Defenders

The Defenders is the name of a number of fictional superhero groups appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. These are usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders", who in their prior adventures, are known for following their own agendas. The team often battles mystic and supernatural threats.

Its original incarnation was led by Doctor Strange and included Hulk, Namor, and, eventually, Silver Surfer. They first appeared as the Defenders in Marvel Feature #1 (Dec. 1971).

The group had a rotating line-up from 1972 until 1986, with Dr. Strange and the Hulk being usually constant members along with a number of other mainstays such as Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Hellcat, Gargoyle, Beast, the Son of Satan and Luke Cage, and a large number of temporary members. The publication was retitled near the end of the run as The New Defenders but featured none of the original members and only Valkyrie, the Beast and the Gargoyle of the former long-term members. The concept was modified in the 1993–95 series Secret Defenders, in which Dr. Strange assembled different teams for each individual mission. The original team was reunited in a short-lived 2001 series by Kurt Busiek and Erik Larsen. In 2005 Marvel published a five-issue miniseries featuring the classic line-up by J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen and Kevin Maguire. In December 2011 writer Matt Fraction and artist Terry Dodson launched a Defenders series with a mixture of classic and new members, which lasted for 12 issues.