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Defenders (comics)

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Defenders ("non-team")Defenders ("non-team")
File:DefendersIII1.jpg
The Defenders, by Kevin Maguire
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMarvel Feature #1 (December 1971)
Created byRoy Thomas
Ross Andru
In-story information
Base(s)Mobile
Member(s)defunct
Notable former members
Doctor Strange
The Hulk
Namor
Silver Surfer
Valkyrie
Nighthawk
Hellcat
Gargoyle
Roster
See: List of Defenders members

The Defenders is a name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups — usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders" each known for following their own agendas — that usually battles mystic and supernatural threats.

Its original and most popular incarnation is led by Doctor Strange and also includes The Silver Surfer, Namor, and the Hulk, all popular superheroes in their own right. They first appeared as The Defenders in Marvel Feature #1 (December 1971).[1]

The group had a rotating line-up from 1972 until 1986. The publication was retitled near the end of the run as The New Defenders but featured none of the originals. The concept was modified in the 1993–95 series Secret Defenders, in which Dr. Strange assembled different teams for each individual mission. In the 2000s, Marvel published a new miniseries featuring the classic line-up.

History

The origin of the Defenders can be traced back to two crossover story arcs by Roy Thomas prior to the official founding of the team. The first, in Doctor Strange #183 (November 1969), Sub-Mariner #22 (February 1970), and The Incredible Hulk #126 (April 1970) occurred when the Dr. Strange series was cancelled and the storyline was completed in the other series. Dr. Strange teams with Sub-Mariner, then the Hulk to protect the Earth from invasion by Lovecraftian inter-planar beings known as the Undying Ones and their leader, the Nameless One. Barbara Norriss, later the host of the Valkyrie, first appears in this story. In the second arc (featured in Sub-Mariner #34 and #35, February and March 1971), Namor enlists the aid of the Silver Surfer and the Hulk to stop a potentially devastating weather control experiment (and to inadvertently free a small island nation from a dictator) and face the Avengers. These two story arcs were reprinted in the first Essential Defenders volume.

The Defenders first appeared as a feature in Marvel Feature #1 (December, 1971), where the founding members gathered to battle the alien techno-wizard Yandroth and remained as a team afterwards. Due to the popularity of their tryout in Marvel Feature, Marvel soon began publishing The Defenders. The best-known and most prominent Defenders are Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, the Silver Surfer, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, and Hellcat. Many other heroes worked with the team in its original incarnation, and several became "official" members. Other notable members include Hawkeye, Devil-Slayer, Son of Satan, Clea, Moondragon, the Gargoyle, the Beast, Iceman, and The Angel.

DAK

David Anthony Kraft's 1977–1979 run as Defenders writer was eventful and decidedly offbeat. In The Defenders, Kraft wrestled with large philosophical issues: the temptations of power, the Cold War and nuclear power, sibling rivalry, and growing old alone. Notable storylines from the Kraft era were the 1977 "Scorpio Saga" story-arc (issues #46, 48–50),[2] and the "Xenogenesis: Day of the Demons" storyline, (issues #58-60), where Kraft merged his interests in music and comics by inserting multiple references to the band Blue Öyster Cult into the stories.[3]

"Defenders for a Day"

A storyline in issues #63-65 (written by Kraft) had dozens of new applicants attempting to join the Defenders. All of them left shortly after for various reasons, mostly disappointment with the existing members. Among them were the Falcon, Quasar (then named Marvel Man), Captain Mar-Vell, Ms. Marvel, Nova (Richard Rider), Torpedo, Stingray, Havok, Polaris, Black Goliath, White Tiger, Captain Ultra and Tagak the Leopard Lord.

The same storyline also had a number of villains attempting to present themselves as new Defenders members in order to confuse the authorities and the public as they committed robberies. Members included android versions of Libra and Sagittarius, as well as the Beetle, Batroc the Leaper, the Shocker and others.

