Beyond!
Encyclopedia
Beyond! was a six-issue comic book
limited series
published by Marvel Comics
. It was written by Dwayne McDuffie
and illustrated by Scott Kolins
. The first issue of the series was released on July 6, 2006
and the final issue on December 6, 2006. It was edited by Tom Brevoort
and lettered by Dave Lamphear.
es and supervillains — Hank Pym, the Wasp
, Gravity
, Medusa
, Firebird, Alyosha Kravinoff
, Venom (Mac Gargan), The Hood
and the Space Phantom
—who have been abducted by a cosmic entity
, supposedly The Beyonder
, to the alien Battleworld for unknown purposes. Deathlok
was later introduced to the roster.
, a Skrull
, and a Kree
), the newest of many corpses in a huge graveyard. Meanwhile on Earth, the fledgling hero Gravity
, defeats Brushfire
in a quick fight, then examines a teleportation device that takes him to outer space. He awakens, meeting Spider-Man
, Medusa
, Firebird, Wasp
, Venom (Mac Gargan, formerly the Scorpion
), Henry Pym
, Kraven the Hunter
(Alyosha Kravinoff), and the Hood
. Shortly after, a being, apparently the Beyonder, appears and claims that if they slay their enemies, they will have rewards in a nod to the Secret Wars
. Venom promptly attacks Spider-Man, impaling him and demanding his reward. As Spider-Man apparently dies, he mistakes Medusa for Mary Jane Watson
. She then retaliates, and after a quick argument with the others, uses her hair to whip Venom. The sonic booms hitting his body cause him potentially fatal damage, and when the others distract her, Venom runs away, destroying the ship's controls.
Gravity attempts to steer the ship but is unable to control it and it crashes into the planet below. Medusa protects the others, using her hair like an airbag, but she is injured in the leg. Pym uses a shrunken medpack in his pocket and tends to her injury, when a mysterious man named Michael appears. Pym pulls out a shrunken Quinjet, and Michael says that flying is a bad idea. The group disembarks, only to be pursued by Dragon Man
, who destroys the new jet. Michael then morphs, revealed to be Deathlok
, while Spider-Man gets up, apparently undeceased.
Deathlok manages to overpower Dragon Man, with help from the remaining conscious heroes. Afterwards, Michael reveals that he has been here before, with a group consisting of Captain Marvel
, Wonder Man
, Darkhawk
, Dracula
, Terror
, Coldblood and Sleepwalker
. Michael agreed to stay on the planet so the other heroes could return home. Meanwhile, Kraven manages to find Spider-Man, who is doing well despite massive body damage, and tells Kraven that he needs to slay the others, because Al should win. Al realizes this isn't how Spider-Man would talk, and when the Hood shows up, and further damages the questionable hero, takes him to the group. "Spider-Man" reveals a major secret: he is really the Space Phantom
.
The heroes battle Space Phantom, who uses his powers to become Xemnu
. After a fight with the others, Pym defeats the Xemnu form and the Phantom becomes Northstar
. Pym, who tagged the Phantom with a tracer, takes the others into Limbo
. The real Northstar is there. Back on Battleworld, Venom destroys Pym's gateway to Limbo, stranding the group there and demanding for the Beyonder to give him his prize.
In Limbo, Firebird and Pym have a short romantic interlude, and when the Space Phantom comes back, the team threatens him. He teleports the entire group to Battleworld, where they defeat Venom. Suddenly, Pym seemingly uses a disintegration beam to destroy the entire group, and asks for his reward, and The Watcher
appears. In truth, Pym has merely shrunk the group in order to draw out the "Beyonder".
Pym asks for three wishes: to return home, to learn the true identity of the "Beyonder", who is actually an old X-Men
foe named the Stranger
who wanted to study humanity, and for the Stranger to stop his experiment and never repeat it. Pym reveals that he only shrunk the group. The Stranger initially refuses to stop his experiment, but the Watcher's presence causes him to reconsider, and he leaves. Battleworld begins to break up, but Gravity temporarily holds together the world and sends the group to the teleporter, back to Earth, sacrificing his life. The entire group attends his funeral, including Mac Gargan. The Watcher states that he was there because Gravity's short career would inspire future events, story captions state that Gravity's story is not over.
