Appearing in 1st story
Featured Characters:
- Valkyrior/Defenders (First appearance as Defenders) (Disbands)
- Valkyrie/Maiden of Rage (Brunnhilde) (Main story and flashback) (Leaves)
- Misty Knight (Leaves)
- Dani Moonstar (Leaves)
- Warrior Woman (Hippolyta) (Leaves)
- Dr. Annabelle Riggs (Death)
Supporting Characters:
- Avengers
- Tigra (Greer Grant)
- Storm (Ororo Munroe)
- Black Cat (Felicia Hardy)
- She-Hulk (Jen Walters)
- Tarantula (Maria Vasquez)
- Hellcat (Patsy Walker)
- Colleen Wing
- Elektra
- Thundra
Villains:
- Caroline le Fay
- Mr. Raven
- Doom Maidens
- Maiden of Seduction (Arnleif) (Death) (Main story and flashback)
- Maiden of Insanity (Disthora) (Death)
- Maiden of Vermin (Sigotta) (Death)
- Maiden of Carrion (Nedra) (Death) (Main story and flashback)
- Maiden of Deceit (Aldvi) (Death) (Main story and flashback)
- Maiden of Slaughter (Balda) (Death) (Main story and flashback)
- Maiden of Torture (Daggaerdh) (Death)
- Enchantress (Amora) (Appears on screen)
- Mystique (Raven Darkhölme) (Appears on screen)
- Lady Deathstrike (Yuriko Oyama) (Appears on screen)
- Shriek (Frances Barrison) (Appears on screen)
- Anaconda (Blanche Sitznski) (Appears on screen)
- Titania (Mary MacPherran) (Appears on screen)
- Dansen Macabre (Appears on screen)
- Aradnea (Appears on screen)
Other Characters:
- Songbird (Melissa Gold) (Vision or hallucination)
- Namora (Aquaria Neptunia) (Vision or hallucination)
- Diamondback (Rachel Leighton) (Vision or hallucination)
- Clea (Vision or hallucination)
- Odin (Only in flashback)
- Sigmund (Only in flashback)
- Defenders (Only in flashback)
- Nighthawk (Kyle Richmond) (Only in flashback)
- Beast (Hank McCoy) (Only in flashback)
- Moondragon (Heather Douglas) (Only in flashback)
- Angel (Warren Worthington III) (Only in flashback)
- Aragorn (Only in flashback)
Locations:
Items:
- Dragonfang (Main story and flashback)
- Gungnir (Only in flashback)
- Black Widow's Gauntlets
Vehicles:
Synopsis for 1st story
Valkyrie, now the Maiden of Rage, recalls the horrors that transformed her and the first of the shieldmaidens into the Doommaidens, and their subsequent destruction by Odin, who "reforged" Valkyrie's memories in order to allow her to live. She destroys Nedra and Arnleif while Annabelle, Misty, Hippolyta and She-Hulk look on, then attacks the battalion of superheroes as Caroline and Mr. Raven retreat.
Hippolyta and She-Hulk attempt to subdue Valkyrie, but are summarily defeated by her. As Valkyrie leaves the arena, descending the mountain toward a waterfront village in search of further battle, Annabelle retrieves Dragonfang and follows, imploring Valkyrie not to attack the town. Annabelle reminds Valkyrie that she is her friend, insisting that Valkyrie will not allow the Maiden of Rage to harm her because she let the battalion of heroes live. Valkyrie manages to regain control momentarily, but the Maiden of Rage lashes out, seizing Annabelle by the throat.
At the mountaintop arena, the recovering heroes realize that the corpses of the Doommaidens are "withering" and "mummifying," and Moonstar theorizes that "all these women taking the role of shieldmaidens" broke the spell. Moments later, Valkyrie, no longer the Maiden of Rage, returns with the dead body of Annabelle, and admits that she inadvertantly killed Riggs while possessed by Rage. She also admits that "the choices" of shieldmaidens "have already been made," and that she sees "potential shieldmaidens" "with deathsight," though she doesn't know what her ability means.
Valkyrie explains that heroes can "come together" "anywhere in the world" "to face the strangest of challenges," and claims that "the world does not need shieldmaidens. It needs defenders." Misty responds by punching Valkyrie in the face and telling her to "go #$%@" herself, and the heroes leave Valkyrie with Annabelle's body.
In Midtown Manhattan, Caroline and Mr. Raven consider potential Doommaidens, including Lady Deathstrike, Mystique, Titania, Anaconda, Aradnea, Shriek, Enchantress, and Dansen Macabre.
Solicit Synopsis
• Still guest staring most of the heroines in the Marvel Universe.
• Someone dies... Stock up on tissues.