Avengers-vs-Defenders

The Avengers vs. the Defenders

Welcome to the Avengers vs. Defenders page! I decided to put this page up in tribute to my favorite comic story of all time, the original Avengers/Defenders crossover that dominated both titles in the summer of 1973. The story skips from one title to the next, beginning in Avengers # 115 and ending in Defenders # 11. What I'm going to do is show the covers of each issue with a little synopsis and a few notations. However, since I strongly urge all comic book fans to quickly acquire and enjoy this classic, I won't give out any spoilers on the main page. I'll post a link to each issue that gives away details, as well as the ending, so that those of you who already have it or just want the whole story can get it here. Actually, with the last two issues, Defenders #10 and Avengers # 118, it will be impossible to avoid spoilers, so if you don't want to spoil it, don't read those two entries. Well, I hope you enjoy this page as much as I've enjoyed putting it together.

Updated March 20th 2004! I added a link under Defenders #10, showing how Asti the All Seeing steals the assembled pieces of the Evil Eye from the Avengers and Defenders.

Avengers # 115
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Mike Esposito
Cover Date: Sept. 1973 (it was actually on sale in June...it has to do with how comics are dated...)

Sorry about the bad scan here. My own copy is ragged and this is the best image I could find for now. Anyway, Avengers #115 is where it all starts, but only the last few pages. The rest of the issue deals with the Avengers flying out to Great Britain to look for their old pal the Black Knight (who at the time is a stone statue courtesy of the Enchantress). Before they can gain access to the Black Knight's castle, the Avengers are attacked by a tribe of Troglodytes that live underground. A fairly uneventful battle ensues, and the story ends on a happy note as the Avengers somehow get the British government to make peace with the troglodytes. Hey, I didn't write it, blame Steve Englehart! ;-) (He's really my favorite Avengers writer.) Of importance in the first part is that the Avengers find a mystical barrier around the Black Knight's castle which they cannot penetrate. Mantis uses her mystical intuition and learns that Dr. Strange has put the barrier around the castle. This comes into play in Avengers # 116.

But the last three pages are what counts. This takes us back to the events of Thor # 207, where a battle between Thor and Loki ends with Loki falling off a cliff. We pick up with Loki's fall, but before he hits the ground, he's teleported somewhere, to a place in which he discovers some dire information for the entire universe! For spoiler information on the plot, click here.

Defenders # 8
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema (some of his best work IHMO)
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Cover Date: Sept. 1973

Again, as in the previous issue of the saga, the first part of the issue closes up a different storyline. It wraps up a plot between Attuma and the Red Ghost, who has given up on controlling apes and instead is working on dolphins and other sea life (why not sharks and killer whales I'll never know, but this IS family entertainment!). Hawkeye (who recently left the Avengers and joined the Defenders) and Valkyrie were captured by Attuma in Defenders # 7, along with Namor. Namor is under hypnotic control and Red Ghost orders him to attack the others, and he swiftly kicks their collective asses. Now Red Ghost has THREE Defenders under his control, and with them he is going to help Attuma invade Atlantis and then the surface world. Luckily, Dr. Strange and the Silver Surfer come to the rescue, leaving fellow Defender the Hulk magically asleep at Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum. The heroes win the day and go back to Defenders HQ (Dr. Strange's Sanctorum).

Officially, chapter one of the crossover saga begins on the last 4 pages of this issue. We see the Defenders gathered in the Sanctorum, and the Black Knight is there, a stone statue, victim of the magic powers of the Enchantress. Dr. Strange uses the Orb of Agamotto to contact the Black Knight's soul, which is floating in some Limbo-type dimension. The Black Knight sends back a message, that the Defenders will need the power of the Evil Eye, a device or great magical power lost back in Fantastic Four # 54, to recover his soul and reverse the effects of the Enchantress's powerful magic. So begins the Defenders' quest for the Evil Eye. For spoiler information, click here.

