Defenders Saturday (A Day Late)

Once again, this is the second of three parts of Marvel Comics Presents the Defenders, because this story is so strange. Actually this middle part makes a bit more sense than the first part, but the third part will ramp up the wackiness factor again.

When last we met, Xemnu (from the Magic Planet) had a crappy TV show and was saying he was going to take the children of earth with him. Well one of those kids is none other than Jim Wilson (young black kid who is friends with the Hulk). General Thunderball Ross who’s kind of like Grandpa when he’s not obsessed with the Hulk switches the program off and says it’s crap. Jim agrees and realizes that he needs to talk to someone arrogant. So he goes out and heads down to Greenwich Village to talk to an annoying cabbie.

But then Dr. Strange shows up. It turns out that Dr. Strange has a TV set (presumably he mostly watches cooking shows on it). Jim notes that the TV is set to Xemnus show and explains that he, for a moment, wanted to go with Xemnu back to the Magic Planet. And frankly, who wouldn’t. Anyway Dr. Strange looks pensive, but we are spared a long explanation of his thoughts by the miracle of a cut.

Let’s check back in with our astronaut buddies. They are still jerks. Then the Hulk shows up with Jim Wilson and says “Hulk wants to come on your SHOW - - make the world see he’s NOT as bad as they THINK.” The two astronauts realize that having the hulk on the show could be incredibly dangerous, but then realize that the Hulk rarely does much more than property damage and so say “Sure” Jim Wilson and the Hulk exit (by means of a flying carpet), and, in a nearby ally, the Hulk transforms into Dr. Strange. Jim Wilson says that they will return to the studio in four weeks.

As the weeks pass the show continues to get high ratings, and kids buy little fluffy Xemnu figurines or dolls. Finally the big day arrives, and the show the Hulk is going to be on is timed to coincide with a manned space launch. Yeah, NASA had ratings problems even then.

Apparently, being the Hulk is very tiring for Dr. Strange. But that’s ok because the real Hulk in his puny Banner form walks by a TV and sees himself on TV. This is upsetting to Banner and even more so to the Hulk Hulk gets a little bit upset and destroys the tv shop he was walking past, saying “SO! Even when Hulk does NOTHING some human makes himself LOOK like Hulk. Tries to make other Humans MAD at him.” Hulk leaps into the air to avenge this injustice.