CBR Preview Defenders #1

Story by
Matt Fraction

Art by
Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson

Colors by
Sonja Oback

Letters by
VC's Clayton Cowles

Cover by
Terry Dodson, Neal Adams

Publisher
Marvel Comics

Cover Price:
$3.99

Release Date
Wed, December 7th, 2011

The Incredible Hulk #01 lidera as vendas de Outubro.

Fonte

Jeph Loeb fala sobre a animação e o novo seriado televisivo do Hulk.

Both the live-action and animated Hulk series are touched on, with Loeb comparing the upcoming versions of the Jade Giant to that of the classic Bill Bixby series, the portrayal fans can expect from the movie version when “Avengers” premieres and the thought behind how to portray the behemoth on the upcoming live-action TV show.

Loeb comparou as versões cinematográficas do Hulk com o antigo seriado televisivo protagonizado por Bill Bixby, "os fãs podem esperar a versão dos filmes (CGI) que será o ponto de partida para o novo seriado", diz Loeb.

A história dos quadrinhos nos filmes (O Incrível Hulk)

Checklist Panini Novembro.

Universo Marvel 19

Após se acertar com o Homem de Ferro, o Hulk Vermelho tem um desagradável confronto com Thor! Os Incríveis Hulks enfrentam os Vingadores Secretos, enquanto Hiro-Kala organiza um ataque à Terra!
(Hulk 26; Incredible Hulks 614)
Revista mensal, formato americano, papel Pisa-brite, R$ 14,90, distribuição nacional

Defenders Spotlight: Red She-Hulk

Defenders Spotlight: Red She-Hulk
Learn the history of the newest Defender and read the stories that shaped her from damsel in distress to crimson powerhouse

By Ben Morse

On December 7, the most unorthodox team in history may be our only hope and reality’s last line of defense against insanity. Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson bring together some of the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe to face an ancient evil unbound in DEFENDERS #1!

Each day this week, we’ll closely examine one of the Defenders making up this new roster, giving a detailed rundown of their personal history and pointing you to digital comics containing the seminal stories that brought them to their current states.

Before they band together to safeguard existence, get to know the heroes we need more than ever with Defenders Spotlight!



For years, Betty Ross sat on the sidelines while her husband Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk, played super-powered gamma games. Since becoming the super strong and emotionally tempestuous Red She-Hulk, Betty has been determined to make up for lost time, and will be continuing to do so when she joins the Defenders, a team her erstwhile love interest served as a founding member of.

Growing up without her mother and under the thumb of a stern, overprotective father in General “Thunderbolt” Ross, Betty became withdrawn at an early age, shying away from overt displays of emotion. She would become attracted to the similarly restrained Banner, but their union seemed doomed from the moment he transformed into The Hulk courtesy of a gamma bomb.

Despite the obstacles in their way, Betty and Bruce would fight for their romance, with her in particular becoming more bold and expressive as she faced adversity, standing up to her father and even facing down The Hulk. The two would marry and enjoy a fleeting period of happiness before Betty seemingly perished, the victim of radiation poisoning instigated by the villainous Abomination.

In actuality, The Leader and M.O.D.O.K. acquired Betty’s body just prior to her “death” and kept her alive an in a state of suspended animation. The villains used a gamma infusion process to transform their captive into Red She-Hulk, with former Hulk ally Doc Samson working alongside them to draw out her repressed anger, making for a more pliable subject they could manipulate. Red She-Hulk would ultimately turn against her “masters,” fighting alongside The Hulk to save her father, now a Red Hulk himself.



Betty and Bruce attempted to reconcile, but too much had transpired and their raging alter egos didn’t make matters any easier. When the Asgardian entity Nul possessed The Hulk, Betty joined up with the Avengers to oppose him and the rest of the Serpent’s Worthy, acquiring an Asgardian sword in the process

INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #1

The first appearance of Betty Ross and the origin of The Hulk.

HULK: GRAY #1

A love story between Bruce Banner and Betty Ross set in the earliest days of The Hulk.

INCREDIBLE HULK #319

The wedding of Bruce Banner and Betty Ross.