Avengers # 116
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Mike Esposito
Cove Date: Oct. 1973

The issue opens with the Avengers outside of Dr. Strange's Sanctum Sanctorum, trying to gain access to find out what role Dr. Strange plays in the mystery of the Black Knight, since Mantis intuited that it was the Doctor who put he barrier around the Black Knight's castle back in Avengers # 115. Dr. Strange uses magic to literally blow the Avengers away from his home. Thor then smashes the door down and Mantis kicks Wong's ass (Dr. Strange's man servant). The Avengers glimpse the shape of the Black Knight inside, but are again blown outside by magic. They leave to regroup and figure out how to combat Dr. Strange's magic. Interesting note...Ironman refers to Dr. Strange's magic blasts as "repulsor rays or whatever he's got rigged up in his front door...". Apparently Ironman still doesn't believe in magic. :-)

Meanwhile, Dr. Strange uses the Orb of Agamotto to reveal the history and detect the presence of the Evil Eye. He discovers that the Evil Eye belonged to a man named Prester John, who kept it on Avalon Isle. In issue # 54 of Fantastic Four (which I haven't gotten to read yet), the Human Torch steals it in order to protect the Inhuman's Great Refuge. Unknown to the Torch, the Evil Eye was reaching critical mass and about to explode when Wyatt Wingfoot and Prester John shot it out of his hand. It hit the Earth, exploded with the force of an atom bomb, and was split into 6 pieces, each peice being driven thru the Earth to arrive at a different place. Since there are 6 Defenders (Dr. Strange, Namor, Valkyrie, Hulk, Silver Surfer, and now Hawkeye), he decides that they should split up and retrieve the pieces. He mystically guides each of them to the locations.

Elsewhere, Loki is privy to knowledge of a sinister plot that threatens the entire universe! He is helpless to act, so he appears to the Avengers in an astral projection. He tells them that he's discovered a plot by the Defenders to recover the Evil Eye, for some dangerous purpose. For spoiler information, click here. He points out that Dr. Strange is unknown to the general public, and that he's surrounded himself with threats to mankind, such as the Hulk (a rampaging monster), Namor (who is always at war with mankind), Silver Surfer (who's angry at being a prisoner on Earth by Galactus's decree and wants to take his frustrations out on all of mankind), Valkyrie (who the Avengers remember as a foe from Avengers # 83. She actually WAS a villain then, but the current Valkyrie is a different woman...a long story, trust me...), and the traitor, Hawkeye (he left the Avengers in a huff). Loki explains how dangerous the Defenders can be if they obtain the Evil Eye. He also gives them the location of the pieces of the Evil Eye. Due to their recent encounters with the Defenders, the Avengers believe Loki and the battle begins!

The first encounter takes place on the island of Rurutu in French Polynesia. The Silver Surfer is inside a volcano blasting away lava in an attempt to uncover the first part of the Evil Eye. Meanwhile, the Vision and Scarlet Witch (who have just recently gotten married), are flying over the island to find the Evil Eye and stop the Defenders. By amazing coincidence, the Surfer causes a volcanic eruption just as the Avengers Quinjet is overhead. ;-) It wrecks the jet and the Scarlet Witch is burned and injured, unconscious. Vision saves her but spies the Surfer at the top of the volcano. Obviously the Surfer attacked them on purpose (or so it seems to the Vision). ;-)

More enraged than you've ever seen him, the Vision attacks the Surfer and they battle inside the volcano. Vision appears to be winning until a stray blast by the Surfer reveals the Evil Eye. Both heroes grab it, and it goes off, blasting both of them into the sky. As they both fly trying to catch it, Vision notices the Scarlet Witch is in the path of a flow of lava, seconds away from death (put there by the natives as a sacrifice to the "god" they seem to recognize the Silver Surfer as). Visions grabs the Scarlet Witch instead, allowing the Surfer to grab the Evil Eye and fly off with it. Click here to view the battle!

