A new Marvel comic might have revealed that a hidden villain will be in Avengers: Secret Wars.
Ever since Loki, and technically sometime before, fans have been aflutter talking about Jonathan Majors’ Kang the Conqueror. The big bad, who was introduced in Tom Hiddleston’s recent outing, is set to fill the hole left by Josh Brolin’s Thanos as the next major threat to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Majors knows fans’ expectations and has spoken on how his “assignment is different” than Brolin’s villain—needless to say, the actor is confident about making a mark on the MCU alongside the now iconic Mad Titan.
Next, the villain will be showing up in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania on February 17, 2023. Then, at the very least, he’ll go on to be the antagonist in Avengers: The Kang Dynasty and seemingly Secret Wars.
But now, thanks to a recently unveiled comic event, Marvel may have teased the inclusion of a hidden villain in the MCU’s future.
Marvel‘s New Event Focuses on a Key Villain
Marvel officially announced a new comic event called Avengers Beyond that could tease a potential secret villain in Avengers 6.
The story will see “the Avengers… finally realizing the shocking truth behind their latest, action-packed adventures when they confront the one and only Beyonder.”
Yes, the very same Beyonder that was responsible for the original Secret Wars events.
Marvel teased that the villain will “[return] with a vengeance” and will be “[hatching] his latest twisted scheme for the Marvel Universe.”
It was also revealed that Earth’s Mightiest Heroes “have realized something or someone has been influencing them for the past several months:”
“… Earth’s Mightiest Heroes have realized something, or someone has been influencing them for the past several months, altering the very fabric of reality in an attempt to prepare the planet for a threat that could destroy everything. Here, now, this unseen individual is to be dragged, kicking and screaming, from the shadows and into the light—and is revealed as the Beyonder! Something big is coming to the Marvel Universe.”
The series will see writers Derek Landy and Greg Land take on the story and help tell the next big Avengers epic.
Landy gave a statement teasing how fans will experience a “story of gods,” and that he is “beyond excited” to be behind this project:
“I am beyond excited to take everything we've done in ALL-OUT AVENGERS and continue it into its next incarnation,” Landy said. “We're just beginning to brush up against the wider implications of the Beyonder's agenda, and the chance to tell this kind of story—the story of gods, the one thing that scares them, and the Avengers caught in the middle—is an impossible dream come true for a kid who grew up with SECRET WARS.”
Who Is the Beyonder?
The Beyonder is a member of the Beyonders, who is a nigh-omnipotent race that dwells outside of the Multiverse. This particular member of the species started out on his own, unaware of everyone else in his race.
After some complicated comic events with Owen Reece, also known as Molecule Man, a hole was poked through Beyonder’s reality, causing him to become aware of the Marvel Universe. One thing led to another, and the character started to observe Earth.
Naturally, his next step was to create a reality where he’d trick the mighty heroes of Earth-616 into a place called Battleworld, where he would pit heroes and villains against each other—this is most of the concept for the original Secret Wars event nearly four decades ago.
For Secret Wars II, The Beyonder gets a physical body to use while observing Earth. Oddly enough, he happened to originally choose to copy Steve Rogers’ appearance. The sequel puts a lot of focus on the chaotic character trying to fit in on Earth.
For the 2015 version of the event, that same exact Beyonder wasn’t the focus—his entire race was. Additionally, their part to play was more in laying the foundation for what was to come in the core event.
Eventually, it’s Doctor Doom who steals all of the race's power to use in an attempt to save all of existence from being wiped out. Funnily enough, that also wasn’t the first time Doom stole power from their kind—he briefly stole them from The Beyonder in the first Secret Wars in 1984.
Is Beyonder on His Way to the MCU?
Given the recent Avengers: Secret Wars movie announcement, it’s certainly suspect that Marvel is deciding to bring The Beyonder back into the spotlight. Is his MCU debut imminent?
The Beyonder is such a massive character, so bringing him on board for the big screen would be a big deal. There’s also the question of: would it happen before or during Secret Wars?
Currently, the assumption is that Kang the Conqueror will be the main villain for both the fifth and sixth Avengers films—like Thanos was for Infinity War and Endgame. But could movie number six introduce someone like The Beyonder?
Many have been hoping for Doctor Doom to enter the picture, but what if The Beyonder gets that privilege instead? Possibly even setting the stage for larger and more zany cosmic concepts, events, and characters after the Multiverse Saga.
Avengers: Secret Wars hits theaters on May 1, 2026.
