Appearing in "Yesod: The Second Cosmos"
Featured Characters:
- Defenders
- Phoenix (Taaia) (Possessed by the Phoenix Force)
- Ms. America Chavez
- Blue Marvel (Dr. Adam Brashear)
- Loki
- Tigra (Greer Nelson) (Main story and recap)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Omega Council (Main story and flashback) (Origin revealed)
- The Beyonder (Origin revealed) (As the Maker in flashback)
- Unnamed members
Other Characters:
- First Firmament (Only in flashback) (Apparent death)
- Aspirants (Only in flashback)
- Celestials (Only in flashback)
- Gammenon the Gatherer (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Nezarr the Calculator (Only in flashback)
- Jemiah the Analyzer (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Eson the Searcher (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Ziran the Tester (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- One Above All (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Tefral the Surveyor (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Arishem the Judge (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Oneg the Prober (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Second Cosmos (Only in flashback)
- Third Cosmos (Only in flashback)
- Those Who Sit Above in Shadow (Mentioned)
- Molecule Man (Owen Reece) (Only in recap)
- Doctor Doom (Dr. Victor von Doom) (Only in recap)
- Iron Man (Tony Stark) (Only in recap)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Only in recap)
- Kang the Conqueror (Nathaniel Richards) (Only in recap)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Only in recap)
- Magneto (Magnus) (Only in recap)
- Wolverine (Logan) (Only in recap)
- Doctor Octopus (Dr. Otto Octavius) (Only in recap)
- Hulk (Bruce Banner) (Only in recap)
- Valkyrie (Brunnhilde) (Only in recap)
- Vision (Only in recap)
- Thor (Odinson) (Only in recap)
- Fantastic Four (Only in recap)
- Invisible Woman (Sue Storm) (Only in recap)
- Thing (Ben Grimm) (Only in recap)
- She-Hulk (Jen Walters) (Only in recap)
- Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) (Only in recap)
- Colossus (Piotr Rasputin) (Only in recap)
- Snowbird (Narya) (Only in recap)
- Wonder Man (Simon Williams) (Only in recap)
- Mirage (Dani Moonstar) (Only in recap)
- Karma (Xuân Cao Mạnh) (Only in recap)
- "Debaser unit" Beyonder (Mentioned)
- Photon (Monica Rambeau) (Mentioned)
- Dominion (Mentioned)
- Eternity (Mentioned)
- Black Winter (Mentioned)
- Galan (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
- Omegas / Beyonders (Main story and flashback) (Origin revealed)
- Abstract Entities (Only in flashback)
- Aspirants (Only in flashback)
- Celestials (Only in flashback)
- Taa-ans
- Humans (Main story and recap)
- Mutants (Only in recap)
- Asgardians (Only in recap)
- Dominions (Mentioned)
Locations:
- First Cosmos (Only in flashback)
- Multiverse (Appears as Second Cosmos, Third Cosmos, and Seventh Cosmos in flashback only; referenced as Sixth Cosmos and Eighth Cosmos in main story)
- Earth-616 (Only in recap)
- Battleworld (Only in recap)
- Earth (Only in recap)
- United States of America (Only in recap)
- Colorado (Only in recap)
- United States of America (Only in recap)
- Beyonder's womb-space (Only in recap)
- Earth-616 (Only in recap)
- Second Cosmos / Beyond (Main story and flashback) (Origin revealed)
- White Hot Room
Items:
- Loki's Scepter
- Doctor Doom's Armor (Only in recap)
- Iron Man Armor Model 4 (Only in recap)
- Spider-Man's Suit (Only in recap)
- Kang Armor (Only in recap)
- Captain America's Uniform and Shield (Only in recap)
- Magneto's Helmet (Only in recap)
- Wolverine's Suit (Only in recap)
- Doctor Octopus' Tentacles (Only in recap)
- Mjolnir (Only in recap)
- Fantastic Four Uniforms (Only in recap)
- Concordance Engine
- Enigma Force (Mentioned)
- Eternity Mask
Events:
- Celestial Rebellion / Celestial War (Only in flashback)
- Secret Wars (Only in recap)
- Secret Wars II (Only in recap)
- Time Runs Out (Mentioned)
- Beyond (Mentioned)
Synopsis for "Yesod: The Second Cosmos"
