Wonder Valkyrie

Under orders of Odin, the valkyries of Valhalla began capturing Amazons of Paradise Island shortly after World War II. These valkyries had wings but also rode wingless flying horses. Odin sought to turn the impressive Amazons into valkyries, but the Greek goddess Aphrodite restored the Amazons to their usual selves (Wonder Woman #23).

Wonder Woman. Vol. 1. No. 23. May 1947. "Seige of the Savage War Maidens" by Charles Moulton.

Venus vs. Son of Satan

When Atlas Comics gave Venus her own series, the genre of that title gradually transitioned from romance to horror. Case in point, Venus #10 (June 1950). In that issue, the love goddess received an unwanted marriage proposal from the Son of Satan. This was not Daimon Hellstrom, who would premiere as the Son of Satan two decades later. Rather, it was another character who happened to be the devil's son. Venus discreetly referred to her unwanted suitor as Mr. Satin and successfully fought off his advances.

Day of the Druid

The druidic philosophy outlined in early versions of Dungeons & Dragons considered the moral opposites of Law and Chaos as balancing forces of nature. As such, the clerical subclass of Druid adhered to the alignment of Neutral, a worldview with no particular leanings toward good or evil.

About a decade before the creation of the game, Strange Tales #144-145 presented a vastly different take on druids. The leader of a hidden cult combined mystic rites and modern technology to summon the Egg of Satan—a thing of evil designed to seek out Col. Nick Fury and destroy him. Given their diabolical aims, these druids might be a better fit for Lawful Evil, the alignment closely associated with devils in Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

The cover of Strange Tales #144 (May 1966) likened the mysticism of Dr. Strange to Nick Fury's nemesis in "The Day of the Druid!" Dr. Strange starred in a different story within the issue.

Cat out of Hell

Hellcat #4, from the character's 2023 limited series, included a callback to Defenders #94 (April 1981). During the non-team's crusade against the Six-Fingered Hand, the demon Avarrish briefly transformed Hellcat into a devil-like monster. That frightful version of Hellcat stood in contrast to the happy-go-lucky veneer she long projected as Patsy Walker.

Devil-Slayer and the Flying Dutchman

Strange Tales #98 included a ghost story about the crew of The Flying Dutchman, a legendary ship from seafaring lore. The title of the story was "They Vanished Forever!"

When superheroes later encountered the haunted ship, the term Flying Dutchman also referred to the vessel's netherwordly captain. In league with the entity Mephisto, the Flying Dutchman approached Devil-Slayer in Marvel Comics Presents #46, offering earthly pleasures aboard the supernatural ship in exchange for the hero's soul. Devil-Slayer refused the offer yet the demonic adversary persisted.

Flying Dutchman: Your soul is already lost! All that remains undecided is which underworld lord will possess it!

After trails and tribulations, Devil-Slayer discovered that holy water could weaken the Flying Dutchman and keep him at bay (#49).

This rendition of The Flying Dutchman appeared in Strange Tales #98 (July 1962).

Tagak, the Leopard Lord

One of the most promising Defenders for a Day was Tagak, the Leopard Lord. Introduced in Daredevil #72, the mysterious Tagak was a costumed adventurer from another dimension. His home land was polytheistic, with only hints of what the religion entailed.

In his debut, the acrobatic Tagak revealed he was blind but could see by way of a mind-link with the trained leopard accompanying him. The leopard, however, did not join Tagak during his day with the Defenders, suggesting more nuance to the hero's sensory abilities.

Had Tagak stayed with the the non-team, or rejoined at some point, he certainly would have had potential to explore.

Daredevil. Vol. 1. No. 72. January 1971. "Lo, the Lord of the Leopards!" Stan Lee (editor), Gerry Conway (writer), Gene Colan (artist), Syd Shores (inker), Artie Simek (letterer).

Defending Dracula

Daimon Hellstrom made a curious decision in Defenders #95. To ward off a horde of vampires, he cast an ancient spell to cause the sun to rise. Dracula was among the vampires present and, a moment before the spell took affect, Hellstrom privately warned Dracula to flee.

The other Defenders understandably wondered why the Son of Satan spared the Lord of Vampires. Hellstrom explained that Dracula had negotiated a temporary truce with heroes and deserved mercy.

Hellstrom: For all his sins, Dracula is a man of his word.

The decision, however, may have had less to do with the ethics of Dracula and more to do with Hellstrom's need to find compassion within himself.

