Beta Ray Bill
From Superhero Wiki Encyclopedia
 Home Books Clothing DVDs Posters Toys Video Games |
Boards Comic Book News Comic Conventions Search this Wiki |
Gallery Features Link to us Online Comic Books |
Resources Store Superhero Wiki Wallpaper |
Beta Ray Bill is a character that appears in comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 (Nov. 1983) and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson.
Debuting in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, Beta Ray Bill has featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series; video games, and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards.
Contents |
Publication history
Origin
Beta Ray Bill was created by Walt Simonson as a new concept for the title Thor :
"I wanted to start fresh, and I thought a new character would be the way to go on that. My thinking was that comics are a short form, and one of the things that's mostly true about comics characters are what they look like ... I designed Bill deliberately as a monster, because I knew that people would look at it and go, "Oh my God, it's this evil guy." I deliberately wrote them so you weren't sure in the beginning if he was a good guy or a bad guy ... I chose the name for its alliterative qualities. Originally I was going to call him 'Beta Ray Jones' because I really wanted a common name. My feeling was Bill was Everyman for this alien race .... I deleted 'Jones' because ... there were too many Joneses floating around the Marvel Universe.*Cooke, John B. (June 2004) "Walt Simonson Interviewed" in Jack Kirby Collector #14, collected in Collected Jack Kirby Collector Volume 3*}}
Bill debuted in Thor #337 (Nov. 1983), being established the character as an alien belonging to a race known as the Korbinites.
Biography
1980s
Spy organization SHIELD detect an alien fleet passing through Earth's solar system, with Director Nick Fury asking Thor to investigate. When Thor finds the advance ship, it scans the Thunder God and perceives him to be a threat. Unable to stop Thor, the sentient ship - called "Skuttlebutt" - revives Beta Ray Bill, who is in suspended animation. Bill battles Thor to standstill until the ship reaches Earth's orbit, where one of the mystical enchantments of Thor's hammer Mjolnir comes into effect, being that the Thunder God will revert back to his mortal persona of Donald Blake if separated from the hammer for more than sixty seconds. Blake is knocked unconscious by Bill, who examines Blake's cane (Mjolnir's "shell" when Thor is in Blake's form) and on striking the cane receives Thor's power and costume.
Once Skuttlebutt arrives on Earth, Bill easily defeats an approaching S.H.I.E.L.D. team and is then transported to Asgard by the King of the Norse Gods, Odin, who mistakes Bill for Thor. After some initial confusion, Odin returns Thor to Asgard, and Bill's origin is revealed. Bill's race, the Korbinites, who are almost rendered extinct when their galaxy explodes. The remnants of the Korbonite race flee in a fleet of warships, guarded by a sentient ship called "Skuttlebutt" and a dedicated champion, Beta Ray Bill. Via Korbonite science, Bill was physically augmented and given the attributes of an indigenous wild beast (a process that killed all of Bill's predecessors). Skuttlebutt also attacked Thor as the ship recognizes the Asgardian magic as similar to that the previous global threat, and assumed the Korbonites are being threatened once again.
On discovering that Bill was worthy enough to lift Mjolnir, Odin proposes a battle to the death in the Asgardian realm of Skartheim to decide who will wield the hammer. Bill and Thor render each other unconscious, although Bill's resistance to heat allows him to recover first, and is deemed the winner. Odin bestows upon Bill a different hammer — Stormbreaker — which is equal in power to Mjolnir. Odin also bestows the ability upon Bill to return to his original Korbinite form by striking Stormbreaker upon the ground. After learning that the mishap that killed most of Bill's people was caused by the fire demon Surtur, Bill agrees to join the Asgardians in a war to stop Surtur and his armies.*Thor #337-340 (Nov. 1983 - Feb. 1984) *
Bill leads many of Earth's heroes against Surtur's forces on Earth while Thor, Odin, and Thor's adopted brother Loki confront Surtur in Asgard. Surtur is eventually defeated, but apparently kills Odin.*Thor #341-353 (Dec. 1983 - Dec. 1984)* Bill remains on Earth, aiding the spaceknight Rom against the threat of the alien Dire Wraiths*Rom #65 (Apr. 1985)* and foes such as Iron Man opponent Titanium Man.*Thor #354 (Apr. 1985); #357 - 358 (July - Aug. 1985)*
Forming an attachment with the Asgardian goddess Sif,*Thor #359 (Sep. 1985)* Bill aids Thor against the Dark Elf Kurse in a two-part storyline *Thor #363 (Jan. 1986);Power Pack #19 (Feb. 1986)* before returning to his people. Bill eventually returns to battle the Egyptian god Seth*Thor #400 (Sept. 1989)* and the Juggernaut.*Thor #411-412 (Dec. 1989)*
1990s
