The Defenders

Netflix has been work up up a Marvel TV Universe for yr . AFter apping fan - favorite bequest fictional character to produceDaredevil , Jessica Jones , Luke CageandIron Fist(not to advert the upcomingThe Punisher ) , the full-grown payoff happens when these heroes are ring together forThe Defenders .

Of all of these adaptations , it ’s pretty safe to say thatThe Defenderswill apply the strongest departure from the original strip textile . And yet there ’s a whole lot of facts about dry land ’s newest champions which will definitely inform the centre of the show . The contrasts and commons will become clearer as the show progresses .

This checklist ofDefendersknowledge will help the audience see the vainglorious picture . Here are15 Things You Never Knew About The Defenders .

The Defenders Poster

They Are Cursed to Be Together Forever

Unlike other superhero teams , the Defenders did n’t come together in some common cause like say , a shoal for gifted mutant tike or maybe ripping off a spaceship to study cosmic rays . In the comics , it all start   withDoctor Strangetricking Namor andHulkinto help him fight some grim magic bad guys .

The truth is , they mostly ca n’t stand each other . There is n’t the typical “ family whole ” cohesion like theFantastic Fouror theX - Men . They are only ricochet by being committed to protect the earthly concern . Otherwise , they do n’t even want to hang out with each other .

But in the 2002 storyThe Order , the supervillain Yandroth laid a oath on the team which would thrust Namor , Strange , Hulk , and 4th core memberSilver Surferto be thrust together any time the earth was in danger .

The Defenders Comic and Netflix Show

Hey , who said “ body of work friends ” had to be BFFs off the clock ?

An Asgardian Was on the Core Team

Just shy of being a set up member , the Asgardian warrior goddess Valkyrie joined The Defenders as a core member in proceeds # 4 . A powerful battler who flee around on a fly horse , this was one serious badass to bestow to the team .

Odin himself selected the light-haired Brunnhilde to lead the Valkyrior , an elect women ’s fighting squad in the realm of Asgard . So it ’s no wonder Valkyire   can hang hard in a scrap with the Hulk !

If anybody was the soul of this dysfunctional team , she may have been it . While Netflix’sThe Defenderslikely wo n’t have her look on the show , the fibre has a large role in another MCU prop . Actress Tessa Thompson is play Valkyrie in the upcomingThor : Ragnarok , where she ’ll be pal up around with the God of Thunder and , of path , Hulk .

Namor Silver Surfer and Hulk in Defenders

The Defenders Were Created to Save Failing Heroes

trust it or not , some of the definitive core character in the Marvel Universe have struggled for sales over the years . In 1969,Doctor Strangewas one such title , and it was about to be canceled . Writer Roy Thomas had begun a story arc in the last issue of that run which had to be continued as a crossing over inSub - MarinerandThe Incredible Hulk(crossovers were n’t a veritable thing back then ) .

feel that the squad had potential , and recognize these oddball characters could use a new showcase , Marvel gave the construct its first official audition inMarvel Feature , an anthology “ try on - out ” Word for newfangled estimation . After head the first three issue of the deed , The Defendersgot its own on-going series right after , yield a passel of “ loner ” a new family in the Marvel superhero continuity .

Patsy Walker Was A Main Member

InJessica Jones , watcher were introduced to Patricia “ Trisha ” Walker , a talk show host who ’s buddy with Jessica and , with a little martial art training , helps her shoot down Kilgrave in the Netflix series . In the comics , Walker ’s nickname is “ Patsy ” and she ’s a full - blown superhero going by the name of Hellcat .

jump off as a high-pitched - level soldierlike artist , Hellcat was once offered a spot on The Avengers after helping carry through them . She turn them down in favor of an offer for psychic training from Moondragon . Patsy eventually joins the Defenders in issue 77 and was a core member for years finally gaining extra mystical powers .

Even more curiously – Pasty Walker was a legacy character from teen - wittiness comedian during Marvel ’s Golden Age . So she ’s been around since 1944 , while the Marvel superhero universe we now know did n’t start until 1961 . That cat sure as shooting does get around !

Valkyrie with winged steed Marvel comics

In the Comics, One of the Heroes Spends Half His Day in a Wheelchair

After a while , The Defenderscame to be a kind of Island of Misfit Toys for the Marvel Universe . Oddball characters tended to drift toward those pages , occasionally becoming important members of the squad . One such hero was Nighthawk , who joined too soon on ( he was officially on board in issue # 15 ) .

Like Valkyrie and Hellcat , Kyle Richmond had been hang around other titles , first as a villain , then later redeem himself and becoming a fighter . His winged suit leave him the power of flight , but he uses alchemy to raise his intensity – an augmentation which only works at Nox . During the daytime , he ’s just a “ normal ” strong human .