For background, Dracula was not on favorable terms with Daimon Hellstrom's father. Satan took vengeance against Dracula by ridding him of vampiric powers in Tomb of Dracula #64, forcing him to live as a normal human for several issues. To Dracula, temporarily becoming a mere mortal was far worse than the plight of a vampire.

Tomb of Dracula. Vol. 1. No. 64. May 1978. "Life After Undeath." Marv Wolfman (writer/editor), Gene Colan & Tom Palmer (illustrators), Denise V. Wohl (letters), Francoise M. (colors).

Olympian Alignments

An earlier post looked at several Asgardian characters in in terms of their alignment from the the classic Dungeons & Dragons source book Deities & Demigods (later titled Legends & Lore).

To follow up, here are the D&D alignments listed for a number of characters in Greek mythology, better known by their Roman names to the Defenders.

Neutral Evil: Hades (god of the underworld and death). Known by the Roman name Pluto, this god fought the non-team in Defenders #2-4 (Volume 2).

Chaotic Neutral: Poseidon (god of seas, oceans, streams, and earthquakes). Worshipers include all who depend on the sea. To this point, Sub-Mariner invoked this god by his Roman name whenever he exclaimed, "By Neptune's Trident!"

Deities & Demigods also assigned the Chaotic Neutral alignment to the demigod Heracles from classical mythology. I would describe the Marvel hero Hercules (Roman spelling) as Neutral Good during his modern adventures as a superhero, including his involvement in Defenders for a Day.

Asgardian Alignments

A classic Dungeons & Dragons source book titled Deities & Demigods (later Legends & Lore) placed mythological gods and heroes from numerous cultures within the popular game system.

Below are the D&D alignments Deities & Demigods listed for several Norse gods who also had an impact on the Defenders.

Chaotic Good: Thor (thunder god).

Neutral Good: Odin "All Father" (supreme ruler of the gods); this alignment aptly describes the hero Thor during his time as a founding and recurring member of the Avengers.

Chaotic Evil: Loki (god of mischief, strife and fire); he teamed up with Dormammu in the a cross-over event that spanned Avengers #115-118 and Defenders #8-11.

Neutral Evil: Hel (goddess of death); her name is spelled Hela in Defenders #66-68 and other Marvel publications.

Chaotic Neutral: Valkyries "Choosers of the Slain"; the temperament of the hero Valkyrie steadies after #66-68, ending the the inner turmoil between her true self and the spirit of Barbara Norriss.

Iceman (Not Abomination)

What's perhaps most surprising about the debut issue of Iceman's new series is seeing how little the title character has matured since his limited series (1985).

After all this time, the hero remains estranged from his parents, who still disapprove of his mutant powers in Iceman #1 (August 2017).

The new series introduces a fanatical villain who hates mutants for religious reasons. Adding insult to injury, the new villain doesn't even recognize Iceman—prompting the hero to list his crimefighting credentials in the heat of battle.

As his modus operandi, the new foe repeatedly refers to mutants as an abomination (no connection to Hulk's longtime foe who answers to that name).

The gamma-green villain named Abomination first appeared in Tales to Astonish #90 (April 1967). This image of the character comes from The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe.

Chaotic Evil: The Devil's Daughter

While Daimon Hellstrom turned against his demonic father by fighting on the side of good, his sister, Satana, played the role of succubus, seductively murdering men and stealing their souls.

She may have been born to be bad, but Satana also had free will. She repelled the thought of blind obedience and assured others she was acting on her own accord. Given her capricious brand of malevolence, I consider her Chaotic Evil under the classic alignment system from Dungeons & Dragons.

Satana: … But you'll find Satana yields to no man. Not our father … and not you!

Lawful Good	Neutral Good	Chaotic Good
Lawful Neutral	True Neutral	Chaotic Neutral
Lawful Evil	Neutral Evil	Chaotic Evil

Marvel Spotlight. Vol. 1. No. 24. October 1975. "Walk the Darkling Road!" Chris Claremont (author), Sal Buscema (artist), Bob McCleod (inker), John Costanza (letterer), Diane Buscema (colorist), Len Wein (editor).

Postmortem Mall

In the midst of a near-death experience, She-Hulk found outside a 67-story-tall purgatory called the Postmoderm Mall (Sensational She-Hulk #53).