HULK (2008) #16

Following a shocking debut, Red She-Hulk battles Red Hulk!

INCREDIBLE HULK #609

The identity and origin of Red She-Hulk revealed!

HULK (2008) #24

She-Hulk vs Red She-Hulk

INCREDIBLE HULKS #609

Betty and Bruce attempt to reconcile in the aftermath of World War Hulks.



Clique aqui para maiores informações.

Fred Tatasciore talks about lending his voice to the strongest there is in 'The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!'

Throughout the first season of "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!" the Hulk provided the team with the muscle to overcome many of their greatest challenges. But it takes a strong voice to bring such a large character to life, and Fred Tatasciore does the Green Goliath proud.

Tatasciore, no stranger to Marvel as the voice of Beast in the current "X-Men" anime on G4 as well as "Wolverine and the X-Men," previously voiced the Hulk in the "Hulk Vs." animated film. He reprises the role for "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!" and brings the Jade Giant to booming life like none other!

Now, with "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!" Vol. 3 and Vol. 4 available on DVD, check out our video interview with Tatasciore below to hear his thoughts on playing "the strongest there is" in the Marvel Universe!

CBR Preview Defenders #1 (Unlettered)

When the impossible is everywhere and the very fabric of reality is threatened by insanity, the world needs more than super heroes…they need Defenders! Enter Defenders #1, from the top-selling creative team of Matt Fraction (Fear Itself, Invincible Iron Man, Mighty Thor) and Terry Dodson (Uncanny X-Men), as Doctor Strange assembles a new team of heroes to face a new kind of threat that will leave readers shocked. Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Namor, Red She-Hulk, Silver Surfer and more of your favorite Marvel Heroes will band together exploring corners of the Marvel Universe you never knew existed for missions so deadly they have to be kept secret. Once a Defender, always a Defender – no matter the cost or sacrifice.

DEFENSIVE MEASURES: Namor & Ant-Man

This December, a new incarnation of Marvel Comics' super team known as the Defenders comes to together for an all-new ongoing series by writer Matt Fraction and artist Terry Dodson. In DEFENSIVE MEASURES, our week-long look at the "Defenders" series, CBR News been learning about the purpose, mission and membership of the team. We kicked things off on Monday by examining the origin of the series and what fans can expect from it. Since then, we've moved on to discussing the valiant heroes that will come together to revive Marvel's premier team of outcast and strange heroes.

Separately, they may be misfits, but together, this new team of Defenders is an incredibly capable and formidable group. Each member, with their own distinct set of abilities, is an authority on a unique section of the Marvel Universe. Former Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange is the Defenders' resident expert on the occult; Iron Fist's knowledge includes the martial arts and the world of business; the Red She-Hulk, Betty Banner, has seen and experienced virtually every horror and wonder of gamma radiation; master spy Nick Fury is a walking storehouse of classified and highly sensitive intelligence and the Silver Surfer knows many of the cosmos' deepest, darkest and most awe-inspiring secrets. Today, in our final installment of DEFENSIVE MEASURES, we talk with Fraction about the final two members of his team of experts, Namor, the Sub-Mariner and the Astonishing Ant-Man. Plus, CBR presents an exclusive, never before seen look at Terry Dodson's pages from the first issue!

NAMOR

Prince Namor, ruler of the undersea kingdom of Atlantis, has been a vibrant and active part of the Marvel Universe since World War II. Over the years he's attacked the surface world many times, but he's saved it even more. Namor has battled tyranny on his own and as a member of a number of different teams including the Invaders, the Avengers, the Defenders and the secret super hero cabal known as the Illuminati. Most recently, he got in touch with his mutant heritage by joining the X-Men.



Namor is drawn into the web of the new Defenders due to his status as a founding member of the team and because of his dealings with the Illuminati. "The Illuminati's treatment of the Hulk was what broke up the group. Namor was not in favor of their decision to exile the Hulk into space. I think he lives by a code; he, more than anyone, feels guilty about what happened to the Hulk and wants to make amends," Fraction told CBR News. "Of course, he would never articulate it as such. In the fourth epilogue of 'Fear Itself' #7, the Hulk says he had to do the hardest thing he's ever done -- ask for help. I think Namor is the one who truly understand what it means for the Hulk to ask these guys for help."

