Following the monumental, industry-changing success of 1984's `Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars`, Marvel Comics was eager to capitalize on the momentum. The original series, conceived by then-Editor-in-Chief Jim Shooter, was a straightforward, high-concept premise designed to sell a tie-in toy line from Mattel. Its sequel, however, aimed for something far more ambitious and cerebral. Secret Wars II, a nine-issue limited series written by Jim Shooter with art primarily by Al Milgrom, launched in July 1985. Unlike its predecessor, which was largely self-contained, the sequel was designed as the central spine of a story that would weave through the entire Marvel Universe for a full year. Nearly every comic published by Marvel during this period featured a “Secret Wars II” corner box banner and was mandated to tie into the Beyonder's journey on Earth. Shooter's creative goal was to move beyond simple fisticuffs and explore profound questions about existence, desire, and the human condition. The Beyonder, a being of infinite power, would serve as a 'tabula rasa' (blank slate), experiencing life for the first time. This approach, however, proved divisive. The execution was often seen as clumsy, with the Beyonder's quest leading to bizarre and tonally inconsistent encounters, from trying to use a toilet to becoming a professional wrestler to attempting to romantically pursue Dazzler. The sheer scale of the crossover was its most defining feature. Over 40 different ongoing titles were roped into the narrative, often forcing regular writers to halt their own storylines to accommodate a sudden appearance by the Beyonder. This created a disjointed reading experience and established a precedent for intrusive, line-wide events that would become a staple—and a point of contention—for decades to come.
The premise of Secret Wars II flows directly from the conclusion of the first series. The “origin” is not of a new character, but of a cosmic conflict born from curiosity.
During the first Secret Wars, the Beyonder was a disembodied, omniscient observer. From his realm beyond the known multiverse, he had created Battleworld and populated it with Earth's mightiest heroes and villains simply to observe the conflict between good and evil. He witnessed beings of finite power driven by concepts he could not comprehend: hope, love, rage, ambition, and above all, desire. He saw that these mortals were fundamentally “incomplete,” and that this incompleteness was the engine that drove their entire existence. Fascinated and perplexed, the Beyonder concluded that to truly understand, he must experience it himself. He decided to walk among them. The storyline begins with the Beyonder piercing the veil of his reality and arriving in the Earth-616 dimension. Needing a physical form, he creates one for himself—a composite vessel modeled on various heroes, most notably Captain America, but with a distinct 1980s flair, including a prominent Jheri curl. His initial goal was simple: to find fulfillment. He possessed the power to reshape reality at a whim, yet he lacked the basic context for human existence. His journey was a series of misguided experiments. He tried to understand property by taking over the entire planet. He tried to understand commerce by turning a building into solid gold for Spider-Man. He tried to understand love by becoming obsessed with the mutant pop star Dazzler. Each attempt failed to provide him with the meaning he sought, pushing him from a state of childlike wonder toward cosmic frustration and, ultimately, terrifying rage. The “origin” of the conflict was the Beyonder's decision to leave observation behind and become a participant.
To date, the Secret Wars II storyline has not been adapted in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it is highly unlikely to ever be directly translated to the screen. The MCU's overarching narrative, particularly the Multiverse Saga, is building towards an adaptation of Secret Wars. However, all signs point to this cinematic event being a synthesis of the 1984 original and, more significantly, the 2015 multiversal epic written by Jonathan Hickman. Key concepts from those stories, such as:
These elements are far more cinematic and plot-driven than the introspective, character-focused journey of the Beyonder in Secret Wars II. While the MCU could potentially introduce a character named the Beyonder, his personality and motivations would almost certainly be altered to fit the established tone and narrative of the MCU. Any cinematic “Beyonder” would likely be an antagonist on the scale of Kang or Thanos, rather than the philosophically confused, emotionally volatile entity from the 1985 comic series. Therefore, fans anticipating Avengers: Secret Wars should look to the 1984 and 2015 comics for source material, not this particular sequel.
The narrative of Secret Wars II is less a structured plot and more a series of vignettes chronicling the Beyonder's chaotic journey of self-discovery across the main 9-issue series and its myriad tie-ins.
The core limited series tracks the Beyonder's emotional and philosophical evolution from curious observer to existential threat.
A defining characteristic of Secret Wars II was its “story-so-big-it-spills-into-your-favorite-comic” approach. Nearly every Marvel title from mid-1985 to mid-1986 featured a tie-in. These were wildly inconsistent in quality and relevance.
The conclusion of Secret Wars II left several threads dangling. The New Mutants were restored to life, but were deeply scarred by the experience. The universe was left to readjust to the return of Death as a fundamental concept. The most significant consequence, however, was the creation of the new universe from the Beyonder's energy. This new universe would later be explored and become the birthplace of the entity known as Kosmos. In a major retcon several years later in the pages of Fantastic Four, it was revealed that the Beyonder was not a god from another reality, but was in fact an incomplete Cosmic Cube whose energy had merged with the latent psionic power of Owen Reece (Molecule Man). This retcon attempted to ground the Beyonder's immense power within the established rules of the Marvel cosmos.
While dozens of characters were involved, the event truly revolved around the Beyonder and a small group of characters who represented different facets of the human condition.
