Daimon's Deck

Comic book references to the Tarot are often cursory. Not so for Daimon Hellstrom, who received a detailed reading from Madame Swabada in Marvel Spotlight #20. From the Tarot deck, the gypsy selected the Knight of Swords as Daimon's signifier, then proceeded to lay out cards according to the Keltic method of divination. The full reading included the following cards: Four, Nine and Ten of Swords; Five of Pentacles; Six of Cups (reversed); Seven of Wands; the Fool; the Tower; the Moon, crossed by the Devil. Daimon became hot-headed when Madame Swabada foretold that he would endure persistent grief and heartache. Imagery from the Tarot reading would haunt Daimon in #21-22.

This panel comes from Marvel Spotlight #20 (Feb. 1975).

Stacking the Deck

Dr. Strange was dead. But before he departed, the sorcerer cast a lingering, final spell that would strong-arm Blue Marvel into leading a new combination of Defenders in a five-issue limited series. A magical Tarot deck would identify who would join this version of the non-team. In addition to Blue Marvel, the desk selected Ms. America Chavez, a young version of Loki, Taaia of the Sixth Cosmos, and Tigra, the Were-Woman (Defenders: Beyond #1).

Although a Ten card from each of the traditional Tarot suits (Wands, Swords, Cups, Coins) would represent four of these Defenders, the card representing Tigra was the Ten of Crowns (a fifth suit that doesn't exist in any other Tarot deck). While a standard Tarot deck has 78 cards in all, we can only imagine how many unique cards might appear in this magical deck—and what that could mean for the Defenders.

This image of Blue Marvel comes from Defenders: Beyond #1 (Sept. 2022).

Reversal

The first installment in a five-part limited series, the recently released Defenders #1 provided a new take on early concepts of the non-team. The story began with the Masked Raider making the acquaintance of Dr. Strange by threatening the sorcerer with a gun. As the two men sized up one another, Dr. Strange used his oft overlooked skill as a brown belt to defend himself before offering to hear the Masked Raider's concerns over tea.

Relying on a Tarot deck for guidance, Dr. Strange identified with the Magician card and saw the Masked Raider as the Hierophant card. Oddly, both cards appeared upside down, as did the next three cards that Dr. Strange harnessed to mystically summon a fresh combination of heroes to face a looming threat.

The card of Judgment summoned the Silver Surfer, a former herald to Galactus (who promises to play a role in the limited series).

The High Priestess card summoned Betty Banner (née Ross). Now known as the Red Harpy, this unique identity harks back to her previous transformation into Harpy. I much prefer this take on the heroine over her former alias as Red She-Hulk, which felt derivative on several levels.

The most apropos reveal was the Lovers card for Cloud, a cosmic being metaphysically merged with a young romantic couple.

For those keeping track, this relaunch of the Defenders is officially Volume 6 with regard to publication history. I hope that the limited series adds momentum for the Defenders to continue as an informal group of magical, monstrous, and misanthropic heroes.

Defenders. No. 1. October 2021. "Eighth Cosmos: The Magician." Al Ewing & Javier Rodríguez (storytellers), Álvaro López (letters), VC's Joe Caramagna (inks), Wil Moss & Sarah Brunstad (editors). The issue inclues a MARVEL REMEMBERS page honoring influential Defenders writer David Anthony Kraft (1952-2021).

The Defenders at Fifty

This year marks the fiftieth anniversary of Marvel Feature #1 (Dec. 1971), the first appearance of the Defenders. While I enjoy many of their early stories, particularly Defenders #13-16, I'd select #89-138 as my favorite fifty-issue run on the original series.

Given those preferences, it should come as no surprise that I think the preview cover of an upcoming Defenders series looks promising. The image shows the mysterious Masked Raider prompting Dr. Strange to bring together a new team of Defenders. Depicted on Tarot cards, the prospects are largely heroes who were Defenders at one point or another during the original series, including several members of the New Defenders.

As a non-team throughout much of their history, the Defenders attracted mystics, monsters, and iconoclasts while never gaining the foothold of the Avengers, X-Men, or Fantastic Four. In the thirteen years that I've been blogging about the Defenders, I've lost track of the numerous attempts to revamp the team, from Iron Man's vision for the Last Defenders to Heroes for Hire adopting the name Defenders more recently. All that being said, I hope this upcoming incarnation, with its nod to the past, will have some staying power.

Shuffling the Deck

Tarot #4 wrapped up the dimension-crossing limited series by centering on a band of heroes who were creative hybrids of longstanding members of the Avengers or Defenders. Leading the unnamed team was Major Gamma, a version of Captain America with green skin resulting from exposure to Gamma radiation (like the Hulk).

Perhaps the most imaginative character in the new group was Doc Surf, a trippy take on Doctor Strange, equipped with a supernatural surfboard (resembling the model flown by Silver Surfer).

Another notable member of the team was Imperius Hex (the Latin term Imperius Rex with an allusion to the hex powers of Scarlet Witch). With trident in hand and emblem on his bare chest, this mystical counterpart to Sub-Mariner had a striking resemblance to classic appearance of Daimon Hellstrom, the Son of Satan.

