The Avengers have included some of the best Marvel superhero rosters in the comics, but many of their heaviest hitters have also belonged to another, lesser-known team: The Defenders. The Defenders were a major team in the early '70s, and have been part of Marvel history since. The team includes some very powerful Marvel superheroes.
The Defenders line-up has seen some big changes through its various incarnations in the last 50 years, but many of its powerful members were there from the very beginning. For a team designed to be primarily made up of "outsiders," the squad includes some of the best of the best.
10 Hawkeye
Hawkeye is a major part of the Avengers and the West Coast Avengers going back to the 1960s. Clint Barton was also an integral part of the Defenders. Without any superpowers, he relies on his extraordinary skill in archery.
With peak human reflexes, expert training, and acrobatic skill, he may not be the most powerful, but he's a vital part of any team. Hawkeye will continue to be explored in the upcoming Hawkeye streaming series on Disney+.
9 Hellcat
Hellcat aka Patsy Walker joined the team in the early '70s. She also has no powers but is a skilled martial artist and gymnast. Hellcat also has retractable claws in her gloves, making any fight with her an ugly one. Early versions of the character also had a magical cloak that protected her from mystical attacks.
She was associated with the only live-action version of the team so far, in the Netflix suite of Marvel shows from a few years ago that had a very different roster than the comic books.
8 Nighthawk
Nighthawk was first introduced as a member of the Squadron Supreme, an homage to the Justice League of America from DC Comics. As the Batman stand-in, he had no powers of his own. But Kyle Richmond was a gifted fighter and athlete and his skills made him a natural fit for the Defenders.
He ends up with the team after leaving the Squadron Supreme and remains with them through the early '80s. He appears to die in The Defenders #106, but there have been other versions of him in later Squadron Supreme comic storylines.
7 Valkyrie
The original version of Valkyrie in the comics, the Asgardian warrior, Brunnhilde, came into the team with issue four of The Defenders in 1973. Though she doesn't have any power per se, her Asgardian physique makes her many times stronger and more durable than the ordinary human being. She also ages more slowly.
She does have a mystical ability that allows her to perceive death. Valkyrie could sense when death was approaching for other people. In extreme circumstances, she could also teleport herself and others to the realm of the dead.
6 Luke Cage
Luke Cage is one of the strongest superheroes in the Marvel Universe. Thanks to an experimental procedure, his body is super dense, impervious to just about anything including bullets. He's also incredibly strong.
Though he rarely needs it, he also heals much faster than the ordinary person. Luke Cage was partners with Iron Fist, one of Marvel's best martial artists, for much of his early career. He became a regular member of the Defenders in issue #17 of the series, in 1974.
5 Namor
Namor the Sub-Mariner is the Prince of Atlantis and one of the founding members of the Defenders. He's also one of the most powerful. He can fly, swim at incredible speed, and survive the enormous pressures of being deep underwater. This makes him incredibly strong and durable.
He has been shown to be able to take on the Hulk in the past, though depictions of his powers and abilities have varied some since his introduction in the comics all the way back in the Golden Age. Namor first appeared in Marvel Comics #1 in 1939.
4 Hulk
The Hulk is physically one of the strongest Avengers in the MCU and in the comic books. Given superhuman strength by a gamma-ray accident, Bruce Banner is virtually invulnerable. He's not unkillable, though, but what death means for the Hulk and other gamma-infused characters is the question behind the current The Immortal Hulk run in the comics.
The Hulk was one of the three founding members of The Defenders in 1971 and remained a consistent part of the team. He dropped out of the first Avengers squad after only a few issues.
3 Hellstorm
Daimon Hellstrom is one of Marvel's most powerful magicians, and in the realm of Hell, is virtually all-powerful. The son of Satan in the universe of Marvel Comics, Hellstorm has a vast command of the mystic arts. He's also able to teleport himself back and forth to his native dimension at will.
He also used a special trident, forged in Hell, which amplified and channeled magical energy. He could project his own soul fire through it, a mystical energy that made people feel like they were on fire.
2 Silver Surfer
The Silver Surfer is one of the most powerful cosmic beings in the Marvel Universe, thanks to his command of the Power Cosmic. Besides his incredible strength and endurance, Norrin Radd can fly through the universe faster than the speed of light.
He can also absorb the latent energy of the universe, using it to sustain himself, and manipulate energy and matter on a molecular level. He was one of the earliest recruits for the team, joining in issue #2, and remains one of its most powerful members.
1 Doctor Strange
As powerful as the Silver Surfer is, it's debatable that he or anyone else on the Defenders is more powerful than Doctor Strange. The Sorcerer Supreme is one of the most powerful beings in Marvel Comics, with an encyclopedic knowledge of many forms of magic and a talent for wielding it.
Eternity, one of the highest cosmic beings in the Marvel universe, considers him the most powerful human alive. Doctor Strange was behind the formation of the Defenders and has remained the lynchpin of the team through its many later incarnations.
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