List of Defenders members

The Defenders are a loosely organized team of fictional characters mostly, but not solely, superheroes in the Marvel Universe. For much of their history, there was no official membership. Thus, the Defenders had a reputation as being a non-team, a term which was coined in the pages of the comic. All could be considered Defenders. The following list attempts to make sense of their membership but may not be complete.

Original "non-team"

Founders

These characters helped form the team in Marvel Features #1 (December 1971).

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Doctor Strange	Stephen Strange	Marvel Feature #1 (December 1971).
Hulk	Robert Bruce Banner
Namor the Sub-Mariner	Namor

Recruits of the early 1970s

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Clea	Clea	Marvel Feature #2 (March 1972).	Later became a recurring member in Defenders #39.
Silver Surfer	Norrin Radd	Defenders #2 (October 1972).
Valkyrie	Brunnhilde of Asgard	Defenders #4 (February 1973).	Created by the Enchantress as a mystical combination of the spirit of Brünnehilde the Valkyrie and the body of minor magic user Barbara Denton-Norriss; former member of the Secret Avengers.
Hawkeye	Clint Barton	Defenders #7 (August 1973).	Left after issue #10
Nighthawk	Kyle Richmond	Defenders #14 (July 1974).	Reformed member of Squadron Sinister, replaced Namor.
Power Man	Luke Cage	Defenders #17 (November 1974).
Son of Satan	Daimon Hellstrom	Giant-Size Defenders #2 (October 1974).
Yellowjacket	Hank Pym	Defenders #23 (May 1975).

Recruits of the mid-1970s

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Red Guardian	Tania Belinsky	Defenders #35 (May 1976)
Hellcat	Patsy Walker	Defenders #44 (February 1977).
Devil-Slayer	Eric Payne	Defenders #58 (April 1978).
Wasp	Janet van Dyne	Defenders #77 (November 1979).

Defenders for a day

The team had managed to keep its existence a secret from the general public until a television documentary film by supporting character Dollar Bill announced it to the world. Dollar made a special mention to the currently open membership for the team. Consequently, in Defenders #62 (August 1978), the currently active members were joined by a large number of former associates and new recruits. The majority of the latter served for a single mission before quitting in Defenders #64 (October 1978).

• Black Goliath
• Captain Mar-Vell
• Captain Ultra
• Falcon
• Havok
• Hercules
• Iron Fist
• Jack of Hearts
• Marvel Man
• Ms. Marvel
• Nova
• Paladin
• Polaris
• Prowler
• Stingray
• Tagak the Leopard Lord
• Torpedo
• White Tiger

Rival group

Taking advantage of the newfound notoriety of the team, a number of supervillains formed their own rival group of so-called Defenders in Defenders #63 (September 1978). They soon came to conflict with their heroic counterparts and consequently disbanded in Defenders #64 (October 1978).

• Batroc the Leaper
• Beetle
• Blob
• Boomerang
• Cap'n Skragg
• Electro
• Joe the Gorilla
• Leap-Frog
• Libra
• Looter
• Melter
• Pecos
• Plantman
• Porcupine
• Sagittarius
• Shocker
• Toad
• Whirlwind

Early 1980s recruits

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Gargoyle	Isaac Christians	Defenders #94 (April 1981).
Beast	Henry "Hank" McCoy	Defenders #104 (February 1982).
Overmind	Grom	Defenders #115 (January 1983).	The body of Overmind under spiritual possession.

New Defenders

In Defenders #125 (November 1983) the team was reorganized into a more formal organization, somewhat modeled after the Avengers. By this time, several former members had severed ties with the team.

Founders

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Angel	Warren Worthington III	Defenders #125 (November 1983)	Later changed codename to Archangel.
Beast	Henry "Hank" McCoy
Gargoyle	Isaac Christians
Iceman	Robert Louis "Bobby" Drake
Moondragon	Heather Douglas
Valkyrie	Brünnehilde

Later recruits

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Cloud	NA	Defenders #127 (January 1984)	A sentient nebula who was able to assume human form. At first, it modeled itself after a human female Carol Faber. After falling in love with Moondragon, Cloud also developed a male form that was modeled after Danny Milligan.
Candace Southern	NA	Defenders #138 (December 1984).	Angel's former girlfriend who is appointed leader. Deceased.
Andromeda	Andromeda Attumasen	Defenders #147 (September 1985).	Member of the Homo mermanus race. Illegitimate daughter of Attuma of Atlantis.
Interloper	NA	Defenders #151 (January 1986).	An Eternal.
Man-Slaughter	NA	Defenders #151 (January 1986).	A psychotic assassin.

