beckley-ann-cm1-facebeckley-ann-cm1-full&ben ANN BECKLEY

Real Name: Ann Beckley

Identity/Class: Human

Occupation: Former astronaut

Group Membership: Edmund Project (a combined NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) effort), NASA

Affiliations: Bob (pet cat);
    formerly David Hilbert;

Enemies: Bridge (David Hilbert, John Gallagher/Superior, unidentified agents);
    while not a true enemy, Max's actions led to Stephen's seeming death, which led to Ann's imprisonment and death

Known Relatives: Stephen Beckley (Comet Man, widower), Ben Beckley (son), Jack Beckley (father-in-law, deceased), Linda Beckley (mother-in-law, deceased), John Gallagher (aka Superior, brother-in-law, deceased), Rosemary Beckley (sister-in-law), Lou Metzer (brother-in-law by marriage)

Aliases: None

Base of Operations: Unrevealed;
    formerly Mission Control, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida

First Appearance: Comet Man#1 (February, 1987)

beckley-ann-cm2-kickPowers/Abilities: Ann was a bold, adventurous spirit, an experienced astronaut and a loving wife and mother.

    Experienced with space flight and all of the skills and knowledge that came with being an astronaut, Ann was also an experienced fighter, able to deliver powerful kicks and punches able to drop adult men experienced with combat.

Height: Unrevealed (approximately 5'8-10")
Weight: Unrevealed (approximately 135 lbs.)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red

History:

(Comet Man#1 (fb) - BTS / Comet Man#2 (fb) - BTS) <Twelve years before the main story> - Ann dated David Hilbert. He at least believed they were lovers, but Ann eventually left him.

(Comet Man#1 (fb) - BTS) - Ann married fellow astronaut Stephen Beckley, who was also an astronomer and an astrophysicist, and they eventually had a son, Benny.

(Comet Man#2 (fb) - BTS) - They also had a pet cat named Bob Cat.

(Comet Man#1 (fb) - BTS) - Ann and Stephen were the architects and chief executives of the Edmund Project,  a joint effort of NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) / MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), with David Hilbert, now a member of the Bridge, acting as liaison between the two large organizations. The project's goal was to investigate Halley's comet and other related space phenomena. The culmination of the project was Stephen manning the spacebell Firewatch into close proximity to the approaching Halley's comet (see comments).

    When she agreed to work with David, Ann made sure that he understood that what they had together was over a long time ago. Neither Ann nor Stephen were aware that David was an agent of John Gallagher (aka the Superior, the older brother Stephen did not even know he had), who sought vengeance on the rest of the family for his father's exclusion of him.

(Comet Man#1 (fb) - BTS) - Working alongside Hilbert for years, Stephen trusted him as a partner and friend.

(Comet Man#1) - From Mission Control, Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, Florida, Ann communicated with Stephen aboard Firewatch. He told her that the view was unbelievable, but as he started to describe things, she reminded him that she knew it was great, as she had been there. She told Stephen to have his fun but reminded him that he had a lot of work to do. Benny, whom Ann had brought along, told his father that he better get on with the checklist.

    Patting Ann on her backside, David noted that the situation seemed to be nicely in hand. Telling Benny to run along so he could talk to her mother, David asked Ann if she would join him for a champagne celebration. Ann firmly reminded him that what they had had was long over, and that if he couldn't keep his hands to himself...

    They were interrupted by a communication from Stephen that the zero gravity was making him a little queasy, leading David to mock Stephen's manliness. Ann's annoyance with him was dispelled by Benny's calling her to watch a news report about the mission; she smiled as Benny proclaimed it to be "totally cool."

    However, soon after, Ann and Benny were devastated when the comet unexpected changed course, and Firewatch lost all directional control and was pulled into the comet's tail, destroying it and seeming killing Stephen.

    Putting his hands on Ann's shoulders, David offered his condolences and told her, "If there's anything I can do..." Walking away with Benny in her arms, Ann told him to please leave them alone now.beckley-ann-cm2-elec

(Comet Man#1 - BTS) - Unbeknownst to Ann or anyone else on Earth, seconds later, Stephen was re-created by Max, the alien piloting the ship that had been thought to be the comet. As the module that reformed Beckley was calibrated to Fortisquian (Max's race) standards, he was granted superhuman powers in the process. Max offered to train Beckley in his new powers, but he declined, preferring to return home and reveal he was still alive..

    Stephen revealed his existence to his old friend, David Hilbert, who was actually an agent of the Bridge and served the Superior. Under the Superior's direction, Hilbert convinced Beckley that his existence must remain a secret for reasons of national security until he had been thoroughly tested. After preliminary testing, however, Hilbert then drugged Stephen and brought him to the Bridge for advanced testing, as their prisoner.

(Comet Man#2 (fb) - BTS) - Back in their home, Ann and Benny cried over Stephen's apparent death.

(Comet Man#1) - Hilbert subsequently sent agents to Ann and Stephen's home, telling her that David Hilbert asked that they escort her and Benny to his office in regards to information about her husband.

(Comet Man#1 (fb) - BTS) - After Ann got her bag, she and Benny accompanied the men in their car.

(Comet Man#1) - Appreciating that the men were going the wrong way, Ann told the men this, and when they failed to acknowledge her, she reached forward and grabbed the steering wheel, insisting that they stop right now. One of the men punched Ann in the side of the head, after which another shot Ann and Benny with tranquilizer darts or something to knock them out.

