The world’s mightiest “non-team” stands the test of time without structure or rules to defend the world against threats both strange and deadly—they are the Defenders!
To Defend and Protect
The seeds of what would become a unique idea in Super Hero teams were planted in a series of clashes between Doctor Strange, Earth’s Sorcerer Supreme, and a clutch of demonic beings known as the Undying Ones.
After battling the evil entities on his own on several occasions, Strange called first upon Namor the Sub-Mariner, and then later the green gamma-spawned Hulk to aid him in this plight. Neither of the two surly individuals cared to continue their association with the magician, but when another menace subsequently reared its ugly head, Namor and the Hulk teamed again to enlist the cosmic Silver Surfer in their efforts to put it down. When that alliance also fell apart at mission’s end, it took the threat of evil sorcerer Yandroth’s Omegatron device to once more bring Doctor Strange, Namor, the Hulk, and the Surfer all together to smash both.
On that day, the idea of the Defenders took root and began to grow organically. Soon after, the loose affiliation of powerful personas attracted others to ally themselves with it, including the warrior Valkyrie, Hawkeye the archer, and criminal-turned-hero Nighthawk.