The Defenders wasn’t always Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist.

Oh, not even close…

The Avengers has long been Marvels greatest superhero team.

The Fantastic Four (despite what Marvels top brass thinks these days) has long been Marvels first family.

The X-Men have long been Marvels most popular group of heroes.

The original Defenders lineup was Doctor Strange, the Hulk, and Sub-Mariner.

I mean what villain other than Galactus would pose a threat to this mega-powered threesome?

Soon after the Defenders debuted, the Silver Surfer became a glistening addition to the roster.

Thats like adding Hank Aaron to the 1961 Yankees just for shits and giggles.

But before we dissect this unbeatable squad, lets look at how these beat sticks began.

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The Defenders came together as a publishing necessity.

In this tale, the three stalwart heroes teamed up to take on the HP Lovecraft inspired Undying Ones.

I freakin love those sort of connections.

Again now, lets stop and think about how stupid overpowered the Titans Three were.

I mean, can you picture these four stopping an armored car robbery?

That would be like using MOAB to get rid of some moths.

Wheres Silver Surfer you ask?

This time, the trio face the returned Undying Ones and remained reluctant allies.

But heres the thing about the Defenders, it really wasnt a team.

And the roster would grow.

Boy, would it grow.

Thus begin the era of loosey-goosey membership.

Even heroes that joined the team for a single day were recognized as members.

Paladin, Polaris, Prowler, Stingray, Tagak the Leopard Lord (wait, really?

), Thing, Torpedo, and White Tiger.

The Steve Gerber Years

You just cant discuss Defenders history without discussing writer Steve Gerber.

In the Elfs last appearance, he was hit by a truck and that was it.

Will the Elf with a Gun appear on the Netflix series?

So why did the OG Defenders like Doc Strange, Hulk, and the others leave you ask?

Angel would act as the money behind the team and team leader.

Wait, there was once a hero known as Manslaughter?

Did he once form a team with Patricide, First Degree Murder, and Sex Offender?

Thats a rough end for a team that had staying power despite its fluid membership policies.

What was the deal with this new team of Defenders?

We cant tell you, its a secret.

So every time trouble reared its ugly head, Doc Strange would pick his Defenders team.

It was likeMission: Impossiblebut with 90s characters, so lots of Wolverine and Ghost Rider here.

This squad of evildoers featured Geatar (who the heck is that?

), Nitro, Rhino, Super-Skrull, and Titanium Man.

So if you ever wanted to see Thanos team with Rhino, well here you go.

After the villain era, Doctor Strange turned over leadership to the group to Doctor Druid.

Agent, Dagger, Deathlok and Drax the Destroyer.

Well that turned out to be a load of hooey.

Hey Marvel, what the heck is wrong with the name Defenders?

Ill take a tuna melt.

The Order…so dumb.

Bwah-ha-ha

And so was the next series.

And Hulk has sex with Dormammus sister.

Caseys team of last/not last Defenders consisted of Nighthawk, Blazing Skull, Colossus, and She-Hulk.

Yes, not even Ghost Rider, Blazing Skull.

Later the team disbands because of incompetent leadership.

Poor, poor Nighthawk.

This team had so much going for it, namely, 3/4ths (get it, a FRACTION!)

First, we have the Defenders that appeared in 2011 in a book entitledFear Itself: The Deep.

This team of Defenders did not last past theFear Itselfstory arc.

In 2013, write Cullen Bunn introduced a new team to the world.

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