That decision to help the Hulk binds Namor with a diverse and powerful band of heroes. Whenever he's joined teams in the past, he's played the role of physical powerhouse thanks to his super-human strength and endurance. Those traits will be nice to have around, but in this latest incarnation of the Defenders, that role is more prominently played by Red She-Hulk. Instead, it's Namor's status as ruler of the undersea kingdom of Atlantis that makes him truly invaluable to the Defenders.

"Water covers 70-some percent of the Earth's surface. We've seen more of outer space than we have of the ocean, and aside from the fact that he is functionally the emperor of Earth in terms of geography, Namor has a geo-political understanding. He has a perspective on scale that these guys don't," Fraction explained. "Namor has been wrapped up in some awful big stuff that the other people haven't. He's going to be sort of like Alexander with the Gordian Knot; he's the shortest path between two points because he's got this very practical experience with realpolitick that the rest of them don't have."

Ruling Atlantis, one of the oldest kingdoms in the Marvel Universe, gives Namor other benefits as well, including access to some of the kingdom's rare historical documents that offer up information on what life on Earth was like thousands of years ago.

EXCLUSIVE: Pages from Fraction and Dodson's first issue of "Defenders"





"Namor has access to all this stuff that humans don't and can go places they can't go. He's forgotten more things than we'll ever know," Fraction remarked. "Plus, he has his foot in so many different worlds. His unique biology as an early mutant led to his membership in the X-Men. He covers both the mutant base and the Atlantean base -- not to mention he's very well connected, having been a member or so many other super teams."

The Sub-Mariner is a very passionate and proud individual, character traits that often lead to interesting dynamics in the super teams he joins. One thing Namor is especially passionate about is strong women. His teammate, Red She-Hulk, is incredibly strong, but to Namor she'll be a colleague and a teammate, nothing more.

"She's not blonde. That said, you don't have to have Ph.D. in 'Defenders' to figure out who will be coming into the book sooner or later that Namor might perhaps take an interest in," Fraction said with a laugh. "I have it in my head that Namor has a type. Other people may argue with me or choose to interpret things differently, but I like to write him as though he has a type. More will be revealed."

Fraction first got the chance to writer Namor during his run on "Uncanny X-Men" and is happy to have the chance to revisit him in "Defenders." "I loved writing him in 'Uncanny X-Men.' Everybody looked at me like I was crazy when I wanted to bring him into the book, and now he feels sort of natural there. He'll still be with the X-Men, too. Kieron [Gillen] will also be writing him in 'Uncanny.' Like I said before, Defenders is what all these people do on Sunday," Fraction remarked. "It's great to be having some more fun with Namor. I don't know anyone in comics who doesn't come away totally loving the character after they've written him. He's a little bit more of a smart ass than when I was writing him in 'Uncanny,' and a little more of an anarchist, something that connects him more to the original Bill Everett invention of the character."

ANT-MAN

Ant-Man was the first heroic identity created by Hank Pym before the brilliant scientist abandoned it for Giant Man, Yellowjacket and more. Since then, several other people have adopted the guise of the hero that can shrink and communicate with ants. Former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Eric O'Grady is the current Ant-Man, but Fraction was unable to confirm or deny if O'Grady or another character would be under the helmet in "Defenders."



"It could be a brand new Ant-Man. Or it might not be," The writer said. "What I can tell you about the character is that he's a late addition to the team. Down in the depths, Namor finds a fossil of a Tyrannosaurus Rex with the body of Ant-Man in its jaws. So his involvement in this book begins very simply as mystery -- how did Ant-Man die, sixty-five million years ago? It spirals out from there.

"That pitch of an Ant-Man fossil in a T-Rex jaw was what I think got me the book and got it green lit," Fraction continued. "That image of T-Rex fossill with a tiny Ant-Man in its mouth was fun and striking and made them go, 'Yeah! What the hell?' I think that story hook was the best, clearest way I could articulate my vision for 'Defenders' to Axel and Tom. I guess it worked!"


