Synopsis / Summary / Plot
Mephisto expresses his concerns to his beloved Death (who got killed and replaced by Dave at the end of last issue - but presumably Death is still Death whoever it is). He must find a way to destroy Beyonder in case he kills Death again. (He's also just plain annoyed that Beyonder is so much more powerful than him.)
The Big B donated a large chunk of his energy to kill Death. Mephisto has captured that energy before it can return to its owner. He noted that when Dr Doom stole some of B's energy in Secret Wars I #11 the Beyonder was vulnerable. M hopes that this is true again. He has built a huge machine he calls Beyondersbane to temporarily house the energy, and intends to use it to kill the cosmic being. When he asks Death if it will work she goes all ambiguously oracle on him.
The object of his worry has retired to a deserted Pacific island to think (after his attempt to be a superhero champion of life failed last issue, and his ocean base was destroyed in Power Man & Iron Fist #121 ). But his reverie is interrupted by Ed Strunk, a middle-management guy who has similarly come to a larger, populated island to 'find himself'.
And on a 3rd island Thing is starring in an alien invasion movie. But he and his crew take a break when the flying-boat mailman Hopper Hertneky delivers a crate of his favourite beer. But Ben Grimm crushes most of the brews in anger when Hopper mentions his wrestling bout with Beyonder (Thing #30). Ben explains to Hertneky his history with the B.
Beyonder abducted a load of superheroes and villains to Battleworld (SWI) On that planet Ben discovered he could switch between Thing and human at will, so he stayed there for a while after everyone else went home. But events caused him to give up his human side completely (Th#22) (after discovering that he'd always been able to switch, but a mental block had stopped him).
When he returned to Earth in Fantastic Four #277 he discovered that his girlfriend Alicia Masters had taken up with his best friend Human Torch. (We don't know at this time that this Alicia is really a Skrull replacement Lyja.) So Ben quit the team in Th#23. (He doesn't mention that he'd already decided it was over with Alicia on Battleworld.) (He also doesn't mention another reason he quit the FF - in Th#23 Mr Fantastic told him he'd long known about Ben's mental block.)
Thing covers the succeeding issues of his own mag. He'd joined the Thunderiders stunt-bikers, and then the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation of enhanced wrestlers. Including the fight with Beyonder who he blames for losing Alicia and his human side because of the abduction to Battleworld. He tried to kill B in the ring but couldn't bring himself to do it.
Meanwhile on desert island #1 Beyonder has been ignoring Ed Strunk. But Ed interprets this as a zen thing and adopts B as his guru. Strunk leaves and comes back with loads of others (1 of whom looks suspiciously like Al Milgrom) who proceed to sit around thinking.
Meanwhile again, Mephisto has sent demon Bitterhorn to recruit supervillains. We see him promise Juggernaut to get his pal Black Tom Cassidy his castle back. Visiting Electro in prison in Project Pegasus and promising his freedom. And meeting Baron Mordo in a mystic dimension with a promise of power. And Absorbing Man and Titania.
Each time they shake hands on the deal the villain is linked to Beyondersbane. Mephisto's plan is to send all the villains against Beyonder. If he attacks 1 of them or allows 1 to touch him then his own energy will flood into him and B will be destroyed by the feedback - taking Earth and 1/3 of the universe with him, but c'est la vie.
Death silently indicates doubt whether this will be enough. So Mephisto further explains that the cosmic powers seen last issue have agreed to the plan, and Eternity will fire the weapon adding all the power in the universe to the mix. And Death will get all those who are killed, and Mephisto himself will get his share of those souls.
A demon arrives to say that Bitterhorn has gathered the requisite 99 villains.
Word of guru Beyonder has spread to the media and reporters arrive on the island. Ed Strunk elects himself B's spokesman. Owen Reece sees it on TV and it disrupts his game of Trivial Pursuit with Marsha Rosenberg and some friends. Spider-Man sees it too, as does Magneto with the New Mutants and X-Men (but no Prof X). Thing even sees it on his movie island.
Mephisto has a problem. The Beyondersbane is unstable and will melt down in a short while. But he has the villains ready, and Eternity has almost finished aiming the weapon at Beyonder. But then Big B announces that he's leaving the island because he's lost the solitude he came for. Mephisto panics because there won't be time to re-aim the weapon before it self-destructs.
So the demon appears to Thing as if in a dream in the guise of some of his friends and stokes up his hatred of Beyonder, and as Ed Garner of the UCWF he gets him to sign a contract for a match against B - a contract which temporarily increases his strength a hundred times. When Ben Grimm wakes he immediately swims the 115 miles to Beyonder's isle and angrily smashes his way to his enemy. Beyonder doesn't respond, but it is enough to keep him there.
Beyondersbane is aimed and Mephisto sends his villains to attack. Thing sees them running towards him and is torn between killing Beyonder and saving him. Beyonder is torn between killing them all, letting them kill him if he's so bad, and just teleporting off. Mephisto doesn't want B to escape, but on the other hand what if he survives and tracks the mastermind down?
In the end Ben's inherent good nature wins out and he uses his enormously enhanced strength against the supervillains attacking on foot. And none of them get through to touch Beyonder. But then the flying contingent zooms in. But Thing throws Absorbing Man at them, and the enhanced power that Crusher Creel absorbs knocks them all out of the sky.
There are still a few villains left standing, so Mephisto desperately tears up the contract that gave Thing the extra strength. But by then only Juggernaut is left. Juggy easily beats the normal-powered Thing, and advances on Beyonder. But with his last ounce of strength Ben grabs Cain Marko's foot and holds him back ...
... and time runs out and the Beyondersbane goes into meltdown and all the villains return whence they came. Death leaves Mephisto in a huff, and the damned souls get a measure of comfort from their lord's displeasure. Eternity returns to being the universe, and the other cosmic beings go back to their own roles. And Owen Reece/Molecule Man is relieved for the moment, but fears that he's going to have to get involved before the end.
The stolen Beyonder-power is dispersed but will eventually find its way back to him. And Thing collapses spent. But Beyonder has a revelation. Ben Grimm rediscovered that his true role in the universe was as a hero. Maybe his own role is to teach others to find their roles.