The hybrid characters remained rather one-dimensional, though, as they soon restored the metaphysical breech that had brought them into existence and was wrecking havoc across the multi-universe.

Introducing the Unbelievables

The reality-bending events in Tarot #3 placed the Defenders and Avengers in a dimension occupied by "funny animals" … including a super-powered team called the Unbelievables.

Although the Unbelievables weren't direct counterparts to specific superheroes, they drew upon a variety of tropes. For example, the green-skinned Mighty Martian could read as a nod to the Martian Manhunter of the Justice League.

The character Devil Dawg, meanwhile, initially resembled the Harvey Comics character Hot Stuff until transforming into a powerhouse able to hold his own against the Hulk. Other members of the Unbelievables were Vampire Vixen, Sun Wukong and Sha Wujing.

Tarot: The Devil in the Details

A number of heroes and villains have used Tarot cards to harness their superhuman abilities. One of the characters most worthy of discussion was the Hellion code-named Tarot. Like the other Hellions, Tarot was a student at the Massachusetts Academy and taught by the White Queen.

Introduced in New Mutants #16, Tarot used her mutant power to animate images from a Tarot deck, from the Knight of Swords to the Devil. Although Tarot ascribed mystical meaning to the cards, was her power truly bound by the 78 cards in the deck? Seeing how her power was mutant in nature, I suspect that Tarot had the potential to animate any picture she might see but didn't recognize the full scope of her abilities.

The above image come from New Mutants #16 (June 1984).

Turning to Tarot

Since the time I started this blog twelve years ago, I've witnessed numerous attempts to revamp the Defenders. None impressed me as much as Tarot #1.

Bringing together Hulk, Namor, Valkyrie, Silver Surfer, and Dr. Strange, the mini-series features five of the earliest and most iconic members of the original non-team … with a seasoned sense of camaraderie.

The premiere issue found the heroes facing Cyrus Black, one of the team's oldest foes. Within the story, Namor remembered a surprising moment in 1944 when Captain America turned into a green-skinned Hulk. A visit to Avengers Mansion, however, found that Captain America had no memory of this dubious event.

Pual Renaud illustrated this variant cover of Tarot #1 (March 2020). Alan Davis wrote this issue.

Foreshadowed

Dr. Strange hadn't picked up a deck of Tarot cards in years, so imagine his surprise when he received a Tarot deck in the mail. The cards came courtesy of Marie Laveau, the legendary Witch-Queen of New Orleans, who hoped to warn Dr. Strange of impending doom (Marvel Team-Up #76).

Out for revenge, the villain Silver Dagger would magically trap Clea's spirit within the Orb of Agamotto. In Greenwich Village at the time, Spider-Man and Ms. Marvel agreed to assist Dr. Strange in the quest to defeat Silver Dagger and rescue Clea.

When Dr. Strange became trapped as well, he recognized the Caterpillar of Wonderland as call back to his prior imprisonment within the orb.

But when Dr. Strange located Clea inside the surreal realm, her fiery appearance and cold-hearted demeanor made her almost unrecognizable. This was the woman Clea would have become had she been raised by her wicked mother, Umar the Unspeakable (Marvel Team-Up #77).

As Spider-Man fell within the orb, images of the character's loved ones and enemies filled the mataphysical dimension.

Back in the outside world, Ms. Marvel defended herself against Silver Dagger until Marie Laveau finally subdued the villain—allowing Clea, Dr. Strange, and Spider-Man to escape.

Fitting tightly into continuity, the adventure took place on the heals of Defenders #58-60, when the non-team helped Dr. Strange retrieve the Eye of Agamotto.

Spider-Man guest-starred in Defenders #61. Ms. Marvel had guest-starred in #57, but then declined joining the team in #62.

Chris Claremont wrote Marvel Team-Up #76-77. Chaykin, Aclin & Ortiz were artists on both issues. Dr. Strange would later consult Tarot cards regularly while leading the Secret Defenders.

Introducing the Secret Defenders

Well after the original Defenders disbanded, Dr. Strange recruited Ghost Rider, Hulk, and Silver Surfer to do battle against the dreaded Dormammu. In a thought balloon at the end of that adventure, the master of the mystic arts first used the term "Secret Defenders" Dr. Strange #50 (Feb. 1993).

The phrase took hold one month later, with "Suddenly: The Secret Defenders" appearing on the cover of Fantastic Four #374 (featuring Spider-Man, Hulk, Ghost Rider, and Wolverine) and the launch of a new series with The Secret Defenders #1 (starring Wolverine, Nomad, Darkhawk, and Spider-Woman). Much in the way that episodes of Mission: Impossible opened with photos of the secret agents, these two issues each began with Dr. Strange perusing Tarot cards while deciding whose help to enlist.

Far more a non-team that the original Defenders had been, the Secret Defenders boasted a different combination of heroes each mission. The Secret Defenders ended at #25.

Fantastic Four #374 and Secret Defenders #1 both had cover dates of March 1993.