The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, nigh-omnipotent being from outside the multiverse who kidnapped the heroes and villains of the Marvel Universe to have them do battle on Battleworld. The character played in a more antagonistic role in the 1985 sequel, Secret Wars II, in which he took human form to learn about desire, but threatened to destroy the multiverse out of increasing frustration. Following Secret Wars and Secret Wars II, the Beyonder experienced many notable retcons. At first, he was changed to a gift from the race of Beyonders, a Cosmic Cube, but was flawed due to his shared history with the Molecule Man. The Illuminati suggested he was a mutant Inhuman. Finally, he was revealed to be a "child" of the Beyonder race. Publication history Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in Secret Wars #1, as an unseen, apparently nearly omnipotent being. He reappears in Secret Wars II #1 (July 1985), which was written by Jim Shooter and drawn by Al Milgrom. Fictional character biography Secret Wars The Beyonder is the manifestation of the "Beyond-Realm," or simply the "Beyond," which exists separately from the multiverse. This dimension was accidentally accessed by lab technician Owen Reece; some of the energy from the dimension escapes and imbues Reece with infinite powers, which he wields as the villainous Molecule Man, and the remaining energy gains sentience and curiosity as the Beyonder. The Beyonder creates a planet called Battleworld out of pieces of various planets (one such piece being a suburb of Denver, Colorado) and abducts a number of superheroes and supervillains from Earth and forces them to fight each other so that he can observe the never-ending battle between good and evil. During this time, his powers are briefly stolen by Doctor Doom. Secret Wars II Intrigued by what he has witnessed during the first Secret Wars, the Beyonder comes to Earth during the Secret Wars II story line to walk among humans and study them and learn of human desire firsthand. He creates a human body for himself (this body originally resembles Molecule Man). He also transforms a television writer named Steward Cadwell into Thundersword. Finally, the Beyonder creates a