The Avengers were a big seller for Marvel Comics in the ’60s and ’70s. Wanting to capitalise on the concept of adding big-name characters into one team, they created the Defenders. The difference with these guys, though, was that they weren’t a team in the traditional sense. They had no headquarters and they really didn’t seem to like each other at all. Only a few issues in and they’d already lost one ally – Dane Whitman, the former-Avenger known as the Black Knight – when the Enchantress turned him to stone.
Unaware of the situation the Black Knight had found himself in (and of the existence of the Defenders, for that matter), the Avengers decide to investigate Dane’s disappearance when they realise their repeated call to arms to him during a string of crisis situations had gone unheeded. Little do they realise, they’re soon to come into conflict with the newest super-group in town…
Crossover: The Avengers/Defenders War is a the first direct multi-part crossover from Marvel, though it’s not labelled as such on the cover like many future crossovers.
Anthology Issues: When an issue contains multiple stories, the relevant story is denoted with square brackets – for example, [2/5] refers to the second story of the five stories in that issue.
Must-Reads: Issues in bold in the Core List or marked with a ✔ in the Full Reading Order are must-read stories from this event; in the Fallout section, issues marked with a ✔ are the stories that are most heavily impacted by this event.
Spoilers: The issue descriptions, first appearances and fallout section contain spoilers, so be warned!
Previous events that directly impact this story:
- THE MARK OF HAWKEYE (1973) – Hawkeye quits the Avengers
- BEYOND THE BORDER (1972-1973) – Loki is blinded in battle with Thor
- WAR BELOW THE WAVES (1973) – Hawkeye joins the Defenders
Want to keep it simple? Here’s the chronological reading order without story descriptions, or spoilers:
- Avengers #115 [1/2] (tie-in)
- Avengers #115 [2/2]
- Defenders #8 [2/2]
- Avengers #116
- Defenders #9
- Avengers #117
- Defenders #10
- Avengers #118
- Defenders #11 (tie-in)
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Avengers #115 [1/2] (tie-in) The Avengers start their search for the Black Knight at his castle home only to find an impenetrable, invisible magical force field blocking their way. They somehow assume Doctor Strange is responsible, but are then kidnapped by a race of Troglodytes who’ve made their home below Whitman Castle. After a surprisingly difficult bid for freedom, the Avengers escape and head back to America to find Doctor Strange. 1st appearance: Troglodytes (Kragg, Skol) |
| Avengers #115 [2/2] The blinded Loki is snatched from time by Dormammu who’s seeking an ally against his old foe, Doctor Strange. Strange has magically prevented him from invading Earth ever again. Together, they plan to use the Defenders to locate a magical artefact called the Evil Eye and use it’s powers to conquer Earth! |
| Defenders #8 [2/2] Back at Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum, the Sorcerer Supreme mystically contacts the Black Knight’s trapped soul to learn how to free him from the Enchantress‘ spell. The Knight’s response is intercepted by Dormammu and Loki who twist it and send it back to Strange, informing the Defenders that they must gather the pieces of the Evil Eye to save the Black Knight. |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Avengers #116 The Avengers arrive at Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum where they’re assaulted by the house’s magical defences. Meanwhile, Strange and his fellow Defenders start searching for the six missing pieces of the mystical Evil Eye. Fearing Dormammu’s betrayal, Loki warns the Avengers but also convinces them the Defenders are villains. Both teams split up and head to the six locations. The Silver Surfer activates a volcano in French Polynesia in his search, which looks like an attack from the Scarlet Witch and Vision‘s perspective. Vision unearths the first fragment, but opts to save the Scarlet Witch from the flowing lava. The Silver Surfer claims the fragment. |
| Defenders #9 Doctor Strange learns the Avengers have allied themselves with Loki and the super-villain known as the Swordsman. Hawkeye faces Iron Man in Mexico where the archer endangers innocent bystanders to distract the armoured Avenger and claim his piece of the Eye. In Indiana, Doctor Strange uses martial arts and magic to take down the Black Panther and Mantis and claim the Eye fragment. 1st appearance: Prof Martin Figueras |