Bill remains a staunch ally of Thor and Asgard*Thor Annual #16 (Jan. 1991); Thor #439 (Nov. 1991); #442 (Jan. 1992); #454 (Nov. 1992); Thor Annual #18 (Jan. 1983)* before featuring in a storyline - involving a creation of Galactus, Tyrant'.*Silver Surfer vol. 3, #79 (April 1993); #81-82 (June-July 1993)* Bill also features in the storyline "Blood and Thunder", attempting alongside Adam Warlock, Thanos and others to deal with the "warrior madness" of Thor.*Silver Surfer vol. 3, #86-87 (Nov.-Dec. 1993); Warlock Chronicles #7-8 (Jan.-Feb. 1994); Warlock and the Infinity Watch #25 (Feb. 1994); Thor #461 (Apr. 1993); #468 (Nov. 1983); #470-471 (Jan.-Feb. 1994)* Together with Thor, Bill joins with other versions of the Thunder God in the Thor Corps against the entity Demonstaff.*Thor Corps #1-4 (Sept.-Dec. 1993)* and has several cosmic adventures.*Cosmic Powers Unlimited #1-5 (May 1995 - May 1996); Star Masters #1-3 (Dec. 1995 - Feb. 1996); Thor #492 - 493 (Nov. - Dec. 1995); Silver Surfer vol. 3, #111 (Dec. 1995); #122 (Nov. 1996)*
2000s
Bill also participates in a battle between the heroes of Earth and several alien races such as the Kree, Shi'ar, and Z'Nox.*Maximum Security #1-2 (Dec. 2000); #3 (Jan. 2001)* and after several adventures with Thor *Thor #30 - 33 (Dec. 2000 - Mar. 2001); #39 - 41 (Sep. - Nov. 2001)* guest starring in the final storyline, when Thor - determined to end the perpetual cycle of death and rebirth the Asgardians are trapped in - brings about Ragnarök (in Norse mythology this event means the end of Asgard and its gods, as they die in battle against the armies of evil). Although Bill attempts to aid the Asgardians, Thor teleports Bill away as it is not his destiny to die in Ragnarök.*Thor vol. 2, #83 - 85 (Oct. - Dec. 2004)*
Bill visits his people's new homeworld, where he is attacked by his insane predecessor, Alpha Ray, defeating him just as the cosmic entity Galactus and his herald Stardust arrive. Despite Bill's efforts, Galactus consumes the world and almost kills him, with Bill drifting in space until recovered by Skuttlebutt. After finding an orb containing the souls of many of the Korbinites, Bill revisits a desolate Asgard, and joins forces with Stardust to battle a new demonic menace named Asteroth.
Although victorious, Bill is mortally wounded, and while near death is healed by an unknown entity that also claims the remaining souls in the orb. Placed in the recently-deceased body of a war veteran named Simon Walters (a reference to his creator, Walt Simonson) on Earth, Bill has a brief encounter with the villain Boar and hero Spider-Man. *Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1-6 (March-Aug. 2005)* Bill eventually finds and joins Canadian superhero team Omega Flight against the supervillain team the Wrecking Crew, who release the supernatural Great Beasts. The battle ends with Bill and the Beasts trapped in an alternate dimension.*Omega Flight #1-5 (April-Aug. 2007)*
During the Secret Invasion storyline,*Secret Invasion #1-8 (June 2008 - Jan. 2009)* Bill is wounded and captured by the alien Skrulls, who bestow his hammer Stormbreaker on a warrior Super-Skrull. Thor rescues Bill, and after being nursed back to health, the character retrieves his hammer then tricks and defeats the Skrull.*Secret Invasion: Thor #1-3 (Oct.-Dec. 2008)*
Bill decides to hunt the cosmic entity, Galactus to avenge the destruction of the Korbinites' second homeworld, and the seeming eradication of his species. After a brief confrontation with the herald, Stardust, Bill is intercepted by the Silver Surfer, who is puzzled by the Korbinite's apparently futile quest to destroy Galactus. During a brief battle, Bill explains that while he understands he cannot hope to destroy Galactus with his power alone, he intends to destroy Galactus by annihilating any and all worlds Galactus seeks to feed from, thus starving him to death. The character's obsession with stopping Galactus eventually results in him being unable to lift his own enchanted weapon, an object that can only be wielded by the worthy.*Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1-2 (Aug.-Sept. 2009)*
Powers and abilities
Beta Ray Bill's life force and consciousness were transferred by scientists of his race into the body of an alien carnivorous equine-like beast that had been bionically restructured into a cyborg. Courtesy of highly advanced genetic engineering, the character possesses superhuman strength; reflexes; stamina, and durability and a highly extended lifespan. Beta Ray Bill's weapon, Stormbreaker, also has the same properties as Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, and includes the ability to transform into a cane when struck upon the ground and return Bill to his unaltered Korbinite form. Bill also possesses the advanced and sentient warship Skuttlebutt.
Other media
Beta Ray Bill appears in the animated television series Silver Surfer (1994) voiced by Karl Pruner and the animated feature film Planet Hulk (2010) voiced by Paul Dobson.
The character also appears as an alternate costume for Thor in the video game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance (2006).
Bibliography
Comic book appearances include:
- Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #1-3
- Code of Honor #4
- Omega Flight #1-5
- Power Pack #15, 19
- Secret Invasion Aftermath: Beta Ray Bill - The Green of Eden #1
- Secret Invasion: Thor #1-3
- She-Hulk #7-8
- Silver Surfer vol. 3 #86-87
- Star Masters #1-3
- Stormbreaker: The Saga of Beta Ray Bill #1-6
- Thor Corps #1-4
- Thor #337-340, 349-359, 363-364, 367, 371-371, 400, 411-413, 439-442, 460-461, 468, 470-472, 477-480, 484, 487-489, 492
- Thor vol. 2, #30-33, 82-85
- Thor vol. 3, #1
- Warlock Chronicles #7-8
- Warlock and the Infinity Watch #25