Marvel's The Defenders: The Comics History of the Team

They're a "non-team" of misfits, but there sure have been a lot of non-teams! We take a look at all of them.

By Arnold T. Blumberg

They’re the outsiders – the heroes that wouldn’t normally be expected to work together in any sort of organization – so what better way to feature them all in a title of their own than to declare them a “non-team?” Nope, not the Avengers or the FF, nothing to see here! The Defenders have always been a bit off the beaten path, comprised of a bewilderingly strange assortment of Marvel’s B and C-list stars along with some illustrious colleagues from other teams like the Avengers and the X-Men. Over the years, the team has gone through a number of reincarnations, leading up to their big live-action debut on Netflix this summer in an eight-episode run that unites Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist! So for a “non-team,” there have been a heck of a lot of Defenders! But where did this crazy ride begin? Let’s go back to 1971 – oh, what a long time ago that was – and find out…

Note: For the purposes of this article, we’ll stick with the primary Marvel Universe. There’s an Ultimate Defenders incarnation of amateur adventurers and several alternate timeline versions as well.

The Original Non-Team

First Appearance: Marvel Feature #1 (December, 1971)

Core Members: Doctor Strange (leader), Hulk, Namor

Selected Other Members: Silver Surfer, Valkyrie, Hellcat, Nighthawk, Beast, Son of Satan, Gargoyle, Luke Cage, a cast of dozens more

Originally created by writer Roy Thomas, the amorphous team that would form into the original Defenders in the 1970s emerged from crossover stories involving the Undying Ones and a weather machine (two separate arcs) that led to the Marvel Feature appearance and then a title of their own. Although the first three members were the core of the team and kicked off their official adventures by battling the wizard Yandroth, many other heroes joined the group for varying stints, including those listed above and the likes of Clea, Hawkeye, Power Man, Yellowjacket, Devil-Slayer, and Red Guardian. Perhaps due to Doctor Strange’s central role in the proceedings, the non-team always seemed to dwell in the more mystical, off-beat corners of the Marvel Universe, tackling threats that the Avengers or the Fantastic Four or even solo heroes like Spider-Man were unlikely to face.

Although, as we’ll see, a number of other incarnations of the Defenders were formed over the years, the original core team of Strange, Hulk, Namor, and the Silver Surfer reunited several more times to date. Their first reteaming occurred in 1990, while as the cursed Order in 2001-2002 they attempted to safeguard the planet by ruling it under the influence of their old enemy Yandroth. Saved from this evil path by other former Defenders colleagues, the same team lacking the Hulk reunited during the “Fear Itself” arc to help Atlantis. The original four were then back together again with some other members for about a year, starting with Defenders Vol. 4 #1 (November 2001). You just can’t keep a good non-team down.

The New Defenders

First Appearance: Defenders #125 (November, 1983)

Core Members: Beast, Valkyrie, Gargoyle, Angel, Iceman, Moondragon

Selected Other Members: Cloud

With a more specific structure to the team and a heavy influence from former X-Men making up half the “New” line-up, the ’80s incarnation of the Defenders said goodbye to the original four. Told that an ancient prophecy decreed they would destroy the world if they remained together (later reformations, of course, proved that completely wrong), the founding Defenders left the job to the Beast and his allies, who sought out government approval for their activities. In 1986 this team reached the end of the road, with the X-members going on to form X-Factor, the revived team of original five X-Men.

The Secret Defenders

First Appearance: Dr. Strange Vol. 3 #50 (February, 1993)

Core Members: Doctor Strange, Doctor Druid

Selected Other Members: Hulk, Ghost Rider, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Spider-Woman, Captain America, Scarlet Witch, War Machine, Nova

Initially in this incarnation, Strange would assemble single-mission teams specifically tailored to a given task, thus maintaining no particular core members apart from himself. That didn’t stop him from relying on past Defenders when necessary, however, as the list of other members makes clear. At one point, a team of evil Secret Defenders led by Thanos and including the Super-Skrull, Titanium Man, the Rhino, and others operated for several issues, but when Strange stepped down and installed Doctor Druid as the new leader of the Secret Defenders project, Druid assembled teams that included members like Luke Cage, Deadpool, Giant-Man, Iron Fist, Dagger, Deathlok, and U.S. Agent.

The Last Defenders

First Appearance: The Last Defenders #1 (October, 2008)

Members: Nighthawk, Colossus, She-Hulk, Blazing Skull

Growing out of the fallout from the “Civil War” storyline, this Defenders team was formed by Iron Man himself, Tony Stark, at the request of Kyle “Nighthawk” Richmond, with a mix of former members and newcomers to the line-up. Although Nighthawk intended to reunite with a few old friends like Devil Slayer and Hellcat, Stark overruled him and picked the team listed here. They didn’t last long, because their first time out of the gate was considered nothing but a complete disaster, thus leading to their immediate dissolution. The one thing we can definitely conclude from their era is that their name is not at all accurate either, because…

The Street-Level Defenders (or the Netflix Team)

First Appearance: Defenders Vol. 5 #1 (August, 2017); The Defenders (2017)

Members: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist

And here we are at the present, with a very different line-up featuring versions of past Defenders (the comic book Luke first joined in Defenders #17, November 1974, while Iron First worked with multiple versions of the team starting in 1978) teamed with Defenders newcomers DD and Jessica. Considering how fanciful and supernatural past Defenders escapades have been over the years, this is likely to be the most grounded variation on the theme we’ve ever seen. But no matter if they sojourn in the realm of Dormammu or just the dark and foreboding alleys of Hell’s Kitchen, the “non-team” known as the Defenders will always be ready to randomly band together to battle against the forces of something or other!

Find Arnold T. Blumberg on Twitter at @DoctoroftheDead.

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