H Is for Hellcat

Fun and Games Magazine #1 (Sept. 1979) included a Secret Code Breaker to solve puzzles in that issue—and future issues—of the monthly publication. Of the 26 heroes pictured in the code breaker, Hellcat was the only one whose code-breaking letter corresponded to the first letter of her name. Silver Surfer, for instance, stood for C, while Hulk stood for the letter D.

More Marvel Super Heroes - 1982

Heralded as the first limited series, Contest of Champions was also groundbreaking for its appendix of Marvel Super Heroes - 1982. Biographical entries appeared for heroes who had been active up to that point (with sections on inactive and deceased heroes). While recognizing that this material was decidedly concise, in hindsight I am surprised that the listings for Clea and Silver Surfer did not note their membership in the Defenders.

In contrast, however, I am not surprised by the other heroes who had appeared in issues of the Defenders yet weren't described as members. By and large, these characters did not regard themselves Defenders—even within the parameters of a non-team. For example, Thing and Mister Fantastic remained members of the Fantastic Four while assisting the Defenders. Even Hawkeye, who briefly considered himself one of the Defenders, did so largely to spite the Avengers.

With the exception of the Defenders for a Day (who will get their own post), here are the entries for those heroes who appeared in the original series through 1982 and weren't referenced as Defenders in Contest of Champions.

BLACK KNIGHT
(Dane Whitman, physicist) American descendant of Arthurian-age champion who wields the ebony blade of his ancestor, and rides a winged horse. Last seen in Twelfth Century Britain, but is known to be back in the present. Current whereabouts: Britain. Former member of the Avengers. First appearance: AVENGERS #48.

BLACK PANTHER
(T'Challa, tribal leader of Wakanda) Jungle-born African possessing great natural strength, agility, and heightened senses. Former member of the Avengers. Current whereabouts: Africa. First appearance: FANTASTIC FOUR #52.

CAPTAIN AMERICA
(Steve Rogers, artist) Recipient of the Super-Soldier formula endowing him with great strength, agility, and stamina. Carries a shield. Member of the Avengers. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: AVENGERS #4.

CLEA
(No other name known) Sorceress from an alien dimension with minor mystic abilities. Current whereabouts: her home dimension. First appearance; STRANGE TALES #126.

DAREDEVIL
(Matt Murdock, lawyer) Blind American with heightened senses and incredible agility and fighting prowess. Uses billy club as a weapon. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: DAREDEVIL #1.

HAWKEYE
(Clint Barton, security chief) American who has mastered the art of archery and uses various trick arrows. Occasional member of the Avengers. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. First appearance: TALES OF SUSPENSE #57.

MISTER FANTASTIC
(Reed Richards, scientist/adventurer) American possessing cosmic ray-derived power of super-malleability. Able to stretch any part of his body to great lengths and mold his pliant flesh into numerous shapes. One of the great intellects of the world, he is the leader of the Fantastic Four. Husband of the Invisible Girl. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: FANTASTIC FOUR #1.

MOONDRAGON
(Heather Douglas) American-born priestess of Titan, trained in the martial arts, telepathy, and psychokinesis. Daughter of Drax the Destroyer. Occasional member of the Avengers. Current whereabouts: vicinity of the Earth. First appearance (as Madame MacEvil): IRON MAN #54. First appearance (as Moondragon): DAREDEVIL #105.

MOON KNIGHT
(Marc Spector, mercenary; alias Jake Lockley, cab driver; Steven Grant, millionaire) American possessing great natural strength and agility and mastery of martial arts. Uses crescent-darts, a truncheon, and glider-cape. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. First appearance: WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #32.

PROFESSOR X
(Charles Xavier, headmaster) American mutant with the psionic powers of telepathy and astral projection. Founder of the X-Men. Confined to a wheelchair. Current whereabouts: Salem Center, New York. First appearance: X-MEN #1.

