By [ad_1]
The Beyond Corporation’s real reason for wanting a superhero on payroll was just revealed, and it’s a devilishly clever idea for the Marvel Universe.
WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man #88 by Zeb Wells, Michael Dowling, Bryan Valenza, and VC’s Joe Caramagna, now on sale from Marvel Comics
Living somewhere like the Marvel Universe offers a unique host of challenges, the least of which is the sheer chaos that happens in a world where Doctor Doom can sometimes just show up and blow up towns. As a result, there are plenty of opportunities for clever criminals to benefit from the inherent unrest of a setting like that, including the Beyond Corporation.
The Beyond Corporation has plans to become a crucial tool for villains in the Marvel Universe. In fact, Amazing Spider-Man #88 revealed that their method of hiding evidence of wrongdoing for the highest bidder could only work in a world like the Marvel Universe.
The Beyond Corporation has a dark history in the Marvel multiverse. But their incursion into Earth-616 has been seen largely as a positive one by Ben Reilly. The clone of Spider-Man has found a home with the company under the watchful eye of Maxine Danger, the head of Super Hero Development. She’s been keeping an eye on Ben’s actions (and memories), but she’s also secretly been at work developing villains like the newly born Goblin Queen. While speaking with her employe Marcus Momplaisir, Maxine also revealed a secret about Beyond, and one of their most potentially lucrative ventures: controlling news cycles and using superheroes as the cover.
Maxine explained how years earlier, a CEO of an oil company was under investigation. Bodies had been discovered at his mansion, and everything was about to fall apart for him and his company when the events of Siege happened nearby. The public was distracted by the battle between Norman Osborn and Asgard, while the mansion was destroyed in the chaos, leading to all evidence of the crime being swept under the rug. Seeing potential in this idea, Beyond plans to offer similar acts for payment, using superhero/supervillain battles that they control as cover to wipe out evidence of wrongdoing. This control over the news cycle could allow them to remove people, buildings, and eventually even entire countries, all under the smokescreen of collateral damage caused by merely existing in the Marvel Universe.
It’s quietly a brilliant (and terrifying) idea. The Marvel Universe is partly defined by the sheer variety of fates that can befall anyone. Aliens, magic, alternate dimensions, countless threats exist in the world. And yet, the old standards of justice apply to this reality, meaning only hard evidence can truly prove someone’s innocence or guilt. If Beyond is capable of unleashing chaos that can end up destroying that evidence, they could easily cover up massive crimes (both super and mundane).
Considering the level of control they already have over Ben and the newly introduced Goblin Queen, it’s not an impossible plan either. A Beyond branded “clean-up” could have been a terrifying tool in the wrong hands. Kingpin could destroy evidence of his actions in Devil’s Reign, Orchis could hide their attacks on the mutant population, even someone like Doctor Doom could commit international incidents and with a little help make it appear as if it had never happened.
The only positive out of this discovery is that the program is still in its infancy. Beyond hasn’t yet perfected the method and is using the Goblin Queen to test their plans. Ben’s unstable behavior might also play a role in preventing Beyond from fully committing to this idea, as he’s proven to be a dangerous wildcard to their plans already. But it’s only a matter of time before Beyond moves forward with this plan or some other company like Roxxon realizes how effective it could be as a strategy.
About The Author
[ad_2]
