Synopsis / Summary / Plot
The Beyonder is walking along a railway track near Washington when a train comes up behind him. So he casually causes it to break into pieces, and the bits and passengers fly past missing him. Just as casually he arranges for all the people to land safely. But he's glad their lives are now messed up like his is.
As he moves on a teen girl runs after him. She introduces herself as Tabitha, but her friends call her Boom-Boom. She's a mutant like he must be, and she's on the way to Westchester, New York where she's heard there's a secret school for mutants. She persuades him to let her walk with him since he wrecked her ride.
That night Beyonder magics up a camp - 2 tents, a fire and some food. Tabitha explains that her father beat her when he discovered she was a mutant, so she left home. She demonstrates her power by creating an energy ball which explodes when she throws it. She can make them of all sizes and can control when they'll go off. She's given herself a codename Time Bomb.
In return Beyonder tells his story, although the girl doesn't really believe the bit about coming from another universe. He concentrates on last issue where he fell in love with Dazzler. Despite everything he did she rejected him. He's tried keeping busy with other stuff (see Hulk #312, ROM #72 and Avengers #261) but life seems empty without her.
Boom-Boom understands rejection and the various ways of coping with it. Currently she accepts it and awards herself 10 points for each example, telling herself the person with the most points wins. But you're still lonely.
Beyonder on the other hand thinks he should just abandon the whole desire thing and go back to his own universe where he is everything. Tabby protests that you can't just give up. That way lies suicide or drugs. But he's really decided to go, so she gives him a hug for luck. Then he disappears and she gives herself another 10 points.
Back home Beyonder is still in his human form. He hesitates before becoming the whole universe again because he finds he misses things. He creates objects and people and even planets. Then he thinks about creating Alison Blaire, or even bringing the real 1 here. He knows he could make her love him (as he did last issue), but that wouldn't be good enough.
He tries to talk himself into forgetting that universe and becoming his own again. But then the energy ball goes off that Time Bomb planted in his back pocket.
Tabitha is unsuccessfully trying to hitch-hike when a sports car stops and picks her up. Inside is Beyonder, who proves he's not mad at her by fixing her black eye. She says she knew he'd come back - he wasn't ready to give up yet.
He drives her to New York and to Prof X's mutant school - nothing is secret from him. He waits while she knocks on the door. But Rachel Summers recognises him and sends the X-Men and some New Mutants out to get him. But he effortlessly dispels their attack and drives off. But Rachel uses her psionic powers to compel her team to chase him, leaving Boom-Boom alone again. This is not what she expected so she wanders off into the woods.
The X-teams return after a fruitless chase, arguing. Rachel says they had to try because Beyonder is so dangerous. Wolverine agrees but is very unhappy about the psychic coercion. They forget about the unknown young girl.
That young girl is trying to attract B's attention. Calling for him doesn't get results, despite his claim of omniscience. So she makes the biggest energy bomb she can and says it will kill her in 30 seconds. She counts down but he still doesn't appear - and the bomb doesn't go off because she really set it for 1 minute. She awards herself another 10 rejection points and then waits for the real explosion - which happens.
However Beyonder saves her from harm. He materialises his car and drives them out of the wood, phasing through the trees until he eventually decides to make the car fly up into the sky, and into space and to the multi-world habitat of the Celestials.
The giant Space Gods are as usual just standing around, but B lands the car on a planet which turns out to be an alien tourist resort - the Celestials are a popular draw. The races around here are also so advanced that they know of B's entry into their universe and recognise him.
Beyonder claims that the Celestials also know he's here and are worried. Boom-Boom doesn't believe him so he flies up to confront them. He convinces them he's going to destroy the universe so they stir themselves and attack. The battle that follows happens on many more planes than the visible physical 1. But the effect of B's victory is Celestial bodies scattered over the planets, and many scared aliens (and Tabitha).
Beyonder tries to make it up to her. He makes her beautiful, then a few years older, then removes her power. But she rejects each of these options and just asks him to send her back to Earth and leave her alone. With a thought he complies.
Then he cruises through the universe in his car, but is soon drawn back to Earth. He goes to his Brazilian mansion and checks up on Algrim who he restored last issue to pursue his desire to kill Thor. The Dark Elf is still plodding across the Atlantic from England. He switches on his record player, but the disc is 1 of Dazzler's. He slumps in depression.
Tabitha is back in Westchester, but not at the school. She contacts the Avengers hotline, and mention of Beyonder gets her through to Wasp. She says she can bait a trap for him.
Later she's at their old camp-site. She calls and he appears. He's really missed her, and her wise words have made him want to keep on living. She hugs him again - but plants an even bigger bomb in his trouser pocket.
Tabby runs away, the bomb goes of, and the assembled heroes (Avengers, Dr Strange, Fantastic Four, Thor and West Coast Avengers) lay into him. But Captain America stops them when he sees that Beyonder isn't fighting back.
There's no jail that could hold him, so Cap asks him to go back to his own universe. B says he's tried that and it didn't work. The heroes let him wander dejectedly off muttering "10 points, I win".