"Beyond time, space, and the myriad dimensions lies another universe, to which our own is as a droplet of water to the ocean. The One Who is All in that other universe has learned of our universe, and of us . . . and he is coming here. Now."
Introduction, Secret Wars II #1
Secret Wars II is a nine-issue comic book Limited Series and crossover published between 1985 to 1986 by Marvel Comics. It was written by Marvel's then Editor-in-chief Jim Shooter and primarily penciled by Al Milgrom. The series was a sequel to Secret Wars (1984). It tied-in with issues of other Marvel titles, with each "tie-in" featuring a Secret Wars II logo in the top right hand corner to indicate that it was a part of the overall story.
The plot follows the return of The Beyonder, the being who started the first Secret Wars, who comes to Earth in search of enlightenment and inevitably comes into conflict with Earth's metahumans and the cosmic entities that exist in the Marvel Universe. It tries to become human, help people, learn how to love etc. but keeps failing, and his frustration turns him into a menace. He is eventually dealt with, although the heroes also have to prevent the destruction of the planet as a consequence of his actions.
Bibliography
- Secret Wars II #1
- The New Mutants Volume 1, #30
- Captain America Volume 1, #308
- The Uncanny X-Men #196
- Iron Man Volume 1, #197
- Secret Wars II #2
- Web of Spider-Man Volume 1, #6
- The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1, #268
- Fantastic Four Volume 1, #282
- Secret Wars II #3
- Daredevil Volume 1, #223
- The Incredible Hulk Volume 1, #312
- The Avengers Volume 1, #260
- Secret Wars II #4
- Dazzler Volume 1, #40
- Alpha Flight Volume 1, #28
- Rom #72
- The Avengers Volume 1, #261
- Secret Wars II #5
- The Thing Volume 1, #30
- Doctor Strange Volume 2, #74
- Fantastic Four Volume 1, #285
- Secret Wars II #6
- Cloak and Dagger Volume 2, #4
- Power Pack Volume 1, #18
- The Micronauts Volume 2, #16
- The Mighty Thor Volume 1, #363
- Power Man and Iron Fist #121
- Secret Wars II #7
- The New Mutants Volume 1, #36
- The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1, #273
- Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #111
- The Uncanny X-Men #202
- The New Defenders Volume 1, #152
- Secret Wars II #8
- The New Mutants Volume 1, #37
- The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 1, #274
- The Avengers Volume 1, #265
- The Uncanny X-Men #203
- Fantastic Four Volume 1, #288
- Secret Wars II #9
- The Avengers Volume 1, #266
- Quasar #8 note
- Deadpool Team-Up #1 note
Trope:
- Abstract Apotheosis: The Beyonder destroys Death on the multiversal level, but realizes the consequences of doing so. Left too weak to restore Death completely, he has to sacrifice his friend and use him as the seed to recreate Death.
- Artistic License – Economics: Averted. A very naive Beyonder is told by Power Man that money — or the lack thereof — is the root of most all problems in the world, and that money is a stand-in for gold (though his partner Iron Fist mentions they haven't been on the gold standard for years). The Beyonder, wishing to make everyone happy, turns an entire skyscraper into gold... which quickly collapses in on itself. Several crossover issues explore the ramifications this has on the world economy. (The government ends up covering up the event and throwing the excess gold into a sea trench.)
- Baffled by Own Biology: The Beyonder, a godlike entity, had no idea what the strange fullness he felt was. Spider-Man deduced that he had to, for the first time ever, use the bathroom, and then had to tell the Beyonder how to do it.
- The Cameo: Circuit Breaker from The Transformers (Marvel) pops up for three panels
◊ in issue #3 to help convince Beyonder that mind-controlling everyone is bad. This was done at a time when The Transformers was treated as taking place in the Marvel Universe before being retconned into its own continuity, retroactively making her the Marvel universe take on the character instead of actually being from the Transformers series. Her appearance wasn't just to shill the Transformers comic - having her appear in a non-Transformers comic before her Transformers debut proper allowed Marvel to keep the rights to the character instead of Hasbro. - Crisis Crossover
- Damaged Soul: The next few issues of the New Mutants showed that being killed and resurrected by the Beyonder was incredibly traumatic to the kids.
- The Death of Death: Death is killed by Beyonder.
- Establishing Character Moment: While Secret Wars II #1 doesn't really offer anything in terms of the Beyonder's characterization, Uncanny X-Men #196 features a scene of him in a cafeteria that establishes him as a cosmic idiot.
- Evil Tower of Ominousness: In issue 6, "Life Rules," the Beyonder builds himself a Home Base in which to operate as a superhero. In a bit of subversion, he buys the property, files the plans at city hall, and then builds it.
- Friend-or-Idol Decision: Spider-Man ends up getting tangled up in the whole skyscraper incident and, in the process, finds himself snatching a gold notepad in order to help pay for Aunt May's expenses. He later decides otherwise.
- Literal-Minded: During Uncanny X-Men #196, the Beyonder is taught manners. "Ya want something, ya don't grab for it, ya ask nice, say please, say thank you, that sort of thing." How does the Beyonder ask for his food? "Please, say thank you, that sort of thing."
- Mass Resurrection: The Beyonder kills and later resurrects the New Mutants.
- Nobody Poops: Infamously averted; at one point after becoming human, Beyonder feels a strange pressure between his legs, and it falls to poor Spider-Man to show him how to poop.
- N-Word Privileges: In Uncanny X-Men #196, during a confrontation between Kitty Pryde and a Columbia University student named Phil:Phil: You're a mutie then, Pryde--like him?!
Kitty: Gee, I dunno, Phil--are you a nigger?
Phil: Watch your mouth!
Kitty: Watch yours! Especially when you use words like that, and try to be intentionally hurtful! - Retcon: Marvel later retconned Beyonder's origin so that he'd never been nearly omnipotent, only believed he was (and to mortals he definitely seemed to be, but the other Cosmic Entities were just pretending to get beaten by him to "help him grow".) This was believed to have been a Take That! to Jim Shooter after he left Marvel, although Steve Englehart reported that this was editorial interference.
- Ret-Gone: The Beyonder does this to the New Mutants and the only one who remembers them is Kitty Pryde, thanks to her connection to Illyana.
- Self-Insert Fic: Some believe that the entire series was one for Jim Shooter, Marvel's Editor-In-Chief at the time.
- Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum: The Beyonder's Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds routine came complete with one of these.
- Time-Compression Montage: Done repeatedly throughout the series, along with a heavy dose of exposition. For instance, when The Beyonder mentally dominates everyone in the universe, it is shown with a mere four panels of everyone and everything bowing down in subservience.
- Very Special Episode: Fantastic Four #285 is about a kid burning himself to death trying to copy Johnny Storm's Wreathed in Flames style, the news of which nearly driving Johnny himself into quitting his superhero career. It took the Beyonder himself to convince Johnny not to give up.
- Victory Is Boring: In Issue #3 the Beyonder mind controls everything on Earth, effectively winning. He then decides it's boring and releases them.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Beyonder tries to make the heroine Dazzler fall in love with him, but realizes he can't win her love fairly, with no mind control tricks. This only makes him madder.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: What the Beyonder basically becomes by the end of the series...
- Writing Around Trademarks: The aforementioned skyscraper of gold had a group of soldiers run interference to help get rid of them. One of them looked suspiciously like Duke of G.I. Joe, which Marvel had made a comic of at the time..