SILVER SURFER
(Norrin Radd) Humanoid alien from Zenn-La with cosmic powers to rearrange molecules and shoot energy-blasts. Rides an idestructible flying surfboard. Former herald of Galactus. Current whereabouts: space. First appearance: FANTASTIC FOUR #48.

SPIDER-MAN
(Peter Parker, college student/freelance photographer) American possessing super-strength, super-reflexes, incredible agility, the ability to stick to virtually any surface, and a danger-detecting "spider-sense." Uses a chemical web-shooting device enabling him to swing from the rooftops entangle persons or things, and create simple objects such as shields and spheres. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: AMAZING ADULT FANTASY #15.

THING
(Benjamin Grimm, adventurer) American possessing super-strength and a rock-like epidermis making him impervious to virtually all harm. Member of the Fantastic Four. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: FANTASTIC FOUR #1.

WASP
(Janet Van Dyne, heiress) American with the ability to shrink to insect-size and fly by means of surgically-implanted membrane-wings. Shoots a bio-electric "wasp's sting." Member of the Avengers. Ex-wife of Henry Pym (Yellowjacket), who concocted her powers. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: TALES TO ASTONISH #44.

WONDER MAN
(Simon Williams, ex-industialist, aspiring actor) American possessing enormous strength and near-invulnerability. The chemical processes of his metabolism have been replaced by some strange form of energy. Former member of the Avengers. Current whereabouts: Hollywood, California. First appearance: AVENGERS #8.

INACTIVE

GHOST RIDER
(Johnny Blaze, motorcycle stunt rider) American who through sorcery became the host-body for a blazing skeletal demon who is abile to create objects out of mystic flame, project soul-scalding Hellfire, and is super-strong and nearly impervious to harm. First appearance MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #5. Reason for retirement: Blaze is no longer able to control the demon and force him to use his powers for good.

MS. MARVEL
(Carol Danvers, ex-security agent, freelance writer) American who possessed ability to fly, super-strength, heightened reflexes, and a precognitive Seventh Sense. Former member of the Avengers. First appearance: MS. MARVEL #1. Reason for retirement: loss of powers.

YELLOWJACKET
(Henry Pym, biochemist) American who invented serum enabling him to reduce to insect-size. Used bioelectric "stings." Former husband to Janet Van Dyne (Wasp). First appearance (as Dr. Pym): TALES TO ASTONISH #27. First appearance (as Ant-Man): TALES TO ASTONISH #35. First appearance (as Giant-Man): TALES TO ASTONISH #49. First appearance (as Goliath): AVENGERS #28. First appearance (as Yellowjacket): AVENGERS #59. Reason for retirement: began criminal career.

DECEASED

OMEGA THE UNKNOWN
(Real name unknown) A humanoid "organic robot" from an unspecified planet trained to be a perfect warrior. Possessed super-strength, enabling him to leap long distances, etc. Had empathic link with another organic robot, James-Michael Starling. First appearance OMEGA #1. Died from a gunshot wound in OMEGA #10.

Contest of Champions featured a list of Super Heroes of Other Worlds, Other Times included Prester John (pictured here in Defenders #11), as well as members of the Guardians of the Galaxy and Squadron Supreme. Another section listed Quasi Heroes, including Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, Howard the Duck, Man-Thing, Nick Fury, and Rick Jones.

Master of the Martial Arts

A crossover event that spanned Defenders #8-11 and Avengers #115-118 caused the two teams to clash in a series of skirmishes.

One of the biggest surprises in the multi-part story came when Black Panther and Mantis teamed up against Dr. Strange.

While facing the two Avengers, Dr. Strange revealed that his studies in the Himalayas included not only the mystic arts but also the martial arts (Defenders #9).

Although Dr. Strange held his own in physical combat remarkably well, he eventually defeated Black Panther and Mantis with these magic words.

In the exalted name of the eternal Vshanti--
And other gods beyond and below--
Let the strength and cunning of these, my enemies--
--from their mortal bodies flow!