New Defenders

Defenders (team)
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceDefenders #125
In-story information
Base(s)Brown stone, New Mexico mansion
Member(s)defunct
Roster
See: List of Defenders members

As of issue #125, Defenders was retitled to New Defenders as the "big four" (Doctor Strange, The Silver Surfer, The Hulk and Namor) were forced to leave the team. This was the result of an alien prophecy that stated that these four, operating as a group, would be responsible for destroying the world. The Beast formed the team into an official team complete with government clearance. The remaining Defenders disbanded in New Defenders #152. Several members had seemingly died and several others left the team to join X-Factor. Several of these seemingly-deceased members later returned in issues of Solo Avengers, in Strange Tales vol. 2 #5-7, followed by issues #3-4 of the relaunched Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme series.

In 1992, after it was revealed in Hulk #370-371 that the prophecy had been falsified, the original Defenders were reunited in a story entitled The Return of the Defenders running in Hulk Annual #18, Namor Annual #2, Silver Surfer Annual #5 and Dr. Strange, Sorcerer Supreme Annual #2.

Secret Defenders

Secret Defenders (non-team)
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceSecret Defenders #1
In-story information
Member(s)defunct
Roster
See: List of Defenders members

In 1993, Doctor Strange organized a new "team" called the Secret Defenders, whose membership varied for each mission. A number of then-popular heroes appeared in this series; the first group organized consisted of the membership of "New Fantastic Four" (Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Hulk and Ghost Rider), who battled the Human Torch in Fantastic Four #374-375. The supervillain Thanos also organized a team of "Secret Defenders" during this period, though that team had nothing to do with Strange's group. Eventually, leadership of the Secret Defenders passed to Doctor Druid, who faked his own death in Secret Defenders #25, the series' last issue.

Original Reunite & The Order

In 2001-2002, The Defenders reunited in Defenders (volume 2) #1-12 created by Kurt Busiek and Erik Larsen, immediately followed by The Order #1-6, in which Yandroth manipulated Gaea into "cursing" the primary four Defenders (Doctor Strange, the Sub-Mariner, the Hulk and the Silver Surfer) so that they would be summoned to major crisis situations. These members were then mind controlled by Yandroth into forming the world-dominating "Order"; once the Order were freed from this control by their fellow heroes (including their teammates Hellcat, Nighthawk and Valkyrie), the Defenders apparently disbanded.

A Defenders five-issue miniseries debuted in July 2005, by Keith Giffen, J. M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire (as a team, best known for their work on DC's Justice League), featuring Doctor Strange attempting to reunite the original four Defenders to battle Dormammu and Umar. This series focuses mostly on humor as the characters spend most of their time arguing with and criticizing one another.

The Last Defenders

Defenders (Initiative)
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
First appearanceMarvel Feature #1
Created byRoy Thomas
Ross Andru
In-story information
Base(s)New Jersey
Member(s)Nighthawk
Krang
She-Hulk
Son of Satan
and
Roster
See: Members list

Joe Casey wrote a new mini-series with a new line-up of Defenders as a result of the Super-Human Registration Act and the events of the Civil War. The line-up is being led by Nighthawk, with Blazing Skull, Colossus and She-Hulk also as members. The Defenders are assigned to New Jersey under the Fifty State Initiative, because the proximity to New York City demands more experienced warriors than can just be recruited from the ranks of Camp Hammond. The team is disbanded for incompetence but Richmond eventually founds a team with the Son of Satan, She-Hulk, Krang and Nighthawk (S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Joaquin Pennyworth).

Membership

For detailed information, please see List of Defenders members.

"True" Defenders

Defenders membership was remarkably fluid as the characters consider the team a "non-team", yet a few members were somewhat recognizable, most noticeably the three founders (Doctor Strange, Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Incredible Hulk), the Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Hellcat, and Gargoyle. A secondary tier of Defenders might include such members as Devilslayer, Moondragon, Luke Cage, Clea, Wong and the Son of Satan.

