Bringing together mutant heroes and supernatural crimefighters, the Champions was an antecedent to the New Defendersjust set in Los Angeles instead of the Southwest. A source of internal conflict arose, however, when Darkstar became the group's new recruit (Champions #10).
Already feeling like an outsider, the demonic Ghost Rider resented how quickly his teammates trusted Darkstar. On more than one occasion, Ghost Rider refused to let Darkstar help him in combat, misinterpreting her cooperativeness as a sign of pity (#14). Ultimately, neither character felt at home in the Champions, prompting them both to resign and leading to the dissolution of the superteam (#17).
The following entry for the Champions originally appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.