Beyonders
Encyclopedia
The Beyonders are an enigmatic and virtually omnipotent extradimensional race in the fictional Marvel Universe
.
#63 (May 1980), by Mark Gruenwald
and Jerry Bingham
. The Beyonders subsequently appear in Incredible Hulk #263 (September 1981), and Avengers Annual #17 (1988).
The Beyonders received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
#1.
An initially unrelated character called the Beyonder
was tied to these older characters by Steve Englehart
for his "Secret Wars III" story in Fantastic Four #318-319 (September–October 1988). The Beyonder first appeared during the first Secret Wars
, as an omnipotent being claiming to be the embodiment of an entire universe. As he became self-aware, he recognized himself as the only person in his universe. According to Englehart, an editor hated the character and ordered the Beyonder "removed" from the Marvel Universe. Englehart did as asked but has stated that he tried to exile the character with dignity. The character was retconned into a less powerful character, a self-aware Cosmic Cube
inhabiting his own "dimension" because there was no matrix to hold his energy, with the explanation that other more powerful beings had exercised their powers on the Beyonder's behalf to ease his transition into self-awareness. The Beyonder took his name from the powerful Beyonders who were manipulating his destiny.
as part of their study of evolution. Thousands of years later, the Beyonders created the Fortisquians as agents to observe other worlds, including Max
. The Beyonders were also responsible for providing the opportunity for the creation of the Cosmic Cube
s, such as the Beyonder
. The Beyonders have also used the alien race the Pegasusians as agents, to tow Counter-Earth
to the Beyonders' museum.
The Beyonders study the Marvel universe with amusement and curiosity, and every now and then would shunt a modicum of energy to it in the form of the reality-warping Cosmic Cubes - a practice they appear to have given up after admonishments by Eternity and the Living Tribunal regarding the disruptive effect of these actions.
Marvel Universe
The Marvel Universe is the shared fictional universe where most comic book titles and other media published by Marvel Entertainment take place, including those featuring Marvel's most familiar characters, such as Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men, and the Avengers.The Marvel Universe is further...
.
Publication history
The Beyonders were first mentioned in the team-up comic Marvel Two-in-OneMarvel Two-in-One
Marvel Two-In-One was an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics that featured the Fantastic Four member, the Thing, in a different team-up each issue with a different character. The series continued from the team-up stories starring the Thing in the final two issues of Marvel...
#63 (May 1980), by Mark Gruenwald
Mark Gruenwald
Mark E. Gruenwald was an American comic book writer, editor, and occasional penciler. Gruenwald got his start in comics fandom, publishing his own fanzine, Omniverse, which explored the concept of continuity...
and Jerry Bingham
Jerry Bingham
Jerry Bingham is an American artist who has worked in the fields of comic books, commercial illustration, and design...
. The Beyonders subsequently appear in Incredible Hulk #263 (September 1981), and Avengers Annual #17 (1988).
The Beyonders received an entry in the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Update '89
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe
The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is an encyclopedic guide which details the fictional universe featured in Marvel Comics publications...
#1.
An initially unrelated character called 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...
was tied to these older characters by Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart
Steve Englehart is an American novelist. In his earlier career he was a comic book writer best known for his work at Marvel Comics and DC Comics, particularly in the 1970s...
for his "Secret Wars III" story in Fantastic Four #318-319 (September–October 1988). The Beyonder first appeared during the first 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...
, as an omnipotent being claiming to be the embodiment of an entire universe. As he became self-aware, he recognized himself as the only person in his universe. According to Englehart, an editor hated the character and ordered the Beyonder "removed" from the Marvel Universe. Englehart did as asked but has stated that he tried to exile the character with dignity. The character was retconned into a less powerful character, a self-aware Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
inhabiting his own "dimension" because there was no matrix to hold his energy, with the explanation that other more powerful beings had exercised their powers on the Beyonder's behalf to ease his transition into self-awareness. The Beyonder took his name from the powerful Beyonders who were manipulating his destiny.
Fictional history
The Beyonders are a race of extra-dimensional entities powerful enough to collect planets. Their nature is so alien that they are unable to leave their own dimension and have never been observed by any being of the Earth dimension, and to interact with the Earth dimension they must operate through agents. After becoming aware of the Earth, the Beyonders commissioned the alien Nuwali race to create the Savage LandSavage Land
The Savage Land is a hidden prehistoric land within the fictional Marvel Comics Universe. It is a tropical preserve hidden in Antarctica. It was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in X-Men #10...
as part of their study of evolution. Thousands of years later, the Beyonders created the Fortisquians as agents to observe other worlds, including Max
Max (Comet Man)
Max is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. He is an alien, a member of the extraterrestrial race known as the Fortisquains, created by the Beyonders.-Publication history:...
. The Beyonders were also responsible for providing the opportunity for the creation of the Cosmic Cube
Cosmic Cube
The Cosmic Cube, called the Tesseract in the film Captain America: The First Avenger, is the name of a fictional object that appears in the Marvel Universe. The concept was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Tales of Suspense #79 .-Publication history:The first Cosmic Cube...
s, such as 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...
. The Beyonders have also used the alien race the Pegasusians as agents, to tow Counter-Earth
Counter-Earth (comics)
In the fictional Marvel Universe, there have been three versions of the hypothetical planet known as Counter-Earth, each one a near-duplicate of Earth.-Publication history:...
to the Beyonders' museum.
The Beyonders study the Marvel universe with amusement and curiosity, and every now and then would shunt a modicum of energy to it in the form of the reality-warping Cosmic Cubes - a practice they appear to have given up after admonishments by Eternity and the Living Tribunal regarding the disruptive effect of these actions.