Touring this comedic afterlife with Bucky Barnes (Captain America's sidekick during World War II), She-Hulk spotted heroes and villains alike. Mimic retained the iconic powers of the original X-Men, which he had lost by the time of his apparent death (Incredible Hulk #161).

Several adversaries of the Defenders perviously targeted by the Scourge of the Underworld also occupied the entertainment complex, including Ringer, Miracle Man (now working in the mall as a hairstylist), and Melter (taking a fitness class along with Nighthawk, mourned in Defenders #107).

The Sensational She-Hulk. Vol. 2. No. 53. July 1993. "Death Becomes Her." Michael Eury (writer), Darren Auck (guest penciler), Mike DeCarlo (inker), Brad Joyce (letterer), Glynis Oliver (colorist), Renée Witterstaetter (editor), Tom DeFalco (editor in chief).

Flag Waving

The baron of Yinsen City was dead. Hostile invaders from Mondo City were invading the utopian metropolis, and the Defenders were all-but stripped of their powers.

Only through the diplomacy of outsider Captain Britain (Dr. Faiza Hussain) did the two domains achieve a state of peace (Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders #2).

Out of appreciation, the Defenders gave Captain Britain a flag, with a design drawn out of their own fragmented memories. Yet the heroes had no clear recollection of Great Britain or the symbolism of the British flag.

Captain Britain: … Right now we all get to decide what it means.

Had their memories been intact, the heroes might have known that the flag of Britain combined the red cross of St. George (patron saint of England), the white saltire of St. Andrew (patron saint of Scotland), and the red saltire of St. Patrick (patron saint of Ireland). Each of these saints is steeped in lore, such as the legend of St. George slaying the dragon and the legend of St. Patrick driving the snakes out of Ireland.

Captain Britain and the Mighty Defenders. No. 2. October 2015. "… And Mine Is a Faith in My Fellow Man." Al Ewing (writer), Alan Davis (penciler), Mark Farmer (inker), Wil Quintana (colorist).

The Son of--?!

An issue of What The--?! included a satire about a ban on hellish terminology at Marvel. As a result, Son of Satan became Son of Santa, with a Christmas wreath appearing on his chest in place of his signature pentagram (#8).

As the comedic story progressed, the hero changed again—this time becoming Son of Stan, with a costume combining elements of several other characters created by Stan Lee.

What The--?! Vol. 1. No. 8. July 1990. "The Son of Satan/Censored." Kurt Busiek (diabolical script), James W. Fry III (fiendish pencils), Brad K. Joyce (malevolent inks), Chris Eliopoulos (demonic letters), Kris Renkewitz (infernal colors), Terry Kavanagh (most heinous edits), Tom DeFalco (exorcist in chief).

Orange and the Occult

The color orange carried a unique subtext among the Defenders. Devil-Slayer and Gargoyle, the two Defenders with unmistakable amounts of orange in their appearance, both had origin stories tied to the occult—and both were intent on battling demons.

Daimon Hellstrom, the begrudging Son of Satan, had similarly colored hair when he made his debut in Marvel Spotlight #12.

Although Hellstrom appeared blond in Marvel Spotlight #13-19, his hair color was consistently red (a.k.a. orange) from that point on, including his appearances with the Defenders.

Daimon and the Duck

Before they became heroes in Marvel Comics Super Special #1, the founding members of the rock band KISS materialized from a young woman under psychiatric supervision.

Called to investigate, Daimon Hellstrom determined that evil forces were not responsible for the unusual occurrence. Rather, the young woman had latent psychic talents that may have caused her to tap into a parallel universe. But Hellstrom assured doctors that the phenomenon was unlikely to reoccur (Howard the Duck #13).

Convinced nonetheless that the young woman was possessed by evil spirits, the misguided Revered Yuc kidnapped her. When Hellstrom came to the rescue, Reverend Yuc mystically removed the hero's chest pentagram and demonic powers. Hellstrom was relieved at first, until he saw that emblem unexpectedly branded on Howard the Duck (#14).

Along with Hellstrom's pentagram, mystic trident, and superhuman powers, Howard also inherited a volatile personality hellbent on retribution (which Hellstrom struggled long to control as the Son of Satan).

Hellstrom chased after the demonically driven duck, and then grabbed the mystic trident from Howard's hands, returning things to normal (or rather, as normal as they had been).

Howard the Duck. Vol. 1. No. 13. June 1977. "Rock, Roll Over, and Writhe!" Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciller), Steve Leialoha (inker), Jim Novak (letterer), Jan Cohen (colorist).

