WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Annihilation: Scourge - Beta Ray Bill #1, by Michael Moreci, Alberto Alburquerque, Jay David Ramos and VC's Joe Sabino, on sale now.

Ever since his debut in Walter Simonson's run on The Mighty Thor in 1983, Beta Ray Bill has been a fan favorite and an enduring staple of Marvel's cosmic universe. Although his monstrous appearance may seem frightening and intimidating to newcomers, Bill's personality is anything but malignant. His intense devotion to protecting the innocent makes him a deeply honorable hero whose nobility rivals that of Thor. It's why Beta Ray Bill's desperate, last-minute decision to sacrifice his enchanted hammer Stormbreaker in order to keep the Scourge from spreading makes complete sense in the context of his character.

Stormbreaker first appeared in The Mighty Thor #339 as a part of Beta Ray Bill's introduction arc. The weapon, forged with the same Uru metal as Thor's hammer Mjolnir, was given to Bill for beating Thor in battle and thus grants him power on par with his Asgardian foe-turned-ally. Originally, Bill was supposed to have received Mjolnir, but after witnessing Thor's valiance and realizing that their rivalry was due to a misunderstanding, he refuses the prize. In this way, Stormbreaker is a symbol of Beta Ray Bill's honor as well as am immensely powerful weapon.

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Perhaps it is fitting, then, that Bill uses the hammer as a sacrifice to ward off the equally powerful Sentry from destroying the universe in the events of Annihilation: Scourge - Beta Ray Bill #1. He first harnesses Stormbreaker's full might by blasting a corrupted Cancerverse Doctor Strange to smithereens. It's a triumphant moment, especially considering Bill is warding off the Scourge from engulfing the planet he had just sworn to defend. The teleporting Inhuman canine Lockjaw, unfortunately, suffers severe wounds trying to protect his master, igniting the ire of Bill.

However, even Stormbreaker isn't enough to kill The Sentry, who Beta Ray Bill points out is "perhaps the strongest of all of Earth's heroes." So strong, in fact, that he tore open a rift in reality to travel between the Negative Zone and the positive matter universe. The Sentry's staggering force can be attributed to the fact that he is presently the complete incarnation of The Void, the dark side of the entity that gave the now-absent Robert Rodgers his powers. Uninhibited by a moral counterbalance, he mercilessly beats Beta Ray Bill almost to the point of defeat.

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Bill, realizing that his chances of victory are slim to none, chooses instead to use Stormbreaker to send The Sentry back to the Negative Zone right before the rift closes. This effectively holds off the invading Scourge army and saves the planet that Bill vowed to preserve. However, Bill loses his weapon in the Negative Zone and reverts back to his original alien Korbinite form, devoid of his power. He seems reluctantly ready to accept his end but is elated to discover a living Lockjaw.

In a final moment of heroism, Beta Ray Bill travels with Lockjaw to retrieve Stormbreaker and finally defeat The Sentry once and for all. How a depowered Bill is going to traverse a Scourge-ridden Negative Zone remains to be seen, but perhaps readers can rest slightly easier knowing that his sacrifice makes him still worthy to possess the power of Thor.

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