The above image of Mantis and Black Panther comes from Defenders #9 (Vol. 1).

Bearing a Resemblance

While looking through back issues in my collection, I noticed that the covers of Avengers #169 (March 1977) and Uncanny X-Men #139 (November 1980) bear a resemblance to one another. Each cover shows members of the respective teams facing three threats—with a polar bear in the upper right of both covers. In all transparency, the polar bear on the X-Men cover is actually the shapeshifting hero Snowbird of Alpha Flight.

In addition to defeating an actual polar bear in the Arctic Circle, Black Panther impresses his fellow Avengers by providing the final answer on a challenging crossword puzzle. A twelve-letter word that means "producing sweat"? Sudoriferous!

Black Panther vs. Black Dragon

Everett K. Ross, special attaché for the U.S. State Department (and no apparent relation to Betty), awoke one day to find himself mystically transformed into the body of Mephisto. Turning for help, Ross arrived on the doorstep of Dr. Strange (Black Panther #34).

To his surprise, however, Ross was greeted (er, attacked) by the entire non-team from Defenders (Volume 2). Although Ross easily identified Hulk and Namor, he had trouble remembering the correct names for Valkyrie, Hellcat, Nighthawk, and even Dr. Strange—much less Silver Surfer.

As Ross explained that he wasn't really Mephisto, Dr. Strange sensed a spirit force that reminded him of Iron Fist. Just then, a mysterious figure impersonating Ross arrived on the scene and defeated everyone (Black Panther #35). The culprit responsible for the ruse was none other than Chiantang (a.k.a. the Black Dragon), an old enemy of Power Man and Iron Fist.

Not long afterward, Chiantang created a mystic imbalance within Iron Fist that set the hero into battle against Black Panther. (#39). Under this diabolical influence, the green portions of Iron Fist's costumed turned red—a visual phenomenon that harked back to Black Dragon's first attempt to corrupt Iron Fist (Power Man and Iron Fist #119).

Black Panther. Vol. 2. No. 34. September 2001. "Hell(o), I Must Be Going." Priest (writer), J. Calafiore (guest artist), Livesay (guest inker), Sharpefont & Paul Tutrone (lettering), VLM (colorist), Mike Raicht (assistant editor), Mike Marts (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president).

Black Panther. Vol. 2. No. 35. October 2001. "Masks." Priest (writer), J. Calafiore (guest artist), Livesay (guest inker), Sharpefont & Paul Tutrone (lettering), VLM (colorist), Mike Raicht (assistant editor), Mike Marts (editor), Joe Quesada (editor in chief), Bill Jemas (president).

Late Night

To boost his exposure as an actor, Wonder Man used his status as a reserve member of the Avengers to get booked on Late Night with David Letterman. The only catch was that he needed to bring other Avengers on the show with him.

All active members of the Avengers were unavailable at the time, so four other reserve Avengers agreed to fill in: Hawkeye, Black Widow, Black Panther, and Beast.

The TV appearance posed a conflict of interests for Beast, who used the opportunity to plug his newfound place in the Defenders and announce he would be stepping down as a reserve Avenger. Near the end of the issue, Beast turned in his Avengers I.D.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 239. January 1984. "Late Night of the Super-Stars!" Roger Stern (writer), Allen Milgrom & Joe Sinnott (artists), J. Novak (letterer), C. Scheele (colorist), Michael Carlin (editor), Larry "Bud" Melman (inspiration).

Also published that month (more specifically, Assistant Editor's Month) was New Defenders #127.

Stephen in Wonderland

At a time when his astral form was trapped inside the Orb of Agamotto, Stephen Strange encountered facsimiles of other heroes, including the earliest members of the Defenders (Dr. Strange #2).

The sorcerer recognized that the other heroes within the orb were in fact impressions from his own subconscious. With that in mind, the way these characters interacted with Dr. Strange in the dream world may have revealed his personal thoughts about them in the outside world.