Ant-Man's shrinking ability means he can access areas other heroes can't, like small places and the other dimensions of the Microverse, making his primary role in "Defenders" one of exploration. "One of the common threads on the team is that they're all sort of experts in different realms of the Marvel U, but Ant-Man is absolutely the team's astronaut," Fraction stated. "Much like Doctor Strange, I feel there hasn't been a take on shrinking characters like Ant-Man that has done the stuff that I personally want to read. So, here's a way to do that. Ideally, I suppose, the plan I have in mind is to write the characters the way that I love them and hope to get other people falling in love with 'em too. He's a chance to tell small superhero stories; instead of cosmic and big, we're way down in the infinitesimal."

"In the meantime? The secret member shows up in issue #3. So we got that going for us, which is nice."





Marvel's "Defenders," by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson," debuts in December.

Marvel Releases Neal Adams "Defenders" #1 Variant Cover

CBR has been talking with series writer Matt Fraction all week long about his and Terry Dodson's upcoming "Defenders" title, and today, Marvel has released a variant cover for the series' first issue by the legendary Neal Adams.



Official Press Release

This December, an all-new team is about to embark on a bold mission to protect reality from insanity – they are the Defenders! To celebrate the launch of one of this year’s biggest new series, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the Defenders #1 Adams Inked Variant from legendary artist Neal Adams! The top-selling creative team of Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson assemble a team of the world’s strongest heroes to save everyone from the impossible! It’s up to Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, Red She-Hulk, Iron Fist and Namor to defend the very fabric of the Marvel Universe. With the team going up against the most diabolical threats and a special variant cover by a living legend, no fan can miss the Defenders #1 Adams Inked Variant!

*Retailers should check the Marvel Mailer for special ordering incentives on Defenders #1 and it’s variants.

DEFENDERS #1 (OCT110587)
DEFENDERS #1 ADAMS VARIANT (OCT110589)
DEFENDERS #1 ADAMS INKED VARIANT (SEP118111)
Written by MATT FRACTION
Pencils & Cover by TERRY DODSON
Variant Cover by NEAL ADAMS
Sketch Variant Cover by NEAL ADAMS
FOC—11/7/11, On-Sale—12/7/11

DEFENSIVE MEASURES: Iron Fist & Red She-Hulk

Iron Fist and Red She-Hulk take the spotlight in today's DEFENSIVE MEASURES



There are many ways to stop a villain's nefarious scheme. They can be out witted with cunning or intelligence, they can be intimidated by a show of overwhelming force and they can be attacked with everything from weapons, to magic, to super powers and a variety of high technology. Sometimes, though, the most effective method of taking down a villain is with aa simple punch.

That means super-humanly strong characters and hand to hand combat experts are important parts of most super teams. In December, the latest incarnation of Marvel Comics' super team known as the Defenders comes together for an all new ongoing series by writer Matt Fraction and artist Terry Dodson, and their ranks will, of course, include its share of pugilistic powerhouses. In today's installment of DEFENSIVE MEASURES, our week long look at "Defenders," Fraction joins us CBR to discuss two more of them: Iron Fist and Red She-Hulk

Terry Dodson's initial cover sketches for "Defenders" #1 had Iron Fist placed more prominently in the front position before relinquishing his spot to de facto team leader, Doctor Strange



IRON FIST

In 2007, Fraction and co-writer Ed Brubaker kicked off "The Immortal Iron Fist," a highly acclaimed series that focused on Danny Rand and the long legacy of his costumed identity as the chi powered martial arts master Iron Fist. Though the series lasted 27 issues, Fraction left the book with issue #17 believing that he had told all the stories he wanted to with the character.

"When the notion of 'Defenders' became a book about everybody I would love to write, Danny popped back into my head. During 'Fear Itself,' I started to have all these Iron Fist ideas again. Maybe it was because I was using Danny outside the realm of a book I had already written -- I don't know." Fraction told CBR News.""The stuff I loved about Danny back then I still love about him, and now I want to do even more with him. He's still everybody's favorite kung fu billionaire space cadet. It seemed like Danny would be a perfect fit for a group that has to solve all these reality-warping and universe-bending problems. The Defenders will be happy to have somebody who's particularly zen about all this stuff."

