Uncollected

The New Defenders almost encountered the Collector in Marvel Team-Up Annual #7 (1984). In that issue, the supervillain wanted to expand his collection of extraterrestrials—and he found several prospects residing on Earth. Under consideration were Warlock of the New Mutants and Cloud of the New Defenders. The Collector passed them both up, however, turning his attention instead to Spider-Man (sporting a symbiotic alien costume from Secret Wars) and Marrina of Alpha Flight (and from the Plodex homeworld). Though easy to overlook, the panel featuring Cloud provided an important piece of foreshadowing for the New Defenders, as Cloud's extraterrestrial origin story had yet to be revealed.

In the Wings

Angel was basically benched from the team after New Defenders #143, when an attack from Moondragon left him blind until #152, the final issue of the series. If Angel seemed unfettered while wounded, he had already done his share of soul searching just before joining the New Defenders (#125), when the subterranean band of mutants known as Morlocks kidnapped him and clipped his pin feathers (X-Men #169-170).

No longer a prospective mate for Callisto, leader of the Morlocks, Angel was instead boyfriend to Candy Southern, leader of the New Defenders. This may have helped him maintain his perspective.

In this panel from Defenders #146 (Aug. 1985), Cloud verbally guides Angel as he practices flying without his eyesight.

Defenders: Tier C

To continue comparing the power level of Defenders from the original series, this post covers Tier C, which encompasses those heroes who were largely proficient yet did not necessarily stand out among other superhumans. Notable examples would include longtime members Nighthawk and Hellcat. Devil-Slayer functioned here too.

Although Red Guardian had no superhuman powers until she left in Defenders #53, her exceptional fighting skills and athleticism kept her on par with her teammates at Tier C. As a disciple of the mystic arts, Clea remained on the sidelines during much of the original series but her magical powers operated at this tier when she adventured with the non-team.

Among the New Defenders, Iceman and Cloud had powers with great creative potential yet still seemed scaled back to Tier C, in league with Beast and Angel.

These images of the Defenders come from editions of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

Reversal

The first installment in a five-part limited series, the recently released Defenders #1 provided a new take on early concepts of the non-team. The story began with the Masked Raider making the acquaintance of Dr. Strange by threatening the sorcerer with a gun. As the two men sized up one another, Dr. Strange used his oft overlooked skill as a brown belt to defend himself before offering to hear the Masked Raider's concerns over tea.

Relying on a Tarot deck for guidance, Dr. Strange identified with the Magician card and saw the Masked Raider as the Hierophant card. Oddly, both cards appeared upside down, as did the next three cards that Dr. Strange harnessed to mystically summon a fresh combination of heroes to face a looming threat.

The card of Judgment summoned the Silver Surfer, a former herald to Galactus (who promises to play a role in the limited series).

The High Priestess card summoned Betty Banner (née Ross). Now known as the Red Harpy, this unique identity harks back to her previous transformation into Harpy. I much prefer this take on the heroine over her former alias as Red She-Hulk, which felt derivative on several levels.

The most apropos reveal was the Lovers card for Cloud, a cosmic being metaphysically merged with a young romantic couple.

For those keeping track, this relaunch of the Defenders is officially Volume 6 with regard to publication history. I hope that the limited series adds momentum for the Defenders to continue as an informal group of magical, monstrous, and misanthropic heroes.

Defenders. No. 1. October 2021. "Eighth Cosmos: The Magician." Al Ewing & Javier Rodríguez (storytellers), Álvaro López (letters), VC's Joe Caramagna (inks), Wil Moss & Sarah Brunstad (editors). The issue inclues a MARVEL REMEMBERS page honoring influential Defenders writer David Anthony Kraft (1952-2021).

The Secret of Seraph

Introduced as a formidable operative of the Secret Empire, Seraph led a mission to kidnap the Vision in Defenders #123. Yet in a surprising turn of events, Seraph then helped the Defenders defeat the Secret Empire in #129-130. Here, Seraph revealed herself to be a Soviet agent who had infiltrated the Secret Empire to thwart the criminal organization's plot to manipulate the United States and Soviet Union into starting the next world war.

While undercover, however, Seraph had used her psionic powers to give Cloud false memories that the Secret Empire had killed her parents, turning Cloud's loyalty away from the Secret Empire and to the side of the Defenders. Cloud's complicated true past remained unknown until #149-150.

This panel of Seraph comes from New Defenders #130.