Borrowing imagery from Wonderland as he adventured inside the orb, the master of the mystic arts was surprised to witness himself slumming at a tea party with other costumed figures.

Interestingly, an homage to Ant-Man was one of the characters napping at the tea party—while scientist Henry Pym had long abandoned his identity as Ant-Man by this point, and no one else had yet picked up the mantle as Ant-Man.

The version of Nick Fury who sat at the table showed the first signs of aggression when he drew a gun at an out-of-place Munchkin. Next, Nick Fury joined with Hawkeye, Spider-Man, Sub-Mariner, Hulk, and Black Panther in threatening to kill Dr. Strange, who in turn subdued them with his magic.

Not everyone was so volatile.

Even though the version of Silver Surfer inside the orb did not recognize Dr. Strange, the cosmic champion nonetheless offered to help the master of the mystic arts navigate through the dream world soon after his arrival.

Heralded by the other characters as the "Queen," Valkyrie received everyone's respect when she entered the scene on her flying horse, Aragorn. With more self-awareness than the other figures within the orb, Valkyrie gave Dr. Strange words of wisdom and support.

Dr. Strange #3 found the sorcerer riding on Aragorn as he continued his quest to escape from the maddening dreamland. That issue consisted largely of flashback pages to the first time Dr. Strange met Clea (who was in the clutches of the villain Silver Dagger while Dr. Strange was trapped inside the orb).

Doctor Strange. Vol. 1. No. 2. August 1974. "A Separate Reality." Steve Englehart (author), Frank Brunner (artist & colorist), Dick Giordano (inks), John Costanza (lettering), Roy Thomas (editor).

Calling All Defenders

When Sub-Mariner sought revenge against the warlord Attuma for overthrowing New Atlantis, Dr. Strange offered his assistance. But with only the young mutant Loa at their side, the master of the mystic arts called for reinforcements (Fear Itself: The Deep #1).

Casting a spell initially designed to gather alchemical ingredients, Dr. Strange intended to summon core members of the Defenders. To everyone's surprise, the magic summoned Lyra (a.k.a. the Savage She-Hulk), even though she had never fought with the team. Lyra's mother was Thundra, a 23rd-century amazon—and her "father" was genetically engineered DNA from the Hulk, which explained why the magic inadvertently brought her instead.

Silver Surfer soon joined the fray as well, more or less rounding out this grouping of Defenders.

Yet against the armies of Attuma, Dr. Strange tried widening the scope of the earlier spell to summon even more allies. This time, to everyone's amazement, the magic summoned 11 more heroes who previously called themselves Defenders or accompanied the Defenders at least once (Fear Itself: The Deep #4).

Roll call:
(Top) Stingray, Cloak, Devil-Slayer.

(Middle) Daimon Hellstrom, Dagger, Blazing Skull, Black Panther, Hellcat.

(Bottom) Cloud, Moon Knight, Gargoyle.

Cullen Bunn wrote Fear Itself: The Deep, one of several Fear Itself limited series published in 2011.

Dr. Strange and the Avengers

Not long before the Defenders formed, the master of the mystic arts sought the help of Black Panther, Hawkeye, and Vision to stop a netherwordly threat (Avengers #61).

One of the highlights of the issue was hearing the characters' interactions with one another. Although Dr. Strange was one of the first Marvel characters introduced in the 1960s, the Avengers assembled in #61 had little knowledge of the sorcerer's powers at the time.

During the story, Dr. Strange performed emergency surgery to save the Black Knight—who then accompanied the other heroes in a fight against the ice demon Ymir and fire demon Surtur.

Although the operation was a success, the doctor's hands shook during the procedure as a sign of the nerve damage that ended his surgical career. The trepidation led to Red Guardian joining the Defenders. Early in the series, Dr. Strange used magic to again rescue the Black Knight (Defenders #11).

