An Advanced Assassin

The Defenders faced their share of serial killers, but one member of the non-team had the makings of an Assassin from Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. Positioned in the game as a Thief subclass, an Assassin could brandish any weapon and become a master of disguise. The stealthy hero Devil-Slayer fit that description. For a twist on the AD&D requirement that Assassins must be evil in alignment, Devil-Slayer renounced the demonic cult that furnished the magical Shadow Cloak accentuating his abilities.

This panel comes from Devil-Slayer's debut in Marvel Spotlight #33.

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.

The Hellcatmobile

In an apparent nod to the Batmobile, Defenders #63 introduced the Hellcatmobile. But where did Hellcat get her new set of wheels?

Defenders #59 showed Hellcat pining for a red vehicle that belonged to Nighthawk (with KYLE 3 written on the back). Since Nighthawk didn't seem inclined to hand the car over to her, there might be a more creative explanation. Defenders #61 showed Hellcat practicing with the Shadow Cloak she had on loan from Devil-Slayer. Perhaps Hellcat used the Shadow Cloak to pull her own Hellcatmobile from another dimension.

This panel featuring the Hellcatmobile comes from Defenders #63.

Devil-Slayer and the Flying Dutchman

Strange Tales #98 included a ghost story about the crew of The Flying Dutchman, a legendary ship from seafaring lore. The title of the story was "They Vanished Forever!"

When superheroes later encountered the haunted ship, the term Flying Dutchman also referred to the vessel's netherwordly captain. In league with the entity Mephisto, the Flying Dutchman approached Devil-Slayer in Marvel Comics Presents #46, offering earthly pleasures aboard the supernatural ship in exchange for the hero's soul. Devil-Slayer refused the offer yet the demonic adversary persisted.

Flying Dutchman: Your soul is already lost! All that remains undecided is which underworld lord will possess it!

After trails and tribulations, Devil-Slayer discovered that holy water could weaken the Flying Dutchman and keep him at bay (#49).

This rendition of The Flying Dutchman appeared in Strange Tales #98 (July 1962).

E.S.P.

Devil-Slayer's debut appearance established that the character's real name was Eric Simon Payne (Marvel Spotlight #33). Considering how few comic book characters ever receive a middle name, why did Devil-Slayer get a middle name off the bat?

I suspect that the initials E.S.P. were a subtle nod to the character's paranormal abilities. If my own extra-sensory perception was stronger, I might have figured this out a long time ago.

This image of Devil-Slayer originally appeared in The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

The Slayer

Politics took center stage when Captain America (Steve Rogers) and Nomad (Jack Monroe) faced the Slayer in Captain America #294.

Wearing Devil-Slayer's costume (stolen from Project: PEGASUS *), the Slayer was remarkably adept at using the mysterious Shadow Cloak to teleport and draw arsenal from other dimensions.

Yet this wasn't the real Devil-Slayer (Eric Payne). Defenders #110 had closed with an epilogue indicating that Devil-Slayer had turned himself into the authorities for crimes he'd previously committed.

Instead, it was David Cox, a conscientious objector who was brainwashed by super-villains into attacking the heroes. Even under this mental manipulation, the Slayer's deep-rooted principles as David Cox did not allow him to kill Nomad when given the chance.

With reflection, Captain America noted that becoming a pacifist can require more courage than choosing to fight. This was a perspective that Nomad hadn't considered.

* A government energy research center. (That's how the footnote within the issue identified the project, rather than spelling out Potential Energy Group/Alternate Sources/United States.)

Captain America. Vol. 1. No. 294. June 1984. "The Measure of a Man!" J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Paul Neary (penciler), Josef Rubinstein (inker), Diana Albers (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist), Mark Grunewald (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

Orange and the Occult

The color orange carried a unique subtext among the Defenders. Devil-Slayer and Gargoyle, the two Defenders with unmistakable amounts of orange in their appearance, both had origin stories tied to the occult—and both were intent on battling demons.

Daimon Hellstrom, the begrudging Son of Satan, had similarly colored hair when he made his debut in Marvel Spotlight #12.

Although Hellstrom appeared blond in Marvel Spotlight #13-19, his hair color was consistently red (a.k.a. orange) from that point on, including his appearances with the Defenders.

Silver Skrull

When numerous heroes of Earth traveled to a moon of Saturn to mourn The Death of Captain Marvel, a spy was among them.

Sent to gather information about the heroes, a shapeshifting agent from the Skrull Empire came disguised as Devil-Slayer. After seeing that the real Devil-Slayer was also there, the Skrull changed form to masquerade as the Silver Surfer instead.

The real Silver Surfer, meanwhile, was still trapped on Earth at the time. The former herald to Galactus only learned of the charade in when he encountered the Skrull double in Silver Surfer #14 (Volume 3).

