Ins and Outs

Bringing together mutant heroes and supernatural crimefighters, the Champions was an antecedent to the New Defenders—just 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.

Warren's Wardrobe

Warren Worthington III redesigned his costume a handful of times during his heroic career as Angel. Of all his costumes, my favorite was the red-and-white costume with a halo insignia that he began wearing in Champions #8. That costume replaced the open-chested, yellow-and-red costume introduced in Champions #1. The red-and-white costume was in fact a variation of a blue-and-white costume that he began wearing as one of the original X-Men (replacing a costume with suspenders first seen in X-Men #39). After the Champions disbanded, Warren sometimes returned to the blue-and-white costume, but he stayed with the red-and-white version throughout his time with the New Defenders. Because of his wings, Warren was identifiable as the Angel no matter which uniform he wore.

These panesl come from Champions $8 (Oct. 1976).

Black Goliath and the Champions

The letters page of Champions #6 noted that Black Goliath was originally considered for membership in the Los Angeles team. Instead, the hero with the power to grow 15-feet-tall received his own solo series, which ran for five issues. Meanwhile, Hercules became the Champions' resident strongman. Although Black Goliath would never join the Champions, a guest appearance in #11 established that he had designed the team's sky-car.

Oddly enough, Black Goliath #3 introduced the supervillain Vulcan. In spite of his name, the criminal appeared to have no connection to the Roman god Vulcan (a.k.a. Hephaestus to the Greeks) or the Olympians in general.

House of Ideas

Defenders: Beyond #5 (Jan. 2023) wrapped up the limited series by taking the heroes to the House of Ideas. Home to a godlike creative force, the surreal dimension included some nostalgic comic book imagery. In drawing attention to the comic book as a storytelling medium, writer Al Ewing and illustrator Javier Rodríguez emphasized the importance of agency and experience within their characters—ending the abstract adventure on an optimistic note.

The House of Ideas is, of course, a longstanding euphemism for Marvel Comics. The cover of Champions #6 (June 1976), for instance, noted that the magazine came from the House of Ideas! In that story, Angel, Iceman, Black Widow and Hercules defeated a costumed villain called Rampage.

Covering the Champions

Marvel Comics used various approaches when picturing heroes on team book covers. The Champions, for example, displayed only Hercules in the upper-left corner of covers throughout most of the series. The color of Hercules' headband changed from red to brown to green as the series progressed, but otherwise the illustration remained consistent. Not until #16 did the corner picture all five founding members of the team.

Hercules Black Widow Angel Ghost Rider Iceman

The corner image of Ghost Rider changed slightly in #17, the final issue of the series.

Neutral by Nature: Godzilla

The nine-alignment system outlined in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons recognized that some creatures lack the intelligence to consider Good vs. Evil or Law vs. Chaos. Within the realm of comic books, the character Godzilla fit into this brand of neutrality. Godzilla's monstrous size, however, posed a very real threat to those around and prompted characters of various alignments to take action.

Godzilla #3 found the giant lizard in San Francisco, facing the Champions superhero team on top of the agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law-Enforcement Division). Although both groups had similar objectives to subdue the giant lizard, S.H.I.E.L.D. commander Timothy "Dum-Dum" Dugan refused to work alongside any of the Champions.

Dugan: Far as I'm concerned, you're a civilian and that makes you a vigilante--and that makes you a lawbreaker!

Through the lens of AD&D, Dugan wouldn't recognize the Champions unless they too were Lawful Good. As such, while S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Champions remained at odds, Godzilla managed to escape.

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

Godzilla. Vol. 1. No. 3. October 1977. "A Tale of Two Saviors." Doug Moench (writer), Herb Trimpe (artist), Tony Dezuniga (inker), Wohl & Watanabe (letterers), Don Warfield (colorist), Archie Goodwin (editor).

Legacy

The recent loss of former teammate Black Widow brought Iceman, Angel, Ghost Rider, Hercules, and Darkstar back to Los Angeles to grieve—and also to reminisce about their days as Champions (Iceman #6).

The group learned that their former headquarters was now a fitness center, and Iceman felt all the more smited when someone mistook him for the Silver Surfer.

In his plain-clothes identity as Bobby Drake, the now-out hero kissed a man for the first time while on an impromptu date. The evening ended abruptly, however, with the arrival of Sentinels (which the team fought in Champions #17, the last issue of their original series).

Sina Grace wrote Iceman #6 (December 2017). A back-up story by Robbie Thompson recounted the hero's origin and personal history, including a flashback to the fight scene from the cover of New Defenders #126.

Breaking the Ice

Putting his X-Men days behind him, Bobby Drake began attending college at the University of California, Los Angeles. There, as Iceman, he became a founding member of the Champions.

Bobby updated his costume to make a stronger impression on his teammates, most notably new member Darkstar (Champions #14). The two heroes dated briefly until Darkstar abruptly decided to return to her homeland of Russia (#17).