I'm glad that Dr. Strange ditched the face mask by the time the Defenders formed; he looked more approachable without it.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 61, February 1969. "Some Say the World Will End in Fire … Some Say in Ice!" Stan Lee (editor), Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (artist), George Klein (inker), Sam Roben (letterer).

Moondragon Knows Best

Given her off-putting personality, Moondragon did not enter the Avengers' ranks during a lineup change in Avengers #151. And when the federal government reconfigured the team in #181, Moondragon didn't make the cut. Thirty issues later, the insufferable Moondragon took membership matters into her own hands.

When the Avengers discussed plans to streamline the team to only six active members, a horde of heroes suddenly arrived at Avengers Mansion (#211).

Secretly summoned by Moondragon, the cavalcade included Angel, Black Panther, Black Widow, Dazzler, Hawkeye, Hercules, Iceman, Moon Knight, Tigra, and Yellowjacket.

Mentally compelling them to attack one another and try out for the team, Moondragon evaluated each hero's abilities and potential, while the Avengers remained powerless to stop her.

Scarlet Witch: Enough! We demand that you cease this outrage! We can make our own decisions!

Moondragon: Can you? Some of you would choose to stay out of force of habit … or loneliness … or fear of failure in the world beyond these walls! You are children! And it is better that I choose!

Moondragon eventually agreed to back off. Yet her words struck a nerve, as several longstanding Avengers suddenly decided to depart. The Scarlet Witch and Vision, for example, left to focus on their marriage.

Of all the changes, the Beast's was the most surprising—if not conspicuous. The hero announced out of the blue that perhaps Moondragon was right—so he too quit the Avengers to resume his scientific career. This change of heart didn't last long, however, as Beast joined the Defenders soon afterward, and tried to reshape them into an Avengers-like team.

Considering Moondragon's previous decision to mentor Hellcat (Avengers #151), it's of interest that Tigra (who wore the Cat costume first) was the only new hero to stick around and join the team following the chaos (along with returning member Yellowjacket). Was the "cat" symmetry a coincidence? I can't help but imagine that Moondragon was discreetly involved in that and other decisions.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 211. September 1981. "…By Force of Mind!" Gene Colan (penciler), Dan Green (inker), Janice Chang (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist), Jim Shooter (scribe).

The Marvel Mediumweights

Two years before The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe stated precisely how much each character could lift/press, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #15 (1981) included a lighthearted back-up feature ranking many popular heroes by their physical strength.

Here's a list of the characters who fell at Spider-Man's strength level and below, along with some of their retorts to the web-slinger. It wouldn't take long for Marvel to establish that Colossus and She-Hulk truly belonged among the Heavyweights.

SUPER-MEDIUMWEIGHTS
Colossus: I am still a teenager, Tovarisch. You wait until I am grown.
Ghost Rider: Blazes to you all!
Giant-Man/Black Goliath: I may not be the strongest hero in town, but I am the biggest.
Power Man: Jiminy Christmas--I've got better things to do than stand around posin' with these turkeys.
She-Hulk: Wait until you know me better, Spider-Man. You'll change your mind about my power.
Silver Surfer: I need not rely on super brute strength, for mine is the power cosmic.
Spider-Man: This is my strength class folks.
Valkyrie: I am the foremost warrior-goddess of Asgard--and you presume to mock my might by ranking me here?

MEDIUMWEIGHTS
Aquarian: The greatest strength of all is the strength to refrain from violence.
Beast: (looking at Spider-Woman) Hubba-Hubba.
Captain Britain: As the embodiment of the fighting spirit of ancient Britain, my power is many times human level.
Nighthawk: By night I'm twice as strong as any human--by day, I'm an invalid.
Spider-Woman: Spider-Man, you have some nerve putting me in a class beneath yours.
Tigra: I'll show you my strength if you'll show me yours.
Werewolf by Night: Grrrr.

A final category included heroes at peak-human strength: Black Panther, Captain America, Daredevil, Falcon, Hawkeye, Iron Fist, Ka-Zar, Moon Knight, Shroud, Wolverine, and Ant-Man (Scott Lang).

