File:Defenders Vol 1 23 001.JPG

Description
Following a recap of the Defenders' initial confrontation with the Sons of the Serpent, the Avenger called Yellowjacket pounces upon two Serpent members who were secretly following the Defenders. Yellowjacket defeats the henchmen, capturing one while the other escapes. He drags the injured scoundrel to Dr. Strange's mansion, where the other Defenders are in assemblage. Nighthawk's threats intimidate the villain into revealing that his Serpent leader will be making a national TV appearance to spread the group's message of a new world order. After a brief distraction in the form of a sudden and unexpected appearance by Jack Norris, the estranged husband of Barbara Norris(the woman whose form is now possessed by the Valkrie), the Defenders tune in to the TV broadcast of the Serpent Supreme. The Serpent leader rants on and on about how America must be cleansed, and how all minorities are ruining the country. Afterward, even the Hulk is touched and enraged by the intensity of the message of hatred. After deducing who might be behind the Serpent group, the Defenders agree to set out after them, but then Dr. Strange's house is rocked by a series of explosions in the area. Outside, the Sons of the Serpent have dropped some sort of incendiary bombs on portions of the city inhabited by minorities. Hulk and Nighthawk, under Yellowjacket's leadership, manage to save several people and extinguish the flames. While the two Defenders are busy, Yellowjacket is easily overwhelmed by an attack from nearly a dozen Serpent members. When the remaining Defenders arrive, they are assaulted and downed by powerful stun-guns manned by the Sons of the Serpent. Only the Hulk remains standing. He wades in defiantly against stun blasts and electrically-charged steel coils. However, it is only a matter of time before an injured and fatigued Hulk finally falls before the relentless assault. Secure in their victory, the Serpent Squad removes the bodies of each Defender except for the Hulk, as they are unable to lift him, and they have no use for a "--useless dumb brute." As they leave with their captives, no one notices an unconscious Hulk transform into an unconscious Bruce Banner.