Iron Fist's Defender teammates will also be happy to have such a wealthy character in their ranks. In fact, it's that wealth that leads to his initial involvement with the team.

"Danny is getting Rand International back together with the help of a Chinese company. He is the central figure in this new enterprise. He's somewhere between Steve Jobs and Richard Branson -- very much a public face and the Chief Visionary Officer as well," Fraction explained. "The gag we start with is, 'How do you fly this particular group of people around the world? What if they capture Nul? Where do you put him?' So quite simply, Doctor Strange needs a plane. He says, 'I know somebody who has a plane.' Cut to Danny. It's one of those cases where the guy ends up in the band because he's the guy with the van. That's why Danny's here, but it very quickly becomes important that he sticks around.

Iron Fist's skills as a martial artist and his knowledge of the mysticism and high technology used in secret, ancient cities like the one he trained in, K'un Lun, will also be invaluable assets for the Defenders. "One thing that every member of the Defenders will come to realize right away is that they're each unimpeachable masters of their own corner of the Marvel Universe," Fraction said. "You can look at someone like Red She-Hulk or Silver Surfer and break out the rulers and measure yourself, but there is no better kung fu billionaire in the Marvel Universe than Danny Rand. Danny is the only one who can do what he does. That is important. That is vital to the team."

Readers will get their chance to see all that Iron Fist brings to the Defenders in the first issue of the series. When Fraction sat down to pen those initial scenes, he found himself as enthralled by the character as he was when he wrote the first issue of "Immortal Iron Fist."

"It's a 20 page book ,and the first time I wrote Danny again, the scene was more than five pages long. So it was very clear that I missed the character," Fraction said. "It's nice to write him again, and who doesn't want to see Danny Rand do things like invent zero g kung fu? That's just in the first issue! Wait till you see what he does further down the line!

EXCLUSIVE: Dodson's Red She-Hulk character sketches



RED SHE-HULK

As the wife of the Hulk and the daughter of General Ross -- the man who spent years hunting her husband -- Betty Ross' life is one of constant turmoil. In fact, she lost her life when one of the Hulk's enemies used her as a pawn in a revenge scheme against the Jade Giant.

It was the super criminal think tank known as the Intelligentsia that not only resurrected Betty but transformed her into the Red She-Hulk. When they revived her, they also brainwashed the new crimson-hued powerhouse and turned into one their top operatives. Betty was able to break free from their conditioning and since doing so has done her best to combat the various dangers and evils of the Marvel Universe. She got involved in the recent "Fear Itself" storyline when the Hulk was transformed into one of the Avatars of the malevolent fear god known as the Serpent.

"When I was writing 'Fear Itself,' I found myself unexpectedly drawn to Red She-Hulk. There's something about a character that, for all her great strengths and convictions as Betty, as a human never got to live her own life on her own terms precisely because she was 'just' human. Betty was always stuck in the war between the magnetic north and south of her father and the Hulk. So the idea that she's now nine feet tall and bulletproof and can live life unequivocally on her own terms without physical fear was very exciting to write," Fraction explained.

"We don't have enough women characters like that in comics, at Marvel or, really, anywhere. Writing a superhero for my daughter is thrilling. Betty is the kind of woman who makes a Red She-Hulk-sized hole in every room she leaves. She goes rushing headlong into adventure. If she got a tattoo, it'd just say 'Yes.'

"I'm writing her like a cross between Indiana Jones and Johnny Knoxville," Fraction continued with a laugh. "In her past life, she was threatened, captured, beaten, killed a couple times, turned into a Hulk -- and now she's nigh-invulnerable and free of her past. So she's going to go out and live life by her rules for a change."

