WARNING: The following contains major spoilers for Defenders #2, available now from Marvel Comics.

To tackle two classic Marvel threats, Doctor Strange assembled a brand new lineup of Defenders, just as the team was immediately thrust back through time into the Sixth Cosmos, which existed before the current incarnation of the Marvel Multiverse. There, the Defenders faced off against some truly incredible foes before lurching even further into the past into the magical Fifth Cosmos, where the heroes are poised to face Marvel's Cthulu-like monster, Mor-i-dun.

When the Masked Raider called upon Doctor Strange for help in hunting down and stopping the mad scientist Carlo Zota, neither of them could have expected being forced on a trip through the various iterations of reality itself. After teaming up with Taaia, the mother of Galactus, to quell the threat of Omnimax, the Sixth Comsos' Devourer of Worlds, the heroes succeed in saving the planet Taa from a devastating fate in Defenders #2, by Al Ewing, Javier Rodriguez, Jay Bowen, VC's Cory Petit, and VC's Joe Caramagna.

With his duty fulfilled, the Silver Surfer finds himself freed from Doctor Strange's spell and returned to his present. However, the rest of the team is subsequently hurtled further back in time to continue following their target. With no control over where or when they are headed, the Defenders eventually fall through clouded skies over an expansive, alien landscape. Though they don't yet know where or when they are, the Fifth Cosmos' greatest villain witnessed their arrival, and Moridun is already preparing to introduce them to the end of days.

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Moridun, the Eldritch wizard who ominously awaits the Defenders, was first introduced to the Marvel Universe in 2015's New Avengers #24 by Al Ewing and Gerardo Sandoval. Much like how the Sixth Cosmos was an iteration of reality almost solely dedicated to scientific pursuits, the Fifth Cosmos which preceded it was one of dark mystical forces and unfettered magic. Little is known of Moridun's time as the Sorcerer Supreme of his era, although his powers are already well known by some of Marvel's mightiest heroes. The Maker, a villainous Reed Richards hailing from the Ultimate Marvel Universe, had once summoned Moridun during his investigations into the previous iterations of existence.

The New Avengers, having caught onto the Maker's schemes, arrived just in time to disrupt the ritual which had been used to bring Moridun into the present. Unfortunately, he had already crossed over into the present universe by that time, and before long, the mad wizard was developing his own plot to possess Wiccan. By using Wiccan's power as the Demiurge, Moridun planned to eventually be able to take over all of reality. Luckily, he was defeated through combined efforts of the New Avengers and the Avengers of one potential future, and Wiccan was freed from Moridun's influence. Now the Sorcerer Supreme of the Fifth Cosmos will be getting another chance to attack the present, and it doesn't look like the heroes have any clue what they're headed for.

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Moridun might not be the most well-known mystic villain in the Marvel Universe, but that doesn't mean he should be taken lightly. Considering Wiccan's place in reality as one of the most powerful mystic entities to exist, Moridun's near conquering of his mind speaks volumes to the Eldritch wizard's own power. Doctor Strange likely has some idea of who Moridun is, though the chances he also knows how to deal with him are exceptionally low.

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