| Avengers #117 Dormammu begins to suspect Loki’s betrayal. The Swordsman crosses swords with Valkyrie in Bolivia. Swordsman wins but is shot in the back by the owner of the castle that houses the Eye fragment. Valkyrie makes sure the Swordsman will survive before running off with the piece of the Eye. Namor the Sub-Mariner has already claimed his piece of the Evil Eye in Japan by the time Captain America turns up. While they fight, Sunfire takes the piece of the Eye in the name of Japan. Namor defeats Sunfire and Cap claims the piece of the Evil Eye, handing it to the Sub-Mariner to mark a truce between them. |
| Title, Issue & Synopsis |
| Defenders #10 In Los Angeles, Thor battles the Hulk for the final shard of the Evil Eye until they hold each other’s arms in a stalemate staring contest that lasts for a full hour before the Avengers and Defenders show up to announce their truce. Dormammu sends Asti the All-Seeing to swoop in and take the assembled eye from the two teams. The world immediately starts to go all weird and melty as humans turn into demons. Dormammu’s cackling floaty head appears above Los Angeles! |
| Avengers #118 The Avengers and Defenders fight through Mindless Ones to face Dormammu in the Dark Dimension while just about every other hero and villain on Earth and throughout the galaxy fight transformed, demonic versions of their own friends and allies! The Scarlet Witch summons a hex bolt at the Evil Eye which then sucks Dormammu into it and explodes his atoms into Loki’s face. Loki’s sight is restored, but he’s now completely insane. The universe is restored, but the planet looks like a war zone. |
| Defenders #11 (tie-in) The Avengers and Defenders arrive back on Earth where the magically exhausted Doctor Strange wipes all but the Avengers’ memories of the Defenders’ existence and undoes all the damage done to the planet. The Defenders find themselves transported back in time to the Crusades where they and the Black Knight (Dane WHitman’s spirit inhabiting the body of Eobar Garrington) free Richard the Lionheart from Modred‘s cells, fight some Gnomes and face the wrath of Chandu the Magician. Prester John materialises from the timestream and claims the Evil Eye. The Black Knight stays in the 12th century where he feels he belongs, though his stone body will remain in the present. The Defenders return to their own time. Hawkeye, Sub-Mariner, Hulk and the Silver Surfer all decide the Defenders are becoming too much of a commitment and take their leave. 1st appearance: Chandu, Prince John/John Plantagenet, Temax |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| ✔ | Marvel Fanfare #52-54 (1990) The Black Knight’s adventures in the past continue, fighting alongside King Richard and Prester John. | |
| Black Knight: Exodus #1 (1996) During the Crusades, the Black Knight meets Benet du Paris (the man who goes on to become Exodus) and Apocalypse. | ||
| Marvel Classic Comics #34 (1978) Prince John – now King John – is opposed by Robin Hood and his Merry Men. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers #119 (1974) The Avengers take Loki back to Avengers Mansion. | |
| Iron Man #55 (1973) Thanos makes a cameo appearance here before beginning his attack on Earth. | THE THANOS WAR | |
| Iron Man #56 (1973) Doctor Strange and Iron Man soon join forces again to defeat Ichabod Rasputin and Fangor. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers #119 (1974) The mindless Loki is left in the care of the people of Rutland. | |
| ✔ | Defenders #12 (1974) The Hulk is the first to return to the Defenders, calling on Doctor Strange and Valkyrie to help him defeat Xemnu. | |
| Giant-Size Defenders #1 (1974) Namor the Sub-Mariner rejoins the Defenders. | ||
| Sub-Mariner #67 (1973) The Sub-Mariner gets the new costume mentioned in the footnotes. | ||
| ✔ | Giant-Size Avengers #2 (1974) Hawkeye returns to the Avengers; Swordsman finally proves himself as an Avenger by giving his life in battle with Kang. | THE CELESTIAL MADONNA SAGA |
| ✔ | Doctor Strange #6-7 (1975) Dormammu returns and reveals how he survived the Evil Eye by drawing off the heat from the Earth’s core to boost his powers. | CONSUMMATION |
