The Age of Doom

When read outside the Age of Ultron crossover event, the Fearless Defenders tie-in issue held up as a stand-alone story just the same—with the heroes in an alternate reality addressing the threat of Dr. Doom.

Even in the company of Hippolyta (a.k.a. Warrior Woman), the Defenders in this divergent timeline had little connection to the all-female team appearing regularly in the Fearless Defenders series. Instead, the Defenders featured in this issue were Hulk, Wolverine, and Colonel America (Captain America with an eyepatch).

Fearless Defenders. No. 4AU. July 2013. On the cover, Hippolyta held up a decapitated Doombot, not the head of the real Dr. Doom. The pages inside revealed that Dr. Doom was the father of criminal mastermind Carolyn Le Fay. Her mother was legendary sorceress Morgan Le Fay.

The Kissing Bandit

Feeling unlucky in love, Hawkeye set his eyes on Valkyrie during their short time working together as Defenders. Although he knew Valkyrie was emotionally volatile at the moment, the archer took a chance by initiating an impromptu kiss. When Valkyrie lashed out in return, Hawkeye chauvinistically reasoned that her lingering identity crisis was to blame (Defenders #9).

Later, working as a security guard at Cross Technological Enterprises, Hawkeye lost further credibility as a casanova by forcibly kissing the villain Deathbird after apprehending her. With her arms bound by a titanium-steel net, Deathbird could not avoid his unwelcome lips (Avengers #189).

A Woman Scorned

MODOK, the super-intelligent leader of A.I.M. (Advanced Idea Mechanics) was so convinced that an encounter with the Hulk was inevitable that he decided to create a monster strong enough to defeat the green goliath. The plan required a test subject who was easily susceptible to hypnosis and who had built up enough tolerance to gamma radiation to survive the experiment.

Betty Ross had carried a torch for Bruce Banner long after learning about his transformation into the Hulk. Only after the world thought Hulk was dead did she agree to marry Maj. Glenn Talbot. Soon after the world discovered that Hulk was still alive, Glenn went missing on a military operation. At this time, MODOK turned the emotionally conflicted Betty into the green and powerful Harpy (Incredible Hulk #168).

Firing self-described Hellbolts, Harpy all but killed the Hulk. As Bruce Banner, the hero successfully reversed MODOK's experiment and restored Betty to normal the next issue.

Venturing into Hulk's psyche, Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner, and Tunnelworld native Aeroika fought a facsimile of Harpie and other antagonists of the Hulk in Defenders #83.

Going Nova

Fearless Defenders #12 marked an abrupt end to the series as Frankie Raye, a former herald of Galactus, became the eighth (or ninth) member of the team. Along with Valkyrie (now physically and mentally linked to archaeologist Annabelle Riggs), the other Defenders in the series were Misty Knight, Dani Moonstar, Hippolyta, Clea, Elsa Bloodstone, and novice crimefighter Ren Kimura.

Introduced in the pages of the Fantastic Four, Frankie Raye initially had powers in keeping with the Human Torch.

As a herald of Galactus, she took the name Nova and gained cosmic powers on par with the Silver Surfer.

Frankie Raye should not be confused with Richard Rider (a.k.a. The Man Called Nova) from prior incarnations of the Defenders

The World of Mutant X

The Mutant X series found Havok trapped in a parallel world where many of Earth's heroes suffered a fate far more tragic than their counterparts experienced in the mainstream Marvel Universe.

The group of heroes who formed the Defenders on that alternate Earth consisted of a cybernetic Stingray, a female Yellowjacket, a version of Doc Samson with green skin/hair, and a cryptic Dr. Strange with an affinity for the Nexus of All Realities (Mutant X '99 Annual). After the other Defenders perished while battling the powerful entity known as the Beyonder, Dr. Strange orchestrated a plan to send Havok back to the reality he called home (Mutant X #32).

This panel from Mutant X '99 Annual shows Havok's decision not to join the newly formed Defenders.