The Beyonder elaborates the origin of the Celestial War, where by the colorful Celestials rebelled against the monochromatic Aspirants zealously loyal to their creator, the First Firmament. The war ended as the First Cosmos was ripped asunder into infinite pieces before reforming into the Second Cosmos, where infinite possibilities as "what if" became "what is". But infinite possibility also meant infinite instability if unchecked, so the Second Cosmos needed maintenance. To aid them, the Celestials created servitor beings, dubbed Omegas, with the raw power to destroy their creators if necessary so as to prevent another Celestial War. However, the Second Cosmos only lived for a few millennia as all it experienced was new sensations, thus it was all too eager to face a new sensation such as all-death. But with that came rebirth, aware of being and non-being, able to form narrative with consciousness. While the Celestials continued to observe from within the Third Cosmos, the Omegas remained in beyond space where once was the Second Cosmos, thus nothing died while they remained. Taaia recalls hearing about "Beyond" theorized in the "before time" of the Sixth Infinity, of the Scienceers who sought first contact with "Un-Finite Life." With her stands Ms. America Chavez, Blue Marvel, Loki, and Tigra as they are greeted by The Omega Council. As Loki so flippantly introduces the group, Blue Marvel advises they put more thought into how they'll deal with them if they are to go face to face with realty's engineers.
Tigra interjects that they cannot be the same Beyond they last encountered those years ago,[1] the Omega before them confirms that he is indeed that Beyonder, willing to narrate as he once did as a child when they first met. When the Molecule Man had his origin, he poked a hold into the Beyonder's womb-space and, like a baby learning only from commercials, smashed everything together to play with.[2] Aching to learn macro-truths but trapped in the microcosm of their reality, he was returned to his forebears to speed-run his growth and evolution until he was ready to join his people in the "engine room" of reality. He agrees with Tigra's fear, having started out "bad" and is likely to do so again, like the Debaser Beyonders that Blue Marvel faced in the past. Blue Marvel then acknowledges that Monica Rambeau was investigating what they left behind,[3] but points out that their targeted destruction of the Seventh Cosmos was not done by rogue Beyonders.[4] The Omega Council deemed the event a "controlled demolition" as a necessary experiment, to which Blue Marvel asks what justifies the destruction of all that exists as "necessary". As the Beyonders are linear by nature, they can still predict what can be from what has been and they wanted to create a firebreak to prevent a coming Dominion. Taaia notes the word dominion as something what Loki said earlier, which the trickster affirms was the case. As the Omega Council concluded their experiment a failure, thus they plan to use the Concordance Engine to contain the threat to a narrow band of realities, but they won't save those realities including the Defender's home reality. Blue Marvel states that humanity shouldn't be underestimated as they have bested their plans before and can help with the enemy, but the Omega Council refuses as they are linear and cannot risk drawing ire from a non-linear threat.
After the Beyonder not-so-subtly directs their path to stop them, Blue Marvel gives America Chavez the Eternity Mask to fight an even footing the Beyonder, inflicting pain on him across several realities and him gleeful for the fun fight. As the head of the Omega Council is confounded by the idea America can fight evenly with Beyonder, Loki distracts him by entrapping him in confined space before he gets free and hunts her down. When hiding for a moment, Tigra notes to Taaia that when Beyonder was confined was when he got mad, as the Omega Councilman defines "mad" and grants violence upon them. Taaia shoves Loki and Tigra out of the way, taking the blast head on while Blue Marvel flies through his head and kills him. Blue Marvel explains to Loki that his being an Anti-Matter reactor killed them because they were wrapped in matter to interface with them. While Taaia feels herself dying, she demands her friends learn what the "Dominion" actually is, and they see a possible way out with Blue Marvel recalling how the Concordance Engines drew power from a "higher" dimension. As Taaia refuses to flee, Blue Marvel signals America they're moving out, but the Beyonder doesn't want them to leave, so Taaia invites him to follow if he chooses. As one of the Omega Council members sees the Beyonder follow and asks if they should follow, another member tells him not to succumb to 'narrative' forces and to let them take the path they chose, leading to the trial by fire. In a white hot space, Taaia flies and a voice speaks life as she nears death. A glowing white figure appeared as Taaia called out in defiance of death, and as the Defenders looked to Taaia, they heard another voice. They see Taaia merge with the Phoenix Force and become its newest host.