After the Champions disbanded, Bobby met a woman named Teresa "Terri" Sue Bottoms and invited her to vacation with him at the summer home of Warren Worthington (who no longer hid his heroic identity as Angel). Terri was starstruck to meet the winged mutant, much to the chagrin of Warren's longtime girlfriend Candy Southern (Incredible Hulk Annual #7).

Bobby kept his own mutant powers secret from Terri Sue as they continued dating in Marvel Two-in-One #76 (June 1981). That same month, however, a guest appearance in Uncanny X-Men #146 (June 1981) revealed that Iceman had his eyes on someone else.

Iceman: (Thinking) And to think I could be at school, romancing Sheila Delaney, the cute lady from the dorm next door.

Iceman had returned to the X-Men to help rescue Candy Southern and other friends and family of the mutant team who had been kidnapped by the assassin Arcade.

Uncanny X-Men #145, incidentally, had established that Bobby was now a college sophomore and attending school on the Eastern Seaboard.

This panel from Uncanny X-Men #145 shows Iceman as a fan of the band KISS, whose members had crossed over into superhero comics.

Later, when almost every hero on Earth found themselves gathered together in Contest of Champions #1 (June 1982), Iceman took a moment to reconnect with Darkstar in one of the most touching scenes from that issue.

By this time, a theme had emerged in Bobby's love life. The women, like Darkstar, who knew he had mutant powers didn't want a lasting relationship with him, though for different reasons (Judy Harmon, Lorna Dane).

Neutral Good: The Champions

At face value, mutants Angel and Iceman had little in common with Hercules, Black Widow, or Ghost Rider—outside of the fact that they were all living in Los Angeles at the same time.

Whatever differences they might have had, however, the group largely put them aside while working together as the Champions.

Motivated by a general belief that the world still needs heroes, the short-lived super-team captured the spirit of Neutral Good under the classic alignment system from Dungeons & Dragons.

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

The silhouetted image above comes from the closing page of Champions #4.

Against the Swarm

A string of fatal insect attacks against leading entomologists prompted the national Department of Covert Extranormal Investigation and Disinformation to enlist the help of Dr. Druid (Secret Defenders #18-19).

At Dr. Druid's recommendation, Henry Pym received orders from the highest levels of government to investigate conspicuous insect infestations at the Rand-Meachum Technology Facility in Houston.

Though back to his Giant-Man powers at the time, Dr. Pym brought along a cybernetic helmet from his days as Ant-Man. Accompanied by Iron Fist—who was already on site as Daniel Rand, chairman and CEO of Rand-Meachum Inc.—Pym concluded that a singular consciousness was controlling the army of insects that stormed the facility.

Meanwhile, Dr. Druid, Shadowoman, and Cadaver of the Secret Defenders worked behind the scenes to battle Swarm, the collective intelligence responsible for the attacks.

During the encounter, Dr. Druid sensed that Iceman and Angel had previously faced Swarm (Champions #14-15). For backup, Dr. Druid cast an illusion in the minds of Iceman and Archangel that Professor Xavier wanted them to report to the facility. The two mutants arrived at the tail end of this latest conflict.

Secret Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 18. August 1994. "A Tiny Little War." Tom Brevroot & Mike Kanterovich (writers), Bill Wylie (penciler), Hudson + Dezuniga (inkers), John Costanza (letterer), Jim Hoston (colorist), Craig Anderson (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief).

Secret Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 19. September 1994. "Survival of the Fittest." Tom Brevroot & Mike Kanterovich (writers), Bill Wylie (breakdowns), Tony Dezuniga (finishes), John Costanza (letterer), John Kausz (colorist), Craig Anderson (editor), Tom DeFalco (bee-hind it all).

Coming of Age

The end of Defenders #16 left five members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants transformed into infants. Yet when the evil mutant Blob next faced the Defenders (#63), he was an adult again. What happened to the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants in the time in between?

Following his transformation into an infant, Magneto went in captivity at the mutant-research facility on Muir Island, off the coast of Scotland. When the villain Eric the Red used an energy ray to restore him to adulthood, the master of magnetism broke free (X-Men #104).

Held inside a neighboring cell, other members of the Brotherhood inadvertently returned to adulthood as well. But they did not rejoin Magneto. Instead, Blob, Lorelei, and Unus teamed up with Vanisher, who concocted a plot to keep them free (Champions #17).

Chased by a trio of mutant-hunting Sentinels (secretly controlled by Vanisher), the escaped members of the Brotherhood sought refuge in headquarters of the Champions. Since Angel and Iceman of the original X-Men were members of the Los Angeles super-team, Vanisher gambled that the Champions would sympathize with their fellow mutants and agree to harbor them.

The first part of the plan paid off beautifully, as Black Widow, Hercules, Ghost Rider, Angel, Iceman, and Darkstar trounced the Sentinel robots. But instead of taking in the evil mutants, the Champions captured the band of criminals.

Mastermind, a founding member of the Brotherhood who too became an infant in Defenders #16, did not regroup with his teammates in Champions #17. But the master of illusions must have returned to his true age with the others, as he would become the lynchpin in the Dark Phoenix saga in the pages of the X-Men.