Betty is like the original green She-Hulk, Jen Walters, in that she enjoys her new super-strong physical form and spends most of her time as She-Hulk. "She's been adjacent to superheroes her whole life, and now she gets to go out and be one. Plus, she's the new kid. This is a grand adventure to her. She's like the kid with asthma who could never got to go out and play and then is suddenly cured. She's making up for lost time by grabbing life by the throat and squeezing," Fraction remarked. "The only downside is that Betty's Red She-Hulk form does affect her personality. It sort of makes her a little more keyed up, a little adrenalized and she clearly enjoys it. Down the road, it's going to get her into trouble, but for now, it's all good. For now, she's nine feet tall and bulletproof," the writer joked.

The Defenders are willing to tolerate the more aggressive side of Red She-Hulk because of all the things she adds to the team. She's a physical powerhouse, has a firm understanding of the Hulk and his gamma-powered world and recently, she's become quite handy with bladed weaponry.

"She has a big-ass sword," Fraction said with a laugh. "I don't know if we'll be able to get away with calling it the big-ass sword, but she refers to it as such. She has this sword because when I was writing 'Fear Itself,' the phrase, the title 'The Savage Sword of She-Hulk' popped into my mind and it just sounded like a book I would read. Who wouldn't want to read that book? She-Hulk has her savage, big-ass sword and loves it."

While combat skills, an understanding of the Hulk's world and pure physical power are all well and good, the most important thing Red She-Hulk brings to the Defenders is a sense of wonder. "These guys can all get in their own heads and be weighed down by the heaviness of things. It's Betty who is the one that's constantly reminding them, 'Isn't this amazing? Look at where we are! Look at what we're doing! This is great!'" Fraction stated. "She's that voice that's constantly turning into adventure blindly. Where the rest of these guys can be tired old men, she's not. She's the spirit of life itself, unlocked and unfettered, and the team is better off for it. Even if, beneath it all, she's running away from everything she used to be, for now -- it's all magical to her.

"The nature of the mystery that the Defenders stumble into in this opening storyline prevents them from telling anyone else about it,"Fraction continued. "So it's not like the team was picked with any specific strategy in mind on the part of the players. If you have to go up against a cosmos spanning conspiracy that makes playthings out of space and time, who would you choose? The Defenders didn't get to choose. They're going to war with the army they have rather than the army they wanted. Like it or not, Betty's a part of the group now. And she's not going to let go."

Clique aqui para maiores informações.

Preview de Universo Marvel #18.

Review de Incredible Hulk #01.

ATENÇÃO: O RESUMO ABAIXO CONTÉM INFORMAÇÕES INÉDITAS DE EDIÇÕES AINDA NÃO LANÇADAS NO BRASIL.

Convivendo com o povo do "Toupeira" em subterrânea, o Hulk se encontra em paz, até ser surpreendido pela visita inesperada de "Amanda Von Doom".





Amanda, provavelmente enviada pelo "Dr. Destino" diz ao Hulk de que Bruce Banner precisa ser parado, já que Destino está mais do que ciente da periculosidade que Banner representaria ao mundo, onde na saga "Fall Of The Hulks", Banner mostrou ser dotado de um grau de inteligência maior que a de Von Doom.



Banner vem realizando experimentos com animais, ele os bombardeia com raios gama e os transforma em monstrengos tornando-os seus escravos.









O que Banner pretende na verdade é tornar esses animais iguais ao Hulk.




AVALIAÇÃO:

Muito suspense no ar, qual será o proposito de Banner ao realizar experimentos com animais indefesos?

De que forma Banner e Hulk foram separados?

Conseguirá Banner capturar o Hulk?


Enfim, eu entendi que o Banner está tendo atitudes insanas que lembram muito as de seu pai, mais precisamente em algumas cenas que lembram a primeira adaptação cinematográfica do Hulk dirigida pelo Ang Lee. A leitura é rápida, sem delongas, o que me incomodou foi uma derrapada por parte da arte do Silvestri, mais precisamente nesse quadro onde os olhos do Hulk ficam embranquecidos.



O momento em que o Hulk é alvejado pelos guardas de Amanda e sangra normalmente (como já mostrado nos previews) provavelmente deve ser algo relacionado a sua separação, o que acredito que o Aaron não mostrará logo de cara o motivo. A única coisa que me incomodou, além da derrapada na arte do Silvestri, foram os diálogos por parte da Amanda Von Doom, mas o interessante é que aqui nada se torna banal como mostrado recentemente nos roteiros do Hulk pelo Greg Pak, e também não há situações bizarras e exageradas no nível de Jeph Loeb.