Secret Defenders

This group is sometimes counted as an extension of the original Defenders, despite being largely different in composition and goals. Its composition was perhaps even more fluid than that of the original Defenders, but typically included either Doctor Strange or Doctor Druid as leader, joined by a custom selection of heroes chosen for the mission at hand. At various times, War Machine, Darkhawk, Thunderstrike, Wolverine, the second Spider-Woman, Ant-Man, Iceman, Nomad, and many others were members.

At the end of its existence, the group had a somewhat regular composition including Cadaver, Sepulchre, Joshua Pryce, and Doctor Druid.

Legacy

In addition to the various official incarnations of Defenders, there have been other, unnamed teams put together by Doctor Strange that might be considered Defenders. During the latest story arcs in Marvel Team-Up, Doctor Strange assembled a team of heroes that has been nicknamed 'the Defenders' by fans- consisting of himself, the Hulk, Wolverine, Spider-Man, She-Hulk, Ms. Marvel and Nova- to combat the villain Titannus, subsequently creating a similar team- replacing Nova and the Hulk with Luke Cage and Captain America- to oppose Titannus' return. In the aftermath of the recent Civil War, Doctor Strange has also become a member of the New Avengers, providing the team with secure accommodation as they try to investigate the recent events that have turned the world upside-down.

Alternate versions

Ultimate Defenders

Defenders (Ultimate Universe)
File:ULTMTSV2006 COV.jpg
Promotional art (cover minus trade dress), The Ultimates 2 #6, featuring the Defenders. Art by Bryan Hitch.
Publication information
PublisherMarvel Comics
In-story information
Member(s)Ant Man
Black Knight
Power Man
Hellcat
Nighthawk
Son of Satan
Valkyrie

In the Ultimate Marvel universe, the Defenders are a group of amateur vigilantes who dress up as super-heroes. None of them have superpowers, although they claim to be experienced in crime-fighting. Henry Pym is invited to join them, and he accepts, adopting a new identity- Ant-Man- to avoid the potential legal problems of using his growth serum as it is now the official property of the government. The Defenders are thrilled at the prospect of having an actual superhuman join their team, and convince Pym they are a serious project. Their first mission together is a disaster, and Pym, who wanted to remain out of the spotlight, is forced by the Valkyrie to reveal himself to save them, humiliating himself in the process as he grows to giant-size without a costume, resulting in him being photographed naked. Their members include Ultimate versions of Power Man, Hellcat, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, Black Knight, and Son of Satan. They are later joined by Whiz-Kid, a wheelchair bound boy suffering from polio. He claims to have the ability to vary the temperature of certain inorganic materials.

  • The Valkyrie claims to be a martial arts expert, and then admits that she can't even pass her orange belt.
  • Nighthawk injures himself during an apprehension of a cigarette raid.
  • The Defenders travel the city via taxi and are often late. Later they manage to buy a Pontiac Firebird, which they obtained by sending several letters asking for money for proper transportation because of Whiz-kid's condition.
  • To convince Pym that they are a real super-hero team they claim Dr Strange is a member, and that two X-Men (Iceman and Angel) will show as soon as the Defenders get corporate sponsorship. All of this is untrue, though it is a reference to the classic team, seeing as all of the characters they listed were members in the classic Marvel Universe.
  • Son of Satan is revealed to be a S.H.I.E.L.D spy.

The members of the team seem genuinely perplexed as to why characters such as Spider-Man are considered heroes and they are not, even though the group has not defeated any villains or saved anyone's lives from danger. When Pym points out that "you have to do something heroic," Nighthawk misses the point and insists that Pym is right: "it's all about marketing." The Defenders here appear to be much more interested in becoming celebrities as a self described super-hero team rather than actually going out and stopping crimes or saving lives. Even their eldest member, the Black Knight, when witnessing Iron Man flying towards a fire, is more concerned about him "stealing all the glory," while the Defenders try to hail a cab to get to the same fire.

