Marvel Teases the Return of the Secret Defenders

When Marvel first announced "Marvel Legacy" last summer, the comic house wanted to pay tribute to the titles they've built upon for decades by reintroducing legacy numbering in addition to bringing some long-forgotten characters back into the fold.

While the first part of "Marvel Legacy" included releasing one-shot issues such as Darkhawk #51, Power Pack #63, and Dazzler #43. Though the one-shots were just a special release, some of the characters might have a bigger role in plans teased in a certain comic this week.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker #4. If you have yet to read the latest Infinity Wars tie-in comic, proceed with caution.

This week saw the finale of Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker and with it, a pretty big tease for fans of the plethora of characters introduced in the 1990s.

Through some clever techniques, Sleepwalker's able to travel through the Mindscape and rescue his human host — Rick Sheridan — from the schism caused by Gamora in the main Infinity Wars storyline. As it was suspected, Sheridan was mashed-up with Nick Fury Jr. in Gamora's altered reality.

Naturally enough, Fury had a few questions when he was eventually separated from Sheridan. Once he woke from his dream, the former director of SHIELD made a call to a colleague to get more information on the being known as Sleepwalker. Not stopping there, Fury also asked for information on a group — the Secret Defenders.

The revelation's pretty big news for fans that like characters like Sleepwalker or Darkhawk, who's had an increasing role in the Marvel comics mythos as of recent.

The Secret Defenders first had a cameo as a group in Dr. Strange #50 before receiving their own title, and official introduction, in Secret Defenders #1 (1993). Lead by the Sorcerer Supreme himself, the Secret Defenders usually had a revolving roster featuring lesser known characters like the aforementioned Sleepwalker and Darkhawk as well as Doctor Druid, Dagger, Shadowoman, and Northstar to name a few.

Though Marvel has yet to solicit or mention an upcoming Secret Defenders series, it makes sense given the continued dedication to the "Marvel Legacy" imprint through the main Avengers title and a new series featuring the original Invaders team.

Were you a fan of the original Secret Defenders comic in the mid-90s? Who would you put on the team this time around? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Infinity Wars: Sleepwalker #4 from Chad Bowers, Chris Sims, and Todd Nauck is available now. The Infinity Wars storyline wraps up next week with Infinity Wars #6 and Infinity Wars: Fallen Guardian #1.