The Search for the Sub-Mariner

Sub-Mariner's preoccupation with Susan Storm reached an all-time low when he kidnapped her and held her captive in Atlantis. The prince of Atlantis intended to make the Invisible Girl his bride! With the help of Dr. Strange, the rest of the Fantastic Four located and rescued their imprisoned teammate. Sub-Mariner finally accepted that she was in love with Reed Richards (Fantastic Four #27). Reed and Sue would marry the following year (Fantastic Four Annual #3).

Fantastic Four. Vol. 1. No. 27. June 1964. "The Search for the Sub-Mariner. Stan Lee (author), Jack Kirby (illustrator), Geo. Bell (inker), S. Rosen (letterer).

Fantastic Treasury

The first comic book I remember perusing was Marvel Treasury Edition #2 (1974). It must have been a gift from my parents. Starring the fabulous Fantastic Four, the oversized publication reprinted the team's early encounters with Dr. Doom, Sub-Mariner, the Impossible Man, Silver Surfer, Galactus, and the Watcher. I was just starting to read at the time, however, and had a hard following the stories collected inside. Even so, the visuals introduced me to some science fiction themes and two foundational members of the Defenders.

Day in the Lives

Rampage #7 (Nov. 30, 1977) included a two-page spread depicting "A Somewhat Quiet Day in the Lives of the Daring Defenders!" Valkyrie and Aragorn entered the comedic scene, which showed Prince Namor beside a "New Atlantis" fish tank, Dr. Strange practicing stage magic, and Hulk chewing on a Fantastic Four comic book with Thing on the cover.

Three-In-One

Thing consistently headlined Marvel Two-In-One. But after Black Goliath (later Giant-Man) became a supporting character, the series effectively became a Three-In-One when another superhero also appeared. Nowhere was this more clear than in Marvel Two-In-One #76, guest-starring Iceman. In the story, the three heroes defeated Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, who had infiltrated an ordinary carnival.

Giant-Man's diagnosis of cancer was a subplot not only in this issue and throughout much of the series. A massive blood transfusion from Spider-Woman would eventually save his life, but Spider-Woman would lose her superhuman Immunity Factor as a result (#85).

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 76. June 1981. "The Big Top Bandits." Tom DeFalco (plot), David Michelinie (script), Jerry Bingham (pencils), Chic Stone (inks), Michael Higgins (letters), George Roussos (colors), Jim Salicrup (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 85. March 1982. "The Final Fate of Giant-Man!" Tom DeFalco (writer), Ron Wilson (penciler), Chic Stone (inker), Joe Rosen (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Jim Salicrup (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Two In One

Feeling out of his element, the curmudgeonly Thing accompanied the Defenders on a paranormal investigation that shed light on the background of Barbara Norriss (née Denton), the young woman tragically intertwined with the persona of Valkyrie (Marvel Two-In-One #6-7; Defenders #20).

At the heart of the drama was Alvin Denton, a destitute man who believed his wife, Celestia, had died in an automobile accident. Celestia Denton, however, not only survived the automobile accident: she also joined the cult of the Nameless Ones responsible for sacrificing her daughter, Barbara, to another dimension. Since Dr. Strange had led the Defenders in rescuing Barbara, and the Enchantress had tied Barbara to the spirit of Valkyrie (Defenders 3-4), the cult intended to balance the score by sacrificing Dr. Strange and Valkyrie.

To make matters more complicated, Alvin carried a magical harmonica sought after by the Enchantress and her loyal henchman, the Executioner. The harmonica's magic was limited, however, and of no use to the Enchantress by the time she claimed the item. Toying with Alvin and the heroes, the Enchantres temporarily transformed Valkyrie back to the persona of Barbara Norriss, who remained in a state of madness as a result of her time trapped in another dimension. After Valkyrie's mind returned to Barbara's body, the heroine learned that Barbara was married to a man named Jack Norriss, spurring interpersonal concerns for both characters.

Lawful Neutral: Project PEGASUS

In the world of Marvel Comics, Project PEGASUS (Potential Energy Group/Alternate Sources/United States) was a sizable research center operated by the U.S. Department of Energy. Quasar was the first costumed crimefighter hired to protect the facility, where scientific inquiry included the study of super-criminals with energy powers. Even with heroes and villains involved, research was the guiding objective. As such, Project PEGASUS would qualify as Lawful Neutral under the alignment structure of Dungeons & Dragons.