What If? Age of Apocalypse

In a reality in which Legion killed both Charles Xavier and Eric Lensherr, the Defenders were the sole group resisting the regime of the mutant tyrant Apocalypse. They were formed by Captain America (wielding Mjolnir), Captain Britain (wearing the Iron Man armor), Logan (without any adamantium implants), Molecule Man, Brother Voodoo (Sorcerer Supreme following the death of Doctor Strange) and The Thing (who wears a prosthetic arm). They are later joined by Sauron and Nate Summers

Bibliography of Defenders titles

  • Marvel Feature (1971 series) #1-3 (December 1971 - June 1972)
  • The Defenders (1972 series) #1-152 (August 1972 - February 1986)
  • Giant-Size Defenders (1974 series) #1-5 (July 1974 - July 1975)
  • The Defenders Annual #1 (1976)
  • Marvel Treasury Edition #12 (March 1976) new story in which Howard the Duck joins the Defenders
  • Marvel Treasury Edition #16 (1978) Defenders reprints
  • The Return of the Defenders (Hulk Annual #18, Namor Annual #2, Silver Surfer Annual #2, Dr. Strange Annual #2 1992)
  • Secret Defenders (1993 series) #1-25 (March 1993 - March 1995)
  • Day of the Defenders (March 2001) #1 (reprint book to promote the launch of the new series)
  • Defenders, The Vol.2 (2001 series) #1-12 (March 2001 - February 2002)
  • The Order (2002 series) #1-6 (April 2002 - September 2002)
  • Defenders Vol. 3 #1-5 (July 2005 - January 2006)
  • The Last Defenders #1-6 (2008)

Collections:

  • Avengers Defenders War (2002) collection reprinting a 1970s crossover story
  • Essential Defenders Vol. 1 (2005) collection reprinting the 1970s series
  • Essential Defenders Vol. 2 (2006) collection reprinting the 1970s series
  • Essential Defenders Vol. 3 (2007) collection reprinting the 1970s series
  • Defenders: Indefensible (2006 hardcover, 2007 paperback) collection reprinting the 2005-06 miniseries
  • The Last Defenders (2008) collection reprinting the 2008 miniseries

Appearances in other media

Television

The team proper has never been depicted in other media. However, the animated television series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited depicted an homage to the team. Each series had an episode that feature a subgroup of DC Comics superheroes that play the equivalent roles of their Marvel Comics version.[1]

Their members include (and their Marvel counterparts):

In the Justice League episode "The Terror Beyond," Grundy called Hawkgirl "Bird-Nose", which is what the Hulk called Nighthawk.

Video Games

The four founding members of the Defenders each play a role in Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. The Silver Surfer is an unlockable character in the game. However, he can be unlocked with a special code (available to those who pre-ordered the game through specific outlets) or by completing all Comic Book Missions. Both Dr. Strange and Namor are NPC-Striker characters in the GBA version. Dr. Strange is a playable character in most platforms. In all other versions, Bruce Banner originally only appears as an NPC character who aides the heroes in defusing a gamma bomb, though the Hulk was subsequently released as an optional downloadable playable character in the Xbox 360 version. The player can also get a Defenders team bonus for using a team of Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Luke Cage, Iceman, or the downloadable Hulk. They can also get the team bonus of Secret Defenders by using Ghost Rider, Hulk, Silver Surfer, and Doctor Strange.

Games

In the Vs. System TCG, the Defenders received a full team affiliation in the Marvel Team-Up set. Their team focuses on Dr. Strange, the Hulk, Namor, and the Silver Surfer, using smaller characters such as Hellcat, Hawkeye, and Valkyrie to support them. The team was popular, and a number of different incarnations of the team have appeared in major tournaments.

Trivia

The character names Henry Crun, Minerva Bannister and Hercules Grytpype-Thynne, appearing or mentioned in Issue 148, were lifted from the classic 1950s BBC Radio comedy, The Goon Show.

References

  1. ^ The Defenders 1-7
  2. ^ Latta, D.K. "Who Remembers Scorpio?," The Masked Bookwyrm. Retrieved August 15, 2008.
  3. ^ "Blue Öyster Cult FAQ (Dec. 10, 2001). Accessed Sept. 17, 2008.

Template:Initiative

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