Love Triangle

As manipulative as Moondragon could be, sometimes she was right. Take for example a biting remark she made about Iceman's attitudes toward women (New Defenders #132).

Moondragon: Mr. Drake, if you continue to demonstrate your subconscious hostility towards women, I'm afraid you'll never emerge from adolescence.

Although Iceman did not see himself this way, a pattern of chauvinism played out in his reactions toward Cloud. All of the New Defenders were startled at first when Cloud initially transformed from the woman they originally met (#123) into the form of a man (#136). Yet Iceman was particularly brusque whenever Cloud became male.

Iceman wanted to pursue a romantic relationship with the female Cloud and treated her male self as interference. The fact that Cloud typically was nude when transforming back and forth undoubtably made the situation all the more complicated for Iceman.

What Iceman couldn't fully accept, however, was that Cloud's female and male selves saw themselves as the same person—and that, male or female, Cloud's feelings toward Iceman were merely platonic.

In many ways, the situation with Cloud harked back to Iceman's earlier disappointment with Lorna Dane. During his time with the original X-Men, Iceman couldn't accept that Lorna Dane loved Havok instead of him. Rather, Iceman blamed Havok for interfering with his potential relationship.

This image of Cloud and Iceman comes from New Defenders #138.

Even More Coming Attractions

Expanding on earlier posts, here are additional promotional blurbs about the Defenders from the Comic Attractions section of Marvel Age magazine.

Marvel Age #1 (April 1983):

• DEFENDERS #121—Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS. Pencils by DON PERLIN. The Defenders are put in a bizarre position in "Savior" as, on an Indonesian island, they fight to stop the all-powerful Miracle Man from … saving the world? Also: a major turning point in the lives of Daimon Hellstrom and Patsy Walker.

Marvel Age #5 (August 1983):

• DEFENDERS #125—Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS. Pencils by DON PERLIN. Inks by KIM DeMULDER. It's the one we've been leading up to. To save the world, the Defenders must — break up! But from the ashes rises a new team! Would you believe — the Ex X-Men!? Also, Hellcat's wedding! The debut of Mad Dog! And the Mutant Force returns! Whew! So much action we took 48 pages to tell it!

Marvel Age #8 (November 1983):

• DEFENDERS #128—What is Project: Sublimate? Let's just say that 1984 arrives a year early, as the most far-reaching of all Defenders sagas draws toward its dramatic conclusion! Written by J.M. DeMatteis, and featuring the outstanding penciling of Alan Kupperberg!

Marvel Age #14 (May 1984):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #134—The New Defenders have nothing to fear—do they? When a maniacal killer comes to the Defenders' Aerie in the New Mexico Rockies, he brings death with him! And he brings it … one victim at a time! Not for the weak of heart! Plus: we've been hinting about the relationship between Cloud and Moondragon! Now you get to see their lives take a bizarre turn! "Manslaughter" is written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin, and inked by Kim DeMulder!

Marvel Age #29 (August 1985):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #147—Hotspur is just a demon who loves to have fun! The New Defenders discover that his idea of fun is destroying property and killing people! But what can the New Defenders do? The villain has the power to warp their minds anyway he wishes! "… And Games" is written by Peter B. Gillis, pencilled by Don Perlin and inked by Art Nichols. 65¢.

Silver Lining

Members of the Defenders with a solid white appearance had extraterrestrial origins and began as reluctant villains. This held true for Silver Surfer as well as Cloud.

Moon Knight was more a friend of the Defenders than an actual member. But he, too, had an all-white costume with an astronomical motif.

Iceman did not follow this mold. Beneath his frozen white armor, Iceman's actual costume consisted of a pair of light blue shorts and boots during his time with the New Defenders. This image of comes from New Defenders #132.

Portfolio Page

Marvel Fanfare #20 (May 1985) closed with several stand-alone pages of artwork by Charles Vess. The portfolio included this full-page image of the New Defenders.

Roll Call: Gargoyle, Iceman, Valkyrie (riding Aragorn), Cloud, Angel, Beast, and Moondragon.

Tag Cloud

Like many blogs, this fansite features a Tag Cloud of labels for searching content (in the purple column on the right). The panel shown here from New Defenders #127 looked like a fitting image to place there as well.

No longer a pawn of the Secret Empire (#123), Cloud came to the Defenders for help. Gargoyle and Valkyrie were suspicious of Cloud's motives at first, but Moondragon knew they could trust her.

More Coming Attractions

Building on the popularity of an earlier post about Coming Attractions, here are additional teasers from the pages of Marvel Age.

