Synopsis
Defenders (2021 series) #4 synopsis by
Rob Johnson
Rating:
Dr Strange has gathered a new bunch of Defenders to help Masked Raider chase Carlo Zota through earlier Cosmoses. We've seen Zota as Herald of Omnimax The Devourer in the 6th Cosmos of science in #2, where Silver Surfer left the team to be replaced by Taaia of Taa - the mother of the child who will be Galactus. We saw him in the 5th Cosmos of magic, having learnt the subject as a slave of Sorcerer Supreme Mor-i-dun. Now they've fallen into the 4th Cosmos where the Defenders met a being who looked like the green Hulk with no head but 4 faces on his chest (1 frowning, 1 smiling, 1 grinning, 1 snarling).
Cloud reminds us of their origin - (a nebula) that met 2 lovers driving on a lonely road (and caused them to crash) and adopted their shapes to learn about life (which they did in many issues of New Defenders). Dr Strange now calls on them to try to communicate with the 'Hulk' who 'speaks' in colours. But their attempt only enrages it (represented by black 'speech' from the snarling face) and it attacks them. Masked Raider fires his guns but says his Eternity Mask can't get a fix on the foe because there are too many of it at once. Taaia forms solid energy fists the size of the foe's to hit it with, and Betty Banner turns back into Red Harpy to join in. Then using a variation on his trick from last issue DrS transfers the power of his Eye Of Agamotto to Cloud who detects that their enemy is an archetypal being, an idea in the mind of the Cosmos, this 1 being the archetype 1-Is-4.
The fighting stops when 1-Is-4 is enclosed in a force field, and Stephen Strange is not surprised by the appearance of a 4-Are-1 whose female member projected it. The other members are a complex blob, a chunky block and a male, and they're all linked by lines of fire. The female speaks in all colours at once. Strange tries to talk to her with no success until she 'vomits' streamers of colour which investigate them. Eventually the male can address them intelligibly. He notes that the strange newcomers are less powerful than them but more complex, and they may succeed where the archetypes have failed. There is a recurring conflict among them but another stranger has interfered, and of course it's Zota.
Cloud notes that 1-Is-4 seems to have accepted his force-field cage now (but only by smothering his frowning and snarling faces with his hands). Red Harpy vows to stop Zota here, but Cloud doubts they can break the pattern that the previous issues have set. She can sense that this whole Cosmos is composed of patterns and repeating cycles, and she doubts that they can free the archetypes from the illusion of change. She wonders if they even know that *they* are in a cage.
4-Are-1 take them to the battlefield where Of-Past opposes Of-Future and all the others have picked sides. The male explains that the conflict continues until 1 side wins. Both leaders die and are reborn. Everyone evolves, learns, grows. Until, it all happens again. But 1 figure in a green cloak stands apart, feeling around blindly and asking where his face is. 4-Are-1 says that is Never-Open, their common enemy, and Stephen figures out that he's lost his mask. 4-Are-1 points to this Cosmos' archetypal version of The Devourer stomping through the battle with Zota on his shoulder wearing the missing mask. Carlo declares that this is What-Must-Be who is going to end this Cosmos, and Zota intends to be the being that passes through that end to become the Devourer of the 5th Cosmos.
As with Omnimax, Raider daren't use the Eternity Mask to become the equal of What-Must-Be because that would risk equalling his Devouring hunger. 4-Are-1 says that What-Must-Be *cannot* be fought. But Red Harpy leaps into battle anyway, intending to attack Zota. But his giant companion swats her aside. So MR decides the risk is worth taking and becomes Galactus-sized to engage the Devourer in fisticuffs. Zota demands to know who's inside the Mask who's been hunting him across realities. Raider says he's Zota's what-must-be, and Zota replies that he's MR's doom. And he emits eye-blasts from his stolen mask which momentarily blind his foe so the Devourer can knock him down. Strange notes that the Eternity Mask only gives the wearer an *equal* chance in any conflict, but that means they can still lose.
But Cloud has noticed the patterns breaking in this Cosmos, and uses the opportunity to escape from *their* cage. The 2 sides of Cloud split into separate male and female components, but at the same time a new mixed form arises. The 3 take on the 3 primary colours (red, green and blue without black) of this Cosmos and speak to the archetypes telling them that change is not an illusion and they can outgrow their eternal battle. Of-Past and Of-Future stop fighting each other and the rest take their cue to attack What-Must-Be en masse, swarming over him. Zota senses defeat and uses Never-Open's mask to escape to the 3rd Cosmos.
The darkness of What-Must-Be then changes into golden What-Can-Be. He says that it is true that everything dies and so the 4th Cosmos must end. But he can save the archetypes by sending them to a new adventure so that everything lives. The sentience of the 4th Cosmos appears and agrees with him that nothing (truly) dies. She declares herself to be the True Believer, the Pilgrim and she will take on a new form to take her archetypes to the heart of creation. The energy she sheds will create the 5th Cosmos of magic. But some of it will send the Defenders to follow Zota. However the price will be the loss of 1 of their number. Cloud tells them that she's going with the archetypes because even as a nebula they were caged by the patterns of the 8th Cosmos. But she adds that they will meet again when the Defenders reach the 'mystery'.
When they reach the 3rd Cosmos it seems to consist purely of a featureless white 'planet' with a black 'sky'. But then they look up and see 2 colossal beings fighting.
CharactersGood (or All)Plus: Cloud, Masked Raider, Never Queen (
Queen Of Nevers), Taaia.
Enemies
Carlo Zota.