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Clea
Clea
Alter Ego: Clea Strange
First Appearance: Strange Tales Vol. 1 #126 (November, 1964)
Joined Team In: Marvel Feature Vol. 1, #2 (March, 1972)
Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer
Alter Ego: Norrin Radd
Notable Aliases: Captain Universe, Void Knight
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four Vol. 1, #48 (March, 1966)
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #2 (October, 1972)
See Silver Surfer
Valkyrie
Valkyrie
Alter Ego: Brunnhilde
Notable Aliases: Samantha Parrington, Barbara Norris, Sian Bowen, Annabelle Riggs
First Appearance: The Avengers Vol. 1, #83 (December, 1970)
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #4 (October, 1972)
Hawkeye
Hawkeye
Alter Ego: Clinton "Clint" Barton
Notable Aliases: Goliath; Golden Archer; Ronin
First Appearance: Tales of Suspense #57 (September, 1964) note ; Avengers #63 (April, 1969) note ; Captain America #179 (November, 1974) note ; New Avengers #27 (April, 2007) note
Joined Team In: Defenders Vol. 1, #4 (February, 1973)
Nighthawk
Nighthawk
Alter Ego: Kyle Richmond
First Appearance: The Avengers Vol. 1, #69 (October 1969)
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #14 (July 1974)
Kyle Richmond was a thrill-seeking playboy who became the costumed adventurer Nighthawk. Starting out as a villain, Richmond soon found altruism a greater pursuit. As Nighthawk, he became a mainstay of the Defenders and has also acted alongside the Squadron Supreme, the Redeemers, the Thunderbolts, and the Initiative.
- Alternate Self: His most famous counterpart is the one from Earth-712, the reality of the Squadron Supreme. His other well-known counterpart is the black Kyle Richmond of Earth-31916, home of Supreme Power.
- Animal-Themed Superbeing: Animal alias variety. It's been noted that hawks aren't nocturnal.
- Badass Cape: His impressive red cape, which he can use as Cape Wings and glide.
- Badass Normal: Just like the character he's based on, he doesn't have any superpowers but is a well-known and valued member of the Defenders.
- Expy: Easily the most famous of Batman's Marvel's expies.
- Handicapped Badass: After a battle against the Six-Fingered Hand, he was paralyzed except at night when he regained his mobility. After an adventure in Hell, he got better.
- Heel–Face Turn: Started off as a rich brat who got his girlfriend crippled when he was driving drunk, then joined the Grandmaster's Squadron Sinister. Eventually becomes a Defender and member of various groups.
- Primary-Color Champion: His costume is mostly dark blue with a red cape and golden accents.
- Sucksessor: The Nighthawk of Earth-31916 thinks he's little more than Dumb Muscle and unimpressed with Kyle's mixed-bag adventuring history.
- Super Serum: Sure he can't shoot lasers out of his eyes, but he's definitely not all that human. He was given an alchemical serum when he was recruited to Squadron Sinister and these permanently gave him low-tier superhuman strength, toughness, and other attributes. And these abilities double in power at night.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: It is unknown what happened to him when it was exposed he had been replaced by a Skrull. It gets even more unclear when a new, black Kyle Richmond appeared as part of a new Squadron Supreme assembled by Phil Coulson and Mephisto.
Luke Cage
Luke Cage
Alter Ego: Luke Cage (Born Carl Lucas)
Notable Aliases: Power Man
First Appearance: Luke Cage, Hero For Hire Vol. 1, #1 (June, 1972)
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #17 (November 1974)
See Luke Cage
Daimon Hellstrom
Daimon Hellstrom
Alter Ego: Daimon Hellstrom
Notable Aliases: Son of Satan, Hellstorm
First Appearance: Ghost Rider Vol. 1, #1 (September, 1973)
Joined Team In: Giant-Size Defenders Vol. 1, #2 (October, 1974)
Hank Pym
Hank Pym
Alter Ego: Dr. Henry "Hank" Pym
Notable Aliases: Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, Wasp, Scientist Supreme, Ultron
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish #27 (January 1962) note ; Tales to Astonish #35 (September 1962) note ; Tales to Astonish #49 (November 1963) note ; The Avengers #28 (May 1966) note ; The Avengers #59 (December 1968) note ; Secret Invasion: Requiem #1 (February 2009) note ; Avengers: Rage of Ultron #1 (April 2015) note
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #23 (May, 1975)
See Ant-Man: Heroes
Red Guardian
Red Guardian
Alter Ego: Tania Belinskaya
Notable Aliases: Starlight
First Appearance: The Defenders #35 (May, 1976) note ; Quasar #19 (Febuary, 1991) note
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #35 (May, 1976)
The brilliant Russian neurosurgeon Dr. Tanya Belinsky would take first the mantle of the Red Guardian for some time. An encounter with a powerful villain made her the nuclear powerhouse Starlight.
- Atomic Superpower: Sergei Krylov exposed Tania to cobalt radiation and a nuclear explosion which resulted in her gaining the ability to generate, store, and release massive amounts of nuclear energy.
- Combat Medic: Red Guardian, who also was a skilled surgeon (she was the one who put Nighthawk's brain back to his body when it was stolen during a horrific surgery by the Headmen).
- Friendless Background: She never knew real friendship until she joined the ranks of the Defenders.
- Legacy Character: One of the many people that has taken the codename of Red Guardian.
- Radiation-Induced Superpowers: How she became Starlight.
- Red Is Heroic: Her costume is red and she's not antagonistic like the previous Red Guardians.
Hellcat
Hellcat
Alter Ego: Patsy Walker
First Appearance: Miss America Magazine Vol. 1, #2 (November, 1944) note ; The Avengers Vol. 1, #144 (Febuary, 1976) note
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #44 (February, 1977)
See Hellcat
Devil-Slayer
Devil-Slayer
Alter Ego: Eric Simon Payne
Notable Aliases: Agent of Death, The Reaper of Souls, "Cape Man"
First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight Vol. 1 #33 (April, 1977)
Joined Team In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #58 (April, 1978)
A former soldier came into possession of a cape which made him Devil-Slayer, the demon hunter. Devil-Slayer served with the Defenders, and more recently, the Hawaiian Initiative team The Point Men and Wonder Man's anti-Avengers team.
- Primary-Color Champion: His costume is dark blue and red.
The Wasp
The Wasp
Alter Ego: Janet "Jan" Van Dyne
Notable Aliases: Winsome Wasp
First Appearance: Tales to Astonish Vol. 1, #44 (June 1963)
Joined In: The Defenders Vol. 1, #77 (November 1979)
See The Wasp