Silver Surfer. Vol. 3. No. 14. August 1988. "Silver Mirrors!" Steve Englehart (story), Joe Staton (pencils), Joe Rubinstein & José Marzan (inks), Ken Bruzenak (letters), Tom Vincent (colors), Craig Anderson (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief).

Last Words

Captain Mar-vell turned down a chance to join the Defenders, but they didn't hold that against him (Defenders #62-63).

When the cosmic champion was on his deathbed with cancer, the non-team joined other heroes of Earth in paying their last respects to the Kree warrior in The Death of Captain Marvel graphic novel (1982).

While most everyone remained somber during Mar-vell's final hours, sidekick Rick Jones chastised other heroes for selfishly having invented their own super powers when they could have been searching for a cancer cure. Death in comic books had more significance then than it has today; heroes at that time did not readily return from the grave.

With no word balloons, we can only imagine what transpired between Hercules and Devil-Slayer in the moments leading up to this page from the Captain Marvel graphic novel.

Wonder Mania

Soon after she joined the Defenders, Hellcat dropped by Avengers Mansion for an unannounced visit. Letting herself in with the electronic passkey she had received as an Avengers trainee, Hellcat found that the only one home was Wonder Man (Defenders #47).

Since the two heroes had never met, Wonder Man reacted to Hellcat as though she were a dangerous intruder. Fighting ensued and then intensified when Valkyrie and Moon Knight came to Hellcat's aid. The skirmish ended when Hellcat accessed the Avengers computer records to prove to Wonder Man that was was in fact welcome at Avengers Mansion.

Wonder Man later allied with the Defenders in battle against an evil sorcerer seeking revenge against Devil-Slayer. This was Beast's first adventure with the non-team, and it was his idea that Dr. Strange ask Wonder Man to tag along (Defenders #104).

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 47. May 1977. "Night Moves!" John Warner (guest scripted), Keith Griffen & Klaus Janson (artists), David Kraft & Roger Slifer (plot), John Costanza (letters), Archie Goodwin (editor).

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 104. February 1982. "Yesterday Never Dies!" DeMatteis (story), Perlin & Sinnott (art), Milgrom (edits), Albers (letters), Roussos (colors), Shooter (was here).

Outside Looking In

For all his dedication to Dr. Strange, the magician's long-time servant never played more than a peripheral role in the pages of the Defenders. One story from the original series offered a rare look at Wong's point of view (Defenders #60).

A demonic cult had trapped the astral form of Dr. Strange, preventing his conscious mind from reuniting with his physical body. If his astral form and physical form stayed separate for too long, Dr. Strange could die. As the magician's body lay almost lifeless in the Sanctum Sanctorum, the Defenders turned to Wong for help.

Wong: Perhaps if his physical form is brought in close proximity to his astral form, the two might reunite. But I am unschooled in the mystic arts. I cannot be sure!

Dollar Bill, an aspiring film-maker who had been tagging along with the non-team, accompanied Nighthawk, Hellcat, Valkyrie, and Hulk on their quest. Wong, on the other hand, stayed behind. A thought balloon revealed Wong's feelings of isolation.

Wong: (Thinking) So the wheel of fortune whirls ever on--as others drive to save the master--and indeed the very Earth itself--Wong remains behind again … alone …

Devil-Slayer joined the Defenders in battling the cult and rescuing Stephen Strange.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 60. June 1978. "The Revenge of Vera Gemini!" David Kraft (words), Ed Hannigan (pictures), Dan Green (finished art), R. Parker (letters), B. Mouly (colors), J. Shooter (kudds). An homage to a song by the Blue Öyster Cult, mystical cult leader Vera Gemini (above) had no connection to the super-criminal Gemini (right) or the rest of the villainous Zodiac team from Defenders #50.

Spotlight on Devil-Slayer

Eric Simon Payne thought he found purpose in life when he accepted an offer to join a mysterious cult and underwent an initiation to become a "reaper" … until discovering the cult's plan to call forth a long-dead race of demons, that is. Equipped with a magical sword and cloak, he took the name Devil-Slayer and eagerly set out to stop the forces of evil (Marvel Spotlight #33).

But for all his good intentions, Devil-Slayer had a hard time as a hero.

On his first adventure, Devil-Slayer picked a fight with Deathlok, mistaking the cybernetic crimefighter for a demon.

Ironically, in the recap of his origin story, Devil-Slayer thought that his own self-described "eerie sixth sense" was one of the reasons the demonic cult originally recruited him.

Marvel Spotlight. Vol. 1. No. 33. April 1977. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper!" [Dedicated with appreciation to the Blue Öyster Cult.] David Anthony Kraft (author), Rick Buckler, Mike Masser, Arvell Jones, Klaus Janson (artists), Howard Bender (letterer), Don Warfield (colorist), Beth Bleckley (computer type), Archie Goodwin (editor).

