Years before Netflix’s Defenders, the Ultimate Universe formed its own street-level team in Ultimate Spider-Man.
Netflix’s Defenders accomplished a lot by bringing together the MCU’s street-level heroes. Daredevil, Luke Cage, Jessica Jones and Iron Fist all united to form an incredibly strong team. Years earlier, another street-level team was created in the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. In previous issues of Ultimate Spider-Man, Peter Parker had worked alongside several of New York’s heroes. Ultimate Spider-Man #79-85, by Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, saw the web-slinger fighting to stop a gang war between the Kingpin and Hammerhead.
Along the way, Spider-Man encountered vigilantes such as Moon Knight, Iron Fist and Shang-Chi, who would appear later in the series. Although Hammerhead was eliminated from the picture, Kingpin was still the head of New York’s underworld. Even worse, Wilson Fisk was pleased that Hammerhead couldn’t give him any more competition.
It wasn’t until Ultimate Spider-Man #106, by Bendis and Bagley, that Daredevil changed the game. The Man Without Fear approached all of the aforementioned vigilantes to take down the Kingpin once and for all. Peter was shocked when Matt Murdock arrived at his school and recruited him for a new mission. When Spider-Man arrived at Daredevil’s meeting, he found everyone there, including Doctor Strange. Together, these heroes were the Knights. During their initial formation, Spider-Man debated Daredevil over killing the Kingpin, which caused some friction on the team.
Of course, morality was the least of the team’s problems. Iron Fist was secretly working for the Kingpin, feeding him information about his fellow Knights. The Knights were unaware of Iron Fist’s betrayal, as Moon Knight infiltrated Kingpin’s organization. Disguised as the Ultimate Comics’ Ronin, Moon Knight became the Kingpin’s assassin.
Ronin was sent to attack Peter’s high school and easily captured Spider-Man. Unfortunately, because of Iron Fist’s betrayal, Kingpin knew who Ronin really was. As a result, Moon Knight was brutally beaten and seemingly executed. Afterwards, Spider-Man confronted Daredevil, accusing him of spying for Kingpin. Eventually, however, Iron Fist was exposed as the traitor. Kingpin had taken Iron Fist’s daughter hostage, explaining his betrayal.
Even so, Shang-Chi was so angry that he left the team. Moving forward, the Knights sent Iron Fist in to distract Kingpin, while Daredevil attempted to kill Fisk’s wife, who was in a coma. In an extremely tense standoff, Spider-Man convinced Daredevil not to kill Fisk’s wife. Instead, the Knights forced Kingpin to leave town if he wanted his wife to live. As Kingpin was leaving, he was arrested. Evidently, Moon Knight was alive after all. Marc Spector turned himself in to the police and reported Kingpin for attempted murder.
While the Knights didn’t get a lot of time to shine, they were still a formidable team. Naturally, the Knights were a pretty rough group at first. Each member of the team came from a completely different background, causing them to clash. Yet the diversity of this group also helped them win the day.
Daredevil was the leader who gave the Knights purpose and conviction, while Spider-Man was the moral compass, Iron Fist and Shang-Chi were the resident martial artists, Doctor Strange was the team sorcerer and Moon Knight played the wild card. All of these ingredients made for an excellent team. Of course, not everyone got to showcase their skills. Shang-Chi left the team after doing very little, while Iron Fist betrayed the Knights early on. Still, the team used Iron Fist’s betrayal to their advantage. Ultimately, the Knights accomplished a lot by taking down the Kingpin, who controlled most of New York’s criminal underworld.
The Knights were similar to the Defenders, in that each member had a defined role and they worked together to take down a sinister force in New York City. The Knights’ biggest advantage over the Defenders, however, was Spider-Man. Peter Parker held the team together in their darkest moments, forcing them to find a better way and beat the Kingpin. The Knights also had members like Doctor Strange and Moon Knight, who added in elements that weren’t present on the Defenders team. Strange gave the Knights a mystic boost, while Moon Knight’s unpredictable nature ultimately saved the day.
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