Marvel Age #3 (June 1983):

• DEFENDERS #123—Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS. Pencils by DON PERLIN. Doctor Strange, the Silver Surfer, and the Submariner are trapped in time and must relive the most traumatic points in their lives—and this time they might not survive.

Marvel Age #9 (December 1983):

• DEFENDERS #129—It's the beginning of the end of the Secret Empire Saga, as the New Defenders—aided and abetted by Cloud and the mysterious Seraph—try to stop Professor Power's plans to topple both the United States and the USSR! It's not as simple as it sounds, though—not when the New Defenders must also battle the New Mutants—sort of! "Countdown" is written by J.M. DeMatteis, penciled by Don Perlin, and inked by Kim DeMulder.

Marvel Age #23 (February 1985):

• THE DEFENDERS #141—Just when the Defenders had totally forgotten them, the gamma ray spores seen in issue #132 are back—and have spread into everything! If the spores cannot be stopped, they will destroy the Defenders! "All Flesh is Grass!" written Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Kim DeMulder. 60¢.

Marvel Age #26 (May 1985):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #144—The evil Dark Dragon offered her almost limitless power—and Moondragon took it! Now she's a rampaging emissary of evil whose first task is to slay her friends, the Defenders! "Dragon Midnight!" written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Kim DeMulder. 65¢.

Marvel Age #32 (November 1985):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #150—The New Defenders are in space. The galaxy destroying Star Thief is why. Even with the help of The Cosmic Cube and the aliens Moe, Larry, Curly, and Shemp, will the New Defenders be able to stop him? "The Stars in Their Courses" is written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Randy Emberlin and Alan Kupperberg. A double-sized issue! $1.25.

The image of Moondragon's attack against Valkyrie in New Defenders #144 also appeared in the Coming Attractions section Marvel Age #26.

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.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind

The collective being called Over-Mind seemed intent on staying with the Defenders as it transitioned from a non-team into a "new" group. Yet the character inexplicably vanished from the series after Defenders #122 … just before the debut of Cloud in #123.

Not until #149-150 did the New Defenders learn of the intertwining events that transpired between those two earlier issues.

When stars in an area of space began to disappear, a cloud of mass from a sentient nebula journeyed to Earth in search of help. Over-Mind sensed the nebula's thoughts and traveled into the void of space to investigate the phenomenon on his own.

New to Earth, the sentient Cloud tried making contact with a young couple, Carol Faber and Danny Milligan—only to witness their automobile skid off the road and crash. The accident left them both comatose. Psychically traumatized, Cloud acquired the paranormal ability to assume the appearance of the two humans (alternating between female and male forms), while forgetting its own true nature.

This image of Over-Mind appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

Defining the New Defenders

In launching the Marvel Super Heroes role-playing game during the mid 1980s, TSR published a line of adventure modules and sourcebooks showcasing characters from the comic books.

Although the Defenders never had their own game supplement, "The MARVEL-Phile" article in Dragon #100 included Marvel Super Heroes game stats for three members of the New Defenders.

With her matter-of-fact fighting abilities, Valkyrie made for a straightforward transition into game terms. Stats for her horse Aragorn appeared as well.

Game mechanics for Gargoyle were more complicated than most, as writer Jeff Grubb captured the nuances of the hero's energy-drain powers.

Notes for Cloud, the newest of the New Defenders, were necessarily enigmatic—describing the character's alternate forms while adding that the truth about Cloud's identity remained unknown.

As for the other New Defenders, game stats for Beast and Moondragon previously appeared in the sourcebook Avengers Assembled! The X-Men sourcebook titled Project: Wideawake had included stats for Iceman, Angel, and Candy Southern.

The above image of Cloud, from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, was one of the illustrations included in Dragon #100 (August 1985).

Dragon #100 also featured the article "Creative Conjuring," in which Eric Walker proposed variant rules for the magic of Dr. Strange and other spell-casters in the Marvel Super Heroes game.

Coming Attractions

When Marvel Age magazine began publication in 1983, the Coming Attractions section featured promotional blurbs about upcoming comics.

Here is a sampling of Coming Attractions about the Defenders as they transitioned from a non-team to the New Defenders.

Marvel Age #2 (May 1983):

• DEFENDERS #122—Written by J.M. DeMATTEIS. Pencils by DON PERLIN. The Iceman Cometh! Hellcat and the Son of Satan Goeth! And for you action lovers, you'll be knocked off your pins as—the Beast gets a dog and picks up his old mail!!!

