The Dark Defenders

The Supergroups History
In May 2002, a freak magical accident brought The Dread BlackDragon into this world, and Paragon City, just in time to participate in the end of the Rikti War. At the time, the heroes of Paragon City needed all the help they could get, and they didn’t question the origins or motives of the black-armored warrior. However, after the urgency of the looming annihilation that the Rikti had brought with them vanished, the other heroes began to get a little more critical about who they fought together with… BlackDragon, with his air of darkness and vindictive motives, soon became a pariah of the hero community, working alone more often than not. It actually fit him just as well that way, and he could probably have continued that way ‘till today, if it hadn’t been for a chance encounter with DevilWind, another hero. He, too, fought his battles cloaked in shadows, calling down dark storm-clouds to rain the wrath of heaven upon his foes. And like BlackDragon, his attitude had made him somewhat of an anathema amongst the brightly-clad heroes of Paragon City. Finding that their powers complemented each other nicely, they joined forces on several dangerous missions, and both found new experiences in fighting back-to-back with a trusted comrade. After a while, they decided to make it official, forming the then-fledgling SuperGroup, The Dark Defenders. At the time, they were the only members. Nothing had really changed, though – they still fought together sometimes, and went solo the rest of the time. Then, however, as the year of 2004 drew to a close, that all changed. BlackDragon, as confident as ever in his impervious armor, had gone off to clean out a Council base on his own, when DevilWind received a mission against the mysterious Lost. With the only other group-member busy, and nobody else to call upon, he decided to tackle the mission on his own. That was a fatal mistake. The mission was a trap – a testing-ground for a jamming-device that the Lost had developed. The purpose of the device was to disable the homing-beacon-chip that all heroes carried… in emergencies, they’d activate and arrange for the hero to be teleported to the nearest hospital for treatment. Having finished his mission early, BlackDragon decided to see if DevilWind was done, too… what he found when he arrived, however, were several Lost gloating over the body of his dead comrade. Needless to say, none of those Lost made it back to their masters, and the device was destroyed – the experiment was classified as a failure by the Lost leadership. To BlackDragon, it was an eye-opener. No hero was an island in himself – joining together in groups wasn’t just a matter of convenience, or a purely social function… it was a way to ensure survival. Being the last surviving member of his SuperGroup, he decided to change that – to create a group for people like himself and DevilWind, who was shunned by the other heroes. A group big enough to ensure that nobody needed to end up in a fight they couldn’t handle. Shortly after, he joined up with a task-force, working with Positron to break up a plot that threatened the city’s water-supply, and he noticed that two of the other heroes there were shrouded in the same darkness as himself. Their names were Dark Strike and Malice, and after the mission had been successfully completed, he managed to recruit them into The Dark Defenders. Soon, others followed… Dagda, Buggette, Stacey D, and many others found a haven in The Dark Defenders – a group that required no lofty ideals, no selfless dedication, no shining idealism. All that was required there was the will to fight, whatever your reasons… Still far from the largest SuperGroup in Paragon City, The Dark Defenders have nonetheless grown to a respectable size, and number many great warriors amongst their ranks. Some have joined, only to leave again, and others have died or disappeared without a trace. But still the group continues to grow, if only slowly. One thing is shared by all those that have stayed – an unusual combination of fierce independence and team spirit. Each of them walks their own path, haunted by their own ghosts. But when the need arises, they will join together and give their all for the group – if only because it makes sense to have comrades to call upon in times of need… Many ordinary citizens view them with fear. Most other heroes avoid them if possible. But still they fight to protect the city, the world, and themselves – whatever their reasons. The Greatest Challenge Is To Fight Darkness From Within

The Supergroups History

In May 2002, a freak magical accident brought The Dread BlackDragon into this world, and Paragon City, just in time to participate in the end of the Rikti War. At the time, the heroes of Paragon City needed all the help they could get, and they didn’t question the origins or motives of the black-armored warrior. However, after the urgency of the looming annihilation that the Rikti had brought with them vanished, the other heroes began to get a little more critical about who they fought together with…

BlackDragon, with his air of darkness and vindictive motives, soon became a pariah of the hero community, working alone more often than not. It actually fit him just as well that way, and he could probably have continued that way ‘till today, if it hadn’t been for a chance encounter with DevilWind, another hero. He, too, fought his battles cloaked in shadows, calling down dark storm-clouds to rain the wrath of heaven upon his foes. And like BlackDragon, his attitude had made him somewhat of an anathema amongst the brightly-clad heroes of Paragon City.

Finding that their powers complemented each other nicely, they joined forces on several dangerous missions, and both found new experiences in fighting back-to-back with a trusted comrade. After a while, they decided to make it official, forming the then-fledgling SuperGroup, The Dark Defenders. At the time, they were the only members. Nothing had really changed, though – they still fought together sometimes, and went solo the rest of the time.

Then, however, as the year of 2004 drew to a close, that all changed. BlackDragon, as confident as ever in his impervious armor, had gone off to clean out a Council base on his own, when DevilWind received a mission against the mysterious Lost. With the only other group-member busy, and nobody else to call upon, he decided to tackle the mission on his own. That was a fatal mistake. The mission was a trap – a testing-ground for a jamming-device that the Lost had developed. The purpose of the device was to disable the homing-beacon-chip that all heroes carried… in emergencies, they’d activate and arrange for the hero to be teleported to the nearest hospital for treatment.

Having finished his mission early, BlackDragon decided to see if DevilWind was done, too… what he found when he arrived, however, were several Lost gloating over the body of his dead comrade. Needless to say, none of those Lost made it back to their masters, and the device was destroyed – the experiment was classified as a failure by the Lost leadership.

To BlackDragon, it was an eye-opener. No hero was an island in himself – joining together in groups wasn’t just a matter of convenience, or a purely social function… it was a way to ensure survival. Being the last surviving member of his SuperGroup, he decided to change that – to create a group for people like himself and DevilWind, who was shunned by the other heroes. A group big enough to ensure that nobody needed to end up in a fight they couldn’t handle.

Shortly after, he joined up with a task-force, working with Positron to break up a plot that threatened the city’s water-supply, and he noticed that two of the other heroes there were shrouded in the same darkness as himself. Their names were Dark Strike and Malice, and after the mission had been successfully completed, he managed to recruit them into The Dark Defenders. Soon, others followed… Dagda, Buggette, Stacey D, and many others found a haven in The Dark Defenders – a group that required no lofty ideals, no selfless dedication, no shining idealism. All that was required there was the will to fight, whatever your reasons…

Still far from the largest SuperGroup in Paragon City, The Dark Defenders have nonetheless grown to a respectable size, and number many great warriors amongst their ranks. Some have joined, only to leave again, and others have died or disappeared without a trace. But still the group continues to grow, if only slowly. One thing is shared by all those that have stayed – an unusual combination of fierce independence and team spirit. Each of them walks their own path, haunted by their own ghosts. But when the need arises, they will join together and give their all for the group – if only because it makes sense to have comrades to call upon in times of need…

Many ordinary citizens view them with fear. Most other heroes avoid them if possible. But still they fight to protect the city, the world, and themselves – whatever their reasons.

The Greatest Challenge Is To Fight Darkness From Within