This is the third time I've taken Beyond down. I've used any number of Spider-Men and Daughters of the Dragon to do it. But for this kind of work, the actual getting-your-hands-dirty-and-burning-down-a-multinational-conglomerate, I need someone truly, really truly... unlikeable. 
Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Daughters of the Dragon
- Morbius the Living Vampire (Michael Morbius)
- Machine Man ("Aaron Stack")
- Beyond Corporation
- Spider-Man (Ben Reilly) (Main story and recap)
Antagonists:
- ⏴ Creature Z (Death)
- Kohlaab the Pile (Death)
- Mister Frosty (Death)
- Beyond Corporation
Other Characters:
- Avengers (Referenced)
- Anthony Druid (Referenced)
- Jocasta (Mentioned)
- Machine Man (Aaron Stack) (Mentioned)
- God (Yahweh) (Invoked)
- Tabitha Smith (Mentioned)
- Elsa Bloodstone (Mentioned)
- The Captain (Mentioned)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Referenced)
- Nextwave (Mentioned)
- Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) (Only in recap)
- Kraven the Hunter (Only in recap)
- Mindy McPherson (Referenced)
- Queen Goblin (Ashley Kafka)
- Iron Patriot (Norman Osborn) (Photo)
- Lizard
- Dr. Curt Connors (Mentioned)
Races and Species:
Locations:
Items:
- Heartstar
- Kraven's Lion's Head Vest (Only in recap)
- Spider-Man's Suit and Web-Shooters (Main story and recap)
- Doctor Octopus' Tentacles (Only in recap)
- Hornet's Suit
- Ricochet's Suit
- Dusk's Suit
- Iron Patriot Armor Model 1 (Photo)
Synopsis for 1st story
As Colleen Wing feigns distress, she lures Creature Z into attacking, biting Morbius the Living Vampire and falling into their trap. Once Misty Knight asks if they're good, Colleen debates their situation as Morbius has his blood drunk. Noting the Connors and Morbius formulas are balanced within Creature Z, and that balance is ruined by drinking more of Morbius's blood. Overstimulating Creature Z's regeneration abilities until it explodes, the disgusted trio take their respective leaves. As Morbius wishes never to see either woman again, Colleen inquires if Monica got Misty's call, with Misty impatiently hoping she did. Outside the Staten Island facility, Spectrum (Monica Rambeau) arrives and hyper speed runs her way through every villain inside, reflecting on being "likeable" as a newcomer led to being Avengers Chairwoman, but how former teammate Doctor Druid undermined her, thus she had to stop being "likeable" and fight to win.
By doing so, she led some of the most unliked of superheroes and won big battles, leading to her first encounter with the Beyond Corporation, hiding behind a facade of respectability to ruin lives for profit. Whenever going against Beyond, they defame and discredit you for doing so, thus Monica decided to keep at it and treat herself foremost. Arriving at a door, Monica reflects how she had used the Daughters of the Dragon and the Spider-Men to take down Beyond again. But to effectively burn down Beyond's "reputation" from within, she needed someone truly unlikeable and thus recruited "Aaron Stack", the imposter Machine Man, slumped over in a drunken depression. Demanding to know why he's in such a state, he answers that his ex-girlfriend Jocasta dumped him,[1] so joined Beyond's Supervillain program to show her up but he was too depressed. Going on a tangent about not being the real Machine Man, Monica looses her patience, beats him awake, voicing her apathy to his status and that the supervillains outside are flesh.
Updating him on what the other members of their old team are doing, they systematically slay the products of the Beyond villains. While Monica internally wishes she could've joined in ending Creature Z, she wanted to ensure Beyond burned down herself. Needing his help, and him demanding she phrase it a certain way, she asks he plug in and set the facility to self-destruct. Monica is glad she has unlikeable teammates, making it easier to move on if they die or if she killed them. With bodies stacked up, Maxine Danger calls via hologram and Monica admits to taking Heartstar from the Daughters of the Dragon, undermining her the whole time. Enraged and monologuing about rebuilding, Monica notes that it won't be at the facility, which is exploding around them. After Aaron panics about not escaping in time, Monica reveals the Heartstar in her possession to portal them away, enjoying the damage done and inviting Aaron to do it again.
At Beyond HQ in the HR department, Doug Siravanta is receiving a termination interview but he tries to explain it that they should keep him aboard. Explaining that he gave the pills to Spider-Man which helped him stop Kraven the Hunter, he cannot recall exactly who in the department gave him the pills. Listing his multiple previous infractions: he still gave experimental pills to Spider-Man, helped Doc Ock at the Midtown branch to take the Data Drive, used Beyond A.I. to increase his chances of winning sneaker drops, using the Temporal-Forging department to increase how long he had he lunches, and repeatedly signed his replies with unprofessional naming signatures. While his termination is guaranteed, she spots the alert of Spider-Man's assault on the building and flees, leaving his termination unsigned. With nobody around, the tablet open, and a passing sense of guilt, Doug instead promotes himself in the company.
In the lower levels, Maxine talks to the Slingers about being heroes but also their fine print in protecting Beyond assets. However, Hornet states he read the fine print due to knowing a good lawyer, and requests she direct them toward the bad guy. Maxine is pleased by his contractually obligated enthusiasm, directing the trio through the halls passed numerous unconscious security units. As Ricochet notes the anger in the attack, Dusk's psychic abilities tell her that the perpetrator is hurting, but Maxine directs them to not think too hard about it. Contrarily, Hornet demands to know the situation, so Maxine sends them forward while teleporting away to safety. The Slingers are stunned to see Spider-Man having finished knocking out another security squad, asking if they're his next fight, as Hornet realizes they're in trouble.
Epilogue One: Somewhere undisclosed, Queen Goblin recalls her old life, but drowns in maniacal laughter when selecting a memory of who she used to be. With every echo of the mad laughter, the burning want to hurt people and Spider-Man especially, she knows the evil within her was never her's but Norman Osborn's which Beyond forced into her. But while Norman thinks he is free of the Goblin, Queen Goblin aims to show him he cannot escape his sins and show him that he can't walk away.
Epilogue Two: In the remnants of the Staten Island facility, Morbius returns having noted the "chimera" of Creature Z. With his interest piqued, thinking of how Beyond merged his and Connors's conditions into a single entity, he figured that if flawed copies of them could be merged well into something new, then he ponders what "miracles" could the originals accomplish. Morbius directs this inquiry to the Lizard restrained in a cell, asking if he would be interested in joining him to make miracles.
Solicit Synopsis
• As "Beyond" nears the end, all the chickens are coming home to roost…
• Wait, did someone just call Monica Rambeau a CHICKEN?! Don't let her hear you say that. But do pick up this book to see why!
• Don't miss this essential chapter with Monica and so much more!See Also
Links and References
References
- ↑ Iron Man 2020 (Event)