Defenders #5
Title: “World Without End?”
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: F. McLaughlin
Colors: Glynis Wein
Editor: Roy Thomas
Valkyrie walks down the streets of Greenwich Village. Everyone, including Valkyrie, wonders who she is. Val thinks about how clouded all of her memories are. She says that the first time she was created she was thrust upon Sara Parrington, but that when that spell wore off that she ceased to exist. She says that now she has been thrust upon a girl named Barbara, but that because the Enchantress’ powers were at their peak that she remains within the body. She says that when the Enchantress fled the cosmos that she left her all alone. Val says that she was born full-grown. She has no childhood, no habits, no feel for dealing with others. She says that the only three people she knows are the Defenders and they can’t be bothered with her. Strange is allowing her to live in his home, but feels that she should move on. Val wonders how she can do that having no idea about humanity. She worries what will happen if the insane Barbara should regain control. Suddenly Val senses footsteps behind her. Two hooded figures watch Val and say that she is the one that lives within the house of Dr. Strange. One says to the other that they owe Strange a debt of blood, and that her blood spills as good as anyone’s. Val draws the Black Knight’s ebony blade as one leaps at her. Val flips the one man over her shoulder and into a bunch of trashcans. Another two rush at her with knives, but Val whacks them with the sword. The leader of the Demons of Denak charges Val. He is struck down in the air, and Val looks back. She says that she might have known that it was Strange.
Strange says that she seems unhappy to see him. Val says that she could have beaten them herself. Strange says that he knows she could have, but that it seems to her that she has been needing a friend. Val says that Strange is right, but that instinctually she distrusts all men, and that an aggressiveness within her sparks a similar reaction about females. Val notes that Clea wants her out of Strange’s house. Val thinks to herself that she has come to realize what makes her tick, and that nobody will ever know of the love that she has for a man made of stone. Strange says that he thinks that “the lady doth protest too much”. Strange suggests that Val go seek out Namor and the Hulk and try to make peace with them. He says that if she can win them over that it might mean a new start for her. Val asks how she would even go about finding them. Strange hands Val two mystic crystals. He says that one of them always points to Namor and that the other always points to the Hulk. He tells her to give it a try.
Minutes later, Val is up on the roof with Aragon. She tells Aragon that Strange is right, and that her fate lies with the Defenders because without them she has no one. She says that it does her no good to moan about being alone if she isn’t even going to try to make friends. It isn’t too long before one of the crystals points straight down. Val takes Aragon down to go talk to whoever the ruby points to. Val knocks on the door. Namor is inside with Namorita and Betty. Namor tells Betty to let Valkyrie in. Val says that she is sorry to intrude, but that she is looking for friends and some purpose to her newfound life. Val says that she thought that purpose might lie with the Defenders. Namor says that he told her before that the Defenders are not a formal team. Namor says that he doesn’t mean to be rude, but that Valkyrie’s goals are pretty much the exact opposites of his. He says that beyond Mrs. Prentiss and his cousin Namorita that he desires no human contact. Val says that he would desire it if he had never had it. Val says that Namor is very self-centered. Namor turns angrily at Val, but he never gets the chance to retort as his body starts to glow and then he disappears. Val notes that Namor is still alive, and that the crystal in her hand for Namor now points north. Val says that she is going to go get him back. Namorita jumps onto Aragon’s back with Val. She says that she isn’t going to let her go after Namor alone.
Val and Namorita are flying and are heading straight towards the Hulk. Hulk hears her coming. He struggles to remember, but then remembers that he name was Val something, but that she wanted him to be a part of the Defenders instead of being left alone. Hulk says that he doesn’t like that and so he is leaving. Val calls out to Hulk and says that Namor is in trouble. She says that Hulk has to come help them, and that he might be in trouble next. Hulk says no and adds that they’re flying around his heads like flies, but that he can smash flies. Hulk leaps up and knocks Val off Aragon. Val draws the sword and says that if this is going to be her end that it is going to be Hulk’s as well. Hulk starts to glow and then he disappears just like Namor did. Val is left to fall to her death, but Aragon swoops down and snatches her out of the air. Val wonders since she was never born if she could really die. Val looks down at her two mystic gems, and both of them now point towards the same location. Val says that they both went tot he same place and so will they.