Dragon Circle

By the time of Defenders #152 (February 1986), Moondragon had fallen under the control of the Dragon of the Moon. The Dragon led her to attack the Defenders. During the battle, the physical forms of Andromeda, Gargoyle, Interloper, Manslaughter, Moondragon, and Valkyrie were destroyed. Candace Southern retired. Angel, Beast, and Iceman were joined by Cyclops and Marvel Girl in forming X-Factor.

Gargoyle and Moondragon were later able to gain new corporeal forms. However the other four remained disembodied spirits until Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme vol 3 #3–4 (March–April 1989). There they managed to gain temporary but recurring spiritual possession over the bodies of four residents of Swansea, Wales, United Kingdom. These four unknowingly acted as their representatives in forming a successor group of the Defenders.

• Sian Bowen: Host to the spirit of Valkyrie.
• Geneviene Cass: Host to the spirit of Andromeda.
• Will Fanshawe: Host to the spirit of Interloper.
• Roger Loomis: Host to the spirit of Manslaughter.
• Dafydd ap Iowerth: Alleged descendant of King Arthur and host to his spirit.
• Doctor Strange: Associate member.

Secret Defenders

Debuting in Dr. Strange (vol. 3) #50 (February 1993) the Secret Defenders were another successor group to the team. They were very loosely organized, consisting of a leader and the various associates recruited for a mission at hand. They would disband again after each mission. Several "members" were former Defenders. Others had no previous connection to the team. Some served for a single mission while others were recurring members.

Founders

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Doctor Strange	Dr. Stephen Strange	Dr. Strange (vol. 3) #50 (February 1993)	Initial leader and recruiter of the group.
Hulk	Robert Bruce Banner
Ghost Rider	Daniel Ketch
Silver Surfer	Norrin Radd

Early recruits

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Spider-Man	Peter Parker	Fantastic Four (vol. 1) #374-375 (March–April 1993).
Wolverine	James "Logan" Howlett		Now a member of the X-Men, the Avengers, the New Avengers, and the co-leader of X-Force.
Darkhawk	Chris Powell	Secret Defenders #1 (March 1993).
Nomad	Jack Monroe		Served as the third Bucky during the 1950s. Later served as Scourge of the Underworld.
Spider-Woman	Julia Carpenter
The Punisher	Frank Castle	Secret Defenders #4 (June 1993).
Namorita	Namorita Prentiss
Sleepwalker	Inapplicable
Scarlet Witch	Wanda Maximoff	Secret Defenders #6 (August 1993).
Thunderstrike	Eric Masterson	Secret Defenders #9 (November 1993).
War Machine	James "Rhody" Rhodes
Northstar	Jean-Paul Beaubier	Secret Defenders #11 (January 1994).
Nova	Richard Rider

Questing villains

From Secret Defenders #12-14 (February and April), the title of characters was an organized group of super-villains that was in the quest of finding and obtaining the Oracle of Ancient Knowledge. They apparently disbanded after the successful mission.

• Thanos: The leader and recruiter of this group.
• Geatar
• Nitro
• Rhino
• Super-Skrull
• Titanium Man

Final recruits

By Secret Defenders #15 (May 1994), Doctor Strange's duties and circumstances required him elsewhere. He retired after naming Doctor Druid as his replacement. The latter would serve as leader until the group disbanded in Secret Defenders #25 (March 1995).

