HERO OF THE WEEK: BETA RAY BILL (Marvel)Real Name: Beta Ray Bill
First Appearance: Thor #337 (November, 1983)
Fight Club Ranking: #136
Featured Fights:
- vs THOR: Thor #337 (Nov 1983)
- vs SILVER SURFER: Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 (Sep 2009)
We may've put The Infinity Gauntlet behind us, but we're still feeling the fallout from this year's biggest theatrical superhero release: Avengers: Infinity War!
The movie is exciting record-breaking audiences with its epic ensemble against the designed entropy of Thanos, but for your seasoned comic book reader, some of the most exciting elements are nestled in detailed tangents with far reaching implications.
Last week we talked about the Red Skull's cameo appearance, and in today's Hero of the Week, we're projecting forward to explore the latest signs of Beta Ray Bill's existence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe! Thar be mild spoilers ahead, so proceed with caution!
Those who saw Thor: Ragnarok last year know the hammer Mjolnir was destroyed, necessitating the creation of a new hammer in Infinity War called Stormbreaker. Comics readers know that as the name of the gleaming hammer wielded by Beta Ray Bill!
There was much discussion about BRB around the time of Thor: Ragnarok. Some fans spotted his likeness on The Grandmaster's tower of former champions. Marvel overlord Kevin Feige let slip that there were intentions for a cameo, but as he told Crave Online, "There was a Beta Ray Bill, but it was so quick that you would have the same complaints that you have now. He was in it a little bit more and it just didn’t do justice. And the feeling is, if you can’t do it justice, do it later."
As much as it would've been nice to see more characters in The Grandmaster's combat arena, it's an encouraging sign that Marvel honchos are keeping the beloved B-hero in reserve! His origins are strong enough to power a fourth Thor film, even if it means sharing the screen with featured villains.
If you don't already know, the story is pretty simple: Beta Ray Bill is a genetically-enhanced warrior charged with protecting the people of the planet Korbin. The orange-toned aliens lived a relatively peaceful existence, building an empire of passive colonization. It all went sour when Surtur's fire demons began attacking, forcing them to flee their ruined galactic empire on a fleet of arc ships guarded by Beta Ray Bill! They were detected by SHIELD while fleeing fire demons, leading Nick Fury to recruit Thor to investigate. The result was the now famous battle of Thor #337!
Turns out Beta Ray Bill is a pretty good guy! At a time when such a feat was nigh unheard of; Bill was able to lift the hammer of Thor -- and use it to strike at its owner!
It was all a classic case of mistaken identity, but Bill wanted to keep his newfound godly powers to help defend his people. There was a contest, Bill once again showed himself to be worthy, so Odin decreed he deserved a hammer all his own! Thus, the mallet Stormbreaker was created, and one of the great supporting characters expanded upon the pantheon of brave Norse gods!
Replacement heroes have always been a bit of a drag, but as the first real Thor equivalent, "Beta Ray Thor" has always stood above the rest. Everything about him is just a little off-kilter, and his adventures in space with friends and foes like Silver Surfer, Ego The Living Planet, and Tyrant are a real hoot! He's a hero all his own, but he's got some real cool friends!
A movie-version will inevitably need some tweaking, but the basics are all set. Chris Hemsworth's Thor was cast into space after the fall of Asgard, and has every reason to bump into the space-faring Korbinite. They could flip the script entirely, so it's BRB who disturbs the sleeping Asgardians, or just send Thor on his merry inter-galactic way, with the basic premise of Thor #337 in tact. If the future for characters like Thor is appearances in other franchises, it always struck me that Bill was a natural for the Guardians of the Galaxy, too. Perhaps after Infinity War, Thor will continue to tagalong with them.
The trajectory of the Marvel movie universe seems to be thoroughly cosmic! Captain Marvel has the potential to be the next big hit ala; Black Panther, with the promise of Kree and Skrulls offering more thrills. Nova makes a lot of sense, and we talked a whole lot about the appeal of Firelord in recent feature fights, as well! Even the X-Men films are space-bound in the upcoming Dark Phoenix, with who knows what implications if Disney's acquisition of FOX properties goes ahead!
Marvel have made it known they have a big picture beyond Avengers. Who knows what that means! The Kree/Skrull War? Operation Galactic Storm? Secret Wars? Annihilation? Bring on the weird and wonderful universe of cosmic heroes! Let Thanos be but a beginning!
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