Solicit Synopsis
Notes
- "The Mystery" is a term Al Ewing often used to describe the realms located on the Outside, beyond the Far Shore. He conceived a "Mystery Map" after he saw how a few of them could fit on the Tree of Life; this series is a journey up the middle pillar.[5]
- "Yesod: The Second Cosmos" is the title of this issue.
Continuity Notes[]
- The Celestial War is first explained in Ultimates 2 (Vol. 2) #6.
- The panel about the Beyonders killing the Celestials is a reference to New Avengers (Vol. 3) #30.
- The Third Cosmos learning about the states of "being" versus "non-being" is a reference to the Lifebringer One and the Anti-All from Defenders (Vol. 6) #5.
- The Beyond is revealed to be the remnants of the Second Cosmos. The subsequent Multiverses are explored in Defenders (Vol. 6).
- The Beyonders are revealed to be the "Omegas" from Defenders (Vol. 4). They are shown to have omega symbols (Ω) on their palms, like in Defenders (Vol. 4) #3.
- The unidentified mark on the Beyonder's chest from Avengers #261 and Fantastic Four Annual #27 is now clearly shown to be an omega symbol.
- "Nothing dies, while we remain" is a direct quote from one of the Omegas in Defenders (Vol. 4) #10.
- The Beyond is depicted as a featureless level in Fantastic Four Annual #23; however, its design in this issue is based off "Heaven" from Defenders (Vol. 4) #10–11, specifically issue #11.
- Regarding the Beyonders' alternate names:
- "Celestial Servitors": As the First Firmament explains in Ultimates 2 (Vol. 2) #6, just like how he created the Celestials as servitors, the Celestials created servitors of their own in the Second Cosmos and called them "Omegas" in opposition to the First Firmament, the Alpha.
- "Omega Council": The Omega Council is from Defenders (Vol. 4) #10–11. The Beyonders in this issue are based off them.
- "Ivory Kings": Throughout New Avengers (Vol. 3) and Avengers (Vol. 5) (moreso New Avengers), the "Ivory Kings" are mentioned as one of the groups involved in the incursions. They are revealed to be the Beyonders in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #29–30.
- The Blue Marvel encounters the Beyond Corporation in Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #5–7.
- Loki encounters Those Who Sit Above in Shadow in Loki: Agent of Asgard #17. He is not exactly sure what they are; one of his theories is that they may be Beyonders.
- Tigra encounters the Beyonder in Secret Wars II. The Beyonder threatens to destroy the Multiverse in Secret Wars II #8–9 (though this issue just says "universe").
- The Beyonders' physical bodies are not their true forms. This is clearly demonstrated in Secret Wars II #2, and explained in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #30 and New Avengers (Vol. 3) #32. As Hank Pym states in #30, they cannot be fully comprehended in a human fashion.
- During the Beyonder's recap of his history:
- The Beyonder is revealed to have been a child during his "Secret Wars" in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #30.
- The Molecule Man is revealed to be the Beyonders' multiversal demolition tool in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #33.
- The Beyonder considers the Molecule Man to be his friend at the start of Secret Wars II #8 and they discover that the Molecule Man's "accident" poked a pinhole into the Beyonder's "womb-space." However, the Molecule Man tries to kill him at the end.