Defenders # 9
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Frank McLaughlin
Cover Date: Oct. 1973

The battles get heated in this issue, and we get TWO battles instead of one! The issue opens as the Silver Surfer returns to Dr. Strange's abode with his piece of the Evil Eye. He tells Dr. Strange about the "unprovoked attack" the Avengers attempted. Dr. Strange decides to check into this, knowing the Avengers are heroes, and he detects the lingering presence of Loki in Avengers HQ using the Orb of Agamotto (that Orb sure does come in handy, huh?). Between Loki's presence and the Swordsman now being a member of the Avengers (the Swordsman was an international criminal, last Dr. Strange knew. Unknown to the Doctor, the Swordsman turned over a new leaf and joined the Avengers). This causes him to believe that the Avengers have been swayed to the side of evil by Loki. He believes Loki is controlling the Avengers' minds.

Meanwhile, back in Rurutu, Vision radios the other Avengers and tells them of the Surfer's "attack" on them, and that the threat is real, Loki is telling the truth! We jump forward then to Monterrey, Mexico, where the Valkyrie drops off Hawkeye (they ride Aragorn, the Black Knight's winged pegasus). She leaves, on her way to Bolivia to recover her own piece. Hawkeye spots Ironman flying overhead and realizes who his foe is. Ironman finds the Evil Eye at the Instituto Technologico, and gets a professor's permission to to look at it. While doing so, an arrow flies thru the window, grabbing the eye. A battle insues, and when it looks like Ironman is about to win, Hawkeye fires a magnetic arrow that redirects Ironman's arm, and thus his repulsor rays. The repulsors cave in a construction site, and Ironman has to rescue people from the falling building while Hawkeye runs off with the prize. Never mind the fact that those same repulsors were, prior to knocking down a building, being used against Hawkeye's chest. How a repulsor strong enough to knock over a concrete building didn't manage to totally obliterate Hawkeye is beyond me, but hey, this is comics! :-)

We jump then to the second battle this issue. Dr. Strange is in the cornfields of Ft. Wayne Indiana, and has found his part of the Evil Eye. On the way out he spies the Black Panther and Mantis together, looking for any Defenders in the area. He uses magic to give the illusion that he's an old woman, and is waiting for a bus with a group of other locals. Mantis senses something wrong and kicks the "old woman" under the bus. Out flies Dr. Strange, his identitiy revealed. While attempting to fly away, he's brought down by the Black Panther. Mantis attacks Dr. Strange with her martial arts skills, only to find that Dr. Strange is also skilled in the martial arts as he is "only the third person ever to avoid" her strike. It's a cool moment as Dr. Strange is shown as more than just a wizard...he's a mystic who studied many subjects in the Himalayas. However, outnumbered by two opponents, he resorts to magic, blasts his opponents, and flies off with the Evil Eye. Score: Defenders - 3, Avengers - 0. Click here to view both battles!

Avengers # 117
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inker: Mike Esposito
Cover Date: Nov. 1973

Two more battles this issue, as well as a guest-star supervillain! The first two pages gives us some behind-the-scenes info. For spoiler information, click here. Our first battle is in Bolivia, where the Swordsman encounters the Valkyrie in a castle neslted in the jungle. Valkyrie slips into the castle off-camera so to speak. Swordsman knocks on the door and it's answered by a blond fellow who owns the castle.We get a detailed history of the castle, it being an abandnoned Nazi castle. The man lets Swordsman inside, and they hear a noise coming from upstairs. Swordsman runs up and finds Valkyrie digging thru a treasure chest looking for her part of the Evil Eye. A great sword battle ensues, and the Swordsman is really rough on Valkyrie, obviously outlcassing her, but lacking her super strength. Valkyrie knocks the Swordsman over, runs into the treasuse room, and finds the Evil Eye, tossing aside the castle owner who is trying to lock up his treaasure. Swordsman tackles Valkyrie from behind and takes the eye. Finally an Avenger wins! But treachery befalls them! The owner pulls out some crazy looking laser pistol (where the hell did he get THAT?) and zaps the Sowrdsman in the back. The Swordsman falls, stabbing the castle owner in the chest with his sword on the way down, killing him (bet THAT would get some parents bitching if it were done today)! ;-) Valkyrie takes the Eye, and salutes a "valiant foe", then leaves when help arrives for the Swordsman. (The local police take him to the hospital).