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

Quasar gives Thing a tour of Project PEGASUS in this panel from Marvel-Two-In-One #53. The supervillain Silas King (also known as Solarr) went into custody at the research station following his appearances in Defenders #42-43. Project PEGASUS had no connection to Valkyrie's horse Aragorn or other winged horses.

Dungeons of Doom

The covers of Shanna The She-Devil (Feb. 1973) and Marvel Two-In-One #68 (Oct. 1980) each promoted a Dungeon of Doom! The dungeons inside the two issues, however, could not have been more different.

For Shanna, the dungeon was minimalistic. Captured by the underlings of crimelord El Montano, Shanna found herself bound on the floor of a holding cell. Imprisoned alongside Shanna were her two trained leopards, Biri and Ina. Although the heroine described El Montano's men as jackals, there were no actual jackals in the cell (in spite of the cover image). Shanna easily escaped, defeating the sword-bearing jailer standing guard at the cell door.

Thing and Angel, on the other hand, ran into each other at a new disco called Zanadu Zone, only to find themselves caught in the secret dungeon underneath. Filled with mechanical traps and robots, the dungeon was the brainchild of Toad (one of the villainous Defenders for a Day and an original member of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants). After escaping, a sympathetic Angel agreed to pay off Toad's debts and finance a fun house called Toadland. Candy Southern was Angel's date to Zanadu Zone and again to Toadland.

You Can't Judge a Comic Book by Its Cover

According to the cover blurb, Marvel Two-in-One #34 was the shocker of the year! Though not particularly shocking by comic book standards, the story within the issue made for a worthwhile read.

The protagonist of this introspective tale was a tendrilled extraterrestrial long frozen in ice. Unbeknownst to the creature, the others of its kind who had embarked on Earth died in 1908 when their spacecraft crashed in Siberia. Narrating portions of the text, the revived extraterrestrial had peaceful—even selfless—intentions toward humanity yet was met by fear and hostility.

Ben Grimm, the orange hero called Thing, understandably sympathized with the misunderstood extraterrestrial. Nighthawk, too, was sympathetic while also reflecting on his own life circumstances, Nighthawk recognized how much more comfortable he felt helping others as a costumed hero than attending to weighty financial responsibilities as millionaire Kyle Richmond.

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 34. December 1977. "A Monster Walks Among Us!" Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Ron Wilson & Pablo Marcos (artists), Bruce Patterson (letterer), Sam Kato (colorist).

Tall Tales

Not long after his experience as one of the Defenders for a Day, Bill Foster decided the time was right to redesign the costume he wore as Black Goliath. Upon seeing the new look, Thing suggested that Black Goliath update his superheroic name as well (Marvel Two-In-One #55).

Thing: I mean, it's pretty obvious that you're black -- and if I remember my Sunday School lessons, Goliath was a bad guy.

Black Goliath: What do you suggest, Ben?

Thing: Why don't ya just call yerself Giant-Man? They ain't improved on that name yet … and ya won't have to change the monogram on yer new shorts.

Black Goliath: Well, I don't suppose Dr. Pym would mind. Okay, I'll try it.

There was a certain irony, however, in taking naming advice from someone known as the Thing.

Spidey Super Stories #47 guest-starred Bill Foster as Giant-Man … this time sporting the red version of the Giant-Man uniform originally worn by Henry Pym. The supervillain within that alternate story was the Human Top (a.k.a. Whirlwind in Defenders #63-64).

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 55. September 1979. "Giants in the Earth." Gruenwald/Macchio (writers), Byrne/Sinnott (artists), Costanza (letterer), Sharen (colorist), Stern (editor), Shooter (chief).

Spidey Super Stories. Vol. 1. No. 47. July 1980. "Two against the Top!" Jim Salicrup/Steven Grant (writers), Winslow Mortimer (penciler), Ricardo Villamonte (inker), Raymond Holloway (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Deborah November/Anita Malnig (editors), Jim Shooter/Jim Salicrup (Marvel consultants), Bob Budiansky (art director).

Pegasus

With the Champions having recently disbanded, Marvel Two-In-One #44 found Hercules asking the Thing for assistance. Powerful monsters had overrun Olympus, and Hercules needed help rescuing his father, Zeus.

The story introduced Hercules riding a chariot drawn by winged white horse. Although the valiant stead resembled Aragorn, the unnamed animal would have been the Pegasus from Greco-Roman mythology.

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 44. October 1978. "The Wonderful World of Brother Benjamin J. Grimm." Marv Wolfman (guest-writer/editor), Bob Hall (penciler), F. Giacoia (embellisher), J. Costanza (letterer), Michele W. (colorist), Jim Shooter (consulting ed.).