(Comet Man#2 - BTS) - Ann and Benny were brought to a Bridge facility near Langley, Virginia.

(Comet Man#1 - BTS) - After the captive Stephen Beckley demanded to see his wife immediately, Hilbert told the captive Stephen Beckley that if he cooperated with them, he would see that Ann and Benny were taken care of and that that they would be together again after the research on him was completed. In the meantime, Hilbert assured Stephen that he would see to it that Ann had everything she needed.

(Comet Man#2 - BTS) - Hilbert told Stephen that Ann was much too upset about his "death" to have visitors yet but that he was looking forward to seeing if his and Ann's old spark could be brought to flame. This led Stephen to break out of containment, but Hilbert escaped in the ensuing conflict. beckley-ann-cm2-burial

(Comet Man#2) - Traveling to the Virginia facility in which Ann and Benny were held, Hilbert met with Ann. She was initially happy to see him, asking him about what was going on. He told her that he got there as soon as he had learned of what had happened and that he was going to get them released, but that he could not tell her the full situation. He further told her that they were going to run some tests on Benny but that he would not let harm come to either of them. As he departed, he said, "Please trust me, Ann darling."

    Absolutely not trusting Hilbert, Ann silently asked Stephen for forgiveness for what she was about to do, Ann feigned romantic interest in a guard and then punched him out. Taking Benny with her, Ann ran, assuring Benny that she was scared, too, but promising him that she would get them out of there.

    After the revived guard sounded an alarm, another guard grabbed Benny's arm, but Ann kicked and punched out that guard. When a helicopter warned them that they were surrounded, Ann urged Benny to keep running. As the helicopter pilot warned that they were approaching a high voltage fence, Ann tripped on a rock and crashed into the fence. Electrocuted before Benny's horrified eyes, Ann apparently died instantly and fell to the ground.

    As guards took Benny away, Hilbert approached, calling her love and telling her that it was good that she had fooled everyone into thinking she was dead. He would get his car and they could...Hugging her corpse, he begged her to talk to him, stating that he didn't blame her for being angry, but that things had just gotten out of control. He stated that he had done it all for her..for us...

(Comet Man#2 - BTS) - Seeking Ann, Stephen returned to their former home and found all evidence of their having lived there gone, with the exception of Bob Cat, their pet cat.

(Comet Man#2 - BTS) - Contained in a wooden box, Ann was buried in an unmarked grave as Hilbert lamented their lost love. beckley-ann-cm4-corpseface

(Comet Man#4) - With guidance and technological assistance from Reed Richards, Stephen focused on Ann's nature and teleported to her. He was horrified to find himself in a box with her rotting corpse (see comments), and he explosively burst out of the box and into the ground, flying into the air.

   

Comments: Created by Bill Mumy, Miguel Ferrer and Kelly Jones.

    Ann's sudden death in Comet Man#2 was an unexpected surprise. Stephen didn't know how to control his powers well enough to locate or communicate with her, and he unfortunately trusted Hilbert when he could have demanded to speak to her directly before allowing anything else.

    I am not an expert in forensic pathology, but Ann's state of decay when Stephen teleported into her coffin seemed really advanced for what seems like perhaps only a few days from the time of her death. It is certainly possible that the Bridge performed some treatment to enhance her rate of decay to cover up her identity.

While the involvement of Halley's comet is essential to the origin of the Comet Man, something has to be adjusted in order to squeeze the story into continuity. 1986, the year in which the initial story was told, is now decades before the modern/heroic age, well before the Fantastic Four (who appeared in this series after Ann's death) gained their power.
    So, either:
  1. Halley's comet's cycle is slightly different on Earth-616 than in the real world, such that its most recent pass by Earth occurred within the sliding timescale of the modern era, just a couple of years ago.
  2. It was another comet, with a similar schedule to above.
  3. Don't worry about such things and just enjoy the story.

    Some sources this Marvel Comics Presents#52/2: Comet Man as another appearance of Ann Beckley. I reviewed it, and it is the comatose/addled Ben Beckley's account of what happened to him and his mother when they were prisoners of the Bridge. He said that she smelled like his penny collection after she burned, which may have been accurate, and he also said that she was dead but wouldn't stop moving until a man broke her hand off. In the original story, she hit the fence and fell to the ground, unmoving, before anyone else arrived, so I doubt that is what occurred. Maybe that's how Benny's mind remembered it.

    Ann previously had a sub-profile under Comet Man, originally published back in 10/25/2003.

    This profile was completed 06/09/2026, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25th anniversary 's celebratory event to represent the Comet Man series and characters.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Ann Beckley should be distinguished from:


images: (without ads)
Comet Man#1;
    #2, pg. 14, panel 4 (kick)
        (electrocuted)
    #4, pg. 21, panel 4 (corpse face)
Appearances:
 Comet Man#1 (February, 1987) - Bill Mumy & Miguel Ferrer (writers), Kelly Jones (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Comet Man#2 (March, 1987) - Bill Mumy & Miguel Ferrer (writers), Kelly Jones (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)
Comet Man#4 (May, 1987) - Bill Mumy & Miguel Ferrer (writers), Kelly Jones (pencils), Gerry Talaoc (inks), Ann Nocenti (editor)

First posted: 09/03/2026
Last updated: 06/09/2026

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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