Howard the Duck. Vol. 1. No. 14. July 1977. "A Duck Possessed!" Steve Gerber (writer/editor), Gene Colan (penciller), Klaus Janson (inker), Jim Novak (letterer), Irene Vartanoff (colorist).

Assembly Required

The alternate reality in What if? Age of Ultron #2 flashed forward to a speculative future where a salty Wolverine assembled a one-time team consisting of Spider-Man, Hulk, and a new Ghost Rider (a call back to the Secret Defenders from Fantastic Four #374).

Long retired from his crime-fighting days as Spider-Man, the Peter Parker in this future was living in Rutland, Vermont. He moved there, at least in part, because of the city's tradition of throwing memorable Halloween parades.

Hulk, meanwhile, was now decidedly non-violent and residing on Mount Song, China. Through the practice of Zen meditation, the green goliath had found peace of mind in his own right—without integrating the personality of Dr. Bruce Banner.

What If? Age of Ultron. No.2. June 2014. Joe Keatinge (writer), Ramon Villalobos (artist), Ruth Redmond (colorist), VC's Joe Sabino (letterer), Jon Moisan (editor), Axel Alonso (editor in chief).

Ode to Etrigan

Daimon Hellstrom and Gargoyle likely owed some creative debt to The Demon, a series that Jack Kirby created for DC Comics soon after leaving Marvel.

The debut issue introduced readers to Jason Blood, a demonologist with a conspicuously long lifespan. During one of his supernatural investigations, Jason entered a crypt protected by living gargoyles.

Within the crypt, Jason felt compelled to read aloud a mystic inscription that would cause him to involuntarily change back and forth into the demon Etrigan.

Although Etrigan had previously served Merlin the magician and continued to fight against the forces of evil, Jason largely despised transforming into the inhuman creature.

The above images come from The Demon #1 (September 1972). Jack Kirby wrote and illustrated the original series, which ran for 16 issues. Supporting characters throughout the run included Jason's friends Harry Matthews and Randu Singh (who had E.S.P.), and romantic interest Glenda Mark.

Unhappily Ever After

Married life is seldom easy for superheroes. Just ask Patsy Walker and Daimon Hellstrom. Following their wedding, the couple tried to lead a "normal" life as paranormal investigators and sometime-superheroes. But existing without his darksoul since Defenders #120 eventually took its toll on the so-called Son of Satan, as told in the protagonist's solo series titled Hellstorm: Prince of Lies.

With Daimon on the brink of death, Patsy bargained with her malevolent father-in-law to restore Daimon to health—darksoul and all. Her traumatic dealings with the netherworld left Patsy catatonic for an extended period of time (Hellstorm #3). Former teammate Gargoyle stayed in the Hellstrom household, acting as a caregiver to Patsy and a butler to Daimon.

Concern that Daimon had slipped into a state of moral debauchery prompted a visit from Dr. Strange in Hellstorm #2. On the subject of debauchery, the series also revived Daimon's sister, Satana.

Comparative Mythology

The ongoing threat of supernatural forces was a defining theme not only for the Defenders but also in the early days of Alpha Flight. Some indirect similarities unfolded in the original series for both super-teams.

Beginning with Alpha Flight #1, the premiere heroes of Canada had incremental battles against the Great Beasts, seven evil beings who were escaping to Earth, one by one, as the bonds between dimensions grew weak. The subplot had a personal connection to Snowbird, the half-goddess member of Alpha Flight who was a born enemy of the Great Beasts.

By this time the Defenders had defeated a string of demonic entities known collectively as the Six-Fingered Hand. The danger had a familial connection to Daimon Hellstrom, the half-devil member of the Defenders whose father was leading a charge to break through extra-dimensional barriers and conquer Earth (Defenders #99).

On top of that, both teams had a mystical orange monster among their ranks. Though introduced as an opponent of the Defenders, the hero Gargoyle was a repentant man trapped within the body of a demon. With Alpha Flight, the unsuspecting heroes eventually discovered that teammate Sasquatch actually transformed into the physical form of Tanaraq, one of the Great Beasts.

The above image from Alpha Flight #6 (January 1984) shows Snowbird facing the Great Beast called Kolomaq. It's worth noting that the Alpha Flight series took creative liberty in suggesting that the seven Great Beasts and various story points had roots in Inuit mythology.