X-Factor

Well before the original members of the X-Men formed the group X-Factor, an arcade game titled X-Factor appeared in Marvel Two-In-One #94. Power Man, Iron Fist, and Thing took turns playing the challenging arcade game, which involved outmaneuvering obstacles while navigating through a maze—and had no connection to mutant affairs.

One of the other games seen at the arcade was titled The Invaders, with no apparent ties to the World War II super team by that name.

Marvel Two-In-One. Vol. 1. No. 94. December 1982 "The Power Trap!" David Anthony Kraft (scripter), Ron Wilson (penciler), Ricardo Villamonte (inker), Joe Rosen (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Jim Saliscrup (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Published the same month as New Defenders #152 (Feb. 1986), X-Factor #1 reunited Angel, Beast, and Iceman with the rest of the original X-Men. A problematic premise of the new series was that Marvel Girl (Jean Grey) was a different character from Phoenix and therefore did not die in X-Men #137.

Losing Power

During a time when Thing lost his superhuman powers and returned to the human form of Ben Grimm, the Fantastic Four hired Power Man to step in as the team's resident heavy-hitter. But how did Power Man's strength compare to that of the Thing?

When Power Man fell under the evil influence of the Puppet Master in Fantastic Four #170 (May 1976), Mr. Fantastic designed an exo-suit to give Ben Grimm the rocky appearance he had as the Thing and increase his strength many times. While wearing the suit, Ben Grimm seemed evenly matched against Power Man.

By Fantastic Four #171 (June 1976), Ben Grimm's strength inside the exo-suit increased even more—now surpassing Power Man and matching 90% of Thing's previous strength. Ben resumed his place among the Fantastic Four and soon transformed back into his rocky form.

From as early as Fantastic Four #12 to as recently as #166, Thing was among a handful of super-strong characters with a long history of holding their own against the Hulk. Power Man, on the other hand, didn't claim to compete with the green goliath. In-story context consistently gave the impression that Hulk was a notch stronger than Thing, and that Thing was stronger than Power Man. As Hulk's estimated strength continued to increase over the years, Thing's relative strength increased as well. Power Man's strength level, meanwhile, didn't escalate.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (1983) originally noted that Hulk could comfortably lift (press) 90 tons and had been able to lift well over 100 tons while angry, whereas Thing could lift (press) 85 tons in peak condition. Rather than stating how much Power Man could lift, the original handbook instead noted that Power Man could punch through several feet of most modern, conventional building materials such as brick, concrete, and masonry; and with repeated blows, can rupture 4-inch steel plate.

Even though Power Man once filled in for the Thing, comic books and related references have tended to downplay Power Man's superhuman strength while emphasizing his invulnerability instead.

These images from Fantastic Four #170 show Ben Grimm learning about the exo-suit and then wearing the exo-suit while fighting Power Man.

Defenders: Apocalypse

What if? X-Men Age of Apocalypse #1 brought solo adventurers and the surviving members of other super teams into a new version of the Defenders. When leading these heroes into battle against the forces of Apocalypse, Captain America (Steve Rogers) cried out, "Defenders Assemble!"—borrowing from the historic catch phrase for the Avengers.

Brother Voodoo (Jericho Drumm), a secondary character throughout most of his career, replaced Dr. Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme of this alternate reality. In retrospect, it's surprising that the mystical hero had never joined forces with the Defenders until this point.

The most ironic addition to the apocalyptic Defenders was Sauron (Karl Lykos), a long-time foe of the X-Men. A mutant with the power to transform into a vampiric pterosaur, Sauron deliberately lifted the name of an evil wizard from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.

The Defenders in this story also included Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), Colossus, Thing, Wolverine, and the otherwise villainous Molecule Man.

What If? X-Men Age of Apocalypse. No. 1. February 2007. Rick Remender (writer), Dave Wilkins (artist), Anthony Washington (colorist), Nate Piekos (letterer), Marko Djurdjevic (cover artist), Brad Johansen (production), Nathan Cosby (assistant editor), Mark Paniccia (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Dan Buckley (publisher).

The above image of Sauron comes from X-Men #60 (September 1969).

The Ruby of Domination

Roll Call: Valkyrie, Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner, Hellcat, Daimon Hellstrom, Hulk, and Gargoyle.

Dr. Strange summoned an assortment of Defenders to the Sanctum Sanctorum to see if one of them might draw out Bruce Banner's mind within the Hulk, who Dr. Strange temporarily subdued with a spell of somnambulance (Marvel Fanfare #20).

