Though the Defenders might not have been around as long as the Avengers, they’re pretty close. They’ve been around since 1971, making their first appearance in Marvel Feature #1 by Ross Andru and Roy Thomas. They have one of the most unique super-team ideas ever, being a superhero team that’s not actually a team. They gather only when they’re needed, and don’t really hang outside of that.
Because they usually only gather if necessary, the team has been made up of some of the strongest characters in the Marvel Universe, which is a good thing because they frequently find themselves facing some of the biggest threats within the Marvel Universe.
10 Taaia Is Galactus’ Mother & A Science Hero Of The Sixth Cosmos
Taaia is a new character in Defenders lore, introduced in the latest Defenders series’ first issue. She’s actually Galactus’ mom, or at least the mother of the person who would become Galactus.
She possesses the greatest scientific weapons and tools of the Sixth Universe, the one that existed just before the current one. With those, she’s proven capable of dealing with threats of all kinds, including the Galactus of the Sixth Universe, Omnimax.
9 Clea Has Been Trained By Doctor Strange & Is Her Dimension’s Sorceress Supreme
Clea was introduced to the Defenders in the early parts of the series’ existence. Originally she warned Dr. Strange against fighting Dormammu, which lead to her being punished by him. Eventually Strange would save her, and train her how to use magic as well. Clea would become the Dark Dimension’s Sorceress Supreme, meaning she has the same level of power as Dr. Strange.
She’s shown to be capable of mind control, teleportation, magic blasts, and more. She also happens to have far better strength than humans from Earth as well.
8 Cloud Is A Sentient Nebula & Can Move At Warp Speed
Cloud was recently re-summoned by Doctor Strange, and from the looks of things, their powers are much needed. Cloud is literally a sentient nebula that’s capable of transforming into a humanoid shape, and their powers are generally off the chart for a normal super-team, but about average for what the Defenders often require of them.
They’re one of The Defenders’ most durable members, and also one of the fastest with the ability to move at warp speeds and fire off powerful attacks at the same time.
7 Yandroth Can Alter Reality & Gained Omniscience After A Run-In With The Defenders
Yandroth was the earliest challenge to the Defenders, with the group forming because of his actions and attempt to destroy the planet. Though Yandroth wasn’t particularly impressive at first, his power continued to grow over time.
He’s previously cast a spell that made them have to work together whenever there was a major crisis because he knows how much they hate working with each other. His ability to warp reality in some instances makes him one of the more dangerous characters that have been featured in The Defenders.
6 Doctor Strange Is The Mystic Arts’ Undisputed Master
Stephen Strange is another founder of The Defenders. As a master of the mystic arts, he’s been granted a level of control over magic most people couldn’t hope to dream of. Generally, it portrays itself in combat as firing energy blasts, but those same blasts have been shown to be capable of destroying moons.
At the same time, he can also teleport people to him at will, forcibly banish people to other realms, and alter the elements as he sees fit. There’s very little limit to Dr. Strange’s power, other than him wanting to keep the peace and avoid paying the cost of magic.
5 The Hulk Is Able To Defeat Entire Super-Teams By Himself
The Hulk is another member of The Defenders that’s been with the group since the beginning. A former member of the Avengers, Hulk is someone who can single-handedly walk through an entire super-team when he’s in the wrong mood.
He took out the X-Men with such ease during World War Hulk and reminded everyone that he’s a dangerous man to get angry. What makes him truly dangerous is that the madder he gets the stronger he gets, which means there’s almost no limit to his power.
4 Dormammu Is A Master Of A Dimension & Fought Eternity
One of the Defenders’ most consistent threats is Dormammu of the Dark Dimension. Dormammu has frequently tried to attack the Marvel Universe and essentially annex it into his own, only to be rebuffed time and again. He’s actually one of Dr. Strange’s biggest enemies in general, as even Dr. Strange’s patrons the Vishanti consider him a major enemy.
This level of power places him roughly at Odin’s level, and he has even tried to fight Eternity itself at one point. The Defenders being able to defeat him is actually pretty impressive.
3 Silver Surfer Wields The Power Cosmic & Is A Herald Of Galactus
One of the Defenders’ original members, Silver Surfer’s powers are extraordinary. He’s been given a piece of the Power Cosmic, something that any herald of Galactus has, but Norrin has had even more than normal.
He’s capable of slugging it out with heavy-hitters in the Marvel Universe like Hulk or Abomination with ease, boasting the ability to lift over 100 tons. He’s also got the ability to destroy planets if he chooses to, but he generally avoids using too much of his power in combat.
2 Masked Raider Can Become The Equal Of Anyone He Fights
The Masked Raider has been around in comics since the very beginning, but most recently the character was brought back into play in Marvel Comics #1000. Without the mask, he’s completely helpless. But the mask is a piece of Eternity itself, and what it does is make sure that no matter the fight he’s in, it’s an equal fight.
This doesn’t mean other people are brought down to his level, he’s brought up to theirs—there’s no limit to this either. It’s been hinted he can copy Galactus’ powers as well, though that would come with having Galactus’ hunger.
1 Omnimax Is Galactus From One Of The Older Cosmos
Omnimax is a threat from the most recent Defenders comics. They were forced to travel so far back in time they visited the Sixth Cosmos, a universe made up entirely of science and without much magic. There, they ran into the planet-eater of that universe, Omnimax.
Where Galactus was a being entirely of emotionless science, doing his job just to do his job, Omnimax is different. He’s a creature made up of the magic of the Fifth Cosmos, and he has nothing but anger and hatred for the planets he consumes. The heroes weren’t even able to defeat him, only drive him away temporarily so they could do their jobs.
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