End Of A Hero

 

During the Secret Wars II limited series from 1985-86, the struggle of the Beyonder to understand humanity and achieve it in himself was full of pitfalls that complicated his goal and brought him into conflict with Earth's super-beings, many of whom had unpleasant memories of being abducted to the Beyonder's makeshift world and pitted against a sizable group of Earth's super-villains while being studied from afar by their captor. Coming to Earth as a virtual "newborn" while assuming an adult human form, the Beyonder's naiveté, combined with his ability to wield ultimate power, made him unpredictable and potentially dangerous to those he came into contact with--while his tendency toward wanting to explore the concept of desire and enjoy only feel-good experiences, while rejecting the consequences of his actions, ultimately made him a menace. In the end, his failure to find happiness for himself led to near-disaster for the Earth, and his own presumed end. And so, despite well-intentioned guidance from others, it's not surprising that the tally of stories in this crossover event which paints the Beyonder in a sympathetic light is a small one.

One of those stories, however, stands out in not only offering a more dignified portrait of the Beyonder, but bringing a lot to the table for Fantastic Four readers with a plot which is more introspective rather than action-based. Written and pencilled by John Byrne, "Hero" brings focus to a single FF member: Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, who has become the fixation of an introverted young boy who idolizes him. What grabs our attention initially, of course, is the issue's cover, where we see that Johnny has made a momentous decision--one that will affect the entire team, but which was brought about by devastating news that would have an impact on his own life.

For some of us, the introduction to 13-year-old Tommy Hanson may be difficult to read, since he led an existence at that age that more than one of us could relate to; yet it fits like a glove into Marvel's efforts since the '60s to make its titles relatable to its readership. For instance, as we'll see, school kids who took advantage of the vulnerabilities and perceived weakness of others in their school were hardly unheard of--and whether in 1985 when this story was originally published, or thirty-five years later, spite is spite.

To her credit, Tommy's teacher is sympathetic to him and attempts to reach him regarding his preoccupation with the Torch. Normally her next step would be to discuss her concerns with Tommy's parents; but we also learn that Tommy's home life is a lonely one, with both his parents having busy occupations as well as an equally busy social calendar to the extent that they're practically uninvolved in their son's upbringing.

Whether parental supervision or guidance would have made a difference as far as what happens next is unfortunately a question that no one can answer. But it seems that irresponsibility isn't in short supply where Tommy is concerned, as we turn to the sound of a toy engine which has him climbing the stairs to the roof where a fellow tenant is tinkering with an ongoing project. Regrettably, a comment meant to be humorous will strike a chord within this young man which will see this day end in tragedy.

A month passes, as the story turns its attention to The Torch as he joins Reed Richards at the construction site of the new FF headquarters. In the course of their conversation, the subject of the Beyonder's current activities on Earth is broached; but then, they receive an unexpected visitor from a children's hospital in Queens (whom Reed retrieves from a near-accident), who has come to make a request to the Torch to pay a visit to one of her patients. From that point, Johnny's status as a hero will fall under harsh scrutiny, no less so by his own judgment.

Dr. Darling's colleague makes a curious statement in light of Tommy's injuries. From what I understand of third-degree burns, both the outer layer of a person's skin as well as the entire layer underneath are destroyed--but since the degree of injury also damages or destroys the nerve endings, the injured party would feel no pain while receiving hospital care. Tommy's condition appears to indicate the opposite, even to the point of being administered pain medication.

Later, the shattered Torch returns to his loft, where his sister and Jennifer Walters are visiting his girlfriend, Alicia Masters*. There isn't much anyone can say to comfort him, under the circumstances; but while they'd doubtless have an opinion regarding his decision to cease being the Human Torch, they never have the opportunity, thanks to what must be this day's most unexpected visitor of all.

*Given the PPC's post on the subject last month, the eagle-eyed among you must be wondering how the Skrull posing as Alicia could possibly have sculpted work comparable to what the real Alicia would have produced for Jennifer.

As for Johnny's turmoil, Byrne's take on the Beyonder features a much more mature man than the one we've seen throughout his frustrated search for fulfillment while undertaking his often frivolous activities on Earth--even when taking into consideration his intention during this point in his series to assume a more heroic posture.

The Beyonder's surprisingly well-said words, combined with the comforting visuals of Tommy, come at the right time and strike exactly the right note for the Torch in his current state, enough to ease his conscience and inspire him to continue his life with the FF. Not everyone in this story will fare as well--our friend with the miniature jet, for instance, ends up in jail for mixing fuel that violated any number of fire regulations, while we can only speculate on how Tommy's parents are privately dealing with their loss. All in all, Byrne has covered all the bases in this exceptional story, and I found it to be compelling reading throughout.

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On an unrelated note, in the mid-80s FF readers began seeing Fantastic Four stories inked by someone other than Byrne, who had ceased inking his own pencils nearly a year prior to this story. In "Hero," we're seeing Al Gordon's work, who had taken over from Byrne when the brush(es) changed hands. Gordon, who contributes a lighter but thorough touch to Byrne's pencils, would continue on inks for the most part (trading off with others such as Jerry Ordway and Joe Sinnott), staying to ink new penciller Ordway in the fall of 1986 just after Byrne's departure and before the book prepared to shift creative hands entirely. What did you think of his work here?