As Dr. Strange stepped into his study, the evil wizard Xandu trapped Dr. Strange in another dimension and mystically prevented him from calling any of the Defenders to his aid. But all was not lost. With time in short supply, Dr. Strange created a magical portal to contact Thing.

Using the powerful Ruby of Domination, Xandu magically coerced Hulk into battling Thing. Unable to overpower the green goliath on his own, Thing instead destroyed the Ruby of Domination—thereby weakening Xandu and freeing Dr. Strange. The ordeal left Dr. Strange too fatigued to further pursue any magical means of bringing peace of mind to the Hulk (Marvel Fanfare #21).

Thing guest-starred in Defenders #20 but still regarded himself as a member of the Fantastic Four during that appearance.

Scourge of the Underworld

In one of the best executed cross-over events, a vigilante known as Scourge of the Underworld oversaw the assassination of numerous super-villains.

Granted, some of the villains Scourge targeted were as forgettable as Blowtorch Brand, who first appeared in New Defenders #135 and died in U.S. Agent #2.

But others were more significant.

A longtime enemy of the Avengers, Melter was plotting revenge against the group at the time of his death (Avengers #263). Melter previously joined an eclectic hoard of costumed criminals who claimed to be Defenders … until the real non-team stopped them that same day (Defenders #64).

Miracle Man, one of the earliest foes of the Fantastic Four, once seized more power by temporarily donning the darksoul of Daimon Hellstrom (Defenders #120-121). Ironically, the villain died while trying to boost his status by forging a criminal partnership with Rhino (Thing #24).

Ringer, who made his criminal debut battling Nighthawk (Defenders #51), was among a roomful of super-villains massacred by Scourge (Captain America #319) … although later issues revealed that Ringer survived the assault.

… Try, Try Again

To save the Earth from annihilation, Wolverine went back through time to kill Henry Pym before he could build the artificial intelligence called Ultron (Age of Ultron #6). Accompanied by the Invisible Woman of the Fantastic Four, Wolverine arrived as Pym (then Goliath) originally examined the artificial construct known as Dragon Man (circa Avengers #41).

Following Pym's death, Wolverine and Invisible Woman returned to the present. But the divergent timeline that unfolded was no better than the apocalyptic reality they had hoped to prevent (Age of Ultron #7).

Led by Dr. Strange, the Defenders on this grizzled Earth included Thing, Star-Lord (from the Guardians of the Galaxy), Captain Marvel (formerly Wasp), Cable (formerly Cyclops), Hulk (with the mind of Bruce Banner), Colonel America (formerly Captain America), and Wolverine. The group operated out of Defenders Sanctorum (Age of Ultron #8), also referred to as Defenders Headquarters (Fearless Defenders #4AU).

In yet another time-travel attempt, Wolverine went back to stop himself from assassinating Pym. This time, Wolverine suggested that Pym follow through with his idea to build Ultron yet add a time-release program to prevent Ultron from one day devastating the world (Age of Ultron #9).

I would have liked to have seen more of the Defenders from this alternate reality before the timeline was more-or-less restored.

The Marvel Heavyweights

Hulk and Sub-Mariner, the two physically strongest members of the Defenders, were also two of the hardest heroes to pin down in terms of strength.

The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (first edition) placed Hulk lifting up to 90 tons when he was calm, with the ability to lift more than 100 tons when angry. Prince Namor, meanwhile, was slated with the ability to lift 40 tons on land and 75 tons underwater.

Two years earlier, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15 (1981) made an initial attempt to classify heroes by their physical strength. Breaking the fourth wall, the humorous back-up feature also included many of the heroes' reactions to their ranking.

THE SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHTS
Hulk: Bah, Hulk should be in a class by himself!
Thor: Forsooth, there is not a match for my mighty thews in all midgard!
Hercules Nay, friend Thor, if Hercules be on Earth, thou art but a close second!
Iron Man: With a potent enough energy source I can charge my armor to this power level--for about two seconds.
Wonder Man: Er … I want to be an actor, not a super guy!

THE HEAVYWEIGHTS
Black Bolt: (empty word balloon)
Doc Samson: I am as strong as a calm Hulk--too bad the Hulk is never calm.
Sasquatch: I haven't met Spider-Man yet, but I once took on the Hulk for fun. (See Incredible Hulk Annual #8.)
Sub-Mariner: Beneath the sea, Namor's strength is supreme. On land, I am still a force to be reckoned with!
Thing: Of all the bum raps I ever got, this beats 'em all! I ain't no crummy second-rater!
Thundra: If I ever run into that web-headed fool, I will squash him for having dared to place me in this category.
Vision: At my maximum density, my strength is most devastating.