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Doctor Druid	Anthony Druid	Secret Defenders #15 (May 1994).	The final leader and recruiter of this group.
Luke Cage	Carl Lucas
Deadpool	Wade Wilson
Shadowoman	Jillian Woods
Cadaver	Cody Fleischer	Secret Defenders #16 (June 1994).
Giant-Man	Henry "Hank" Pym	Secret Defenders #18 (August 1994).
Iron Fist	Daniel "Danny" Rand
Archangel	Warren Worthington III	Secret Defenders #19 (September 1994).
Iceman	Bobby Drake
Spider-Woman	Julia Carpenter	Secret Defenders #20 (October 1994).
Sepulchre	Jillian Woods	Secret Defenders #22 (December 1994).
Dagger	Tandy Bowen	Secret Defenders #23 (January 1995).
Deathlok	Michael Collins
Drax the Destroyer	Arthur Douglas

Note

Before and during the initial few months of publication of Secret Defenders, an advertisement that Marvel used depicted a team consisting of Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider, John Blaze, Maverick, and Wolverine, a team which never existed in the comics. Neither John Blaze nor Maverick were ever part of a Secret Defenders team in any published story.

Cursed members and The Order

In Defenders (vol. 2) #1 (March 2001), four former Defenders were forced to regroup to help Nighthawk and Hellcat in a battle against Yandroth. He was defeated but cursed them to gather every time planet Earth faces a threat. This continued until Defenders (vol. 2) #12 (February 2002). Four members of the team formed The Order. This group attempted to conquer the world in order to protect it. Its activities were featured in The Order #1-6 (April–September 2002). The group disbanded again after Gaia lifted Yandroth's curse which was associated with her.

Founders

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Doctor Strange	Dr. Stephen Strange	Defenders (vol. 2) #1 (March 2001).	Became a member of The Order.
The Incredible Hulk	Bruce Banner
Namor the Sub-Mariner	Namor
Silver Surfer	Norrin Radd
Hellcat	Patsy Walker
Nighthawk	Kyle Richmond		Reformed member of Squadron Sinister.

Recruits

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Valkyrie	Samantha Parrington	Defenders (vol. 2) #4 (June 2001).	Transformed by the Enchantress to a duplicate of the original Valkyrie in both appearance and powers.
Red Raven	Unknown	Defenders (vol. 2) #7 (September 2001).	Associate member.

Recruits against The Order

This incarnation of the Defenders was divided among two rival groups. The Order (Doctor Strange, the Hulk, Namor the Sub-Mariner, and the Silver Surfer) and the Defenders (Hellcat, Nighthawk, and Valkyrie). The three decided to recruit the so-called "female analogs" of their former teammates. They would serve until both teams disbanded.

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Clea	Clea	The Order #3 (June 2002).
Namorita	Namorita Prentiss
She-Hulk	Jennifer Walters
Ardina		The Order #4 (July 2002).	An actual female analog of Silver Surfer. It was created by combining the energy drained from him and by the magic of Clea that called the protector Goddesses Apalla (living embodiment of the Sun in Marvel Comics stories), Demeter, Hecate, Jord and Umar.

Initiative Team (Last Defenders)

Kyle Richmond requested an Initiative version of the Defenders from Tony Stark, intending to fill the ranks with previous Defenders including Gargoyle, Hellcat, and Devil Slayer. However, Stark assembled an entirely different team in hopes of the Defenders maintaining a stable roster for once. The team was officially disbanded after its first mission was deemed a failure.

Founders

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Blazing Skull	Mark Todd	Last Defenders #1 (May 2008).
Colossus	Piotr Rasputin		Leaves the team in Last Defenders #2.
Nighthawk	Kyle Richmond		Reformed member of Squadron Sinister.
She-Hulk	Jennifer Walters		Last Defenders #6: Rejoins after the Initiative version of the team disbands.

Last Defenders recruits

After the Initiative team disbands, Richmond attempts to continue by hiring registered mercenaries to replace the teammates that Stark had assigned to him. After he was forced to retire from his superhero career, he privately assembles and supports a version of the Defenders based on an encounter with a future version of that team. This team is later forcibly disbanded by H.A.M.M.E.R.

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Atlas	Erik Josten	Last Defenders #3 (July 2008).
Junta	Manuel Diego Armand Vicente
Paladin	Unrevealed
Warlord Krang	Krang	Last Defenders #6 (October 2008).
Son of Satan	Daimon Hellstrom
Nighthawk	Joaquin Pennysworth		Son of J.C. Pennysworth, Kyle Richmond's former business partner. Becomes a new Nighthawk in a possible future.