| ✔ | Giant-Size Avengers #4 (1975) Dormammu briefly possesses the Scarlet Witch in order to have his revenge on the Avengers; the Vision and Scarlet Witch get married. | THE CELESTIAL MADONNA SAGA CONSUMMATION |
| ✔ | Thor #232 (1975) Loki regains his mental faculties and returns to his traditional villainous role, manipulating Firelord into attacking Thor. | |
| ✔ | Defenders #62 (1978) The world learns of the existence of the Defenders again. | |
| ✔ | Doctor Strange #36-37 (1979) The spell keeping everyone out of Whitman Castle is revealed to have been lifted; the Black Knight statue is briefly possessed by Ningal. | |
| Incredible Hulk #255 (1981) Hulk and Thor next battle it out. | ||
| Avengers #215-216 (1982) Thor and Iron Man’s civilian identities are revealed to their fellow Avengers again when the Molecule Man removes their powers and weapons. |
| Must Reads | Issue & Fallout | Event / Crossover |
| Defenders #107 (1982) Hawkeye attends Valkryie’s funeral when she’s believed dead. | THE WAR TO END ALL WARS | |
| ✔ | Avengers Annual #11 (1982) The Avengers fight the Defenders again; Nebulon and Supernalia take control of the Avengers’ minds leaving it up to the Defenders to defeat and free them. | |
| ✔ | Avengers #225-226 (1982) The Avengers battle the Fomor in the past alongside the Black Knight; the Black Knight appears to sacrifice himself to defeat Balor by using the Evil Eye, but it actually restores him to his body in the present day, turning the stone statue back to flesh. | |
| Avengers #256 (1985) Black Knight officially rejoins the Avengers. | THE WAR TO END ALL SKRULLS | |
| Avengers #262 (1985) Namor the Sub-Mariner joins the Avengers. | ||
| ✔ | Black Knight #3 (1990) Morgan le Fay restores the Evil Eye to resurrect Balor; the Black Knight destroys it with the Ebony Blade. | THE REBIRTH OF THE BLACK KNIGHT |
| Secret Defenders #6-8 (1993) Captain America and Scarlet Witch join the Secret Defenders. | ||
| ✔ | Avengers Annual #22 (1993) Chandu and his Convocation of Wizards attack Avengers Mansion seeking the secret of eternal youth; it’s unclear it Chandu travelled through time or aged slowly. | |
| ✔ | The Order #3-6 (2002) The Avengers vs the Defenders again; the US Government call in the Avengers to bring down the Defenders when they take over the Earth in the darker guise of The Order. | ONCE MORE, THEN END |
| JLA/Avengers #1-4 (2003) The Evil Eye is among the items gathered by the Grandmaster to coerce the Avengers and Justice League of America to fight each other and save their respective Earths; the Evil Eye may have been an illusion. | JLA/AVENGERS | |
| X-Statix #21-25 (2004) The Avengers and X-Statix clash in a parody of the Avengers/Defenders War; the Avengers and X-Statix split into groups and fight each other other the fragments of Doop‘s shattered brain. | ||
| Cable & Deadpool #13 (2005) Prester John creates a new Evil Eye, calling it the Stellar Rod. | ||
| Defenders #1-5 (2005-2006) Dormammu faces the Defenders again. | ||
| New Avengers #27 (2007) Doctor Strange joins Luke Cage‘s outlaw Avengers. | THE INITIATIVE | |
| Secret Avengers #1 (2010) Valkyrie joins Steve Rogers’ black ops Secret Avengers. | THE HEROIC AGE | |
| Avengers vs X-Men #11 (2012) Hulk rejoins the Avengers. | AVX: AVENGERS VS X-MEN | |
| New Avengers #3 (2013) Doctor Strange wipes Captain America’s memory again when he opposes the actions of his fellow members of the Illuminati. | MARVEL NOW! |
| Collected Edition Title | Collects… |
| Avengers/Defenders War | Avengers #115 [part], 116-118 Defenders #8 [part], 9-11 |
| Avengers/Defenders War Premiere Edition | Avengers #115-118 Defenders #8-11 |
| Avengers Epic Collection: The Avengers/Defenders War (vol.7) | Avengers #115-128 Captain Marvel #33 Defenders #8-11 Fantastic Four #150 Giant-Size Avengers #1 |
| Defenders Epic Collection: The Day of the Defenders (vol.1) | Avengers #115 [part], 116-118 Defenders #1-11 Doctor Strange #183 Incredible Hulk #126 Marvel Feature #1-3 Sub-Mariner #22, 34-35 |
| Collected Edition Title | Includes… |
| Avengers Omnibus vol.4 Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Box Set | Avengers #115-118 Defenders #8-11 |
| Defenders Omnibus vol.1 Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders vol.2 | Avengers #115 [part], 116-118 Defenders #8-11 |
| Marvel Masterworks: The Avengers vol.12 | Avengers #115-118 Defenders #8 [part], 9-11 |
Reading Order © Omniverse Comics Guide 2026
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