Interestingly, as noted above, credits for Deathlok's "computer type" thoughts were separate from the letterer credits.

Marvel Super Heroes - 1982

The Contest of Champions limited series of 1982 began by showing what numerous heroes active on Earth were were doing at the moment they unexpectedly transported away for the cosmic challenge.

Although Beast was making recurring appearances in the Defenders by this point, the opening of Contest of Champions #1 found him visiting his old teammates from the Avengers. Beast remarked that the Defenders didn't have anything like the training facilities at Avengers Mansion.

Published the same months as Defenders #108-110, the three-issue contest concluded with an exhaustive listing of Marvel super heroes, including subsections for the inactive and deceased. Given the large number of heroes who had guest starred with the Defenders over the years, or who joined the non-team for only a few issues, the appendix took a staid approach when listing group affiliations.

Here are the entries for Beast (who was not listed as a Defender) and those characters whose entries did reference the Defenders.

BEAST
(Henry McCoy, biochemist) American mutant with furry-skin and incredible agility and strength. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. Former member of the X-Men and Avengers. First appearance: X-MEN #1. First appearance mutated to current state: AMAZING ADVENTURES #11.

DEVIL-SLAYER
(Eric Simon Payne, ex-marine, ex-hitman) Telepath who uses a transdimensional shadow cloak to teleport and to procure weapons from its pocket-dimensions. Current member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. First appearance: MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #33.

DOCTOR STRANGE
(Stephen Strange, ex-surgeon) The sorcerer supreme of Earth, commanding the greatest share of Earth's magical energies. Also uses a cloak of levitation and the amulet of Agomotto permitting him to see in persons souls. Current member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: STRANGE TALES #110.

GARGOYLE
(Isaac Christians, ex-mayor) American turned into a monster by a demon. Flies by means of wings and is able to sap or restore persons' life forces. Current member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. First appearance: DEFENDERS #94.

HELLCAT
(Patsy Walker) American with fantastic acrobatic abilities, agility, and battle prowess. Former member of the Avengers, current member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. First appearance: AVENGERS #144.

HULK
(Robert Bruce Banner, physicist) Gamma-radiated American possessing super-strength which increases in geometric proportion to anger. Former member of the Avengers, occasional member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New Mexico. First appearance: HULK#1.

NIGHTHAWK
(Kyle Richmond, industrialist) American who took a serum to give him double human strength at night. Uses a jet-pack and wings. Occasional member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York vicinity. First appearance: AVENGERS #70.

POWER MAN
(Luke Cage) American possessing great strength and nearly-invulnerable skin. Partner of Iron Fist in Heroes for Hire. Former member of the Fantastic Four and Defenders. First appearance: HERO FOR HIRE #1.

SON OF SATAN
(Daimon Hellstrom, occult expert) American whose father is an arch-demon. Possesses supernatural strength and wields a trident and rides a chariot driven by fiery horses. Occasional member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance: MARVEL SPOTLIGHT #12.

SUB-MARINER
(Prince Namor, ruler of Atlantis) Hybrid Atlantean-human possessing super-strength, the ability to breathe underwater, super-speed, and the ability to fly through the air for short distances by means of his ankle-wings. Occasional member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: Atlantis. First appearance: FANTASTIC FOUR #4.

VALKYRIE
(No alias currently used) Asgardian goddess possessing great strength. Wields a sword and rides a winged horse, Aragon. Formerly a member of the Valkyrior, the Choosers of the Slain. Current member of the Defenders. Current whereabouts: New York City. First appearance (Enchantress possessing her form): AVENGERS #83. First appearance (in Barbara Norriss's mortal body): DEFENDERS #4. First appearance (in own body): DEFENDERS #109.

INACTIVE

PRESENCE
(Sergi — scientist) Russian mutant who gained vast cosmic powers through exposure to radiation. First appearance: DEFENDERS #52. Reason for retirement: left Earth to seek destiny.

RED GUARDIAN
(Dr. Tania Belinski, neurosurgeon) Russian possessing great agility and martial skills. Used discuses as weapons. First appearance: DEFENDERS #35. Reason for retirement: left Earth to seek destiny with the Presence.

The Presence and Red Guardian went into space in Defenders #55.

The top images come from Contest of Champions #1.

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.

A Defender Apart

With a magic sword, the power to travel through dimensions, and a knack for fighting demons, Devil-Slayer worked better as a solo character than as a member of the Defenders (where various teammates already possessed each of his identifiable traits).

Marvel Team-Up #111 gave Devil-Slayer a chance to shine more or less on his own, while acknowledging his affiliation with the non-team. In that story, while the rest of the Defenders were captured, Devil-Slayer joined Spider-Man in foiling a plot by the Serpent Cult.

