How To Repair Your Planet In 5 Easy Steps

 

To begin to understand the meaning and context of this post's title, we have to return to the year 1986, when the all-powerful being known as the Beyonder had come to the planet Earth and took human form in order to better understand us. Yet while the Beyonder was inundated by the sensations, distractions, and conflicts that we humans deal with on a daily basis, he had difficulty putting them into perspective and bringing either meaning or enlightenment to his existence as one of us. As a result, he reached a point where he began to lash out in one form or another, and often found himself at odds with our world's super-beings, some of whom he had earlier abducted and studied extensively on a world he'd created for that purpose--but eventually, things became so heated that a final confrontation between them was inevitable.

The struggle came to a head while the Beyonder was attempting to create a new form for himself, in a desperate effort to make himself truly human while still retaining his total might. It's at that crucial point that those who had now become his enemies located and confronted him; but the provocation forces the Beyonder to strike a fatal blow against all of them, and it's only the power of the Molecule Man which saves them from instant death.

(No, I don't know how having control over molecules allows Owen Reece to not only mentally chart the path of the Beyonder's death strike but also provides him with the knowledge and power to access sub-space. At any rate, we have to give him props for taking the initiative to safeguard the lives of innocents.)

But while the heroes have survived, the Earth has suffered a mortal wound from the discharge of the Beyonder's power--and when the Beyonder's experiment with his new form later ends in a second and tragic confrontation, the death knell of the planet's eventual doom from the destructive force unleashed by his hand becomes the focus and concern of everyone assembled in the aftermath. Soon, all eyes will turn to the one man whose power might yet save the world.

The question is: Will he?

 
"The end is nigh!" is a phrase often used by others to herald the biblical apocalypse, while in the same breath urging sinners to repent. And such histrionics would likely be the case during this disaster--that is, if the world's population were yet aware of the situation taking place in what used to be the span of the area encompassing the Rocky Mountains. But what is needed at the moment are the cooler heads of those at the site who yet strive to stave off the end--and so the time comes to flip open our virtual albeit unofficial repair guide and put together a step-by-step process that logs what took place that fateful day.

STEP ONE: Realistically assess the extent and seriousness of the damage, and if possible, come up with a plan of action to deal with it. Thanks to both the Silver Surfer and Reed Richards, the first part is doable. As to the second... well, as mentioned, everyone on the scene will need to be realistic about the Earth's chances for survival, no matter the grim outlook.

What Reed doesn't realize is that at a M.A.S.H. unit just beyond the ridge of the devastation, the seemingly comatose Molecule Man has been expending effort to hold the planet together--slowing down the Earth's destruction, but otherwise unable to halt or reverse it due to the injuries he suffered from the Beyonder's attack. But as we'll see, the Molecule Man may have a more crucial role to play in this crisis.

Meanwhile, STEP TWO: If a god offers a solution, keep in mind that it won't necessarily be the best course of action to save your planet.

Let's hope the Molecule Man wasn't jarred by that impact. The last thing anyone here needs is for the small window they have in which to save their world to become even smaller.

With the return of Captain Marvel, we come to STEP THREE: What other powerful figure do we know who can manipulate matter in any way he desires--in his case, through the use of cosmic energy?

With the Surfer striking out, our heroes now reach STEP FOUR: Turn to the critically-injured Molecule Man and prevail upon him as the Earth's last hope.

(No, I don't know why the Surfer is so astonished at hearing of the Molecule Man's power, having already met Owen Reece once before in addition to fighting alongside him against the Beyonder. Stop badgering me! Can't you see the clock is ticking here? :) )

The group discovers, however, that convincing the Molecule Man to help them is something of an uphill struggle, since he doesn't exactly have fond memories of his time on Earth and he realizes that he can still save himself and his girlfriend, Marsha Rosenberg (the super-powered Volcana) by escaping into space to a new world.

With the Molecule Man's acquiescence, we've come to STEP FIVE, which introduces a plot point out of left field: When Reece makes his attempt, it turns out the Surfer will be augmenting his power with his own, information which you would have thought would have been an important factor in the decision Reece had to make since it increases his chances of survival. Regardless, it makes sense for the Surfer to step in at this point--and so the time comes to make the attempt, despite the bitterness and mistrust which Reece still harbors.

It seems that Reece's fears and trepidation were unnecessary, given the overwhelming success of the "repair work" as well as seeing to the return of those living beings he'd sequestered in sub-space--in addition to the fact that he appears no worse off than he did before, health-wise. Reece has also taken the liberty of repairing other damage inflicted by the Beyonder, such as rebuilding the X-Men's mansion and fixing damage done by an earthquake in San Francisco.

The only casualty here appears to be the "Molecule Man" himself, with Reece's incredible power having been sacrificed as a result--or so everyone at the scene believed to be true.

Considering the many times the Surfer has been duped by those who professed to have good intentions, he may not be the best judge of character when it comes to Owen Reece. Let's all hope those F-Troop reruns placate this Denver couple for a long time to come, eh? (But don't count on it.)