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Valiant Defenders of the Motherland
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The Valiant Defenders of the Motherland are Russia's first and most notable official superhero group. They are presumably the newest incarnation of the Soviet Defenders of the Motherland, transformed to survive in a world without the Soviet Union.

VALIANT DEFENDERS OF THE MOTHERLAND

 

Roster

No members of the Valiant Defenders have been identified at this point.

 

Current HQ: Moscow                         Turf: Russia

 

Benefits/Rewards

·Unknown. If the Valiant Defenders have any representatives in Paragon City, they could provide information about international villains, Russian drug cartels, and similar threats.

 

History

 

During the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union was protected by a band of state-sponsored heroes known collectively as the Soviet Defenders of the Motherland. After the fall of communism in Eastern Europe, the region became fertile ground for corruption and organized crime. "It took less than a year for a band of discontent former Soviet heroes [some presumably former members of the Soviet Defenders] to become a powerful mafia force with significant influence over much of the region’s oil supply." Fortunately, other heroes continued fighting injustice and crime.

 

In 1993, a band of Russian heroes (again, some presumably former members of the Soviet Defenders) officially formed the Valiant Defenders of the Motherland. Stationed in Moscow, the group was recognized as Russia's first independent Hero Organization. "The Statesman himself had given his advice and aid to the new group and was on hand at the ribbon-cutting ceremony (which was only slightly marred by an attempted attack by an equally fledgling villainous cabal that didn’t manage to survive the afternoon when faced with the combined might of Russia’s greatest heroes)."

 

Along with becoming role models for a new generation of Russian heroes, the Valiant Defenders also proved that Hero Organizations provided valuable licensing opportunities. Businesswoman Rebecca Foss was present for the Valiant Defenders public grand opening and recognized "not only the potential for good the group could accomplish in a chaotic country like Russia, but also the tremendous profits that could be made along the way. Already street vendors were selling Valiant Defenders T-shirts. Valiant Defenders memorabilia (as well as home videos of their first public battle) ended up selling to news organizations around the world for hundreds of thousands of dollars each." Inspired by the Valiant Defenders phenomenon, Foss created Hero Corps.

 

It is assumed that the Valiant Defenders participated in the war against the Rikti invaders. They presumably suffered the same losses endured by other Hero Organizations: The group's headquarters was likely destroyed and many of its members killed in action.

It's unclear how many members of the original Soviet Defenders of the Motherland went on to become heroes serving in the Valiant Defenders. It is assumed that some of the Soviet Defenders remained dedicated to the ideals of the Soviet Union and became "villains" opposed to the Valiant Defenders, while others took the early lack of heroes as an opportunity to form their own criminal cartels.

Unless otherwise noted, all quoted material is taken from the official City of Heroes' web site.