Secret Wars II #3 (1985)

Secret Wars II continue from Fantastic Four Vol 1 282... With no place to go, the Beyonder has been reduced to sleep on the streets. When a beat cop wakes him up and tells him that he can't sleep on a street corner, the Beyonder doesn't understand. When the cop asks him if he has a home, the Beyonder uses his powers to show the cop where he came from. Bewildered by seeing another dimension comprised of nothingness the cop wanders off in a stupor. They Beyonder then decides to continue his exploration of New York City. Along the way he is propositioned by a prostitute named Toots. When he asks her why she is leaning against the side of the building she sarcastically tells him that she is holding it up. When he yawns in her face, she tells him that she can bring him some place to "tuck him in" for the night at the Columbus Hotel if he has money. Remembering his "education" about money, the Beyonder makes a bar of gold materialize out of thin air, shocking the girl. As she backs away from the side of the building the Beyonder notes that she is not "holding up" the building anymore and when she defensively tells him to do it he uses his powers to create a support system on the building. The Beyonder then teleports away before the startled street walker, and materializes in the middle of the lobby of the Columbus Hotel. A complete dive, the Beyonder asks for a room for the night, and the shady owner decides to give him one believing that the Beyonder might be wealthy enough to rob in the middle of the night. The Beyonder goes up to his room, understand at least that much and goes to sleep on the floor. When he wakes up later he is in the presence of Toots who is there with her pimp Chulo, his employer Vinnie, his enforcer Laverne Lacy and his book keeper Millie. Vinnie has become interested in meeting the Beyonder as Toots brought him the gold bar that he made appear out of nowhere. When Vinnie asks the Beyonder if he really did make the gold appear from nowhere, the Beyonder confirms this. Surprised, Vinnie asks the Beyonder where he came from. The Beyonder then explains his origins, how he came from a universe where he was all and that some event caused a rift to open between his universe and this one allowing him to see it. Curious about this world he gathered an assemblage of heroes and villains to battle it out, offering them their hearts desires. He explains how one of their number, Dr. Doom managed to usurp his power and used that power to seemingly slay all the heroes. However, the heroes would revive themselves and mount a counter attack, and during the final battle the Beyonder would regain his power and banish Doom and his minion Klaw far away and return the heroes home. Interested in learning more, he had come to Earth where he was instructed by the Molecule Man that experience was the best teacher, however he found that watching others was not enough. He explains how he took on human form and wandered New York to learn what it was to desire, and learned that money was what drove people to want, but ultimately there was much he did not understand. Impressed by the story, Vinnie asks the Beyonder what his name is. When the Beyonder tells him that he is "One from Beyond", Vinnie decides to call him Frank. Vinnie decides that he can use "Frank" and tells Toots to keep him company for the night while he makes sure his guest gets an undisturbed evening. So, Vinnie takes "Frank" under his wing and begins teaching him how to eat, and about sex, his idea of desire while at the same time having the Beyonder use his powers to help his criminal enterprises. Such as bringing him gold, and using his powers to make his prostitutes immune to illness and reducing his wife's weight and age. The Beyonder himself begins living a life of excesses and becomes obsessed with gadgets, using his newly acquired wealth to purchase everything he could possible want. Soon Vinnie teaches "Frank" about gambling, and sometimes taking a risk to get what your want is better than using his powers to obtain it instantly. Frank over-goes a complete make-over, taking on a new wardrobe and dying his hair black. He soon begins running errands for Vinnie and aiding with the shipment of drugs, as well as collecting money for Vinnie's protection racket. Sometime later, he happens across Toots and Chulio on the street and sees that despite the fact that she is still a prostitute and he still a pimp they are living reasonably well. Toots is very happy to see Frank, and as he leaves she admits to herself that she loves him. Soon, at Vinnie's new mansion, Vinnie tells Frank that there comes a time when you have to make your own name for yourself and tells the Beyonder that it is time for him to go out and make a name for himself, and thanks him for all his help. For a time the Beyonder lives out a rich life style, indulging in his gadgets, beautiful women and eating. When he puts on an excessive amount of weight, to the disgust of the women who hang off him, he uses his powers to burn off the weight instantly. Realizing that he needs more, the Beyonder rushes back to the city where he has a meeting with the Kingpin. He tells the crime lord that he is taking over, and much to the surprise of Wilson Fisk, the Beyonder does just that -- using his powers to make them loyal to him. Soon the Beyonder decides to use his powers to take over the entire world, not only making every human being loyal to him, but animals, nature, and even the very building blocks of life acknowledge him as absolute master of the Earth. Everyone seems to be effected by this except for the Molecule Man who detects the Beyonders work. Wondering what his friend is up to, Owen uses his powers to insure that he and his girlfriend Marsha are free from his tampering so that they can continue to enjoy their normal life of television reruns. The Beyonder at first revels over the fact that every living thing is now loyal to him, until he meets a woman named Circuit Breaker. Interested in learning about what extraordinarily desires drive her, he learns that she had been crippled by robots and that she hates all machines, especially those that believe that they are alive, that drives her. Soon the appeal of having everyone loyal to him begins to fade as the Beyonder realizes that everyone just wishes to bend over backwards to please him. When he visits from Toots for advice he finds that she too is the same way. Freeing her from his control she thanks him for changing her life, explaining that she finally gave up hooking and got a legitimate job. She thanks him with a kiss and goes off to her job. The Beyonder realizes that people drive contentment from earning what they desire most, finally realizing that fulfillment comes from earning, not taking. He then releases his hold on the Earth and decides that if he is to rule over the human race, he must earn that rule instead of just taking it. The Beyonder then decides to pay a visit to the Avengers. Teleporting to Avengers Mansion he is invited in by Jarvis who regrets to tell him that the Avengers are on a mission in deep space. Deciding to go and see them, the Beyonder teleports away. He returns to Earth a while later depressed at the outcome of that encounter. He remembers what Vinnie told him about gambling and realizes that perhaps it's not just trying to do something that reaches fulfillment, but taking a gamble and the possibility of failure that makes it that much more satisfying. He decides that he needs to seek out the Avengers' lawyer Matt Murdock in order to accomplish this task. Secret Wars II continues in Daredevil Vol 1 223, Incredible Hulk Vol 1 312 and Avengers Vol 1 260...