The Beyonder is the engine and central figure of the entire saga. He is a paradox: a being of limitless power with the emotional maturity of a toddler. His motivations are, at their core, pure. He simply wants to understand. However, his lack of context for concepts like patience, empathy, consequence, and morality makes him terrifying. He cannot comprehend why someone would not want what he offers, or why his “gifts” (like turning a building to gold) create chaos. His journey is a tragic one, moving from a god playing with toys to a frustrated being so overwhelmed by the complexities of emotion that he decides universal annihilation is the only logical solution.
Throughout the chaos, Captain America consistently serves as the story's moral anchor. While other heroes simply saw a threat to be neutralized, Steve Rogers was one of the few who repeatedly tried to teach the Beyonder. He attempted to explain concepts of freedom, responsibility, and selflessness. He saw the potential for good within the confused entity and represented humanity's best, most idealistic self. His refusal to give up on reasoning with the Beyonder, even when all seemed lost, defined his role in the crisis.
Where Captain America saw a student, Doctor Doom saw only power. Echoing his role in the first Secret Wars, Doom viewed the Beyonder not as a god to be understood, but as a cosmic battery to be tapped. He had no interest in the Beyonder's philosophical angst; he only saw an obstacle between himself and ultimate power. Doom's machinations to steal the Beyonder's omnipotence provided a key subplot and demonstrated the dark side of ambition that so confused the Beyonder.
Owen Reece was arguably the most important mortal character in the entire event. Previously a timid and insecure villain, Molecule Man had finally found peace and love with his girlfriend, Marsha Rosenberg. Having once wielded reality-warping power himself, he was the only human who could remotely empathize with the Beyonder's cosmic loneliness and confusion. He served as a bridge between the Beyonder and humanity, counseling him and trying to guide him. Ultimately, it was his power, guided by the heroes' plan, that was necessary to defeat the Beyonder in the final confrontation, cementing his transformation from a C-list villain into a pivotal cosmic figure.
The Beyonder's bizarre fixation on the mutant singer Dazzler served as a major subplot. He perceived her light powers as a manifestation of pure life and beauty and decided that winning her love was the key to his happiness. He offered her fame, power, and anything she could imagine. Dazzler's reaction of terror and revulsion was completely incomprehensible to him. Her storyline highlighted the Beyonder's fundamental inability to understand that emotions like love cannot be manufactured or forced, no matter how much power one wields.
Secret Wars II stands as one of the most controversial and widely debated events in Marvel's history, with a legacy that is both commercially significant and critically fraught.
Riding the wave of its predecessor's popularity, Secret Wars II was an enormous commercial success. The main series and its tie-ins sold exceptionally well. However, the critical and fan reception was, and remains, largely negative. The most common criticisms included:
Jim Shooter, the architect of the event, has defended his creative choices, stating his goal was to tell a more profound story than the first Secret Wars. However, in hindsight, it is often held up as an example of editorial overreach and the beginning of “event fatigue” among comic readers.
The most enduring legacy of Secret Wars II is its pioneering of the line-wide, year-long crossover model. Before it, crossovers were typically confined to a few related titles or a single limited series. SWII established the template for an event that would touch every corner of the publishing line, for better or for worse. It demonstrated the massive sales potential of this model, which Marvel and DC Comics would replicate for decades with events like `Civil War`, `Secret Invasion`, and `Crisis on Infinite Earths`. At the same time, it created the blueprint for the very problems that plague modern events: storyline interruption, inconsistent characterization, and the feeling that readers must buy dozens of books to understand a single story.
The nature of the Beyonder was too vast and continuity-breaking for many creators. This led to multiple retcons aimed at shrinking him down to size.
While Secret Wars II itself has not been adapted, its central character and themes have been revisited and radically reinterpreted.
Jonathan Hickman's 2015 event of the same name served as the climax of his entire Avengers run. This story re-contextualized the Beyonders not as a single entity, but as a linear, emotionless race of beings—the “Ivory Kings.” In this version, they were the architects of the multiverse's destruction, viewing it as a failed experiment. They systematically murdered all the cosmic entities (like Eternity and the Living Tribunal) across all realities. Their plan was to detonate the multiverse and see what came next. This version of the Beyonders shares the name and cosmic scale of the original but has an entirely different nature and motivation, serving as cold, implacable destroyers rather than a curious, emotional seeker of truth. Doctor Doom ultimately steals their power to create the new Battleworld.
This satirical miniseries retold the story of the original 1984 Secret Wars, inserting Deadpool into the events as a secret, forgotten participant. While it primarily parodies the first event, the Beyonder is a major character. The series lovingly recreates his 1980s appearance and dialogue, capturing the specific tone and feel of the era that Secret Wars II grew out of. It serves as a humorous homage to the character's original, bizarre incarnation.
As stated previously, the MCU's `Avengers: Secret Wars` will almost certainly discard the plot of Secret Wars II. The term “Beyonder” may be used, but it would likely be as a title or name for the main antagonist orchestrating the multiversal war and creating Battleworld. This character would be a villain in the vein of Kang the Conqueror, whose motivations are tied to control, power, or multiversal order, not a philosophical quest to understand desire. The core themes of the 2015 event—“everything dies”—and the desperate struggle to save remnants of reality are far more suited to the high stakes of a cinematic finale than the introspective and character-driven narrative of the 1985 sequel.