Synopsis / Summary / Plot
A being enters this universe and heads for Earth. His crashlanding in hills outside Denver is seen by Owen Reese, who just returns from his balcony to rejoin his sweetheart Marsha Rosenberg watching a Hogan's Heroes rerun. But then the TV goes off and there's another loud noise. Large chunks of hillside are flying past the apartment.
Marsha turns into Volcana and blasts 1 of the chunks apart, but also sets fire to their carpet. Owen uses his Molecule Man powers to douse the flames, and then leaps out into the passing rock storm. He locates the spot where he saw the landing and levitates that piece of hillside to him. Standing on it is a humanoid form that MM recognises as the Beyonder.
In Moira MacTaggert's home on Muir Island in Scotland the recuperating Charles Xavier wakes screaming that the Beyonder is here. The New Mutants (Cypher (mistakenly with black hair), Legion, Mirage, Warlock and Wolfsbane) run to him and Prof X tells Moira to take them to (relative) safety with Magneto and the X-Men. But he faints while trying to telepathically contact others (possibly the Illuminati).
But the message gets through to Captain America, who's on a commercial flight from London to New York. However Prof X could only locate the danger somewhere in the Western US, so Cap uses Avengers Priority to divert the plane to Los Angeles.
En route he recalls the events of Secret Wars I. The extradimensional Beyonder created the Battleworld planet and transported superheroes and supervillains to it. He pitted the 2 sides against each other, promising to grant the wishes of the survivors. Dr Doom ignored the subsequent war and instead stole the Beyonder's own power. But human Doom couldn't control the power, and the Beyonder reclaimed it.
Back in Denver Owen and Marsha are playing host to Beyonder, who's taken a musclebound form with a composite costume modelled on many supercharacters. He says he's come to Earth to understand life. Owen agrees - understanding set him free. Since he gained his powers (Fantastic Four #20) he let self-doubt limit his control over molecules, but in SWI#11 he learned that he could do anything (which he demonstrates by turning a sculpture into an apple). But now that he knows he's omnipotent he's content with a simple life with Marsha.
Beyonder's lack of knowledge reduces his use of language to an almost Hulk-level but with bigger words (strangely he was more fluent in SWI). He expresses a desire for experiences. Marsha suggests LA as a place you can experience everything. Owen suggests a less conspicuous body. Beyonder leaves, and the couple settle down to watch a Laverne and Shirley rerun.
At the X-Men's Westchester school Colossus and Nightcrawler face Magneto who has received a psychic message from Prof X to come and lead the team in this crisis. They also got the message, but when the rest of the X-Men (Rachel Summers, Rogue, Shadowcat and Wolverine) burst in they're all very unsure about trusting a man who's tried to kill them multiple times. But they agree to follow him (but keep on the lookout for treachery).
Their private plane is being repaired so they face a long drive out west. But Magneto uses his control of magnetism to levitate their limousine there.
It's very early morning in LA as Beyonder arrives as a floating ball of energy. He overhears Stewart Cadwall, a writer for a TV cartoon and other TV series, complaining to his agent on the phone that he's sick of writing unrealistic violence - he wants to write realistic violence. Beyonder enters the apartment of Stewart and his girlfriend Marian and takes the form of Owen Reece, complete with the facial scars from Owen's origin accident.
Beyonder's dialogue has improved. He explains that in his dimension he's all there is. Now he wants to understand how things can be separate and different. He demonstrates his omnipotence by turning Stewart's desk and computer into a pile of apples.
The X-Men have arrived in LA too, so that Magneto can interrupt a secret gladiatorial combat amongst mutants. He persuades New Mutants Cannonball and Magik to come with him, along with Dazzler and Lila Cheney. But Magma and Sunspot of the NM elect to stay - and those were who the others came to rescue. Magneto says the Beyonder is more important, and asks Rachel Summers to locate him telepathically.
