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    Secret Wars II #5

    Secret Wars II » Secret Wars II #5 - Despair! released by Marvel on November 1, 1985.

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    Beyonder develops the kind of depression only man can feel, and Earth's heroes must decide whether to strike. At his most vulnerable, will the nigh-omnipotent One succumb to Earth's mightiest? The Beyonder stares into the cosmic void, and the void stares back.

    When depression threatens to overtake him, the Beyonder finds himself at his most vulnerable. While walking along a set of train tracks, a train comes bearing down on him. Making a child's "gun" gesture with his fingers, he says "bang" and knocks the train into all of its component parts, which fly harmlessly past him. Most of the passengers are stunned by what happened, but one runs towards him. Incorrectly believing he is a mutant, she thinks they should stick together and go to Westchester, where she heard there is a school for mutants. She is Tabitha Smith, also known as Boom Boom, and she is running away from home because her dad beat her because she is a mutant. She has the power to make mini energy time bombs. Beyonder tells her his story and explains how Dazzler broke his heart, leading to his current depression. Boom Boom empathizes with his situation, and describes a game she plays when she's depressed: you get ten points for each rejection, and whoever has the most points wins. The Beyonder talks about his frustration with desire, and says that he should just go back to the Beyond-realm. Boom Boom, however, says you can't just give up. She had friends who committed suicide or wasted their lives on drugs, but she feels you can't "take a raincheck on life."

    The Beyonder leaves, however, after she gives him a hug for good luck, and she gives herself 10 points for another rejection. The Beyonder appears in the Beyond-realm, but isn't sure what to do. Soon he starts creating all sorts of things to keep himself distracted, including pictures of Dazzler. But he is conflicted--why make all this stuff again if the point was to ignore the universe? Suddenly his thoughts are interrupted by the explosion of one of Boom Boom's time bombs, which she left in his pants when she hugged him.

    Boom Boom is next seen trying to hitchhike, but the Beyonder picks her up in his car. He's not mad, and fixes the bruises on her face (left by her father) to prove it. He drives her to the school she has heard about in Westchester, which turns out to be the home of the X-Men. She knocks on the door, and tries to explain who she is, but when the X-Men and the New Mutants see Beyonder, they attack without questioning, under Rachel's lead. The Beyonder drives away from them, leaving Tabitha alone. Feeling that she has finally hit rock bottom, she tries to kill herself with one of her time bombs, but then he comes back and saves her.

    Trying to cheer her up, now that she fels rejected by the X-Men, upon whom she had placed so much hope, the Beyonder flies them (in his car) to the WorldComplex Headquarters of the Celestials. The Celestials are just standing around like giant statues, while an enormous boardwalk-like tourist culture has sprung up around them. They have a snack, and Boom Boom is surprised that the food vendor knows who the Beyonder is. He explains that all the sophisticated beings in the universe know about him and pay attention to his every move, but Boom Boom points out that the Celestials don't seem to care. His ego having been challenged, the Beyonder flies up in the air and provokes the Celestials until they attack him, at which point he defeats them handily. Tabitha start screaming at him, saying he's crazy. Once again the Beyonder tries to use his power to make up for his misdeeds, offering to make her older, or more beautiful, or a normal non-mutant human to make her happy. She rejects them all and asks him to send her home, which he does.

    Tabitha then calls the Avengers and explains everything to the Wasp. They make a plan to catch the Beyonder using Tabitha as bait. She goes back in the woods where they first met, and calls for him. When he arrives, he admits that he missed her, and says that she's all he has left. But she puts a time bomb in his jacket and runs away. The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange and the West Coast Avengers attack immediately after her bomb explodes, but to no effect.

    The Beyonder just stands up and walks away depressed, saying, "Ten points...I win" to himself as he leaves.

    This is the first appearance of Boom Boom. The story continues in The Thing 30, Dr. Strange 74, and Fantastic Four 285.

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