At one breaker point , he suffers harm so bad , he ’s paralyzed and wheelchair - bound . But the chemistry grant him his office back once the sun goes down . Yeah , it ’s weird , but on the other hand , he helped give disabled sept a public eye , just as Charles Xavier did before him .

Iron Fist doing magic with Doctor Strange

Daredevil and Jessica Jones Were Never Members in the Comics

One of the most unlike things about the Netflix Defenders is how slight resemblance the squad has to the funnies Defenders . First of all , Doctor Strange and Hulk have already been claimed by the film enfranchisement ( the Netflix - verse and movie - verses have yet to officially interbreed streams ) , along with Valkyrie . Namor keeps being rumored to have his own feature in the works . As for the Silver Surfer , he ’s tied up with the eternal sleep of the Fantastic Four pantheon over at Fox , so he wo n’t be anywhere in the MCU anytime soon .

Still , you would think that the video Defenders would share some member   with the cartoon strip , correct ? Well , do n’t expect at Daredevil or Jessica Jones . They never joined the squad in the cartoon strip . Luke Cage was in the Defenders for a tenacious while using his nom - de - guerre Power Man . Iron Fist also had some stints on a few versions of the title as well . But our favourite unreasoning lawyer and surly super - PI never made it .

That will all convert with the newfangled 2017   line - up , which has been aline to match the Netflix series .

Hellcat Patsy Walker

The Original Team Fought the Avengers

The Avengers are get laid as “ Earth ’s Mightiest Heroes ” and why not ? Their batting order includes cloggy hitters likeIron Manand Thor . But betimes on in the series , the Defenders found themselves taking on   the other heroic team in a crossing over account discharge that was a real bruiser .

The so - called “ Avengers - Defenders War ” ran through three number of each deed of conveyance for a 6 - issue slug fest that feature an epic struggle between Hulk and Thor ( Hulk was no longer an Avenger at this point ) . Of course , the whole fight was really the product of use by none other than Loki and the dread Dormammu .

Once the atmosphere realise , the teams joined forces to stop the sorry guy wire . But before it was over , The Defenders proved they could bat in the bounteous league , keeping The Avengers at a stalemate through crude engagement . Not too ratty for the so - prognosticate “ non - team . ”

Nighthawk

They Had Really Weird Supervillains

The Defenders faced off mostly against cosmic , magic and trans - tech supervillains which were earnestly wacky in their powers and appearance . Take for example a risky guy squad called The Headmen , who were united by virtue of receive foreign poppycock go on … with their heading . One is on a gorilla ’s body . Another is on a withered skeleton . Really .

They also take on a being called the Six - Fingered manus ( each finger of the hand is a devil ) . Then there ’s Alpha , a A-one - mutant who ends up turning Magneto into a baby , and Nebulon , a non - humanoid extraterrestrial with gross tentacles whose human disguise looks vaguely like an ' 80 tomentum rocker . Another squad , The Wrecking Crew , gets their wipeout - same powers when a dash of lightning strikes a wrecking bar , make them meta - human expression guy wire . And the listing run on .

serve it to say , it was n’t just the wedge inThe Defendersthat were flake .

Luke Cage Easter Eggs - Daredevil and Jessica Jones

They Went to Hell to Battle Satan

A long chronicle arc direct up to the hundredth issue ofThe Defendersended up with an epic struggle on the plains of hell on earth – brought to earth by none other than Satan himself . It was eldritch for a passel of reason .

For one affair , Marvel used lineament like the demon Mephisto to be sort of a substitute Satan , avoiding using that particular version of the devil . For another – how the hell do you take on Satan ? Yes , Docor Strange is the Sorcerer Supreme , but this is the Father of All Evil ! He ’s pretty much unbeatable by soul , ripe ?

As it turned out , the whole confrontation was orchestrated to lure Daimon Hellstrom – aka Son of Satan , a Defender – back to the fiery realm for a mob reunion with his daddy . Could n’t have the Prince of Darkness just send a nice invitation to sonny boy or else ?

Avengers vs Defenders Hulk vs Thor

A Lot of Their Members Have Demonic Pedigrees

Speaking of hell , there for certain are a lot of Defenders who have strong ties to the fiery abyss . The said Son of Satan was always a tricky superhero – the name say it all ; a conflicted personality to be sure . His momma was human , though , so you could say he ’s a good guy rope on his maternal side .

Another member , Devil - Slayer , set out off as a member of a demonic cult , but when   he got his powers , he tack to being good .

Remember we excuse Hellcat before ? Well , hazard what ? She ’s trained to acquire mystical powers too – in Hell . And then there ’s Gargoyle , who actually trade his somebody to demons .

Headmen

We already screw that The shielder are cursed , could this perhaps have something to do with it ? Note to superhero teams : make trusted to do solid background checks on prospective members .

Mephisto Hell on Earth

Hellstorm - The Son of Satan

The Defenders