As the Avengers welcome a new founding member, the incredibly powerful hero goes from being one of Marvel’s greatest warriors to a literal god. It’s a surprising promotion, but one that makes sense in the context of a major lore change that’s rewriting 62 years of Marvel history.
Beta Ray Bill Is an Official God in Marvel Lore
The New Founding Avenger Is Rallying Against the First Storm God
In Storm #11 – from Murewa Ayodele, Carlos Fabian Villa, Mario Santoro, Alex Guimarães, Fernando Sifuentes and Travis Lanham – Marvel’s heroes prepare for the arrival of Hadad, the ultra-powerful first storm god, who is intent on destroying Earth-616. The issue includes a meeting of Earth’s storm gods, led by Zeus, as they vote whether to join the battle against Hadad. Surprisingly, there’s one former mortal in attendance – Beta Ray Bill.
A longtime ally of Thor, Beta Ray Bill has often been depicted with the strength and powers of an Asgardian god, but he’s actually an alien cyborg imbued with additional powers by Odin. Now, the scene makes it clear that the gods consider Beta Ray Bill one of their number, while Bill also refers to himself as a storm god. As the world faces one of its biggest threats of all time, Bill leads the charge as an official Marvel god.
Despite his promotion, Beta Ray Bill’s mortal side shines through as he’s the only one who votes to join Storm in battling against Hadad, first imploring and then threatening the other gods to protect their home. Ultimately, Hadad’s monstrous servants the Black Winters attack the gods, dragging them into the fight whether they want it or not.
As the Eternity-empowerd Storm, the Scarlet Witch and the Phoenix battle Hadad’s forces elsewhere in the universe, Beta Ray Bill takes his place on that beyond-A-list roster as an official god, and one of Marvel’s most powerful heroes. It’s a significant change, since it seems to be a result of his new status as a founding Avenger.
Beta Ray Bill Is Replacing Thor In More Ways Than One
The Avengers’ New Founder Benefits from Reality Being Rewritten
In the recent Immortal Thor #25 – from Al Ewing, Jan Bazaldua, Justin Greenwood, Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, Romulo Fajardo Jr and Joe Sabino – Loki stabbed Thor from behind, killing the God of Thunder. At the same time, Skurge shattered the Rainbow Bridge, cutting Asgard off from Earth. As a consequence of these explosive magical events, Earth is now cut off from Asgardian mythology, both in the past and present.
Thor’s death has changed Marvel lore, erasing all memory of the Asgardian gods as real people. Immortal Thor revealed that as history is rewritten, Beta Ray Bill has replaced Thor in Avengers lore, becoming both a founding member and a long-serving hero who has stood with them against iconic threats like Thanos, Kang and Ultron. Beta Ray Bill doesn’t realize his life has changed – from his perspective, he’s always been an Avenger.
As of Storm #11, it seems this lore rewrite has also transformed Beta Ray Bill into a full-fledged god. In Marvel’s prior lore, Beta Ray Bill was chosen as the protector of his home planet of Korbin, enhanced with cybernetics to fend off the demonic Surtur. After meeting Thor, Beta Ray Bill became his blood brother, earning his respect and even that of Odin, who gifted him the hammer Stormbreaker – a weapon that grants him the same storm-control powers as Thor himself.
With the Asgardians now removed from history, it seems that Beta Ray Bill took another path to his current powers – one that renders him an official storm god with the respect of mighty beings including Zeus. The fact that Beta Ray Bill would brandish his hammer at the assembled gods of countless religions shows that he’s not just technically a god – he’s owning that status.
Was Beta Ray Bill Always Considered a God?
He’s Long Had the Power Without the Title
While Beta Ray Bill’s rise to godhood is new, he’s long had the powers to justify it. Bill essentially has the same powers as Thor, with control over weather, teleportation and energy blasts. He also boasts incredible strength, invulnerability, and biological immortality, as well as a superhuman healing factor.
Bill has achieved some staggering feats throughout Marvel history. In Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter (Kieron Gillen and Kano), Bill defeated Galactus by destroying the planets in his path before he could feed, bringing the Devourer of Worlds to his knees. In Beta Ray Bill (by Daniel Warren Johnson) he fought Fin Fang Foom, Surtur and an eldritch squid-being even Odin couldn’t kill. He’s also a founding member of Marvel’s most powerful team, the Annihilators.
Beta Ray Bill Is the God the Marvel Universe Deserves
He May Be Replacing Thor, But He’s a Very Different Thunder God
Thor’s journey in Marvel Comics as been about learning humility. An immortal warrior, Thor was consumed with arrogance and carelessness, having to live as a human to learn how mortals see the world. Following his death at Loki’s hands, he’s now returned to life as a mortal, seemingly with no memory of his godlike adventures, finally completing his journey towards true humility.
However, Beta Ray Bill has had a completely different journey. Bill allowed his people to mutilate his body to have a chance of saving them, only to eventually lose his entire homeworld and everyone he ever knew. He’s been trapped in a form that feels alien to him, abandoned and betrayed by those closest to him, and found love with the goddess Sif only to lose it and be separated from her by reality itself.
Despite his horselike alien appearance and kitschy name, Beta Ray Bill is one of Marvel’s most human heroes, feeling his losses and failures incredibly deeply. As he shows in Storm‘s meeting of the gods, he’s someone who lives to protect others, taking on any fight that he believes will spare lives. While losing Thor is a huge blow to Marvel’s heroes and civilians, Beta Ray Bill achieving godhood – and having a voice among all-powerful beings who often ignore human suffering – is a major victory for humanity.
While it’s unlikely that Beta Ray Bill will permanently replace Thor in Avengers lore, this will likely be Marvel’s status quo for the next couple of years. As a powerful god and legendary founding Avenger, Beta Ray Bill has a unique chance to leave his mark on the Marvel Universe… if he and the other gods can survive the coming battle against Hadad and his Black Winters, that is.
Storm #11 is available now from Marvel Comics.