Marvel comic's Defenders continue their adventures, and as usual the latest issue offers yet another opportunity for a different force build. To see who is teaming up with the Defenders this month, follow the link.

Synopsis: The Defenders try to continue their mission to "protect humanity from the impossible", but their last-issue escape from Hydra has left them miniaturized in a world they do not know...or one they hoped to never know. The tiny team (missing the Silver Surfer) is captured by ants, only to be rescued by Ant Man Scott Lang. Lang reveals that they have returned to a world slowly being destroyed by a Death Celestial!

The force that hopes to fight is:

149 (Secret Invasion 033) Dr. Strange
139 (Web of Spider-Man 053) Red She-Hulk
70 (Secret Invasion 004) Iron Fist
60 (Captain America 207) Nick Fury
43 (Chaos War 026) Ant Man
32 Experienced (Clobberin' Time 032) Black Cat
+3x2 (Additional Team Ability) Avengers (Heroic Age)

= 499 Points

The line-up of this issue is fun because aside from Red She-Hulk, there are many decent lower-cost HeroClix versions of these characters available. It is possible to squeeze this set of characters into a smaller point-total build, but I didn't think that the lower-total builds that I considered rose to the standard of play most players expect at 400 points, so this week is another 500-point force.

The versions of Dr. Strange that we got in the Galactic Guardians set have been so good that it hard to remember that it wasn't that long ago that we got a 'gold standard' version of the character in the Secret Invasion booster set. The real might of this version is in the Wand of Watoomb, but it also has a wonderful dial that emphasizes ranged-attack on offense. Keep this in mind with all of the figures available to use/copy the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability.

V Dr. Strange Points: 149 Range: 10
Team: Spider-Man
Keywords: Avengers, Defenders, Illuminati, Midnight Sons, Mystical

11 11 18 3

10 11 17 3

10 10 17 3

9 10 16 3

9 9 16 3

8 9 16 3

8 8 15 2

7 8 15 2

KO KO KO KO

Eye of Agamatto: Dr. Strange ignores the effects of characters and hindering terrain (including team abilities that give hindering terrain bonuses) when determining line of fire.

Winds of Watoomb: Dr. Strange can use Phasing/Teleport and Quake.

Wand of Watoomb: Dr. Strange can use Perplex. When Dr. Strange uses Perplex, you can roll a d6; on a result of 5 or 6, you can modify the target's chosen combat value by up to +2 or -2.

As always, I must lament that we only have one Red She-Hulk (from Web of Spider-Man in HeroClix. That doesn't mean that I am dissatisfied with this figure, only that by now I have run out of good things to say about it.

R Red She-Hulk Points: 139 Range: 6
Team: No Affiliation
Keywords: Brute

8 9 17 3

8 9 17 3

8 9 17 3

8 10 17 3

7 10 18 3

7 10 18 3

7 10 18 4

6 11 19 5

KO KO KO KO

As with She-Hulk, I have run out of good things to say about the Secret Invasion Iron Fist. The only bad thing I can say about this figure is that if the top-click Champion... power is outwitted, the figure doesn't last as long as it should.

V Iron Fist Points: 70 Range: 0
Team: Spider-Man
Keywords: Avengers, Heroes for Hire, Martial Artist

8 11 17 3

9 10 17 2

8 10 16 2

8 9 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 8 15 2

8 8 15 3

KO KO KO KO

Good Fortune Thunder Kick: Iron Fist can use Leap/Climb and Flurry.

Champion of K'un-Lun: Iron Fist can use Super Senses and Willpower.

The 'rescued from the 1960's' Nick Fury is still with the team, so to change things up I went with the version of the character from the Captain America counter-top display set. I am a little disappointed that this figure lacks the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability, but otherwise this is a decent representation of a super-spy slightly out of his element. In this issue he isn't in "Director of S.H.I.E.L.D." mode, so everything fits well IMO. The power progression and solid attack values of this dial means that you should be attacking with him whenever possible.