#544. Michael Collins, the Deathlok seen in the Beyond! miniseries, enlists the aid of the Fantastic Four to retrieve the body of Gravity, stolen from its grave. Feeling very angry about this, Collins saw it as his duty to get the body back. The FF agreed to help and after a discussion with the Watcher
, they discovered that Gravity's body was stolen by the living alien planet known as Epoch
which had plans of her own for the body, reviving him and appointing him the new protector of the universe after Quasar
had fallen due to Annihilus
.
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
limited series
Limited series
A limited series is a comic book series with a set number of installments. A limited series differs from an ongoing series in that the number of issues is determined before production and it differs from a one shot in that it is composed of multiple issues....
published by Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
. It was written by Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne McDuffie
Dwayne Glenn McDuffie was an American writer of comic books and television, known for creating the animated television series Static Shock, writing and producing the animated series Justice League Unlimited, and co-founding the pioneering minority-owned-and-operated comic-book company Milestone...
and illustrated by Scott Kolins
Scott Kolins
Scott Kolins is an American illustrator, writer and creator for multiple different superhero and science fiction comic books. His main credits are as a penciler but he is an established inker as well as colorist and has some credits as a writer.-Biography:...
. The first issue of the series was released on July 6, 2006
2006 in comics
-January:*January 1, 2006: Newsweek offer a look back at 2005 through editorial cartoons. *January 2, 2006: The Cincinnati Enquirer cartoonist Jim Borgman starts a blog to detail his creative process...
and the final issue on December 6, 2006. It was edited by Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort
Tom Brevoort is an American comic book editor, known for his work for Marvel Comics, where he has overseen titles such as New Avengers, Civil War, and Fantastic Four. He became Executive Editor in 2007, and in January 2011 was promoted to Senior Vice President of Publishing...
and lettered by Dave Lamphear.
Plot
The series follows a group of mismatched superheroSuperhero
A superhero is a type of stock character, possessing "extraordinary or superhuman powers", dedicated to protecting the public. Since the debut of the prototypical superhero Superman in 1938, stories of superheroes — ranging from brief episodic adventures to continuing years-long sagas —...
es and supervillains — Hank Pym, the Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
, Gravity
Gravity (comics)
Gravity is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Gravity #1 and was created by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton.-Publication history:...
, Medusa
Medusa (comics)
Medusa is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Medusa first appeared in Fantastic Four #36 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, Firebird, Alyosha Kravinoff
Alyosha Kravinoff
Alyosha Kravinoff, also known as the second Kraven the Hunter, is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the illegitimate son of Kraven the Hunter. He first appeared in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #243 ....
, Venom (Mac Gargan), The Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
and the Space Phantom
Space Phantom
Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The first appearance of such a being was in Avengers vol. 1 #2 , they were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
—who have been abducted by a cosmic entity
Cosmic entities (Marvel Comics)
Cosmic entities, also referred to as cosmic beings, are a type of fictional character in the . They possess power on a stellar, galactic, universal, or even multiversal level, far beyond those of humans or conventional superheroes, and frequently serve some natural function in the...
, supposedly The Beyonder
Beyonder
The Beyonder is a fictional character in . Created by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck, the immensely powerful Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars vol. 1 #1 as an unseen force. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 , which was created by Jim Shooter and Al Milgrom.-Publication history:The Beyonder was a...
, to the alien Battleworld for unknown purposes. Deathlok
Deathlok
Deathlok is a fictional cyborg published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 , and was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench...
was later introduced to the roster.
Synopsis
A mysterious man buries three recently killed familiar aliens (Bi-BeastBi-Beast
The Bi-Beast is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Bi-Beast first appeared in the Hulk #169 The Bi-Beast is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Bi-Beast first appeared in the Hulk #169 The Bi-Beast is a...
, a Skrull
Skrull
The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestrial shapeshifters that appear in publications by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:The Skrulls first appeared in Fantastic Four #2 and were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby....
, and a Kree
Kree
The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud...
), the newest of many corpses in a huge graveyard. Meanwhile on Earth, the fledgling hero Gravity
Gravity (comics)
Gravity is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. He first appeared in Gravity #1 and was created by Sean McKeever and Mike Norton.-Publication history:...
, defeats Brushfire
Brushfire (comics)
Brushfire is a fictional supervillain in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Brushfire first appeared attempting to rob a woman and her son, threatenting to "broil" their internal organs. Luckily, Gravity arrives just in time and defeats the amateur villain.Brushfire next...
in a quick fight, then examines a teleportation device that takes him to outer space. He awakens, meeting Spider-Man
Spider-Man
Spider-Man is a fictional Marvel Comics superhero. The character was created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15...
