FEM-FORCE

Membership: Athene, Mandrill, Selma, numerous others;
Formerly Hellcat, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde)

Purpose: To serve the every whim of the Mandrill

Affiliations: Mutant Force (Burner, Lifter, Peeper, Shocker, Slither)

Enemies: Frederic and Emily Beechman, Judge Clark, Daredevil (Matt Murdock), Defenders (Clea, Hellcat, Hulk (Bruce Banner), Nighthawk, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde)), Milton Rosenblum, Wasp, Dian Wilkins, Yellowjacket (Henry Pym)

Base of Operations: An unrevealed base in Colorado

First Appearance: Defenders I#78 (December, 1978)

History: (Defenders I#79 (fb) - BTS) - Mandrill used his pheromone-based powers to control women to form an all woman army called Fem-Force. He also hired the five-membered Mutant Force to serve him. He put together a plot to establish new financial capital for himself and sent his army to retrieve a gold store at a military base.

(Defenders I#78 -BTS) - Fem-Force and Mutant Force attacked the military base at Las Animus, Colorado and were repelled by conveniently nearby heroes Hellcat, Valkyrie (Brunnhilde), Wasp, and Yellowjacket (Hank Pym). Yellowjacket was taken hostage, and Fem-Force led the heroines into a trap.

(Defenders I#79) - Fem-Force and Mutant Force continued battling the heroines until they were captured and Mandrill used his pheromones to enslave them to his will. Despite Mutant Force’s protestations, Mandrill appointed the powerful Valkyrie as the head of his armies. When two of his captives, a young girl named Dian and the Wasp, managed to escape, Mandrill set his army into motion, sending them against the military base again.

(Defenders I#80) - Mandrill observed the battle from afar, still holding Yellowjacket captive and taunting the hero. When Defenders’ member Nighthawk managed to free the heroines from Mandrill’s control, they quickly defeated Mutant Force and Fem-Force. Mandrill anticipated them attacking him and escaped to his Central American base, launching Yellowjacket in an escape rocket to cover his escape.

(Defenders I#89) - Mandrill sent his Fem-Force to attack the Defenders for revenge. They took a canister of his pheromone and unloaded their airship over Nighthawk’s penthouse. They were shocked to find Daredevil inside after they blew a hole in the wall. The women quickly attacked and subdued him with a dart containing muscle paralyzer strong enough to put down Hulk (so they claimed). They took Daredevil and locked him in a bank vault, after Mandrill ordered they do so.

(Defenders I#90) - From Central America, Mandrill loaded up the Fem-Force in the ship to go battle the Defenders. A group of Fem-Force saw Hellcat enter Nighthawk’s apartment and subdued her, though she fought them off with her Shadow-Cloak before they put her under Mandrill’s control. Mandrill then led his forces to the courthouse where they interrupted the trial of Nighthawk (who’d departed) and put Valkyrie and Judge Clark under his sway, opposing Hulk and lawyer Milton Rosenblum. Daredevil and Nighthawk soon attacked and Mandrill fled in a cab. Hellcat was released from his control, but Valkyrie was not.

(Defenders I#91) - Mandrill forced Judge Clark to begin calling the proceedings the way he wanted her to.  At his headquarters, Mandrill reveled in his victories before Fem-Force, and appointed Valkyrie his second-in-command. Mandrill led his forces to the Arrowshaft Nuclear Plant, not knowing that Daredevil had tagged along in pursuit. He surprised his parents, holding his father at gunpoint and taking over his mother, who led Fem-Force below in the facility on a day when a women’s group was marching outside. He had a portion of Fem-Force move to open the nuclear levels and, despite opposition from Hellcat, one of Fem-Force, Selma, was able to do so. Mandrill, his father, and the rest of Fem-Force donned containment suits and were shocked when Nighthawk and Daredevil attacked. Mandrill held his father hostage and rushed forward into the radiation chamber, where Mandrill forced his father to take off the suit, hoping to expose his father, killing him. Hulk burst through the wall and Mandrill threatened to blow up the reactor until Hulk successfully shut it down. Mandrill prepared to fire his gun at the Hulk, who’d become Bruce Banner, but his mother shot him in the back, seemingly killing him.

Comments: Created by Ed Hannigan, Herb Trimpe, and Mike Esposito.

Profile by Chadman.

CLARIFICATIONS:
Fem-Force has no known connections to


Athene

(Defenders I#90) - Athene, of the Fem-Force, sat next to Mandrill as he recounted his origins.

--Defenders I#90

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Selma

(Defenders I#91) - As one of Mandrill’s Fem-Force, Selma participated in an attack on the Arrowshaft Nuclear Plant. While many of her teammates were shocked to their senses by Hellcat, Selma rushed forward and successfully completed the Mandrill’s orders.

--Defenders I#91

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


images: (without ads)
Defenders I#90, p6, pan5 (Main)

p1, pan1 (Second)
Defenders I#91, p2, pan2 (Athene)
p12, pan3 (Selma)


Appearances:
Defenders I#78 (December, 1979) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#79 (January, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer/penciler), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#80 (February, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#85 (July, 1980) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Jim Mooney (penciler/inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#89 (November, 1980) - David Kraft & Ed Hannigan (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Pablo Marcos (penciler/inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#90,91 (December, 1980-January, 1981) - Ed Hannigan (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Pablo Marcos (penciler/inker), Al Milgrom (editor)


Last updated: 03/07/07.

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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