This back-up feature carried the title: "Just How Strong Is … Spider-Man?" Script and Layouts: Mark Gruenwald.

Liberation Lost

Avengers #83 makes great reading for Defenders fans. The Halloween tale set the stage for the heroic careers of Valkyrie and Nighthawk (although neither of the to-be Defenders technically appeared in the issue).

The story began with a meeting of several prominent super-heroines: Medusa, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Wasp. They were organized by a costumed woman calling herself Valkyrie.

But this was not the Valkyrie who later joined the non-team (Defenders #4). Rather, it was the villainous Enchantress using that guise to fashion herself as a new heroine, with a false origin story about gaining super-strength in a scientific accident.

And yet, this fake Valkyrie accurately described how male heroes took for granted or unfairly overshadowed each of the heroines, convincing them to form an all-women's group called the Lady Liberators.

As a backdrop for the story, Black Panther, Quicksilver, Vision, and Goliath (Clint Barton, on a break from being Hawkeye) were appearing at the 11th annual Halloween Parade in Rutland, Vermont. Sporting a Nighthawk costume (before the character reformed in Defenders #13-14), parade organizer Tom Fagan explained that it was okay to dress like a villain on Halloween.

When a group of real super-criminals showed up, the Liberators and Avengers worked together to defeat the Masters of Evil. Then the Liberators took out their pent-up frustration against the male Avengers, revealing some of their chauvinistic beliefs.

Black Panther: Stay Back! I don't know what's going on here--but I don't fight women--even super-powered ones!

Black Widow: Then you had better learn to Avenger--if you wish to survive!

After learning that the so-called Valkyrie was the Enchantress in disguise, the heroes overcame the Asgardian spell-caster's plans to turn them against each other. But it's a shame that it took a supervillain to raise feminist consciousness in the comic book—and that the impact was relatively short-lived. The issue ended with the heroes giving only lip-service to women's liberation.

Goliath: You birds finally learned your lesson about that women's lib bull!

Scarlet Witch: That's what you think--Male Chauvinist Pig! One of these days the Liberators will stage a comeback--right, Jan?

Wasp: You know, Wanda … they just might, at that.

For continuity buffs, this story took place one year before Marvel Feature #2, which showed Rutland's 12th annual Halloween Parade and a one-panel flashback to Avengers #83.

Avengers. Vol. 1. No. 83. December 1970. "The Revolution's Fine!" Stan Lee (editor), Roy Thomas (writer), John Buscema (artist), Tom Palmer (inker), Herb Cooper (letterer).

In the Corner Pocket

I miss the way Marvel Comics once displayed character headshots in the upper-left cover corner of team books.

For the Defenders, that tradition began with their debut appearance in Marvel Feature #1, with founding members Hulk, Sub-Mariner, and Dr. Strange featured in the boxed-in corner.

During the 1970s, Nighthawk, Valkyrie, and Hellcat were the only new members to earn a slot in the upper corner of the Defenders series.

Things started to shake up in 1980, when guest-star Black Panther accompanied longtime members of the team in the corner of Defenders #84 (and again in #86).

In the months ahead, the cover corners changed almost every issue, showcasing returning members, such as Daredevil and Daimon Hellstrom—and making room for newcomers like Gargoyle and Beast.

I generally prefer when all of the faces fit within the box.





Routinely overlooked, Clea finally received corner attention on the covers of Defenders #102-103.

Though from a distance they might look alike, the headshots of foundational-member Silver Surfer and new-member Iceman had enough detail to keep them distinct. Speaking of detail, Moondragon's corner image gained a headband to reflect her appearance among the New Defenders.





During Assistant Editors' Month in 1984, the corner showed a characakture of Marvel staffer Ann Nocenti dressed as the high-flying Angel. Near the end of the original series, the Defenders corners began to feature reduced-size headshots of most of the team and a full-body image of one of the heroes.