, Medusa
Medusa (comics)
Medusa is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.-Publication history:Medusa first appeared in Fantastic Four #36 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
, Firebird, Wasp
Wasp (comics)
The Wasp is a fictional character, a superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe and founding member of The Avengers. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #44 ....
, Venom (Mac Gargan, formerly the Scorpion
Scorpion (comics)
MacDonald "Mac" Gargan is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He originally appeared as the villain Scorpion, and then years later bonded with the Venom symbiote to become the third incarnation of Venom...
), Henry Pym
Henry Pym
Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym is a fictional character that appears in publications by Marvel Comics. Created by editor and plotter Stan Lee, scripter Larry Lieber and penciler Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in Tales to Astonish #27...
, Kraven the Hunter
Alyosha Kravinoff
Alyosha Kravinoff, also known as the second Kraven the Hunter, is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is the illegitimate son of Kraven the Hunter. He first appeared in the pages of Spectacular Spider-Man #243 ....
(Alyosha Kravinoff), and the Hood
Hood (comics)
The Hood is a fictional character, a supervillain, and a crime boss in the . Created by writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Kyle Hotz and Eric Powell, the character first appeared in The Hood #1 .-Publication history:...
. Shortly after, a being, apparently the Beyonder, appears and claims that if they slay their enemies, they will have rewards in a nod to the Secret Wars
Secret Wars
Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars is a twelve-issue comic book crossover limited series published from May 1984 to April 1985 by Marvel Comics. The series was written by Jim Shooter with art by Mike Zeck and Bob Layton...
. Venom promptly attacks Spider-Man, impaling him and demanding his reward. As Spider-Man apparently dies, he mistakes Medusa for Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson
Mary Jane Watson, often shortened to MJ, is a fictional supporting character appearing, originally, in Marvel comic books and, later, in multiple spin-offs and dramatizations of the Spider-Man titles as the best friend, love interest, and one-time wife of Peter Parker, the alter ego of Spider-Man...
. She then retaliates, and after a quick argument with the others, uses her hair to whip Venom. The sonic booms hitting his body cause him potentially fatal damage, and when the others distract her, Venom runs away, destroying the ship's controls.
Gravity attempts to steer the ship but is unable to control it and it crashes into the planet below. Medusa protects the others, using her hair like an airbag, but she is injured in the leg. Pym uses a shrunken medpack in his pocket and tends to her injury, when a mysterious man named Michael appears. Pym pulls out a shrunken Quinjet, and Michael says that flying is a bad idea. The group disembarks, only to be pursued by Dragon Man
Dragon Man
Dragon Man is a fictional character, a supervillain in the Marvel Comics Universe. He is an artificial dragon-like humanoid android who was animated via alchemy. He was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four #35 ....
, who destroys the new jet. Michael then morphs, revealed to be Deathlok
Deathlok
Deathlok is a fictional cyborg published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in Astonishing Tales #25 , and was created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench...
, while Spider-Man gets up, apparently undeceased.
Deathlok manages to overpower Dragon Man, with help from the remaining conscious heroes. Afterwards, Michael reveals that he has been here before, with a group consisting of Captain Marvel
Monica Rambeau
Monica Rambeau is a fictional character, a comic book superheroine in the Marvel Comics universe. Initially known as Captain Marvel, the character became a leader of the Avengers...
, Wonder Man
Wonder Man
Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Avengers #9 .-Publication history:Wonder Man debuted in the superhero-team title The Avengers #9 Wonder...
, Darkhawk
Darkhawk
Darkhawk is a fictional comic book superhero who first appeared in his own self-titled series, Darkhawk #1...
, Dracula
Dracula (Marvel Comics)
Dracula is a fictional character, a comic book supervillain appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He is based on the vampire Count Dracula from the novel of the same name by author Bram Stoker, and is also influenced by Universal Studios' version of the character.-Publication history:A...
, Terror
Terror Inc.
Terror Inc. was an American comic-book horror series from Marvel Comics starring the antihero Terror. Terror is an eternal entity that absorbs the talents of others through their dismembered limbs. He was created by writers Dan Chichester and Margaret Clark and artist Klaus Janson as the villain...
, Coldblood and Sleepwalker
Sleepwalker (comics)
Sleepwalker is a Marvel Comics character created by Bob Budiansky. He is named after his race, and is the star of a self-titled comic book which ran for 33 issues from June 1991 to February 1994, with one Holiday Special. All but two of the issues were written by Budiansky, with Tom Brevoort and...
