Beta Ray Bill
| Beta Ray Bill | |
|---|---|
Beta Ray Bill on the cover of Thor #337 (Nov. 1983).
Art by Walt Simonson. |
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| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Thor #337 (November 1983) |
| Created by | Walt Simonson |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Korbinite |
| Team affiliations |
Omega Flight Star Masters Asgard Thor Corps Annihilators |
| Notable aliases | Simon Walters, Beta Ray Thor |
| Abilities |
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Beta Ray Bill is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character first appears in Thor #337 (November 1983) and was created by writer-artist Walt Simonson. Debuting in the Bronze Age of Comic Books, the character was initially intended to be a surprise as an apparent monster who unexpectedly proves to be a great hero. As such, Bill becomes the first being outside of the Marvel Universe's Norse pantheon to be deemed worthy to wield Thor's hammer, Mjolnir. After an initial rivalry for possession of the weapon, the alien warrior was granted a war hammer of his own, called Stormbreaker, and the two reconciled as staunch allies.
Beta Ray Bill has been featured in other Marvel-endorsed products such as animated television series, video games, and merchandise such as action figures and trading cards.
Beta Ray Bill debuted in Thor #337 (November 1983), being established as an alien of the Korbinite race. Bill was created by Walt Simonson as a new concept for the title Thor. Simonson said,
I wanted to start fresh, and I thought a new character would be the way to go on that. My thinking was that comics are a short form, and one of the things that's mostly true about comics characters are what they look like ... I designed Bill deliberately as a monster, because I knew that people would look at it and go, "Oh my God, it's this evil guy." I deliberately wrote them so you weren't sure in the beginning if he was a good guy or a bad guy ... I chose the name for its alliterative qualities. Originally I was going to call him 'Beta Ray Jones' because I really wanted a common name. My feeling was Bill was Everyman for this alien race ... I deleted 'Jones' because ... there were too many Joneses floating around the Marvel Universe.
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