Genres: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Superhero
Publisher: Marvel
Vol 1: August 1972 – January 1985
Steve Gerber’s Defenders run comes to its revolutionary conclusion! Gerber consistently broke the boundaries of what a super-hero comic could be, and his Headmen saga stands as one of the high points in a celebrated career. From the Elf With a Gun to Bambi and the Bozos, Gerber wove together an unlikely cast with a challenging critique of the era’s culture. His stories would influence a generation of new writers — and with artwork by the stellar team of Sal Buscema and Klaus Janson, Defenders is an indisputable ’70s Marvel masterpiece. And we’ve topped it off with the classic Defenders/Howard the Duck MARVEL TREASURY EDITION team-up. Need we say more?
Vol 2: January 2001 – February 2002
The Hulk! The Sub-Mariner! Silver Surfer! Dr. Strange! Marvel’s #1 loners unite in this new ongoing series! A monster, an invader, an alien and a master of the dark arts. They’re four of the world’s most powerful and feared figures?and they like each other about as much as the rest of the Marvel Universe does! What force could make these loose cannons join as a team? Why must they band together in defense of our planet? And how will Nighthawk, Hellcat and the Valkyrie react to their alliance? Co-writer and penciler Erik Larsen isn’t spilling any beans: “These characters don’t really like each other. But Kurt Busiek came up with a neat idea of why they stay together. I won’t say what it is… but it works really well. Silver Surfer, Sub-Mariner, Hulk?all these guys have attacked the Earth. And then Dr. Strange is just creepy. When the Avengers show up, everyone says, ‘Oh, good, the Avengers are here. They’ll save us.’ But the Defenders? When they show, everyone runs for their lives!”
Vol 3: September 2005 – January 2006
Wong possessed by Nightmare! Dormammu and Umar in unholy alliance! The Hulk and the Sub-Mariner at each other’s throats! The Silver Surfer…uh…surfing. Can Doctor Strange reunite the Defenders and save “Reality As We Know It?” Come to think of it, can editor Andy Schmidt save the Marvel Universe from Eisner-award-winning creators Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire? Only the Ancient One knows for sure!
Vol 4: February 2012 – January 2013
When the impossible is everywhere and the very fabric of reality is threatened by insanity, the world needs more than super heroes…they need Defenders! Enter DEFENDERS #1, from the top-selling creative team of Matt Fraction (FEAR ITSELF, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, MIGHTY THOR) and Terry Dodson (UNCANNY X-MEN), as Doctor Strange assembles a new team of heroes to face a new kind of threat that will leave readers shocked. Doctor Strange, Iron Fist, Namor, Red She-Hulk, Silver Surfer and more of your favorite Marvel heroes will band together exploring corners of the Marvel Universe you never knew existed for missions so deadly they have to be kept secret. Once a Defender, always a Defender – no matter the cost or sacrifice.
Vol 5: August 2017
Daredevil! Luke Cage! Jessica Jones! Iron Fist! Individually, these four heroes have been on the front lines of the battle to keep the streets of the city safe and secure! But now, with a deadly enemy from the dim past making a major move to unite the underworld, they will need to become more they will need to become DEFENDERS!
Vol 6: August 11 2021
SUPERSTARS AL EWING & JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ REUNITE FOR A COSMOS-COLLIDING JOURNEY! When existence itself faces extraordinary threats, it needs an extraordinary defense! That’s when you call… THE DEFENDERS! DOCTOR STRANGE and the MASKED RAIDER take a non-team of Marvel’s weirdest, wildest heroes on a mission that will uncover the hidden architecture of reality itself! This cosmos was not the first to exist…but if the DEFENDERS can’t track Marvel’s oldest villain through the deepest trenches of time—it might be the last!
