Beyond! was a six-issue 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. Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... The limited series is a term referring to a comic book series with a set finite number of issues. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ... December 6 is the 340th day (341st on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Deathlok (sometimes also referred to as The Demolisher) is a Marvel Comics character, a cyborg, created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. ... Dr. Henry Hank Pym is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a founding member of the superhero group The Avengers. ... The Wasp is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Gravity (Greg Willis), a comic book superhero in the Marvel universe with the power to manipulate gravity. ... Medusa is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Firebird (Bonita Juarez), is a fictional character, a pyrokinetic member of the Avengers. ... Kraven the Hunter is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man. ... Macdonald Mac Gargan is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain most primarily associated with the superhero Spider-Man. ... The Hood was the title of a Max comic book published in 2003. ... Deathlok (sometimes also referred to as The Demolisher) is a Marvel Comics character, a cyborg, created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. ... Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Paul Mounts is an artist who has worked as a colorist in the comics industry, on comics including Fantastic Four, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man and Ultimates. ... Dwayne McDuffie is a comic book and animation writer. ... Scott Kolins is an illustrator for multiple different comic books. ... The limited series is a term referring to a comic book series with a set finite number of issues. ... Marvel Comics is an American comic book line published by Marvel Publishing, Inc. ... Dwayne McDuffie is a comic book and animation writer. ... Scott Kolins is an illustrator for multiple different comic books. ... Tom Brevoort has worked in the comics industry as an editor. ...

Plot

The series follows a group of mismatched superheroes and supervillains — Spider-Man, Henry Pym, Wasp, Gravity, Medusa, Firebird, Kraven the Hunter, Venom (III) and The Hood — who have been abducted by a cosmic entity, supposedly Beyonder, to the alien Battleworld for unknown purposes. Deathlok was recently introduced to the roster. Batman and Superman, two of the most recognizable and iconic superheroes. ... The Green Goblin, a supervillain and enemy of Spider-Man. ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Dr. Henry Hank Pym is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a founding member of the superhero group The Avengers. ... The Wasp is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Gravity (Greg Willis), a comic book superhero in the Marvel universe with the power to manipulate gravity. ... Medusa is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Firebird (Bonita Juarez), is a fictional character, a pyrokinetic member of the Avengers. ... Kraven the Hunter is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man. ... Macdonald Mac Gargan is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain most primarily associated with the superhero Spider-Man. ... The Hood was the title of a Max comic book published in 2003. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Beyonder is a fictional Supreme Being type character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Battleworld was an artificial planet created by the extradimensional Beyonder for his contest of good and evil in the Marvel Comics Secret Wars crossover. ... Deathlok (sometimes also referred to as The Demolisher) is a Marvel Comics character, a cyborg, created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. ...

Synopsis

A mysterious man buries three recently killed familiar aliens (Bi-Beast, 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 III (Mac Gargan), 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. The Bi-Beast is a fictional character that exists in the Marvel Comics Universe and first appeared in the Incredible Hulk vol. ... The Skrulls are a fictional race of extraterrestial shapeshifters that appear in the Marvel Universe. ... The Kree, also known as the Ruul, are a scientifically and technologically advanced militaristic alien race in the fictional Marvel Universe. ... Gravity (Greg Willis), a comic book superhero in the Marvel universe with the power to manipulate gravity. ... Brushfire may refer to: Brushfire Records, a record label Brushfire (comics), a fictional supervillain Brushfire Fairytales, an album by Jack Johnson Category: ... Spider-Man swinging around his hometown, New York City. ... Medusa is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics Universe. ... Firebird (Bonita Juarez), is a fictional character, a pyrokinetic member of the Avengers. ... The Wasp is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Macdonald Mac Gargan is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a supervillain most primarily associated with the superhero Spider-Man. ... Dr. Henry Hank Pym is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics Universe, a founding member of the superhero group The Avengers. ... Kraven the Hunter is a Marvel Comics supervillain, an enemy of Spider-Man. ... The Hood was the title of a Max comic book published in 2003. ... In the Marvel Comics universe, the Beyonder is a nigh-omnipotent being created by writer/editor Jim Shooter for the first Secret Wars limited series. ... Secret Wars (full title Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars) is the name of a twelve-issue Marvel Comics comic book limited series produced between 1984 and 1985, and a Mattel toy line that reflected the series. ... Mary Jane Watson-Parker is wife of Peter Parker (Spider Man) and a supporting character in the Marvel Comics Spider-Man series. ...

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. Dragon Man is a fictional supervillain in Fantastic Four and Marvel Comics Dragon Man was an android built by Gregson Gilbert as an experiment. ... Deathlok (sometimes also referred to as The Demolisher) is a Marvel Comics character, a cyborg, created by Rich Buckler and Doug Moench. ...

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 featuring the 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. Pulsar aka Monica Rambeau is a comic book superhero in the Marvel Comics universe, and who was a member of the Avengers. ... Wonder Man is a fictional character, a superhero and a long-time member of the Avengers that appears in the Marvel Universe. ... Darkhawk is a fictional character, a superhero in the Marvel Comics universe. ... Tomb of Dracula is a horror comic book published by Marvel Comics from April 1972 to August 1979. ... Terror Inc. ... Coldblood is a fictional character in the Marvel Universe. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Space Phantom is a name given to a number of fictional characters in the Marvel Comics universe. ...

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. Northstar, apparently cured after his death and resurrection with Wolverine, is there. Back in Battleworld, Venom destroys Pym's gateway to Limbo, stranding the group there and demanding for the Beyonder to give him his prize. Xemnu the Titan, also known as Xemnu the Hulk, is a fictional character in the Marvel Comics universe. ... The fictional character Northstar (born Jean-Paul Beaubier, formerly Jean-Paul Martin) is a Marvel Comics superhero, a member of Alpha Flight and the X-Men. ... Limbo can refer to potentially multiple fictional dimensions in the Marvel Comics multiverse. ... For other uses, see Wolverine (disambiguation). ...

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". In the fictional Marvel Comics universe, Uatu is the member of the extraterrestrial species known as the Watchers assigned to observe Earth and its solar system. ...

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. The X-Men are a group of comic book superheroes featured in Marvel Comics. ... The Stranger is a cosmic being in the fictional Marvel Comics universe. ...

Continuity

Beyond! involves several characters in Civil War, but since Venom does not yet appear to be a government operative, it must take place prior to those events. Civil War is a Marvel Comics summer 2006 crossover event, based around a core limited series of the same name written by Mark Millar and penciled by Steve McNiven. ...

Collections

• Beyond! Marvel Premier Hardcover, Released February 21, 2007. ISBN 978-0785126249.
• Beyond! TPB, months later.

Exterior Links

The Fourth Rail's #1 Review

Aintitcool's #5 Review