Marvel Announces New ‘Defenders’ Series

Keeping in line with their recent marketing surrounding Marvel Legacy, the House of Ideas revealed earlier today a collection of one-shots that will see one of the publishing house’s oldest superhero team-ups come together once again.

Send sporadic teasers throughout the day, the Marvel public relations team finally revealed the come December, the original four Defenders would band together again this December for a handful of new stories.

The Hulk, Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, and Namor are each slated to receive their own one-shot under The Best Defender title before the group eventually joins together in The Defenders: The Best Defense, a book written by Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) with art by Joe Bennett (The Amazing Spider-Man, Teen Titans).

Ewing will also be writing Immortal Hulk: The Best Defense, which features art from Doctor Who (IDW) alum Simone Di Meo.

Infinity Wars scribe Gerry Duggan is set to pen The Best Defense‘s Doctor Strange one-shot with art by Moon Knight alum Greg Smallwood. Fan-favorite writer Chip Zdarsky — the mastermind behind the latest Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man — will tag-team Namor: The Best Defense with artist Carlos Magno while Jason Latour will both write and draw The Best Defense’s Silver Surfer title.

The Defenders originally featured just the Hulk, Strange, and Namor when the team first took to the streets in Marvel Feature #1 (1971). Before long, the group eventually added the Silver Surfer in The Defenders #2 (1972).

The Defenders was one of Marvel’s most popular books of the Bronze age with the first volume running a whopping 152 issues, although the title changed names to The New Defenders later in its run.

Over the course of it’s illustrious inaugural outing, The Defenders also featured characters along the likes of Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Clea, Hawkeye, and Son of Satan among their ranks.

“With an assembly of stellar creative teams, writers and artists such as Chip Zdarsky (Marvel 2-In-One), Gerry Duggan (Deadpool), Jason Latour (Spider-Gwen), Simone Di Meo (Old Man Logan Annual), Carlos Magno (Thunderbolts), Greg Smallwood (Moon Knight), Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) and Joe Bennett (The Immortal Hulk) will spin five interconnected specials that tell a unique and captivating story for each original Defender,” Marvel announced in a press release.

Although an exact date has yet to be set for this new Defenders outing, Marvel has teased a December 2018 release.

All of today’s promotional images released from Marvel can be seen in the gallery below.