. Michael agreed to stay on the planet so the other heroes could return home. Meanwhile, Kraven manages to find Spider-Man, who is doing well despite massive body damage, and tells Kraven that he needs to slay the others, because Al should win. Al realizes this isn't how Spider-Man would talk, and when the Hood shows up, and further damages the questionable hero, takes him to the group. "Spider-Man" reveals a major secret: he is really the Space Phantom
Space Phantom
Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. The first appearance of such a being was in Avengers vol. 1 #2 , they were created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
.
The heroes battle Space Phantom, who uses his powers to become Xemnu
Xemnu
Xemnu the Titan, also known as Xemnu the Hulk, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. Xemnu is an alien who has attempted to conquer the Earth several times.-Publication history:...
. After a fight with the others, Pym defeats the Xemnu form and the Phantom becomes Northstar
Northstar
Northstar is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is the twin brother of Aurora. Through his mutation, Northstar gains superhuman powers, which he uses for the betterment of society...
. Pym, who tagged the Phantom with a tracer, takes the others into Limbo
Limbo (Marvel Comics)
Limbo, may refer to several fictional locations in titles published by Marvel Comics. The concept debuted in The Avengers #2, , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-History:...
. The real Northstar is there. Back on Battleworld, Venom destroys Pym's gateway to Limbo, stranding the group there and demanding for the Beyonder to give him his prize.
In Limbo, Firebird and Pym have a short romantic interlude, and when the Space Phantom comes back, the team threatens him. He teleports the entire group to Battleworld, where they defeat Venom. Suddenly, Pym seemingly uses a disintegration beam to destroy the entire group, and asks for his reward, and The Watcher
Uatu
Uatu, often simply known as The Watcher, is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and designed by artist Jack Kirby, he first appeared in The Fantastic Four #13 ....
appears. In truth, Pym has merely shrunk the group in order to draw out the "Beyonder".
Pym asks for three wishes: to return home, to learn the true identity of the "Beyonder", who is actually an old X-Men
X-Men
The X-Men are a superhero team in the . They were created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in The X-Men #1...
foe named the Stranger
Stranger (comics)
The Stranger is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics.The Stranger first appeared in X-Men #11 , and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby.-Fictional character biography:...
who wanted to study humanity, and for the Stranger to stop his experiment and never repeat it. Pym reveals that he only shrunk the group. The Stranger initially refuses to stop his experiment, but the Watcher's presence causes him to reconsider, and he leaves. Battleworld begins to break up, but Gravity temporarily holds together the world and sends the group to the teleporter, back to Earth, sacrificing his life. The entire group attends his funeral, including Mac Gargan. The Watcher states that he was there because Gravity's short career would inspire future events, story captions state that Gravity's story is not over.
Collections
- Beyond! Marvel Premier Hardcover, Released February 21, 2007. ISBN 978-0785126249.
- Beyond! TPBTrade paperback (comics)In comics, a trade paperback is a collection of stories originally published in comic books, reprinted in book format, usually capturing one story arc from a single title or a series of stories with a connected story arc or common theme from one or more titles...
, months later.
Sequel
In a certain way, the story continues in Fantastic FourFantastic Four
The Fantastic Four is a fictional superhero team appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The group debuted in The Fantastic Four #1 , which helped to usher in a new level of realism in the medium...
#544. Michael Collins, the Deathlok seen in the Beyond! miniseries, enlists the aid of the Fantastic Four to retrieve the body of Gravity, stolen from its grave. Feeling very angry about this, Collins saw it as his duty to get the body back. The FF agreed to help and after a discussion with the Watcher
Watcher (comics)
The Watchers are a fictional race of extraterrestrials that appear in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the first Watcher - named Uatu - appears in Fantastic Four #13 .-Fictional history:...
, they discovered that Gravity's body was stolen by the living alien planet known as Epoch
Epoch (Marvel Comics)
Epoch is a fictional cosmic entity in the Marvel Comics universe.-Fictional character biography:Epoch is the "daughter" of Eon and "granddaughter" of Eternity....
which had plans of her own for the body, reviving him and appointing him the new protector of the universe after Quasar
Quasar (comics)
Quasar is a fictional character, a comic book superhero in the . He is one of Marvel's cosmic heroes, a character whose adventures frequently take him into outer space or other dimensions...
had fallen due to Annihilus
Annihilus
Annihilus is a fictional character in Marvel Comics' Marvel Universe. In 2009, Annihilus was ranked as IGN's 94th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time.-Publication history:...
.