The original Secret Wars storyline for Marvel was big news primarily because of the many characters it drew together into one giant brouhaha. Ultimately, the story itself wasn't all that interesting and -- beyond Spider-Man's new black costume, which would later become the living symbiote Venom -- it had little in the way of lasting impact on the Marvel Universe.

So I'm not sure what Marvel creators were hoping to accomplish with Beyond, which is a stripped-down version of Secret Wars, but with lightweight characters replacing the top-shelf characters of the original.

OK, you've got Spider-Man, but he's there primarily for the alleged shock value of his violent death early in the story. I don't think I'll be spoiling any surprises if I tell you now that he isn't really dead. Otherwise, you've got Hank Pym and the Wasp from the Avengers, who provide the emotional depth because, well, they're divorced and Hank wants her back. Then you've got Venom, but not the original -- this one is Spidey-villain Scorpion wearing Venom's black suit, and he's also the only bad guy in the bunch. There's the Hood, an uninteresting C-list hero; Gravity, whom I never even heard of before; Medusa, queen of the Inhumans; Firebird, who at best has been a tiny blip at the edge of my radar; and Kraven, but again, not the original -- this is Kraven's publicity-hungry son who is best just ignored and forgotten. Oh, Deathlok appears along the way, as well as a few other guest stars, but no one that made me sit up and take notice.

A worthy plot might have made the characters more interesting, but it never comes together.

The "battle" is more like a superhero reality show, where everyone bickers and squabbles and occasionally punches someone as they try to figure out the game. I just wish the game was worth the energy they spent on it.