WASTELAND

Type: Extradimensional alien world (see comments)

Environment: The Wasteland planet, at least, varies between a desolate, barren, rocky land, with cracked earth, steaming fissures, gaping and lava-spouting craters; and a lush paradise, with flowers, plants, waterfalls, and whatever food was needed, under the influence of the Rose of Purity

Usual means of access: Magic; presumably vibrational attunement as well

Dominant Life Form: Rose of Purity's race 

Significant Inhabitants: Damask, Zaffer

Visitors: Defenders (Hellcat/Patsy Walker, Hulk/Bruce Banner, Namor the Sub-Mariner, Son of Satan/Daimon Hellstrom, Valkyrie/Brunnhilde)

First Appearance: Defenders I#108 (August, 1982)

History:

(Defenders I#108 (fb) - BTS / Defenders: Strange Heroes: Rose of Purity) - The Rose of Purity was the last survivor (and/or sole remaining member) of the race that had previously dwelled on a planetoid that, at least eventually, became barren, arid, and rocky, known as the Wasteland.

    100,000 years ago, a great ship crashed on the Wasteland planetoid (see comments): The two survivors were the giant blue warrior Zaffer and the delicate red musician Damask.

    The Rose nurtured Zaffer and Damask back to health. In addition, the Rose cared for them, filled them with joy, and set free their hearts and minds. Sustained by the couple's love and worship, the Rose altered his world to create a heavenly environment for the two. Zaffer and Damask lived an idyllic life as lovers, with Zaffer forsaking his former violent nature. 

    Zaffer enjoyed dancing and singing, accompanied by Damask's playing her lyre-like instrument. They apparently underwent a regular ritual where the Rose reverted the world around them to its desolate state, restoring its lush paradise nature after they sang and told of their history.

    At some point in the succeeding millennia, others visited the Rose's world, where Zaffer and Damask made them welcome.

(Defenders I#107 - BTS / Defenders I#108 (fb) - BTS / Defenders: Strange Heroes: Rose of Purity) - In recent years, the Asgardian sorceress Amora the Enchantress, drew the embodiment of love itself to Asgard. To be worthy of Love's devotion, Enchantress felt she needed to cleanse her soul of past evil via the Rose of Purity's power. 

    Learning the Rose's location from fellow Asgardian sorceress Karnilla, Amora resolved to enlist the Defenders to travel to the Wasteland to obtain the Rose. In exchange, Amora would revive the true, Asgardian goddess body of the Defenders' teammate, Brunnhilde the Valkyrie, whose mortal host, Barbara Norriss, had recently perished.

    Unknown to Amora, Love, troubled by her actions, telepathically contacted Defenders leader Dr. Stephen Strange, who mentally warned three of his colleagues - Beast (Hank McCoy), Gargoyle (Isaac Christians), and Spider-Man (Peter Parker) - to refuse the Enchantress' offer. To keep Amora distracted, Strange withheld his warning from four others - Hellcat, Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and Son of Satan - whom the Enchantress teleported to the Rose's world; Hellcat also carried Valkyrie's sword, Dragonfang, which then held Valkyrie's soul.

(Defenders I#108) - The Defenders arrived on the Rose's World, where they followed the sound of  music. Zaffer telepathically greeted the strangers, introduced them to their god, and then sang a song of their history, at the conclusion of which the Rose transformed the barren planetoid into an idyllic paradise. 

    As Hellcat noted she could feel the peace, joy, and love in the atmosphere, Zaffer told her that their god was showing her what can be when you give reign to the purity within. Zaffer then encouraged the Defenders to dance, sing, give thanks to their god, and enjoy this paradise as long as they were remained. 

    When the Hulk explained that they needed the Rose to bring back their dead friend, Zaffer realized the visitors wanted to take their god, leading to a fight between the Zaffer and the Hulk, Namor, and Son of Satan, while Hellcat attempted to cut down the Rose with Dragonfang, although opposed both by Brunnhilde's spirit and by Damask's delicate form and earnest pleas.

    While the male Defenders eventually gained the upper hand on Zaffer, and Hellcat easily cast aside the delicate Damask, the conflict caused the Rose to remove its influence, reverting the planetoid to its desolate state.

    Convinced by Brunnhilde that one life wasn't worth the destruction of the lives of others, Hellcat persuaded her fellow Defenders to end the battle. 

    The Rose then restored his world's blissful state, claiming the brief crisis had enabled them all to better appreciate paradise after having walked through the wasteland of their own hearts.

    Damask and Zaffer stood silently as the image of the Enchantress then appeared above, telling them that they would be trapped there for all eternity. Thereafter, Zaffer told his new friends that they were more than welcome to remain with them, and that he and Damask would be proud to share what was theirs. Namor considered that they may have no choice but to accept.

Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Don Perlin, Sam Trapani, Rick Magyar, and Jack Abel.

    The initial image world of the Rose of Purity clearly shows other planets and apparently stars, and Amora noted that she would send them across time and space to get there.

    I have to think that the Wasteland was actually one world in this alien dimension, and that the Rose's influence was only on that one planetoid. I also wonder whether the Rose actually transformed the world or just granted the illusion of paradise. Perhaps the Rose's energies sustained the inhabitants, rather than any actual food present in the seemingly-transformed world.

    Were Zaffer and Damask's races native to the Wasteland dimension or did they arrive there under unrevealed circumstances?

    Who were the others who visited the Wasteland? Where did they come from? How did they get there? Where did they go after they left? I gots to know!!

    This profile was completed 10/31/2021, but its publication was delayed as it was intended for the Appendix 25^th anniversary 's celebratory event.

Profile by Snood.

CLARIFICATIONS:
No known connection to:

• WASTELANDs of OTHERPLACE/LIMBO - --New X-Men#37
• other "waste" or "land" characters, places, etc.

Appearances:
Defenders I#108 (August, 1982) - J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (pencils), Sam Trapani, Rick Magyar, Jack Abel (inks), Al Milgrom (inks/editor)
Defenders: Strange Heroes (February, 2012) - Jeff Christiansen, Mike O'Sullivan, & Stuart Vandal (head writers/coordinators)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First posted: 09/03/2026
Last updated: 10/31/2021

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