Marvel Age #6 (September 1983):

• DEFENDERS #126—Remember Moondragon? Remember how her arrogant personality turned her from a hero to the most incorrigible AVENGERS villainess of all? Well, she's in the DEFENDERS—and Valkyrie on orders from Odin has to teach her humility and cooperation! Needless to say, our newest ensemble of Defenders is in for some growing pains as a team. Don't miss "State of the Union," written by J.M. DeMatteis and penciled by Don Perlin.

Marvel Age #15 (June 1984):

• THE NEW DEFENDERS #135—The New Defenders may not be your ordinary team of super heroes—but they've never met an adversary like this! He's Blowtorch Brand—and he's not your average arsonist! Angel, Beast, Iceman, Gargoyle, and Moondragon have to stop him—before he reduces New Mexico to a pile of ashes! "The Fire at Heaven's Gate" is written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin, and inked by Kim DeMulder!

Marvel Age #17 (August 1984):

• NEW DEFENDERS #137—The New Defenders face a fight to the finish—with one of their own members! Will the Gargoyle have to sacrifice his own life to save that of his friends? Also, more on Cloud, one of the most unusual super heroes to be introduced in years! And it's all for six dimes! Written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Kim DeMulder! 60¢.

Marvel Age #25 (April 1985):

• NEW DEFENDERS #143—What a choice Moondragon must make! Should she die a horrible death, and thus spare the world from being destroyed by a monstrous evil force—or should she live and accept the almost limitless power that can be hers, by agreeing to forever become the immortal tool of the Dark Dragon? All that the New Defenders can do is watch—helpless! "Another Runner" written by Peter B. Gillis, penciled by Don Perlin and inked by Kim DeMulder. 65¢.

The Love That Dare Not Speak Its Name

Moondragon had shown a maternal protectiveness toward Cloud ever since the younger hero joined the team. When an encounter with the villain Manslaughter left Moondragon shaken, Cloud offered comforting words, and said, "I love you." And she didn't mean platonically.

That was the closing scene in Defenders #134. The following issue showed Cloud's misgivings about her feelings, echoing the thoughts many people face when coming to understand their sexuality. This was groundbreaking material for mainstream comics at the time (before Northstar became the first major comic book hero to officially come out of the closet in Alpha Flight #106).

A surprise for readers came in Defenders #136 when the female hero transformed into cloud form, then resolidified as a young man—describing the metamorphosis as a way to be close to Moondragon without raising eyebrows about homosexuality.

Cloud: (As a male) I can love you, Moondragon--everything that was wrong is now right! I can love you--and I do.

It didn't matter whether Cloud was male or female. The feelings were unrequited either way. Moondragon put her cards on the table in #140, explaining how she had inadvertently manipulated Cloud's feelings (following telepathic commands she began using as early as #126) in an attempt to persuade someone to help remove the mystical headband that limited her power.

Moondragon: I was sending out subliminal sexual impulses in hope that someone, Angel or Iceman say, would fall in love and so help to remove the band. You got caught in that net. Please shake off your mad impulse--as I have shaken off mine.

Cloud: It's not a mad impulse! But--all right--before I go--just tell me one thing--does it mean you don't love me at all?

Moondragon: If you can tell me what love is--then I can answer you. Otherwise--

Cloud: I see. Goodbye, Moondragon.

For all her arrogance, Moondragon was remorse that she may have unintentionally altered the emotions of someone else—particularly someone to whom she felt kindness. But maybe Moondragon wasn't at fault. Attraction isn't always rational. Perhaps Cloud's feelings toward the standoffish telepath were indeed real.

Peter B. Gillis wrote the Defenders issues that disclosed the feelings between Cloud and Moondragon.

Manslaughter

This is the first time I've felt obligated to issue a SPOILER ALERT on the fansite. That's because this installment discusses several key plot points of New Defenders #134 that might be enjoyed best without knowing how things end. Overall, #134 was perhaps the most tightly written and suspenseful issue featuring the New Defenders.

Following an out-of-town speaking engagement, Beast returned to Defenders headquarters to find his teammates on edge. After leaving a threatening message on their answering machine, an unseen assailant had begun to target each of the heroes when unaccompanied within the mansion.

Cloud was surprised to find a garland around her neck—and even more surprised when snakes began to crawl out of it. Iceman was rendered unconscious in the gym, with THE HEAT'S ON seared into his chest. A note with a death threat was attached to Angel's wing. The Dragonfang sword was missing from Valkyrie's scabbard and replaced with another threatening note. Moondragon could sense nothing about the stalker.

