Fearless Defenders has taken me by complete surprise, it's one of my favorite Marvel comic books on the market at the moment. The series has started off strong, following a small core group consisting of Warrior Woman, Valkyrie, Misty Knight, Dani Moonstar and new character Dr. Annaabelle Riggs as they combat the machinations of Caroline LeFay (daughter of Morgan LeFay and Dr. Doom) and her Doom Maidens, whom were actually created by Odin, The All-father. The group of heroines is splintered at the moment but the team is looking to expand in a major way as evidenced by the last panel of issue 4. Here's what Bunn teased about future plans for the series.
On the resurrection of Warrior Woman by Hela, Asgardian goddess of death.
Bunn: To my way of thinking, the gods of Death wouldn't just help raise Hippolyta if they weren't going to get something out of it. While she doesn't really answer to any of them, there will be a price to pay for her resurrection. Somewhere down the line, there's a "Twelve Labors of Hippolyta" story that I want to tell. For now, suffice it to say that she is much more powerful than even she realizes -- and those powers were granted to her for a reason.
Maybe a sinister reason.
As seen in the panel above, Misty Knight hit the Heroes for Hire hotline and put out a call to a large number of notable names and faces of the Marvel U. How does that affect the series moving forward?
Bunn: Permanent" might be too strong of a term, especially when you're dealing with the Defenders. In issue 6, you'll see Valkyrie set up a new charter for the non-team that should answer the question to some degree. Basically, though, the characters who show up will appear again in the series.
And solicitations are already out hinting at what lies ahead for Fearless Defenders beyond the Doom Maiden conflict unfolding in the first arc. Where is the second arc heading?
Bunn: Issues 7 – 12 are being put together as a series of one-and-done stories that interconnect to tell a much bigger tale. I can't reveal what Caroline will be up to (not until issue 6 comes out) but we'll be seeing the results of her scheming. We'll see a new super villain team taking shape. We'll see lots of guest stars, such as Venom and Dr. Strange and Hercules. We'll see the introduction of a new character I think people are gonna love. And we'll see a couple of issues that will be completely unexpected.
• All the fearless ladies on this cover are actually in this issue! • Plus: Valkyrie v.s. She Hulk!
CULLEN BUNN (W) • WILLIAM SLINEY (A)
Cover by MARK BROOKS
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99
release date: Wednesday, June 5, 2013
About The Author:
CBM writer for a decade+.
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