who is beta ray bill? what is his story, where did he come from, and where is he now? help will be appreciated.

Beta Ray Bill is a 'super weapon' of an alien race. His people were attacked by 'demons', and one of their number volunteered to undergo extensive modification to become his race's 'super hero'.

His ship lands on Earth, and he steals Mjolnir from Thor, who turns into Donald Blake. Odin summons Thor to Asgard, and is 'surprised' when Bill shows up (as he now possess Thor's power). Bill claims Mjolnir for himself, and won't give it up without a fight. Odin sends both Thor and Bill to Niflheim to fight it out. After destroying much of the landscape the two double ko each other, only Bill wakes up first as Niflheim was very similar to his home planet.

Bill is declared the victor, but is leary of taking Mjolnir. He himself says had they fought somewhere else, Thor might have won (he considers Thor his equal, and that he has never fought anyone as tough or powerful before).

Odin comes up with a unique solution, and creates a new hammer, called Stormbreaker for Bill. The new hammer has all the powers of Mjolnir and turns Bill into a virtual copy of Thor. Thor, Sif (who is smitten with Bill), and Bill head off into space to save Bill's people.

Afterwards he has various adventures with Thor and the Asgardians (who accept him as he is, where he's a semi outcast amongst his own people).

Most recently, he showed up to help Asgard during Ragnarok, before being sent away by Thor. He then has to go save his people from Galactus (and he actually succeeds in damaging Galactus) and fights G's herald Stardust. They have an epic battle which lays waste to a large part of an uninhabited star system, and Stardust opens a black hole which releases a massively powerful cosmic entity. Thor intervenes, and strips the creature of much of it's power when Bill and Stardust can't stop it. It absorbs the life essance of Bill's people and becomes just as mighty as he. Bill summons the full power of Stormbreaker, and vaporizes said entity and much of himself in the process (I mean it, he literaly reduces the creature to nothingness). Thor resurects him, sends him to Earth, and binds him to a human host (like Odin had done to Thor in days gone by).

Bill will be appearing over in the pages of Omega Flight.

I need to re-obtain a Beta Ray Bill to make my Omega Flight team. I have everyone else, just no Bill . . . .