Place of Birth: Inapplicable
Place of Death: An underground sanctum beneath the
Colorado Rocky Mountains
Known Survivors: None
Group Affiliation: None
Base of Operations: Mobile
First Appearance: (voice only) MARVEL SUPER HEROES
SECRET WARS #1, (in physical form) SECRET WARS II #1, (in
primary physical form) SECRET WARS II #3
Final Appearance: SECRET WARS II #9
History: Originally, the entity known
as the Beyonder comprised all of the otherdimensional universe,
called the "Beyond-Realm," in which he existed.
The entity was entirely unaware of the existence of other
beings until, several years ago, the atomic accident that
transformed laboratory worker Owen Reece into the superhuman
Molecule Man opened an interdimensional "pinhole"
between the Beyond-Realm and the multiverse in which Earth
exists. Through this gap the Beyonder observed the Earth
for a number of years. The Beyonder was fascinated, since
he himself was his entire reality, but each denizen of Earth
was but a single entity that was part of the greater whole
that was the multiverse. Hence, each sentient being on Earth,
in the Beyonder's point of view was "incomplete,"
and strove to remedy its incompleteness. Hence, the Beyonder
believed, the driving force of the minds of all sentient
beings was desire; in other words, wanting to have or become
something one is not. Indeed, now that the Beyonder realized
that he himself was not all that existed, he saw himself
as incomplete and felt desire.
To investigate the nature of desire, the Beyonder
undertook an experiment. Various adventurers based on Earth,
most of them possessing superhuman powers, including the
Hulk, Spider-Man, and members of the Avengers, Fantastic
Four, and X-Men, went to New York City's Central Park to
investigate an enormous circular construct which had materialized
in the park's Sheep Meadow. Entering the construct, the
adventurers and the construct were teleported to an area
of outer space near a galaxy far from Earth's. Similarly,
a large number of costumed criminals, including the Absorbing
Man, Doctor Doom, Doctor Octopus, the Enchantress, Kang,
the Lizard, the Molecule Man, Ultron, the Wrecker and the
Wrecking Crew, as well as the planet-devourer Galactus,
found themselves in another construct in the same area of
space. Aboard the constructs the passengers watched in awe
as the galaxy nearest to them was annihilated by an unseen
force, except for a single star. Then, before their eyes,
a planet, which became known as Battleworld, was created
to orbit that star. Finally, a rift opened in space, from
which a blinding light poured, and the passengers on the
constructs heard a voice that told them, "I am from
beyond! Stay your enemies and all you desire shall be yours!
Nothing you dream of is impossible for me to accomplish!"
The passengers on the constructs were then sent down to
Battleworld. There, over the next several days, they engaged
in a "secret war" among themselves; most of the
criminals sought to destroy the heroic adventurers in order
to gain the prize that the Beyonder had promised.
In the course of the "secret war,"
Doctor Doom used technological means to steal the Beyonder's
apparently unlimited power and absorb it into himself. Too
weakened to strike back against Doom, the Beyonder secretly
took possession of the body of Klaw, who had been resurrected
on Battleworld after his seeming destruction by the Dazzler.
The Beyonder took control of Klaw's subconscious mind and
thus motivated him to encourage Doom's fears of his superhuman
opponents in the "secret war" and Doom's doubts
over his own ability to control his newly gained power.
The Beyonder also had Klaw persuade Doom to grant him some
of his new power. Then, when Doom was struggling to control
his power while in battle with Captain America, the Beyonder
left Klaw's body and reclaimed his full power. The Beyonder
then vanished, and the participants in the "secret
war" returned to the places from which they had come.
Months later, the Beyonder arrived on Earth
to continue his study of humanity and of desire. He had
never possessed a true form of his own before, but now he
created for himself a physical form that resembled a composite
of the bodies of various participants in the "secret
war," in order that he could walk among humanity and
fulfill his desire for experience in this world. Next he
gave himself a body identical to that of the Molecule Man.
To study the effects of enabling someone to fulfill his
fantasies, the Beyonder transformed television writer Stewart
Cadwall into the armored Thundersword. Cadwall ran amok
in his new identity, and was opposed and defeated by various
costumed adventurers.
Subsequently, the Beyonder gave himself a
body identical to that of Captain America. The Beyonder
encountered a number of costumed adventurers, but found
it difficult to understand the counsel about the nature
of life that he received from some of them and other human
beings. The Beyonder then met an underworld figure named
Vinnie, who, seeking to make use of the Beyonder's superhuman
powers, became his guide to the world. Under Vinnie's influence
the Beyonder sought wealth, pleasure, and power over others.
The Beyonder further altered his physical appearance, giving
himself black, curly hair; he maintained the form he now
had for most of the rest of his existence on Earth.
