Editing Beta Ray Bill (section)

===1980s===
Spy organization [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]] detected an [[Extraterrestrial life|alien]] fleet passing through Earth's galaxy, with Director [[Nick Fury]] asking Thor to investigate. Thor encounters the advance ship, ''Skuttlebutt'', which perceives him to be a threat.  Unable to stop Thor, the sentient ship revives Beta Ray Bill, who is in [[suspended animation]]. Bill battles Thor to a standstill, until the ship reaches the [[Solar System]], where one of the mystical enchantments of Thor's hammer [[Mjolnir (comics)|Mjolnir]] comes into effect, which means that Thor will revert to his mortal persona of Donald Blake if separated from the hammer for more than 60 seconds; the hammer converts to a cane. Thor and Mjolnir become separated, causing the transformation. Blake is knocked unconscious by Bill, who examines Blake's cane and, upon striking it, transforms it to Mjolnir. Bill receives Thor's power and a variant of his costume.

Once ''Skuttlebutt'' arrives on Earth, Bill easily defeats an approaching S.H.I.E.L.D. team and is then transported to Asgard by the King of the Norse gods, [[Odin (comics)|Odin]], who mistakes Bill for Thor. After some initial confusion, Odin returns Thor to Asgard, and Bill's origin is revealed. Bill's race, the Korbinites, were almost rendered [[extinct]] when their galaxy exploded. The remnants of the Korbinite race fled in a fleet of warships, guarded by a [[Sentience|sentient]] ship called ''Skuttlebutt'' and a dedicated champion, Beta Ray Bill. Via Korbinite science, Bill was physically augmented and given the attributes of an [[indigenous (ecology)|indigenous]] wild beast (a process that killed all of Bill's predecessors). ''Skuttlebutt'' attacked Thor because the ship recognized the [[Asgard (comics)|Asgardian]] magic as similar to that of the previous global threat, and assumed the Korbinites were being threatened once again.

On discovering that Bill was worthy enough to lift Mjolnir, Odin proposes a battle to the death in the fiery Asgardian realm of Skartheim to decide who will wield the hammer. Bill and Thor render each other [[unconsciousness|unconscious]]. Bill's resistance to heat allows him to recover first, however, and he is deemed the winner—but he also saves Thor from falling into lava, believing he is too worthy an opponent to die, but he feels he needs the hammer to protect his people. After Bill reconsiders his claim to the hammer, Odin orders the making of a new hammer for Bill: Stormbreaker, equal in power to Mjolnir and created from the same metal and by the same dwarfs led by [[Eitri (comics)|Eitri]]. Odin also transfers an enchantment from Mjolnir to Stormbreaker, so that Bill can return to his original Korbinite form by striking Stormbreaker upon the ground—and Thor can no longer become Donald Blake. After learning that the mishap that killed most of Bill's people was caused by the fire demon [[Surtur (Marvel Comics)|Surtur]], one of Asgard's most powerful enemies, Bill agrees to join the Asgardians in a war to stop Surtur and his armies.<ref name="Thor337">''Thor'' #337–340 (November 1983 – February 1984)</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Brian |last=Cronin |url=http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/07/21/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-202/ |title=A Year of Cool Comics – Day 202 |publisher=[[Comic Book Resources]] CSBG Archive |date=July 21, 2010 |access-date=September 28, 2010 |archive-date=September 10, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910235720/http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2010/07/21/a-year-of-cool-comics-day-202/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Bill leads many of Earth's heroes against Surtur's forces on Earth while Thor, Odin, and Thor's adopted brother [[Loki (Marvel Comics)|Loki]] confront Surtur in Asgard. Surtur is eventually defeated, but apparently kills Odin when they both fall through a mystic portal.<ref>''Thor'' #341-353 (December 1983 – December 1984)</ref> Bill remains on Earth, aiding the [[Spaceknights|spaceknight]] [[Rom (comics)|Rom]] against the threat of the alien [[Dire Wraith]]s <ref>''Rom'' #65 (April 1985)</ref> and foes such as [[Iron Man]] opponent [[Titanium Man]].<ref>''Thor'' #354 (April 1985); #357–358 (July – August 1985)</ref>

Forming an attachment with the Asgardian goddess [[Sif (comics)|Sif]],<ref>''Thor'' #359 (Sep. 1985)</ref> Bill aids Thor against the Dark Elf [[Kurse]] in a two-part storyline<ref>''Thor'' #363 (Jan. 1986);''[[Power Pack]]'' #19 (Feb. 1986)</ref> before returning to his people.