Champions. Vol. 1. No. 17. January 1978. Bill Mantlo (writer), George Tuska (artist), John Byrne (embellisher), John Costanza (letterer), Phil Rachelson (colorist), Archie Goodwin (editor). This was the last issue of the Champions series.

They Were the Champions

With the Son of Zeus and a demonic motorcyclist part of the regular lineup, the loosely organized Champions of Los Angeles played out like a West Coast branch of the Defenders.

A combination of camaraderie and necessity held the Champions together—but only for only so long. Interestingly enough, soon after the series ended with Champions #17, Hercules became a leader of the Defenders for a Day.

Iceman and Angel, of course, later joined the New Defenders (with Angel wearing the halo-crested costume he adopted during his time with the Champions).

A letter to writer Bill Mantlo and editor Archie Goodwin in Champions #15 discussed the five founding members of the team.

Dear Bill and Archie,

Thanks a lot! With CHAMPIONS #12 you've become my favorite Marvel mag, ousting AVENGERS out of the #1 spot—and that takes some doing!

Now to other things. The art was fabulous. Please keep John Byrne on CHAMPS, but have him inked by Frank Giacoia. As to the team itself:

1. Hercules—By all means, keep him. Without Herc, the Champs would have no power. But try to keep his temper down, huh?


2. Black Widow—She shows a great instinct for leadership, and the Champs definitely need a leader. But she needs to exhibit more control. Have her give orders, but don't overdo it.


3. Angel—You're developing him beautifully. I think his new costume is great, and I've been waiting for a long time for the halo on his chest.


4. Iceman—Mr. Drake is improving, also. Don't, I repeat, don't ditch the Iceman!


5. Ghost Rider—You have a problem here. After reading the past lettercols, I get the feeling most fans don't think he fits in well, and I agree.

Danny Dragos
Kings Park, NY

What's Eating Bobby Drake?

Iceman was one of the last heroes you'd expect to have angst. Physically, he could easily pass for a typical human—something most of his teammates couldn't do. And he lacked the mythic turmoil that inherently plagued so many Defenders.

But for existential Bobby Drake, the ability to choose whether or not to be a hero was the source of his problems. After leaving the original X-Men, his interest in studying accounting at college seemed to come more out of a desire to be conventional than a deeper interest in the field.

Revisiting some of the plot threads from his days in the Champions, Iceman's 1985 limited series forced the hero to face the on-the-fence position that he carried with him into the Defenders.

More a psychological journey than an adventure story, the limited series ultimately asked Iceman to decide to be the leader of his own life, independent of his parents' wishes or the expectations of his super-powered friends.

And though he did decide to stay with the New Defenders, there was no guarantee that Iceman would be happy.

J.M. DeMatteis wrote Iceman's limited series. The story was set soon after New Defenders #130.

Defenders Dialogue: No-Prize

For many years, Marvel Comics issued the occasional No-Prize to astute readers who explained away continuity errors or other discrepancies. As the name implied, the only prize involved was an acknowledgment on the letters page. But that in itself was an honor.

Consider this letter from Defenders #131, pointing out an error Bobby Drake (Iceman) made in #126, after Valkyrie dismissed Beast as a jester when he jockeyed to lead the team.

Dear Carl:

I predict that you will receive many letters such as mine this month, but mine will be different from the rest. Yes, I, too, spotted Bobby Drake's slip of the tongue in DEFENDERS #126, panel four, page 12, when he said that the Beast was a valued member of The X-Men and The Champions. As every Marvellite knows, the "jester" in question was a valued member of The X-Men and THE AVENGERS!

But I will not ask for a No-Prize. No-Prizes should be awarded for major lapses in continuity, character behavior, etc. Spelling errors or slips of the tongue just do not cut it! Bobby had obviously been thinking of his own qualifications for leadership, or perhaps Warren's. He became angry at Val, and since he had been thinking of The Champions … Got it?

When I win my No-Prize, I want it to be for something I can be proud of.

Jeff A. Plackemeir
Columbia, MO

Here's how editor Carl Potts replied:

As far as we're concerned, Jeff, No-Prizes should be awarded to readers who not only spot a major goof, but provide us with an intelligent explanation of said goof. You did just that so we're sending you a No-Prize whether you want one or not! (Geez, this is the first time we've had to force one of these on somebody!!)

Beast first suggested that the Defenders needed an official leader back in #121, after complaining that the group lacked the organization of the Avengers or X-Men. Valkyrie defended the group's loose structure and countered by saying that she would make a better leader than he would.

Despite Valkyrie's objections, Beast ultimately became leader of the New Defenders. Wealthy Warren Worthington (Angel), meanwhile, financially supported the team, as he had with the Champions.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 121. July 1983. "Savior." J. M. DeMatteis (scripter, co-plotter), Don Perlin (penciler, co-plotter), Abel, Mushynsky, Kupperberg (inkers), Shelly Feferman (letterer), Allen Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (chief).