Fear Itself: The Deep's Defenders

This incarnation of the Defenders was formed during the Fear Itself storyline in order to liberate Atlantis from Attuma (in the form of Nerkodd: Breaker of Oceans).

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Doctor Strange	Dr. Stephen Strange	Fear Itself: The Deep #1 (August 2011).	—
Namor	Namor McKenzie		—
Silver Surfer	Norrin Radd		—
Lyra	Lyra		Now a student at the Avengers Academy.
Loa	Alani Ryan		A student of the X-Men.

Defenders Vol. 4

The Defenders came together again when it comes to keeping the Concordance Engine from falling into the wrong hands.

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Doctor Strange	Stephen Strange	Defenders Vol. 4 #1 (November 2011)	Also a member of the Heroic Age New Avengers team.
Namor	Namor McKenzie		Also a Former member of the X-Men
Silver Surfer	Norrin Radd		—
Hulk	Bruce Banner		—
Red She-Hulk	Betty Ross		Joined the team again as Red Harpy in 2021.
Iron Fist	Daniel "Danny" Rand		Also a former member of the Heroic Age New Avengers team.
Black Cat	Felicia Hardy	Defenders Vol. 4 #8	—
Ant-Man	Scott Lang	Defenders Vol. 4 #10	—

Fearless Defenders

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Valkyrie	Brunnhilde	The Fearless Defenders #1 (February 2013)	Team leader. Is merged with Annabelle Riggs in The Fearless Defenders #7 (July 2013)
Mercedes "Misty" Knight	—		Team leader.
Annabelle Riggs	—		Killed in The Fearless Defenders #6 (July 2013) Returns and becomes Valkyrie's host in The Fearless Defenders #7 (July 2013)
Danielle "Dani" Moonstar	—	The Fearless Defenders #2 (March 2013)	—
Warrior Woman	Hippolyta	The Fearless Defenders #3 (April 2013)	—
Clea	—	The Fearless Defenders #7 (July 2013)	—
Elsa Bloodstone	—	The Fearless Defenders #8 (August 2013)	—
Ren Kimura	—	The Fearless Defenders #10 (October 2013)	—
Nova	Frankie Raye	The Fearless Defenders #12 (December 2013)	—

Defenders Vol. 5

A new, street-level team calling themselves the Defenders form to stop crime. This team is based on the Netflix version of the team.

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Daredevil	Matthew "Matt" Murdock	Defenders Vol. 5 #1 (August 2017)	—
Jessica Jones	Jessica Campbell Jones		—
Luke Cage	Carl Lucas		Previous member. Also a member of Heroes for Hire.
Iron Fist	Daniel "Danny" Rand

Defenders Vol. 6

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Cloud	—	Defenders Vol. 6 #1 (August 2021)	Previously a member of the New Defenders. Left the team after issue #4.
Doctor Strange	Stephen Strange		—
Masked Raider	Carlo Zota		Former member of the villainous Enclave.
Red Harpy	Betty Ross		Previously a member of the team as Red She-Hulk.
Silver Surfer	Norrin Radd		Left the team after issue #2.
Taaia	—	Defenders Vol. 6 #3 (October 2021)	Mother of Galan of Taa (later known as Galactus), from the Sixth Incarnation of the multiverse.

Defenders Beyond

Character	Real Name	Joined in	Notes
Blue Marvel	Adam Brashear	Defenders Beyond #1 (August 2021)	—
Ms. America	America Chavez		—
Taaia	—		—
Tigra	Greer Grant Nelson		—
Loki	Loki Laufeyson		—
Beyonder	—	Defenders Beyond #3 (September 2022)	—

Marvel Cinematic Universe

Members of "The Defenders" appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe television series Marvel's The Defenders. Each of the Defenders listed below have an individual series all leading up to the miniseries

Character	Real Name	Portrayed by	First appearance
Daredevil	Matthew "Matt" Murdock	Charlie Cox	Daredevil Season 1, Episode 1: "Into the Ring"
Jessica Jones	Jessica Jones	Krysten Ritter	Jessica Jones Season 1, Episode 1: "AKA Ladies Night"
Luke Cage	Carl Lucas	Mike Colter
Iron Fist	Daniel "Danny" Rand	Finn Jones	Iron Fist Season 1, Episode 1: "Snow Gives Way"