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Defenders Beyond Lays Out Marvel History Like Never Before (Spoilers)

Al Ewing has loved to rewrite the cosmic history and future of the Marvel Universe, the many iterations there have been and will be to come. From Contest of Champions through to Ultimates and Defenders. And now he gets The Beyonder to join them all together in today's Defenders Beyond #3 drawn by Javier Rodriguez.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

And so we start at the First Iteration of reality, as previously portrayed by Jim Starlin in the Infinity books and Grant Morrison in Marvel Boy…

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Marvel Boy #5 by Grant Morrison & JG Jones

… as well as being knitted together by Ewing in Ultimates, Immortal Hulk and pretty much every other book he gets to write.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

With the concept of colour, of rainbow, defined from the get-go as an act of rebellion against the straight-forward black and whole.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

Which then leads into the Secord Iteration. It has been commented that the current DC Comics maxim of "Everything happened, everything matters" combined with the recent trend towards Multiversal storytelling across mass media devalues everything and means that "nothing matters". And so it is with Iteration of reality number two…

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

But the Celestials survive and continue through iteration after iteration…

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

And it's all being observed and puppeted by The Beyonders, of Secret Wars fame, but who also have played a role in so much else.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

And yes, the one with with the face-obscuring shoulder pads is indeed the Beyonder of old. All that nonsense about being an exiled Inhuman has been brushed under the carpet.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

As a Marvel comic goves the most damning take on their original event, Secret Wars, which Jim Shooter wrote to please Mattel who has the Marvel Comics license for toys and wanted a reason to place them all together in one place.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

Secret Wars was the Beyonder playing with action figures. Or dolls as we used to call them, before gender-specific language got in the way.

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Defenders Beyond #3

As Al Ewing and Javier Rodriguez seek to place all the various Beyonder tales into one overarching narrative – even if that means "speedrunning" through a few. And a Dominion from an interaction yet to come…

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before

The transition from the Seventh to the Eight Iteration was the more recent Secret Wars event of course. Which was far more sophisticated, taking in for more themes and ideas and… still bashing dolls into dolls, just with great iterations. And as for the Dominin, yup, back in Thor #24! And totally called out!

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before
Thor #24

DEFENDERS BEYOND #3 (OF 5) (RES)
MARVEL COMICS
JUL220894
(W) Al Ewing (A/CA) Javier Rodriguez
Loki's Defenders manage to escape the Second Cosmos and the Beyonder, but Taaia is grievously wounded in the process and none of Loki's or Blue Marvel's expertise seems to be helping. Enter – the Phoenix! But what is the price of a universal
constant's aid…?
RATED T+In Shops: Sep 28, 2022
SRP: $3.99

Defenders Lay Out Entirety Of Marvel History Like Never Before


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Rich JohnstonAbout Rich Johnston

Founder of Bleeding Cool. The longest-serving digital news reporter in the world, since 1992. Author of The Flying Friar, Holed Up, The Avengefuls, Doctor Who: Room With A Deja Vu, The Many Murders Of Miss Cranbourne, Chase Variant. Lives in South-West London, works from Blacks on Dean Street, shops at Piranha Comics. Father of two. Political cartoonist.
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