As Netflix gears up for the premiere of its Daredevil series next week, the service also has other Marvel-based series in production, including series about Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage.

For those knowledgeable about Marvel Comics, some of those names are familiar, and most would recognize them as part of an ongoing crime fighting superhero group known as the Defenders.

And Netflix seems aware of that. In a new trailer promoting Daredevil, the streaming service called the superhero "The First Defender," referring to this group.

But one question remains: who are the Defenders?

History of the Defenders

The Defenders made their first comic book appearance in Marvel Feature #1 in 1971. The original team had Doctor Strange at its helm, with Hulk, Namor and the Silver Surfer filling out its ranks. Basically, this was a team for misfit heroes who didn't quite light up sales charts in their own solo titles.

However, unlike the Avengers, the team isn't static and its line-up changed with members coming and going over the years, including Valkyrie, Nighthawk, Beast and Luke Cage.

In 1993's Secret Defenders, Dr. Strange put together several different teams of superheroes for specific missions.

The anti-Avengers

Basically, the Defenders are sort of the anti-Avengers, a group of outcasts and individuals who come together occasionally to fight crime, although most of those superheroes have their own agendas. The Defenders don't have a headquarters, generally don't like each other and don't really answer to anyone.

Unlike the Avengers, who were specifically chosen for their team, anyone can join the team. Likewise, a superhero can quit the team at any time, too, and then return for another mission.

In Ultimate Defenders, the Defenders weren't even superheroes, but just vigilantes dressed up like superheroes.

In Age of Ultron, there is a new timeline where the Defenders take over protecting the Earth after the Avengers break up. This team includes Dr. Strange, along with Captain America, Wolverine, Captain Marvel, Hulk and Star-Lord.

Netflix's take on the Defenders

In 2013, Netflix announced a partnership with Disney and Marvel that will feature a Defenders miniseries, as well as separate series for characters associated with the group: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist and Luke Cage. Interestingly enough, Jessica Jones was never a Defender in the comics, but it's likely she'll join the group, at least temporarily, for the Netflix mini-series. It certainly makes sense, because in Marvel Comics, Jessica Jones' husband is Luke Cage, a character who has joined the Defenders on more than one occasion.

It's likely, given the trailers we've seen, that Netflix will introduce the Defenders in the Daredevil series, followed by more details in its other four Marvel-based series, setting up the plot and events for the Defenders mini-series.

Not a lot is known about this mini-series yet, but according to the Netflix teaser website for the series, we'll see an "epic superhero team-up in New York City." However, with the next Avengers movie on the way aptly titled Age of Ultron, we wonder if Netflix's show won't feature the Avengers break-up from the comic series of the same name and introduce the Defenders as the new team responsible for protecting Earth.

This isn't far-fetched as Marvel remains intent on keeping their expanded universe intact, with the same story threads running throughout each TV series and movie.

[Photo Credit: Marvel]

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