To trick the two heroes into helping them secure a magic lizard-totem from the hands of a Spider-God statue, six members of the cult mystically disguised as Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange, Gargoyle, Hulk, Valkyrie, and Clea. But Spider-Man outsmarted the cultists into revealing their true, reptilian forms.

The real Defenders escaped at the end of the issue.

Marvel Team-Up. Vol. 1. No. 111. Nov. 1981. "Of Spiders and Serpents!" J. M. DeMatteis (writer), Herb Trimpe (penciler), Mike Esposito (inker), Diana Albers (letterer), Bob Sharen (colorist), Tom DeFalco (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).

The Defenders, Essentially

Determining who was or wasn't a Defender is more art than science, as many heroes were ambivalent about their involvement with the group.

Essential Defenders Vol. 3 reprints an entry from an early edition of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe that lists the more-or-less core members. This list excludes some of the on-again, off-again Avengers who briefly called themselves Defenders, along and some recurring allies and heroes who joined after #125.

It's ironic that hero-for-hire Power Man (who's on the cover of this Essential volume) didn't make it on the list. Although Clea does appear below, she was instrumental on several missions before actively joining the Defenders.

Doctor Strange
(Stephen Strange, mystic)
Founding member

Sub-Mariner
(Prince Namor of Atlantis)
Founding member

Hulk
(Bruce Banner, physicist)
Founding member

Silver Surfer
(Herald of Galactus)
First active in Defenders #2

Valkyrie
(Brunnhilda, Norse goddess)
First active in Defenders #4

Nighthawk
(Kyle Richmond, financier)
First active in Defenders #15

Son of Satan
(Daimon Hellstrom, demonologist)
First active in Giant-Size Defenders #2

Red Guardian
(Tania Belinsky, neurosurgeon)
First active in Defenders #36

Clea
(Alien sorceress)
First active in Defenders #39

Hellcat
(Patsy Walker, housewife)
First active in Defenders #44

Devil-Slayer
(Eric Simon Payne, cultist)
First active in Defenders #57

Gargoyle
(Isaac Christians)
First active in Defenders #94

Beast
(Henry McCoy, biochemist)
First active in Defenders #104

Overmind
(Alien possessed by telepaths)
First active in Defenders #115

Angel
(Warren Worthington III, businessman)
First active in Defenders #125

Iceman
(Robert Drake, student)
First active in Defenders #125

Moondragon
(Heather Douglas, priestess)
First active in Defenders #125

Sage Advice from the Hulk

In a room full of despondent Defenders, leave it to Hulk to give the pep talk.

In this opening scene from Defenders #101, the gamma-green hero encouraged everyone to feel proud of their latest triumph against evil. But Hulk's tough-love wisdom was short-lived. When the other heroes remained sullen, Hulk got mad.

Hulk: Nobody smiles anymore--nobody is nice to Hulk anymore! And if nobody is nice--then there's no reason for Hulk to stay!

This wasn't the first time Hulk left the team, and it wouldn't be the last.

There's more to the story, of course. In saving the Earth from destruction (#100), teammate Daimon Hellstrom still remained trapped in the realms of hell. Thus, Hulk's attempt to lift everyone's spirits did not signifiy philosophical enlightenment but rather his inability to grasp what was going on. There was something sad about that as well.

Clockwise from top: Silver Surfer, Devil-Slayer, Gargoyle, Sub-Mariner, Dr. Strange, Clea, Valkyrie, Hellcat, Nighthawk (accompanied by nurse Luann Bloom), and Hulk (center).

The Final Conflict

Too young to appreciate the series during the 1970s, Defenders #99 was the first issue that truly grabbed my attention. That's when I became a fan.

Early issues of the series had emphasized the fragile bonds that kept netherworldly entities from conquering the Earth. Following back-to-back missions that drew on the mystical nature of many heroes, the Defenders relied one-too-many-times on the dimension-traveling powers of Dr. Strange and Devil-Slayer's magical Shadow Cloak.

Playing into the hands of a demonic plot, the heroes inadvertantly weakened those dimensional barriers just enough to let the armies of evil break through. Brilliantly uniting core members with recurring and new heroes, a cavalcade of Defenders ended the issue facing nothing less than hell on Earth.

Defenders #99 gave novelesque meaning to the series as a whole, as if all previous storylines had been leading up to this ultimate threat—powerfully concluduing in the double-sized centennial issue that followed!

Roll call: Hulk, Valkyrie, Gargoyle, Sub-Mariner, Silver Surfer, Dr. Strange, Clea, Son of Satan, Devil-Slayer.

Defenders. Vol. 1. No. 99. September 1981. "The Final Conflict?" J.M. DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin and Joe Sinnott (artists), Jean Simek (letterer), George Roussos (colorist), Al Milgrom (editor), Jim Shooter (editor-in-chief).