Appearing in "The Wasteland"
Featured Characters:
- Defenders (Main story and recap)
- Doctor Strange (Stephen Strange) (Main story and recap)
- ⏴ Hulk (Bruce Banner) ⏵ (Main story and recap)
- Valkyrie (Brunnhilde) (Main story and flashback)
- Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie) (Main story and recap)
- Hellcat (Patsy Walker) (Main story and recap)
- Beast (Hank McCoy) (Main story and recap)
- Gargoyle (Isaac Christians) (Main story and recap)
- Son of Satan (Daimon Hellstrom) (Main story and recap)
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Enchantress (Amora) (Main story and flashback)
Other Characters:
- Vera Cantor (Main story and recap)
- Spider-Man (Peter Parker) (Main story and recap)
- Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd) (Only in recap)
- Daredevil (Matt Murdock) (Only in recap)
- Hawkeye (Clint Barton) (Only in recap)
- Thor (Only in recap)
- Power Man (Luke Cage) (Only in recap)
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Only in recap)
- Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) (Referenced)
- Barbara Norriss (Main story and flashback)
- Odin (Invoked)
- Watoomb (Invoked)
- Love
- Hela (Invoked)
- Neptune (Invoked)
Races and Species:
- Humans
- Asgardians (Main story and flashback)
- Atlantean-Human Hybrids
- Mutants
- Human-Demon Hybrids
- Zenn-Lavians (Only in recap)
- Harpies (Only in flashback)
- Abstract Entities
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- Colorado (Only in recap)
- Colorado Rockies (Only in recap)
- New York (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- Upper West Side (Main story and recap)
- Manhattan (Main story and recap)
- New York City (Main story and recap)
- Colorado (Only in recap)
- United States of America (Main story and recap)
- Niffleheim (Only in recap)
- Asgard
- Wasteland (First appearance)
Items:
- Dragonfang (Main story and recap)
- Cloak of Levitation (Main story and recap)
- Hellstorm's Trident (Main story and recap)
- Daredevil's Suit (Only in recap)
- Hawkeye's Suit (Only in recap)
- Mjolnir (Only in recap)
- Captain America's Uniform (Only in recap)
- Spider-Man's Suit (Main story and recap)
- Cat Suit (Main story and recap)
- Eye of Agamotto
- Rose of Purity
- Spider-Man's Web-Shooters
- Winds of Watoomb
Synopsis for "The Wasteland"
The Enchantress has trapped Valkyrie’s spirit within her sword, Dragonfang, and explains that she retrieved Valkyrie’s original body from Nifflehim and will restore her spirit if the Defenders bring her the Rose of Purity. Hellcat, Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and Son of Satan agree to do Enchantress’ bidding. But Dr. Strange, Gargoyle, Beast and Spider-Man refuse—partly because they do not trust the Enchantress, and partly because restoring Val’s spirit to her body would cause Barbara Norriss’ spirit to be banished to limbo, which they cannot condone. Enchantress departs with her four Defenders, while Dr. Strange and his group make other plans. In search of a mate worthy of her love, the Enchantress has taken Love itself and given it a human form, but she needs the Rose to purify herself before she can consummate their relationship. Enchantress transports the four Defenders to a desolated world where the Rose exists. The Defenders find the Rose, along with two alien beings who have come to worship it as a god ever since their spaceship crashed on this world. It has filled them with love and purity, turning the barren wasteland into a vision of Paradise. When they learn that the Defenders have come to take the Rose, the male alien becomes enraged and attacks the Hulk, Namor, and Hellstrom. Hellcat intends to use Dragonfang to cut down the Rose when the female alien begs her to stop. She can sense that Hellcat and her friends are not evil, but without the Rose, she and her lover will lose their idyllic life. From within Dragonfang, Valkyrie’s spirit also urges Hellcat not to go through with it, and Hellcat realizes that they have been wrong and tells the other Defenders to stop fighting. When the Enchantress’ image appears and asks why they have not taken the Rose, the Defenders tell her that they have changed their minds. Angered, she refuses to return them to Earth and leaves them on the alien planet. Back in Asgard, an enraged Enchantress intends to take her wrath out on Valkyrie’s body, only to be stopped by Dr. Strange. It turns out that Love summoned Strange and his group of Defenders to the Enchantress’ lair, because it realized that the Enchantress was motivated by wickedness and greed, not by true love. However, the time spent in human form has made Love realize the value of female companionship, so it frees the spirit of Barbara Norriss from Valkyrie’s body and merges with her instead. With Norriss’ spirit gone, the Valkyrie’s true spirit reunites with her body and vows vengeance on the Enchantress.
Notes
- Gruenwald is credited with plot assist.