The Ultimate Vampire Resource and Directory

The Defenders is a name of a number of Marvel Comics superhero groups — usually presented as a "non-team" of individualistic "outsiders" each known for following their own agendas — that usually battles mystic and supernatural threats.

Its original and most popular incarnation is led by Doctor Strange and also includes The Silver Surfer, Namor, and the Hulk, all popular superheroes in their own right. They first appeared as The Defenders in Marvel Feature #1 (December 1971).

The group had a rotating line-up from 1972 until 1986. The publication was retitled near the end of the run as The New Defenders but featured none of the originals. The concept was modified in the 1993–95 series Secret Defenders, in which Dr. Strange assembled different teams for each individual mission. In the 2000s, Marvel published a new miniseries featuring the classic line-up.