Agora é só aguardar...

NOTA 6.

DEFENSIVE MEASURES: Doctor Strange & Nul

Series writer Matt Fraction talks with CBR about "Defenders" leader Doctor Strange and the team's main nemesis, Nul



When you live in the Marvel Universe, things like robots, high-tech battle suits, mutants and super powers are impressive, awe-inspiring and often downright scary. Though advanced technology and super powers gained from things like radiation may be fantastic, on some level they're understandable because of their basis in science, and are therefore not as scary as magic and the supernatural. And while it's true that magic and monsters have rules of their own to follow, they're more mysterious and harder to explain, making supernatural phenomenon even more frightening.

Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson's upcoming "Defenders" series, launching in December, will explore all the corners of the Marvel Universe -- including the mysterious realm of magic and monsters. In today's installment of DEFENSIVE MEASURES, our week-long look at "Defenders," Fraction joins us for a discussion about two of the series' characters who are firmly rooted in the supernatural corner of the Marvel U: Doctor Strange and the monstrous entity known as Nul.

DOCTOR STRANGE

Series artist Terry Dodson's concept sketch for the new-look Doctor Strange



For many years, Doctor Strange was the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, a position that made him the planet's most powerful and chief mystical defender. In recent years, however, Strange had made several bad decisions, choices that ultimately cost him that title. He still uses his mystical abilities to fight evil, but when "Defenders" begins, he's haunted by some of the poor choices he's made in the name of what he thought was the greater good, from joining the Illuminati to taking part in their decision to launch the Hulk into space to using the malevolent entity known as Zom to fight against the Hulk when he returned to Earth looking for revenge on those responsible for his exile.

"There's a line that Hulk has in the first issue, while Strange is gathering up all the old gang. The line is, 'I hate myself and I want to die, but not today.' It sort of occurred to me, that resonated with a lot of the cast, deep down. So we have a very specific notion of Doc," Fraction told CBR News. "He's like an occult William S. Burroughs that knows martial arts. Very much like we were seeing him way back when in 'Strange Tales.'

"Editor Ralph Macchio, who recently retired from Marvel, gave me one of the greatest gifts ever when he leaned over during an editorial retreat and said, 'You know, Doctor Strange studied the martial arts as well.' I immediately saw somebody doing kung fu -- but with Steve Ditko hands. That was the missing piece," Fraction continued. "Suddenly, it came to me: William S. Burroughs, occult researcher and martial arts aficionado! So I get to write a very physical Doctor Strange who is connected with all kinds of weirdness, both great and mystic, small and gnarly. He's a dark, strange, spooky guy at his roots, who's prone to making bad decisions."

Doctor Strange's impressive kung fu skills are just one of the many reasons he's still a formidable opponent ,even after dropping the title of Sorcerer Supreme. Other reasons include his spell casting abilities, which are still very potent, and some new tricks and skills that he'll be displaying in "Defenders."

"I think magic should be no different from any other super power in the Marvel Universe. The more you use it, the more tired you get. People are better at it than you, people are worse at it than you. It's a profound physical and mental ability. Strange is still powerful enough to be an Avenger, but he isn't the supreme guy any more. That's fine too, because it opens up a world of weird, small things to see," Fraction explained. "I want to work actual mentalist and magician trade craft into Doc, here and there. I want to make him more physical. I want to make him creepy. I want to make him weird. I want to play with that William S. Burroughs thing, the suit and waistcoat and head filled with bad ideas. He's got all these little ways of hacking the human body and hacking the human consciousness for specific means that aren't necessarily about the Crimson Bands of Cyttorak. I want a more terrestrial, grungy, spooky Doc. That's what we're getting."

When "Defenders" begins, Strange is forced to become a major player in the team, responsible for assembling their initial ranks and even becoming a sort of de facto group leader.