Spider-Man and several Defenders fell among the Super Mediumweights or below.

Edward Hannigan illustrated the first-edition covers for The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe (1983).

Who's the Strongest of Them All?

When an extraterrestrial boxing champ wanted to go one-on-one against the super-strongmen of Earth, the competition that ensued told as much about the heroes' personalities as it did about their powers (Marvel Two-In-One Annual #7).

During the training period before the first match, Doc Samson was eliminated for lacking the stamina of the rest. Immediately afterward, the Prince of Atlantis announced that he would not participate in the competition. A coincidence? I think not.

Since the early days of Marvel Comics, Sub-Mariner was heralded as the strongest man of the sea. In this case, Namor's uncooperativeness may have spared him the embarrassment of being deemed too weak to compete on dry land, without a nearby water supply to replenish his strength against the alien Champion.

Usually described as the strongest man on Earth, with his strength increasing with rage, the Hulk was expelled for precarious reasons.

Hulk: Hulk hates puny alien! Hulk smash.

Champion: No! I shall not waste my time on a mindless brute!

In other words, the Champion wouldn't fight the Hulk because the Hulk could have won. Thor, meanwhile, was disqualified for using his hammer during his boxing match.

Sasquatch, Colossus, and Wonder Man each fared reasonably well, but Thing ultimately held out the longest against the Champion.

The Avengers, Fantastic Four, and X-Men made guest appearances this issue. Even with Hulk and Sub-Mariner summoned into the competition, the rest of the Defenders did not guest star. As a non-team, they sometimes were overlooked.

Marvel Two-In-One Annual 7. 1982. "And They Shall Call Him … Champion!" Tom DeFalco (script), Ron Wilson (pencils), Camp, Esposito, Giacoia, Green, Gil, and Stone (inkers), Jim Novak (letters), George Roussos (colors), Jim Salicrup (editor), Jim Shooter (referee).

What If…? Alternate Origins

The Defenders never starred in their own issue of What If?, but #37 featured parallel tales about two members of the team.

In his classic origin story, Norrin Radd persuaded Galactus to spare his homeworld of Zenn-La. In exchange, he became the Silver Surfer, commissioned to locate other planets for Galactus to devour. After meeting the Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer begged Galactus to spare Earth as well (Fantastic Four #48-50).

"What if Galactus Had Turned the Silver Surfer Back into Norrin Radd?" In this alternate reality, Galactus responded by returning the philosophical Surfer to his original, human-like self. With space-travel technology from Mr. Fantastic, Norrin Radd then returned home only to find a tragic twist of fate. His long lost love, Shalla-Bal, had become the new herald of Galactus in a renewed agreement to preserve Zenn-La. Galactus removed all memories of her former life so she would not challenge him, as the Surfer had. Out of erroneous respect, Galactus also restored powers to Norrin Radd, but with a catch. The Silver Surfer was now trapped on Zenn-La, unable to embark into space or reunite with his true love as she roamed the cosmos.

Of the original X-Men, Beast was the first to break from the team and attempt to lead a normal life. Accepting a post as a biochemist with the Brand Corporation, Hank McCoy developed a formula to augment mutations. The result boosted Hank's abilities but left him covered in fur (Amazing Adventures #11). After a half-crazed period of adjustment, Beast continued fighting crime (usually sporting only blue shorts, like Thing of the Fantastic Four).

"What if--the Beast Had Truly Become a Beast?" In this alternate reality, Beast did not regain his composure after the accentuated mutation, attacking his friends in the X-Men while seeking their help. Though still reasonably intelligent, Beast's brutal instincts made him ill-fit for society. Comparing their friend to a wild animal that should not be caged, the X-Men brought Beast to the Savage Land to assist the jungle hero Ka-Zar.

What If ? Vol. 1, No. 37. February 1983. "What if--the Beast Had Truly Become a Beast?" Alan Weiss (scripter/penciler), Jim Sherman (inker/colorist). "What if Galactus Had Turned the Silver Surfer Back into Norrin Radd?" David Anthony Kraft (scripter), Mike Vosburg (penciler), Steve Mitchell (inker), Diana Albers (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist), Mike Gruenwald (editor), Jim Shooter (editor in chief).