Valkyrie and Namorita wind up flying to a familiar lighthouse. Aragon flies towards it until he seemingly bounced off an invisible wall. They decide to land. Val says that they have to approach this with caution. Namorita says that Val can, but that her cousin is in there. Nita walks towards the lighthouse, but she too is bounced off an invisible wall. Val says that caution didn’t mean “at a crawl”. Val says that all they have to do is find the wall. Val finds it and then slashes through it with the ebony sword. They look inside and are greeted by the Omegatron. Omegatron speaks incredibly slowly as it introduces itself. It says that it is going to speak its master’s name and then destroy the Earth, and that it rather expected witnesses. Omegatron says that Strange stopped him originally by stopping time around him, but that when he tried another time freezing spell that the one he placed on him weakened and time began to move, if only incredibly slowly. It says that each hundredth of a second is equal to two regular minutes. Val says that means that they have six minutes to destroy or dismantle it. Omegatron says that is impossible. It says that Strange tried and failed because it is too well made. Omegatron adds that Val and Namorita are going to be busy. Omegatron reveals five Namors to the right, and five Hulks to the left. Val dives in to the fight and discovers that all five of them feel solid to her. Val calls to Aragon and tells him to attack. Aragon moves straight to the real Hulk. As Valkyrie expected the illusions were designed for human eyes, and Aragon’s animals eyes are not fooled. Once Aragon singles out the real Hulk and Namor the illusion disappear. Val knocks the Hulk over with her sword. Namorita notices that Namor is moving like a turtle. She tells Val not to hit Namor too hard. Val rips up a secondary piece of machinery and throws it at Hulk and Namor. They’re knocked over, but it doesn’t help much. Val says that they can kiss it all goodbye. Omegatron says that Val spoken accurately. He says that there was never a contingency for him being defeated. Omegatron says that it has absorbed the vibrations from the battle, and that it is now time.
Omegatron grows
a giant-sized body out of the machine that previously housed its
head. Omegatron’s control over Namor and Hulk disappears as
it turns into human form. Namor says that they have to stop
Omegatron from speaking Yandroth’s name. Namor dives into
the water and drives a wave at Omegatron. Hulk says that he is
confused. He says that Fish-Man yells at him and then jumps in
the water. Hulk says that if Fish-Man wants him to fight giant
that he will. Hulk hits the ground and knocks Omegatron over. As
Omegatron falls he begins to speak Yandroth’s name. Valkyrie
runs over and slices Omegatron’s head right off with the
ebony blade. Namor says that the machine was invulnerable, but
that the body wasn’t. Valkyrie says that Omegatron was
always vulnerable to a combination of magic and the physical.
Valkyrie says that Strange could only fight with magic, and that
they could only fight physically, but that she can fight with
both because her mere presence is magical, as is that of her
sword. Valkyrie asks them if they still think that she is
useless. Hulk says that she is talking about the group again, and
that he doesn’t want to. Hulk leaps away. Valkyrie looks
down. Namor says that Val shouldn’t expect anything from a
monster, and that he no longer feels as he did. Namor says that
he should accompany her to New York so they all can talk.
Dr. Strange’s rating: 7.5 out of 10
Cool story and well told. The art I am only giving a 3.5 instead of a 4 because there are several rough parts in the book. I think that the inker got a little carried away on some of the drawings. Some lines I think should have been much thinner. Val’s eyes seem a little tricky. She can look good most of the time, but more than once she seems to have goony eyes. The illusion Hulks also seem to be a little strained.
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