Something Old, Something New

Weddings usually spell trouble in the world of comics. So when Patsy Walker and Daimon Hellstrom decided to tie the knot, they should have expected some unwelcome guests (Defenders #125).

Now known as Mad-Dog, ex-husband Buzz Baxter led the villain group Mutant Force in an attack on the bride and groom.

But there were also more heroes on hand than anyone had expected. Beast (arriving with guests Iceman and Angel), Valkyrie (now in custody of the headstrong Moondragon), and Gargoyle soon defeated the intruders.

Like other super couples before them, the happy-go-lucky Hellcat and the so-called Son of Satan now wanted to hang up their costumes and try to lead normal lives. They weren't the only ones to say goodbye to the team.

In response to a cryptic prophesy by the murderous Elf, Doctor Strange, Prince Namor, Hulk, and Silver Surfer announced their departures as well. If certain visions of the future held true, the Earth would lay in ruins unless the four earliest Defenders vowed never to work together again.

After such an official changing of the guard, the six heroes who remained formed the New Defenders.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 125. November 1983. "Hello, I must be going." J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin and Kim De Mulder (artists), Christie Scheele (colorist) Carl Potts (editor), Jim Shooter (chief).

The above image by Mike Zeck comes from Defenders #130, during a rematch against Mutant Force.