A Long-Forgotten DC Team Just Returned

The Challengers of the Unknown are back in DC's Outsiders #2.

By Jenna Anderson

From the Justice League to the Legion of Super-Heroes, the DC universe has become the home of a wide array of superhero teams. As the pages of one of the publisher's newest issues showed, one of the more obscure teams has had a resurgence — with a bit of a twist. Spoilers for Outsiders #2 from Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Robert Carey, Annette Tadddeo, and Tom Napolitano below! Only look if you want to know!

The issue sees Luke Fox, Kate Kane / Batwoman, and The Drummer on a mission in the South Pacific, hoping to investigate the primordial mysteries of the Enlil Triangle. When they arrive, they discover they aren't the only team in the Enlil Triangle, as the new Challengers of the Unknown already call the domain home. The issue then further reintroduces the team and their unconventional DC history, before pitting the two in a disagreement over a monster in the Enlil Triangle. While these Challengers definitely don't have the squeaky-clean veneer of their Silver Age predecessors, their reintroduction will surely delight long-running fans of the team.

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(Photo: DC)

Who Are DC's Challengers of the Unknown?

Created by Jack Kirby (as well as possibly Dave Wood or Joe Simon), the Challengers of the Unknown debuted in the pages of DC's Showcase in 1957. The team of adventurers consisted of Kyle "Ace" Morgan, Matthew "Red" Ryan, Leslie "Rocky" Davis, Walter Mark "Prof" Haley, and later June Robbins, all of whom are inspired to go on larger-than-life adventures after a near-death plane crash makes them realize they are living on "borrowed time." The group faced many unconventional threats over the years, all while dealing with the allure of celebrity.

The Challengers of the Unknown were subsequently revived over the years, both in their own title and in DC anthology books, with the most recent incarnation of the team being relaunched as New Challengers in May of 2018. The team also became the subject of a joke in 2018's Teen Titans Go! To the Movies, even appearing in the film's post-credits scene.

What Is The Outsiders About?

The Outsiders will be led by Kate and Luke, both of whom become disillusioned with crimefighting in Gotham in the aftermath of the recent Batman/Catwoman: The Gotham War event. The duo will leave Gotham, and begin operating as "super-archeologists" who look into the history of the DC Universe.

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"DC has had so many crisises, but that is universes that have fallen apart," Kelly said during the panel. "But what could have survived? What could have fallen in the cracks?" 

What do you think of The Outsiders introducing the New Challengers of the Unknown? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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