The Beyonder finally parted company with Vinnie,
and used his powers to take complete control of every mind,
and, in fact, every atom of matter on Earth. But the Beyonder
found himself dissatisfied: he took no pleasure in having
everyone serve him if they were compelled to do so as if
they were automatons. Hence, the Beyonder released everyone
and everything on Earth from his control, and also wiped
out everyone's memories of his conquest of Earth, although
he allowed some people to retain a vague reminiscence of
it.
The Beyonder continued to experiment with
experiencing love affairs with human beings. On a journey
to the Andromeda Galaxy to locate the Avengers, he was responsible
for the escape of their foe Nebula. To study the effects
of the desire for revenge, the Beyonder transtormed Thor's
enemy, the Dark Elf Algrim, into the powerful menace Kurse.
The Beyonder also saved Kathryn Twoyoungmen, then known
as Talisman, from entrapment in an otherdimensional world.
The Beyonder sought to make Alison Blaire, the Dazzler,
his lover, and even went so far as to bestow half of his
power upon her so that they would be equals. However, she
was not in love with him, and the disappointed Beyonder,
once mom in possession of his full power, parted from her.
Now the Beyonder's mood began too change.
He found desire a nuisance, and wondered whether he should
continue to study it or just return to the Beyond-Realm,
where he would feel complete unto himself. He briefly had
the young superhuman mutant called Boom-Boom as a companion,
and terrified her when he threatened to destroy the entire
universe on a whim. She alerted the Avengers to his threat,
and they in turn informed other superhuman champions.
Deciding he could not simply return to the
Beyond-Realm and forget he had ever experienced desire,
the Beyonder remained on Earth, but fell into despair. The
sorcerer Doctor Strange advised him to find a purpose in
life, and so the Beyonder decided to become a champion of
life like Strange himself. He acted as a "super hero"
both on Earth and on other planets, but still seemed uncertain
of his role in the universe, especially after Captain America
and Mister Fantastic advised him of their fears that humanity
would become overly dependent on the Beyonder to solve their
problems for them. Encouraged by his aide, a journalist
named Dave, the Beyonder overcame his own doubts. The Beyonder
then obliterated Death itself from the universe, thus earning
the wrath of Mephisto, the satanic ruler of an otherdimensional
realm of the dead. The Molecule Man, however, convinced
the Beyonder that existence was meaningless without death,
and so the Beyonder brought Death back into existence by
using his power to kill the reporter Dave, who willingly
sacrificed his life.
The Beyonder went to a South Seas island to
contemplate. There an army of superhuman criminals assembled
by Mephisto attacked him, but he was saved by the. Inspired
by the Thing's heroism, the Beyonder decided to inspire
others in turn to find their true role in life. But, again,
the Beyonder used his powers to control the minds of others
to do so. After the Puma failed to kill him, the Beyonder
became convinced that he was wasting his time in trying
to enlighten others.
Furious, the Beyonder now believed he had
no role in the universe, and decided he would be happier
if he destroyed the multiverse so he would be alone once
more. He slaughtered most of the New Mutants and did battle
with the Avengers and Rachel Summers, alias Phoenix.
Finally, many of Earth's costumed champions
joined forces to stop the Beyonder once and for all, lest
he obliterate the multiverse. In an underground sanctum
deep beneath the Colorado Rocky Mountains, the Beyonder
decided that perhaps he would find the contentment he sought
if he became a mortal being. The Beyonder created a vast
machine to bring about the transformation, and tested it
by resurrecting the New Mutants he had killed. The Beyonder
then used the machine to turn himself into a mortal being
with no superhuman powers, but was then confronted by the
vengeful Mephisto. The Beyonder then reclaimed his tremendous
power and immortality, and decided, in order to protect
himself from his foes; he would use the machine to transform
himself into a mortal being who still retained his full
power. The Molecule Man and the assembled costumed heroes
attacked the Beyonder in his sanctum, but, the Beyonder
defeated them all. Then the Beyonder entered the machine
once more, and was transformed into a mortal infant into
whom the machine began feeding the Beyonder's vast power.
The machine would soon rapidly age the infant into an adult
and release him. Believing he must take what he thought
might be the only chance to save the multiverse from someday
being destroyed by the Beyonder, the Molecule Man destroyed
the machine, killing the infant within, The machine's destruction
unleashed the Beyonder's titanic energy, which the Molecule
Man projected into another dimension. There the Beyonder's
energy caused the creation of a new universe.
Phyaical characteristics: The Beyonder
originally had no true physical form such as those known
to humanity. However, the body that he created for himself
and that he used on Earth for most of his existence there
had the following characteristic:
Height: 6 ft. 2 in.
Weight: 240 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Black
Strength Level: The Beyonder's strength
in the human form described under Physical Characteristics
was potentially unlimited.
Known Superhuman Powers: The Beyonder
was apparently the most powerful being ever to exist in
this universe (although he was not native to this universe),
and hence could do virtually anything, The Beyonder could
manipulate incalculable amounts of energy and create and
rearrange matter on a planetary scale. He proved capable
of obliterating an entire galaxy.