- The Beyonder explains how he had observed Earth through his pinhole in Secret Wars II #3.
- The Beyonder constructs Battleworld and kidnaps heroes and villains to fight in the original Secret Wars.
- In this issue, he mentions commercials and action figures, which is a reference to how the original Secret Wars was conceived to sell toys.
- The shot of Secret Wars II is based on the cover of Secret Wars II #9.
- After Secret Wars II:
- The Beyonder becomes a Cosmic Cube in Fantastic Four #319 ("Secret Wars 3").
- The Cosmic Cube evolves into Kosmos in Fantastic Four Annual #23.
- In Thanos #8–10, it is revealed that Kosmos turned herself into a mortal called the Maker. The Maker is later killed by the Annihilation Wave (see Annihilation) and the Fallen One finds her corpse in Annihilation: Silver Surfer #3, meaning the Beyonder within her is now free.
- The Beyonder references the "debaser unit" from Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #5–7. The Blue Marvel's son, Kevin, removes him from reality in issue #7.
- In Captain America and the Mighty Avengers #6, that "debaser unit" explains that there are many entities living on the Outside, and many kinds: "Beyonders. Examiners. Normalizers. Gardeners. Debasers." Here, it is revealed that the "debasers" are just a type of Beyonder.
- The Beyond Corporation from the Spider-Man: Beyond storyline is revealed to be what the "debaser unit" left behind. Monica Rambeau is first shown investigating this leftover Beyond in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 5) #78.BEY and she attacks them in issue #92.BEY.
- As explained in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #33 and Secret Wars #4–5, the Beyonders are the ones responsible for the incursions that ended the Seventh Cosmos. They destroyed the entire Multiverse as part of a grand experiment.
- In New Avengers (Vol. 3) #33 and Secret Wars #5, the Molecule Man explains that the Beyonders conducted their experiment because they got bored of "life"; here, the Beyonders claim that they destroyed the Multiverse to prevent the coming Dominion.
- The Beyonders are first stated to be "linear" in New Avengers (Vol. 3) #33.
- The "Dominion" is possibly referring to the "Dominions" that are mentioned in Powers of X #5. It is not clear though because the Dominions are a type of universal society but the Dominion here is an unknown threat from outside the Multiverse.
- In Thor (Vol. 6) #24, Loki informs Taaia that he caught a glimpse of something that has "dominion" somewhere on the Outside after he crossed the threshold (see Loki: Agent of Asgard #16–17).
- The Concordance Engines are prominent throughout Defenders (Vol. 4) as tools of the Omegas/Presters, starting in Defenders (Vol. 4) #2. Their history is explained in Defenders (Vol. 4) #11–12, although a lot of it has been retconned.
- America Chavez mentions her diminishing powers, as per America Chavez: Made in the USA.
- The Eternity Mask is explored in Defenders (Vol. 6).
- Taaia mentions the "Black Winter" from Thor (Vol. 6) #1–6, an entity that destroys her universe later (her perspective)/in the past (everyone else's perspective).
- Taaia's son is a baby Galan of Taa, as seen in Defenders (Vol. 6) #2. She does not know he will become Galactus.
- The White Hot Room is explicitly confirmed to be outside the Multiverse in S.W.O.R.D. (Vol. 2) #1.
- The Phoenix Force appears to Taaia in a similar manner to how it appears to Jean Grey in Classic X-Men #8.
- The Phoenix's words to Taaia are a modified version of what it says to Jean in Classic X-Men #8: "You cried out for aid. I heard. I came."
- Phoenix's words to the Defenders are a modified version of what Phoenix says in X-Men #101 and X-Men #134: "Hear me, X-Men! No longer am I the woman you knew! I am fire! And life incarnate! Now and forever--I am Phoenix!"
- Phoenix's outfit is notably white, which may suggest Taaia is a White Phoenix like Jean Grey in New X-Men #154 or Hope Summers in Avengers vs. X-Men #12.