"Strange doesn't mean for it to happen, and he doesn't strike me as a guy who would want to belong to any club that would have him for a member. At the end of 'Fear Itself,' though, you saw it was the Hulk who sought him out. You'll see more about that in November's 'Point One' anthology. This is ultimately all the Hulk's fault, and there will inevitably come a day where he'll say that line. So as things go really bad, it's Hulk who needs a favor and the only people he trusts are his former teammates on the Defenders -- even though some of them were part of the Illuminati, like Doc and Namor," Fraction stated. "Some of them feel like they owe him. Some of them will feel a past loyalty to him because of their history together. It's the outsider quality of the Defenders that the Hulk plays on, and Doc is sort of the centerpiece of that part. It also helps that Doc has a fixed address and Hulk knows where to go."

He may be easy to find and have a past connection to the team, but the primary reason Strange plays a large role in this new "Defenders" series is because of his small role in Fraction's "Stark Disassembled" arc of "Invincible Iron Man." Ever since that arc, the writer has been looking for a way to revisit the character.

"Every time we have a creative retreat and Doctor Strange comes up, it ends with me banging my head on the desk. This is perhaps as close as I'll get to come to a Doctor Strange book for a while," the writer said. "Everybody who already loves Doctor Strange, I hope I can speak your language. And for everyone who's never known what to do with the guy, I hope I can show you why he's such a great character."

NUL

Nul is the physical manifestation of the entity inhabiting Hulk's hammer during "Fear Itself"



Readers of "Fear Itself" #7, in stores now, got their first glimpses of Nul in the issue's fourth prologue. The monstrous, mystical entity was trapped inside the hammer the Hulk wielded as one of the avatars of the Serpent, the main villain of "Fear Itself." While he wielded the hammer, the Hulk was possessed by Nul, so in order to free himself, Hulk smashed the hammer -- accidentally letting Nul loose into the world.

"The root of the idea for Nul was, what if Hulk could 'Hulk' out? What if he got so angry that even he would turn into something? Nul is the Hulk's Hulk. It's this monstrous thing that's unleashed on the world because of him," Fraction explained. "One of the biggest dangling threads from the end of 'Fear Itself' is that Nul is still out there. Hulk is so mighty, so strong, that he could physically crush the hammer, and while that freed him from Nul's sway, it also freed Nul to roam the Earth. Nul is here, rampaging his way to a very specific location, destroying everything in his way, and Hulk knows that he's going to be blamed for it if Nul is not stopped. So Hulk goes to the Defenders because he believes the Defenders will help him and he believes they will be discrete about it. Nul is a chance to personify Hulk's living, walking nightmare. He's a thing more hateful, more angry and in more agony than even the Hulk is on a moment to moment basis."

Nul's mind may be full of rage and pain, but it's not acting on pure instinct. It's actually an intelligent entity with a goal. "Terry's depiction of Nul gives you this feeling that the air on his skin would hurt him. He's almost like a giant, raw, exposed nerve. Simply being alive causes Nul to feel nothing but agony. The air on his skin makes him scream out loud constantly. So -- so he's here, he's driven and he's on a mission," Fraction remarked. "This is his story. This is about how Nul tries to get home and about how the Defenders try and stop him."

Over the course of their quest to stop Nul, the Defenders will uncover an immensely powerful and dangerous conspiracy tied into the heart of the Marvel Universe. Fraction's long-form story for the series details how the "Defenders" cope with this discovery and the battle to tear this secretive cabal down.

"The first issue gets the band back together. They determine where Nul is headed and they race off to the very Marvel Universe-specific location he's heading towards, a place full of weird and wonderful Marvel stuff. 'Defenders' is a book that will explain why he's headed there and what it really means," Fraction said. "Why are there so many super heroes in Manhattan? There's a reason. Why is there so much weird shit that happens at this one mountain in Europe? There's a reason. Why is there a Savage Land? Celestials? Infinity formula? All of it will be explained. This book is Marvel's grand unification theory; a concordance. Nul is the loose thread on the sweater that threatens to unravel it all. The very cohesion of the Marvel Universe -- of everything -- is at stake. When I say there's an impossible threat coming, that's pretty much what I mean."





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