E Nick Fury Points: 60 Range: 6
Team: No Affiliation
Keywords: Howling Commandos, S.H.I.E.L.D., Soldier, Spy

10 9 17 3

8 10 17 2

8 10 16 2

8 10 16 2

7 9 16 2

7 9 15 2

KO KO KO KO

The Ant-Man of this comic is Scott Lang, but we don't yet have a Scott Lang version of the character, so I'm using the Eric O'Grady version from Chaos War instead. The main motivation is that using this version prevents the temptation to 'morph' out different versions of Hank Pym, which would not be comic accurate. The common 75-point Hank Pym Ant-Man also from Chaos War has a perfectly accurate dial, but I like that this dial makes you really think how to position your force to get the most use out of it. The powers are perfectly fine (if peculiarly named) for Scott Lang, and it brings the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability to the wild cards.

R Ant-Man Points: 43 Range: 3
Team: Avengers|S.H.I.E.L.D.
Keywords: Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., Thunderbolts

6 9 17 1

6 9 16 1

6 9 16 1

5 9 16 1

5 8 15 1

5 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

OK, I'm a Voyeur, So What?: When an adjacent character moves due to its own action, once per turn you may place Ant-Man in a square adjacent to that character after the action resolves.

Irredeemable Liar: Ant-Man can use Outwit, but only to counter an opposing character's Outwit or Perplex, or a special power that specificially allows the use of Outwit or Perplex.

This force is reaching back to Clobberin' Time to find a Black Cat dial. I'm using the Experienced version that brings high-mobility Probability Control as well as a wild card team ability. The 4-range can also be useful, especially on a team with the S.H.I.E.L.D. team ability available.

E Black Cat Points: 32 Range: 4
Team: Spider-Man
Keywords: Heroes for Hire, Marvel Knights

8 8 15 2

7 8 15 2

7 7 14 1

6 6 13 1

5 5 12 1

KO KO KO KO

This force has three figures that qualify for the Avengers (Heroic Age) Additional Team Ability: Dr. Strange, Iron Fist and Ant-Man. The team ability is essentially a small opportunity to lift one token (after it has been assigned) after a move action. Note that all of these characters can also simultaneously use the Avengers Team ability as well, but that Wild Cards without the keyword (i.e. Black Cat) will have to pick one or the other to copy.

If Dr. Strange can Wand of Watoomb Red She-Hulk, lookout.

Cool team. So the Nick Fury in all of the Defenders promos and covers has been 60s Nick? I was not aware of that, interesting.

I love this comic series and have been looking to make some of these teams but I don't have that dang red shehulk.

I definitely hope that we players eventually get a new Red She-Hulk. The costume and power set of the character in this awesome Defenders run is different enough from the only existing HeroClix version to warrant being made. I think that we could get a great version around 125 points ...given the assorted 100-150 point 'hulk-ish' characters we have gotten in 2012.

Here is a mod from Thick McLargehuge's album:

Attached Images

red shulkie.jpg (38.3 KB, 33 views)

Cool idea and FYI its 2012 not 2011 currently

But it is still the 2011 issue of the comic. I used to be more 'hip' to what volume of a certain comic was current, but the major publishers have a bad habit of changing them so often (mini, maxi, cancelled series) that I'm just keeping the 2011 title.

That Doctor Strange is just brutal, and that Iron Fist is the same way. I don't have that Red She-Hulk, so I can't say for sure how good she is, but her dial looks pretty tough. Can't wait to see the rest of this series' teams!

This series is just starting to really hit it's stride. It pains me that the series is ending in a few issues thanks to the "Marvel NOW! Reboot that's not a reboot" that is coming in the next few months.

right there with you, a new rsh is called for, even just to have one not drowning in "new character gloss." the mod looks great


maybe after this fun defenders run, you should look into doing the exiles. while not everyone is made (looking at you magnus and sunfire) there are easy substitutes for most extradimensional variants and the foes they fight are just as fun to recreate (like the first arc's evil xmen: xavier, juggernaut, domino, human torch, spiderwoman and chamber). you wouldnt be lacking for variety

I'd make a case for a Teen Titans run on this series, if only because an Alpha Flight run would be over pretty much as soon as it was begun. Exiles are fun, but pretty much all of the Exiles figures are really outdated. Just my $0.02.