The First 10 Defenders Members in Marvel Comics, Ranked by Power

The Defenders started out as what Marvel called its “non-team,” with three unlikely heroes teaming up to defeat a powerful villain. Those original members were Hulk, Namor, and Doctor Strange, two of the three never seeming to fit comfortably in any team. As a result, this team had no bylaws and no structure, and they only agreed to work together when the world needed them, but with no requirement that any of them ever had to show up. They also didn’t really like each other that much, but they knew that they needed to count on each other when the dangers increased. Eventually, the team became a little more organized, with Namor and Hulk leaving, and by the 1980s, the Defenders were a team like any other.

From their debut in Marvel Feature #1 in 1971 to the time they finally added their 10th member, here is a look at the first people in the non-team, ranked by power.

10) Hawkeye

Hawkeye started out his comic book career as a mistaken villain and an enemy of Iron Man, but he soon proved himself and joined the Avengers as part of Captain America’s new team after all the original members left. However, Hawkeye believed he was being held back and wanted to prove he could succeed on his own, so he quit the Avengers and, strangely, almost immediately joined the Defenders in Defenders #7. This led to an event where the Defenders and Avengers fought in a case of mistaken identities. As a hero, Hawkeye has never been powerful, but he is a master archer and has some great trick arrows that can do just about anything.

9) Nighthawk

Nighthawk ended up becoming the benefactor for the Defenders for years. While a different Nighthawk is in Marvel Comics now, this was the original Earth-616 Kyle Richmond, the son of a wealthy man who died and left Kyle as the sole heir to their fortune. He then chose to become a vigilante known as Nighthawk after Grandmaster convinced him to drink a serum that increased his natural abilities. He joined the Defenders in issue #14 and remained a mainstay of the team for years. Thanks to the serum, he is actually superpowered, making him stronger than Hawkeye, but not quite up to the level of other Defenders members.

8) Yellowjacket

Hawkeye wasn’t the only former Avengers member to join the Defenders. Avengers founding member Hank Pym also joined the non-team as Yellowjacket. This was after Hank Pym had revealed his identity to the Avengers, but before he had his breakdown and was courtmartialed. He was working with both the Avengers and Defenders at different times, with him joining the non-team in Defenders #23. While Nighthawk has peak physical abilities, Hank Pym has the experience of working as a hero for years, and he has his scientific knowledge and Pym Particles to help him rank among the most powerful early Marvel heroes.

7) Luke Cage

Luke Cage was a man convicted of a crime he never committed, and then was illegally tested on in prison. However, that backfired because the experimentation gave him unbreakable skin and superhuman strength, and he eventually broke out and, over time, proved his innocence and became a hero. Working as a Hero for Hire, he ended up joining the Defenders in Defenders #17, and because he needed the money, Nighthawk put Luke on retainer, making him an actual paid member of the non-team. Luke Cage is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters, but he isn’t even in the top 6 for the original Defenders.

6) Namor

Namor, the Sub-Mariner, was one of the original three Defenders. The three teamed up to fight the Undying Ones when Doctor Strange manipulated him into helping him and then calling in the Hulk as well. Of the three founding members of the non-team, Namor ranks as the weakest, but that is only because the other two are so overpowered. While Namor hates almost everyone, being part of a non-organized team was the perfect thing for him since he could get help when needed and not be tied to anyone. When in water, no one is more powerful than Namor in terms of strength level, but his biggest weakness is getting him out of the water, where he is much weaker.

5) Valkyrie

Valkyrie joined the Defenders in Giant-Sized Defenders #1. At the time, she was a human named Barbara Norriss, who went to the Defenders for help when she was given the power of the Asgardian warrior known as the Valkyrie. While this caused partial amnesia in Barbara, the Defenders helped her, and with nowhere else to go on Earth since she was now trapped on the planet, she stuck with the team. As an Asgardian, Valkyrie possesses the same strength and abilities as the gods, as well as a regenerative healing factor and the ability to see the coming of Death. She also has three millennia worth of war training, making her one of the most skilled fighters on the team.

4) Daimon Hellstrom

Daimon Hellstrom is the most controversial of the Defenders members because he is the son of a woman named Victoria and a Hell-Lord named Satan, making Daimon the literal Son of Satan. However, after his mother was institutionalized, Satan took in Daimon’s sister, Satana, and Daimon himself remained on Earth and learned of his powers over time, dedicating his life to fighting his father’s evil. He joined the Defenders in Giant-Size Defenders #2. Later in his life, he gained access as a ruler in a Hell-realm, where he is all-powerful, while on Earth, he has demonic powers, such as spoulfire manipulation, pyrokinesis, and magical and mystical manipulation.

3) Doctor Strange

While he does not hold the role at this time, Doctor Strange was the Sorcerer Supreme for most of his time in Marvel Comics, making him the most powerful magic user on the planet and in this realm. While Scarlet Witch now holds that role, it does not discount how powerful Doctor Strange is. He was one of the Defenders’ founding members, and it is Strange who tricked Namor into helping him and then manipulated Hulk into the group as well. As a sorcerer, there is really no one on his level, although he lost much of his powers when Wanda Maximoff claimed his magical artifacts as her own.

2) Silver Surfer

Silver Surfer was the fourth member to join the Defenders, working with Doctor Strange, Hulk, and Namor, as early as Defenders #1. This was a temporary alliance, as he knew a threat was coming to Earth, and the Avengers made the misguided choice to interfere. With these four original members, they were the most powerful unit that ever joined forces in Marvel Comics. The Silver Surfer is one of Marvel’s most powerful characters and is a universal-level threat according to the Nova Corps. He is powerful enough to shatter planets, and he often holds back and doesn’t use his full powers. He has the Power Cosmic imbued in his body, which gives him the power to beat almost anyone.

1) Hulk

The most powerful member of the Defenders of all time is easily the Hulk. This is because the Hulk is one of the most powerful characters in all of Marvel Comics, and no one really comes close. He has beaten everyone from Thor and Iron Man to Wolverine, the Sentry, Hercules, and even fellow Defenders founder Namor. Hulk is often mentioned as surviving to the end of the world, outliving everyone. He is also incredibly strong, and he gets stronger the angrier that he gets. This means that, since there is no limit to his rage, he can’t be beaten when he rages out, and that makes Hulk the strongest Defenders member ever.

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