A few weeks ago I showcased a Defenders lineup that prominently featured Black Cat on the cover. This month's issue has her teaming up with Defenders, so it's time to build a force with Ms. Hardy.

To see a 500-point force of heroes from this month's Defenders, follow the link!

Synopsis: Last issue, the Defenders faced off against John Aman on the Psychic plane, which did not go well for them. As this issue starts, they have been given 24 hours to settle things with John Aman and the nation of Z'Gambo before Wakanda goes to war. Unknown to everyone, everyone in Z'Gambo is dead, except for John Aman...and the Black Cat who is parachuting into the nation to steal a Satan's Claw.

The Black Cat is happy to join the eventual fight, fighting alongside the Defenders:

159 (Galactic Gaurdians 209) Silver Surfer
139 (Web of Spider-Man 053) Red She-Hulk
75 (Galactic Guardians 206) Dr. Strange
70 (Secret Invasion 004) Iron Fist
52 (Web of Spider-Man 026) Black Cat
13 (Galactic Guardians 014) Astral Dr. Strange

= 498 Points

I wanted to mix things up a little with this force, and so I am showcasing the single-figure version of Silver Surfer from the Galactic Guardians set. The natural 2-damage on this dial is a big turn-off, but otherwise this is a reasonably solid dial for this team, even with those clicks without damage reducers. The Power Cosmic Team Ability (with no Defenders TA) means that Surfer doesn't have to stay adjacent to other figures, but he can can still benefit from Dr. Strange's special white power to grant +2 defense against most ranged attacks. If you feel that players will be picking on this Silver Surfer, send a little Red She-Hulk their way!

R Silver Surfer Points: 149 Range: 8
Team: Power Cosmic
Keywords: Cosmic, Defenders, Herald

10 10 17 3

12 10 18 2

12 10 18 2

10 10 17 3

10 10 17 4

10 9 16 2

11 9 16 2

KO KO KO KO

The Black Cat is a character that was made once as an REV/LE (way back in Clobberin' Time) and was only recently remade in Web of Spider-Man. The original Experience version was well-loved for being a mobile (Leap/Climb) Wild Card with both Probability Control and a 4attack...all for 32 points! The more modern version has lost a lot of that utility, but she sports much better stats, and has a much more thematic dial. You pretty much have to get her into close combat to earn her points. There is only one team ability on the force for her to copy (Defenders) so you can try to get some value out of that as long as Dr. Strange is still on the map.

E Black Cat Points: 52 Range: 0
Team: Spider-Man
Keywords: Heroes for Hire, Marvel Diva

8 10 17 3

8 9 17 2

7 10 17 2

7 9 16 2

7 10 16 1

6 8 16 1

KO KO KO KO

Bad Luck Powers: Black Cat can use Probability Control, but she can only use it during an opponent's turn. She can use it on each opponent's turn.

All of the other figures I have talked up many times. It is fortunate that we have many different decent versions of all the characters on this force, except one. The Red She-Hulk has only been made once, as a Super-Rare in the Web of Spider-Man set. Lucky for us, the dial is great! I do hope that the character gets remade soon, if only to get a sculpt with her sword, and a dial with the Defenders team ability.

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

Here are the rest of the dials. Since the force had points left over, and I didn't feel like working in an Additional Team Ability, I have added an Astral projection of Dr. Strange. It just seems more thematic to me than any other option I could thing of. If you commit to larger point values, Dr. Strange is likely to be the character that gets upgraded from the single-figure Galactic Guardian set:

R Dr. Strange Points: 75 Range: 8
Team: Defenders
Keywords: Defenders, Detective, Marvel Knights, Midnight Sons, Mystical

9 10 16 2

9 10 16 2

8 9 15 2

7 9 15 1

7 8 15 1

7 8 15 1

KO KO KO KO

Shields of the Seraphim: Dr. Strange and adjacent friendly characters can use Energy Shield/Deflection.

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.

R Astral Dr. Strange Points: 13 Range: 0
Team: No Affiliation
Keywords: Mystical

7 8 16 0

7 7 15 0

6 7 14 0

KO KO KO KO

7 8 16 1

7 7 15 0

6 7 14 0

KO KO KO KO

Dr. Strange's Animating Spirit: When this character is KO'd, roll a d6. On a roll of 1-3, give all friendly characters named Dr. Strange an action token.

Intangible and Invisible: Astral Dr. Strange does not require opponents to break away, does not block line of fire, cannot have damage transferred to it by Mastermind or be the target of Perplex, and may be given a move action as a free action once during your turn.

Hopefully this force satisfies everyone who was hoping for more Black Cat after last issue! With the exception of the Super-Rare red She-Hulk, this should be a reasonably easy force to assemble for newer players.

I missed this series, but thanks for the writeup. I have played a few of your teams and this one looks fun as well.

Thanks

These are all good figures.

Great article!

IIRC, the early issues have just been collected in TPB. I've kept the "2011" moniker in the title but the series is still ongoing. Of course, Marvel doesn't usually let series like this continue for very long so we will be lucky to see this go more than 12 issues. I think this is technically "Volume 4" of the Defenders.

This run of Defenders has been fun for me to play in HeroClix for a few reasons:

1) The lineup (including guest stars) subtly shifts, allowing thematic variety. (I can't wait for an actual "Misty Knight" figure!)

2) The core group, except for Red She-Hulk (see #3), is made of characters that have been made several times in HeroClix. We also happy to have many very playable dials for them from the 2007+ versions.

3) This series is the best reason IMO to use the only version of Red She-Hulk we have so far in HeroClix. This character may be an 'only done once' figure, but it is a pretty strong/useful dial.

I really think she needs to be done again, without guns and the ridiculously powerful end clicks. This figure was made when she still had the "new character hype" and doesn't really represent how she is now. A Betty Ross AE would be accurate too.

500 points, you say? The Defenders might have to deal with some daddy issues once I can get your Venom "Dark New Fantastic Four" team together. I don't care if they didn't go up against each other in the comics; the smackdown just seems too good to pass up.

I was playing the New Defenders as a team since issue 1 came out. It is a great excuse to bust out Red She Hulk. I am not looking for a cheaper version of her, she is pretty good in points and powers. I am satisfied.