| Issue | #1 |
| Published | July 1974 |
| Cover Price | 0.50 USD |
| Pages | 68 |
| Editing | Roy Thomas |
| Characters | Defenders [Hulk [Bruce Banner]; Sub-Mariner [Namor]; Doctor Strange [Stephen Strange]; Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]] |
| Genre | superhero |
| Pencils | Gil Kane; John Romita (Surfer figure) |
| Inks | Frank Giacoia |
| Notes | Cover inker credits provided by Nick Caputo 3/28/07 |
| Reprinted | in Hulk E I Difensori (Editoriale Corno, 1975 series) #1; in Essential Defenders (Marvel, 2005 series) #2; in Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders (Marvel, 2008 series) #2 (2010) |
| Characters | Defenders [Hulk [Bruce Banner]; Dr. Strange [Steven Strange]; Sub-Mariner [Namor]; Valkyrie]; Clea; Wong; Mister Rasputin |
| Synopsis | Valkyrie learns the origins of the Hulk, Namor and Dr. Strange and the Defenders stop Rasputin. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Tony Isabella |
| Pencils | Jim Starlin |
| Inks | Al Milgrom |
| Colors | Jim Starlin; Petra Goldberg |
| Letters | Dave Hunt |
| Notes | Valkyrie calls Dr. Strange's house Defenders' Headquarters; 9 new pages spread around 3 reprints of Hulk, Sub-Mariner and Dr. Strange, and a 2 page splash pin-up |
| Reprinted | in Hulk E I Difensori (Editoriale Corno, 1975 series) #1 [in part]; in Hulk E I Difensori (Editoriale Corno, 1975 series) #2 [in part]; in Essential Defenders (Marvel, 2005 series) #2; in Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders (Marvel, 2008 series) #2 (2010) |
| Characters | Hulk [Bruce Banner] (Brief Origin); Thunderbolt Ross; Rick Jones |
| Synopsis | The military captures Rick and Ross convinces him that they need the Hulk to test a new experimental rocket for national security; Rick tricks the jade giant into the capsule but once it is shot into space, he realizes that Ross deceived him to get rid of his foe; Rick overrides the programming and returns the rocket to earth but not before Banner (he transformed back to his human form when the rocket came into view of the sun) is doused with further radiation; The Hulk is now unable to revert to his human form and is under Rick's control but only while Rick remains awake. |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Stan Lee |
| Pencils | Jack Kirby |
| Inks | Dick Ayers |
| Letters | Art Simek |
| Reprinted | from Incredible Hulk, The (Marvel, 1962 series) #3 (September 1962) |
| Characters | Sub-Mariner; Princess Fen |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Bill Everett |
| Pencils | Bill Everett |
| Reprinted | from Sub-Mariner Comics (Marvel, 1954 series) #41 (August 1955) |
| Characters | Doctor Strange; Mr. Rasputin |
| Genre | superhero; occult |
| Script | Dennis O'Neil |
| Pencils | Steve Ditko |
| Letters | Artie Simek |
| Reprinted | from Strange Tales (Marvel, 1951 series) #145 (June 1966) |
| Characters | Silver Surfer; Quasimodo |
| Genre | superhero |
| Script | Stan Lee |
| Pencils | Jack Kirby |
| Inks | Frank Giacoia |
| Letters | Artie Simek |
| Reprinted | from Fantastic Four Annual (Marvel, 1963 series) #5 (November 1967) |
| Characters | Defenders [Valkyrie; Sub-Mariner [Namor]; Hulk [Bruce Banner]; Dr. Strange [Stephen Strange]; Silver Surfer [Norrin Radd]] |
| Genre | superhero |
| Reprinted | In Essential Defenders (Marvel, 2005 series) #2; in Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders (Marvel, 2008 series) #2 (2010) |