We jump then to the next battle, in Osaka Japan, where Captain America encounters Namor, who already has his piece of the Evil Eye. Cap challenges Namor, and the heat is on! In the middle of the battle, the Japanese mutant Sunfire arrives (our "mystery villain"). He blasts both Cap and Namor and flies off with the Evil Eye, telling both that they have no business in his country. Cap grabs Namor's leg as Namor flies off to catch Sunfire, and they engage in some dialog that marks the turning point. Both Cap and Namor make comments based on their understanding of the situation, but Namor is impatient and drops Cap into the ocean, to go after Sunfire. Namor punches Sunfire out of the sky and Cap recovers the Evil Eye as it falls to Earth. Namor confronts Cap and says he has a choice...hand it over or suffer a serious ass kicking. Cap hands it over, telling Namor that something fishy is going on (pardon the pun). They agree to look into it together and see if they can come to an understanding of what's really going on. Click here to view both battles as well as see our guest appearance by Sunfire!

Defenders # 10
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Frank Bolle
Cover Date: Nov. 1973

One of the best covers of the saga, with the two powerhouses, Thor and Hulk, battling it out! It opens with the Hulk finding his piece of the Evil Eye in New York City. Thor comes along and tries to talk sense into the green behemoth, but Hulk attacks, and a battle of powerhouses begins! Thor seems to gain a bit of an upper hand overall, but they then engage in a struggle of willpower, a wrestling match as it appears on the cover. They're locked in a stalemate for over an hour, when suddenly both combatants turn to see the assembled Avengers and Defenders together asking them to stop. The story flashes back an hour in time, and we see Namor arriving at Dr. Strange's abode with Captain America and the other Avengers in tow. The Avengers and the Defenders talk out what's been going on. We flash forward again to see that Thor and Hulk have stopped fighting and when told the story, Thor suggests that Loki was up to no good as usual, but that he must have had help since he's blind. Dr. Strange suspects his old foe, the Dread Dormammu. When Dr. Strange lays out the 6 parts of the Evil Eye on the street to observe it, a beak-like thing swoops down to snatch them. It's Asti the All-Seeing, servant of Dormammu! Click here to see Asti recover the Evil Eye for his master. Now we know for sure who's behind it. Suddenly, the landscape changes and humans start turning into monsters. Dormammu is converting Earth's dimension to his own! Both teams swear to stop him in the next issue. Click here to see the battle between Thor and Hulk!

Avengers # 118
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Bob Brown
Inkers: Mike Esposito & Frank Giacoia
Cover Date: Dec. 1973

The final battle begins as we see the Avengers and Defenders facing off against humans who have been mutated into giant monsters due to the in-creeping influence of Dormamu's realm. Cap and Dr. Strange argue about whether to stay and help on Earth or go after Dormammu. Dr. Strange casts a spell that protects the Avengers and Defenders from being affected and turning into monsters. Cap continues to argue until Nick Fury arrives with other SHIELD agents, and Fury promises to take care of things on Earth while the others go after Dormammu. Both super teams go to the Dark Dimension to attack Dormamu. We then witness more behind the scenes action with Loki and Dormammu. Click here for spoiler information. In the Dark Dimension, the Watcher appears behind Dormammu, who threatens the Watcher not to get involved lest he incur Dormammu's wrath. The Watcher assures him he is there only to observe. This is back when the Watcher was cool like that, and did what he was supposed to, as opposed to the modern crap where he becomes just another cosmic punching bag for the latest "godlike" charcter. Click here to view the appearance of the Watcher! The heroes battle their way thru the Dark Dimension and a bunch of Mindless Ones (inhabitants of the Dark Dimension) to get to Dormammu. Flashback to earth, where we see a super-star studded page of cameos by various Marvel characters. Click here to see the page.