Cadwall diagnoses Beyonder's problem - he can do anything he wants but he doesn't know what he wants - more, he doesn't even understand what wanting is. Stewart suggests that if Beyonder wants to see what it is to have a desire fulfilled he should give him a superpower. Beyonder zaps Stewart and the Shazam award he's holding, turning him into golden-armoured Thundersword with his magic thunderbolt. Thundersword leaps out of the apartment into midair, and his winged horse Boromir appears beneath him. They ride off into the sunrise and Beyonder follows as energy.
The whole X-pack are in the (apparently enormous) flying limo and Rachel is scanning the whole of western US for the Beyonder (they don't know he's in LA). She is hampered by not knowing what she's looking for, and by her ex-Hound's dislike of using her telepathy to hunt someone. But she does detect the power of Thundersword and they guess that he's Beyonder.
They find him trashing NBC Studios. As Cannonball and Rogue prepare to fly to attack he slices through the car with his thunderbolt. Magneto holds it together magnetically and uses Rachel to mentally pass on his commands. He sends Cannonball after their foe, and Nightcrawler, Rogue and Shadowcat to outflank him. But Thundersword scatters them all. Colossus and Wolverine catch hurtling Cannonball as he crashes through a MacDonalds window. Stewart Cadwall decides to destroy that symbol of mediocrity too. And accidentally sets fire to a next door motel, which Rachel telepathically empties of guests.
Meanwhile Captain America is heading this way in a cab.
And in the West Coast Avengers HQ Tony Stark and James Rhodes are working on a new Iron Man armour. They hear about the battle and Rhodey dons the current IM suit and sets out to help.
Cap arrives and saves a mother and son from the motel. Then he notices Magneto and Dazzler and hopes they'll follow up on his next action. He throws his shield at Thundersword, who parries it with his thunderbolt. The resulting klang (plus other noise) powers Dazzler up to emit blinding light at the enemy. And Magneto throws used cars at him. But Cadwall treats them with the same disdain he has for the rest of American culture.
A chunk of broken car stuns Lila Cheney. Rachel tries to mentally check she's OK but there's some source of psionic interference messing with her abilities (which also prevented her checking Thundersword's identity earlier). She mentally probes for the source of that, and finds the real Beyonder who now appears as Owen Reece again.
He's most interested in Magik. He reaches into her heart and turns her into her demonic self Darkchilde. Panicked Illyana Rasputin summons a stepping disc and takes Cannonball, Dazzler, Kitty Pryde and Rachel to Limbo.
While Cap continues to fight Thundersword, Wolverine thinks Beyonder has taken the youngsters away and he attacks him while Magneto, Lila Cheney and the other X-Men try to restrain him. Logan stabs Beyonder with his claws, and Lila uses her power to teleport them away. Cap is distracted by this (that never happens!) allowing Thundersword to knock him down.
But as he's about to strike the killing blow Iron Man joins the fight and blasts him. And Cap recovers and strikes too. Then IM carries Cap away, and simultaneously detects that the thunderbolt sword is Thundersword's power source. So they dive back and Steve Rogers throws his shield to knock the sword out of the villain's hand. (And Jim Rhodes is a bit disconcerted when Cap calls him Shellhead.)
The golden-armoured superguy reverts to chubby Stewart Cadwall and the flying horse vanishes. Beyonder ignores his pleas to turn him super again. He's more concerned with the realisation that being stabbed by Wolverine was an experience but watching Cadwall wasn't, so now he will seek personal experiences. And he disappears.
Cadwall too has a realisation - he's just destroyed NBC Studios (and offpage the animation studio) that he writes scripts for. Captain America leaves Iron Man to hand him over to the police, and suggests recommending psychiatric care. They can't do anything about the Beyonder now. Steve will call Charles Xavier to report what's happened to his X-Men.
But Steve doesn't realise that part of the invisible Beyonder is following him. (Another part will follow Rachel Summers around.)