Ollerus the Unmerciful

(Defenders I#66 (fb) – BTS) – Seeking to usurp Hela as the Asgardian God of Death, Ollerus the Unmerciful raised an army to fight for him, and recruited two magical allies who were willing to fight in exchange for power, Casiolena and Poppo the Cunning.

(Defenders I#66) – Ollerus led his forces against Hela, who recalled Valkyrie and the Valkyrior to fight for her. Hela’s forces also included Harokin and Tyr, with his Sea Reavers. Poppo the Cunning watched Valkyrie’s return through the Crystal of Eternal View and presented a plan to Ollerus to use the Valkyrie against Hela. Ollerus agreed to the plan. His forces battled Hela’s, which were led by Harokin, in Valhalla until a rising mountain caused an earthquake that broke up the battle. Valkyrie investigated the mountain and was drawn through a portal to her true body. When she touched it, their souls switched; Valkyrie was then unconscious in her true form while the form she’d been using became possessed with the soul of the maddened earthwoman Barbara Norris.

(Defenders I#67) – Ollerus and Poppo confronted Valkyrie, who tried to fight against them, and kept her in a mystic cell. They watched as Norris, in Valkyrie’s form and acting as Ollerus’s Valkyrie, brought the souls of Earth Defenders Nighthawk, Hulk, and Hellcat to Valhalla to serve him, thinking they were fighting for the cause of right. With Casiolena and Poppo, Ollerus also began slaying random Earthlings, bringing their souls to Valhalla to fight for his army as well. His mountain in Valhalla continued growing in power and size. Unaware that Valkyrie had managed to escape by slaying Casiolena’s Watch-Dragons (with the aid of Harokin), Ollerus commanded his new army of humans and heroes to follow him against Hela, claiming she was the cause of their demises.

(Defenders I#68) - Ollerus further convinced the Defenders to fight for him, giving them leadership of his army. Ollerus’s army neared victory when the Hulk downed Valkyrie, and he commanded his forces to head for a final strike. The Defenders realized they were on the wrong side, however, and switched. The Defenders fought with Hela’s forces and they gained the upper-hand, so Ollerus used his mountain as a weapon, crushing the heroic army, until Hulk smashed the mountain. Ollerus vowed that if he was banished to Niffelheim, that he would marshal his forces and attack anew, so Hela conceded control of Valhalla to Harokin and banished herself, Ollerus, and Norris to Niffelheim. The slain humans were restored to life and returned to Earth.