The Defenders - A Beginners Guide!

With Iron Fist just around the corner on the street that is Netflix on March 17th. It seems like a good time to go through some of the history about The Defenders, both new and old as well as my speculations to any recurring characters from the original series line up and perhaps a few new ones. The official synopsis of the Iron Fist series gives very little information for first timers to the character;

Danny Rand returns to New York City after being missing for years, trying to reconnect with his past and his family legacy. He fights against the criminal element corrupting the world around him with his incredible kung-fu mastery and ability to summon the awesome power of the fiery Iron Fist.

I'm tempted to do episode reviews when the series hits its officially released.

The first time The Defenders hit the pages was in 1971 and consisted of multiple crossing story arcs through Dr. Strange, Sub-Mariner and The incredible Hulk but also included the likes of Valkyrie and Silver Surfer. They were re-titled to The New Defenders after J. M. DeMatteis felt that a change was in order; running for only 6 issues it didn't last long, the writers killed off most of The New Defenders and it was cancelled.

After another run, the team was brought back in 1993 unofficially through Dr. Strange #50 and Fantastic Four #374 and then introduced in Secret Defenders issue 1. Changing the format so that Dr. Strange would organize teams of various characters for certain missions as the new leader of the group. Strange was removed from the comic as he was assigned as a character in the Midnight Sons. Thanos took over as acting leader and then leadership was given to Doctor Druid. It was then cancelled with #25 of Secret Defenders.

With another miniseries in 2005, in which Strange attempting to reunite the original roster to take down Umar and Dormammu (I think they went to bargain). The collected issues were entitled Defenders: Indefensible. A revival in 2008, The Last Defenders (written by Joe Casey) featured a new lineup of characters stemming from the events of Civil War (2006) This team, which was decided by Tony Stark, was led by Nighthawk with Blazing Skull, Colossus and She-Hulk but was disbanded due to incompetence as heroes.

After another four incarnations including one where they reunite under Dr. Strange ,who, at the end of the series turns back time to where they don't reunite. Leading us to the 2017 Netflix/Marvel series as well as a new comic series with the same line-up. The live-action series will feature Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist together fighting for the safety of New York and possibly the world. I also expect to see reoccurring cameos of The Punisher, King Pin, Hellcat, Elektra and hopefully a return of the purple prince himself, Killgrave. We might see some new faces of some serious villains such as Mephisto, The Hood, Kree, Killer Shrike, Steel Serpent and a plethora of other possibilities.

One thing, for me, is certain. I'd love to eventually see a Moon Knight featuring The Defenders in a battle of morals. Everything that Marvel has made with Netflix is still 10/10 and hopefully it'll continue through the following years. Marvels iron Fist his the Netflix shelves, March 17th. Keep your eyes peeled and your fingers crossed.

Which characters would you like to see?