Piercing Dormammu's barrier while Dormammu talks to the Watcher, the heroes invade. Dormammu blasts all of the Defenders unconscious with a wave of his hand. Why not do the Avengers at the same time? Well, Dormammu says he spared them for sport, but we all know that the real reason is that SOMEONE has to stop Dormammu! ;-) As the Avengers charge him, Dormammu turns the ground to quicksand, and most of the Avengers fall in. The Scarlet Witch, Thor, and Ironman manage to fly across. Strangely, the Vision gets stuck and can't turn ethereal to escape, seemingly panicked. Dormammu turns Thor back into Don Blake with a wave of his hand (pretty powerful too...he defies Odin's magic by doing so!), and makes Ironman's armor disappear. He causes a sticky glue like rain to envelope Scarlet Witch. Dormammu appears to have won. At this point, Loki (who was imprisoned in a cage of force by Dormammu) turns into a fly and flies out, changes back to human form, and using his hearing to guide him, attacks Dormamu from behind, trying to wrestle away the Evil Eye. At the same tme, the Scarlet Witch struggles to raise her arms and manages to set off a hex blast, causing the Evil Eye to trigger. The Eye sucked Dormammu into itself (Dormammu is a being made of pure mystical energy) and it shot out a beam of intense power at Loki, curing his blindness but shattering his mind in the processs (it doesn't pay to be an Asgardian god of evil sometimes). Click here to view the startling finale! The heroes pick themselves up, Dr. Strange recovers the Evil Eye, and the Watcher bids them farewell as they go home to a swiftly healing Earth.

Defenders # 11
Writer: Steve Englehart
Penciller: Sal Buscema
Inker: Frank Bolle
Cover Date: Dec. 1973

The final issue, although not one of the crossover issues technically (only a cameo by the Avengers), wraps up the story, so it's part of the saga. Dr. Strange has the totally assembled Evil Eye, taken after the events of Avengers # 118. Thor takes charge of his now-insane brother Loki. Then Dr. Strange wipes the memory of the crisis from all minds on Earth except the Avengers and Defenders. The two teams split up with the Defenders going back to Dr. Strange's Sanctum. Once there, the Doctor uses the Evil Eye to turn ethereal and contact the Black Knight's soul in person. However, he discovers the Black Knight's soul is missing! Returning to his Sanctum in ethereal form, he warns the Defenders and before he can finish his sentence, they're all wisked away, re-appearing in a Middle-eastern setting during the Crusades. There they run into the Black Knight...apparently whole again in body and spirit. The group is attacked by some giant gnome- like beings and Dr. Strange teleports the group to safety. The Black Knight explains that a spell cast by Merlin back in the fall of Camelot was responsible for plucking his soul out of Limbo as well as sucking the Defenders into the past.The Defenders go off to fight Modred and free Richard the Lion Hearted. During the battle, Modred manages to obtain the Evil Eye after Dr. Strange drops it. Before he can do anything though, we see a rare appearance by the obscure character Prester John, who takes possession of the Evil Eye and sends the Defenders home to the present year. However, the Black Knight decides to stay behind, feeling like he fits in better in that time period. Once the Defenders are home, they split up, being a loose alliance anyway, unlike the Avengers. Only Valkyrie stays with Dr. Strange. Click here for a cool look at a rare character, Prester John, and the Evil Eye.

Want to see a listing of every single Marvel character that appeared in this epic saga? How about a little surprise treat thrown in for fun? If so, click here.

Comments? Suggestions? Requests? Email me!