With that pattern, the five heroes decided to stay together—until Cloud announced that she had to use the washroom and insisted that didn't need anyone to accompany her. That's slasher-film formula for getting killed, and she knew it.

A costumed man with a sword jumped out from the shadows and put a sword to Cloud's neck. She cried out, and the Defenders stormed inside to find her on the ground, and indirectly pronounced dead.

After the Defenders split up to search for the elusive assailant, scenes of Iceman showed him carrying an ice club—not something a man could generate his own ice blasts typically needed to do. When the ice-covered fell to the floor from a blade the neck, the perpetrator believed that two of the Defenders were now dead.

The assailant was in fact Manslaughter. Hired to murder the Defenders, the professional assassin had the psionic power to make himself invisible unless looked at directly—similar to an ability Moondragon used in Avengers #211, before Odin's headband limited her powers.

As Manslaughter readied to murder Moondragon, a bolt of lightning struck him from behind, revealing that Cloud was still alive. And Iceman came from another direction to encase the villain in ice.

Flashbacks revealed what really had taken place during the earlier murder scenes. When Cloud initially left for the bathroom, she prepared herself for an attack, discreetly turning her neck to mist when Manslaughter slit her throat. And she was the one inside the full-bodied sheath of ice and wielding the ice club, while the real Iceman hid to outsmart the assassin.

A degree of luck clearly entered into the success of the heroes' plan. But it remained a chillingly satisfying adventure. In turning the slasher conventions inside out, the Defenders showed more intelligence and teamwork than they had before.

New Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 134. August 1984. "Manslaughter!" Peter B. Gillis (story), Don Perlin (pencils), Kim DeMulder (inks), Janice Chiang (letters), Christie Scheel (colors), Carl Potts (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Plant Attack

Uncertain about her true past, Cloud fled the Secret Empire after Defenders #123 and now found sanctuary among the New Defenders.

But the team's mountainside mansion was not always the safest place to be.

When a destitute man arrived unexpectedly, the heroes who were home at the time invited the stranger inside to offer him help. No sooner did the man walk through the front door than he transformed into a giant plant-creature (#132).

When Moondragon attempted to subdue the plant-man with her thoughts, he retaliated. When she got back on her feet, Moondragon stated that she could not affect the creature, as its mind had regressed to something akin to a savage impulses.

Valkyrie's sword, Cloud's lightning, Gargoyle's bio-energy blasts, and Iceman's standard attacks proved almost useless against the vicious vegetation. More than once the heroes thought they defeated the creature only to watch it further mutate and regrow.

The usually calm Angel half-panicked when he spotted one of the plant's spores latched to his back. The winged hero flew as high into the atmosphere as he could until the thin air caused the seed to fall off. But that still left the bulk of the plant-monster growing stronger inside the mansion.

Ordering everyone else to evacuate, Iceman devised one of the most innovate plans of career. He intended to use dehydration to defeat the plant. Situated by a window, Iceman froze water molecules in the air to create massive amounts of ice outside, drying out the air inside until the plant could no longer survive.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 132. June 1984. "The Phantom of Gamma Ray Flats." Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (artist), Kim De Muilder (inker), Janice Chiang (letterer), Christie Scheel (colorist), Carl Potts (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

And Then There's Cloud

On a break from their crimefighting careers, Scarlet Witch and Vision planned a quiet get-together with Gargoyle, Beast, and Iceman (Defenders #123). Over dinner, Scarlet Witch made a telling remark about her experience as a reformed criminal.

Scarlet Witch: Strange how time changes things, isn't it, Bobby? It seems like only yesterday that my brother, Quicksilver, and I battled your original X-Men as members of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.

No sooner did the heroes clear away the dinner plates than the group came under attack by three agents of the Secret Empire. Their objective was to capture the Vision.

The trio of attackers consisted of Seraph (with super strength and eye beams), Harridan (with a near lethal touch), and Cloud (with transformation powers suited for her name). As dangerous as they were, in-fighting contributed greatly to the villains' defeat. It would come as no shock when Cloud, the most sympathetic of the bunch, later changed sides herself and joined the Defenders.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 123. September 1983. "Of Elves and Androids" (J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim De Mulder (inker), Janice Chiang (letterer), Christy Scheele (colorist), Carl Potts (editor), Jim Shooter (tall guy with a big office).