Villains for Hire
| Heroes for Hire | |
|---|---|
The Oracle Inc. version of the team as seen on the cover of Heroes for Hire vol. 1 #1.
Art by Pasqual Ferry. |
|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Power Man and Iron Fist #54 (December 1978) |
| Created by |
Ed Hannigan (writer) Lee Elias (artist) |
| In-story information | |
| Member(s) | Members |
Heroes for Hire is a fictional superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team first appeared in Power Man and Iron Fist #54 (December 1978), and was created by Ed Hannigan and Lee Elias.
The Heroes for Hire concept originated with Luke Cage's solo series titled Luke Cage, Hero for Hire. As a "hero for hire", Cage tried to merge the usually pro bono world of superheroics with the bill-paying practicality of private investigation. Although the title changed to Luke Cage, Power Man in issue #17, Cage continued with his for-hire activities.
Initially, Heroes for Hire, Inc. was a small business licensed by the state of New York that offered a full line of professional investigation and protection services. Heroes for Hire was owned by Luke Cage and Daniel Rand. It had offices on Park Avenue and two paid employees: Jenny Royce, the group's secretary and Jeryn Hogarth, the group's lawyer and business representative. Heroes for Hire would not accept jobs that involved extralegal activities.
His own series cancelled due to low sales, Iron Fist joined the cast of Luke Cage, Power Man in a three-part storyline in #48–50. The comic's name changed to Power Man and Iron Fist from #50 upwards. The two formed a new Heroes for Hire, Inc, founded by attorney Jeryn Hogarth and staffed by administrative wunderkind Jennie Royce. Iron Fist supporting cast characters Colleen Wing and Misty Knight often appeared also, although never becoming official members. This partnership lasted until the series' final issue #125, with Cage blamed for the apparent death of Iron Fist.
In 1996, as a consequence of the "Onslaught" and "Heroes Reborn" storylines, the Marvel Universe suffered a power vacuum after the Fantastic Four and Avengers were presumed killed. Following up on the status of the Oracle Corporation that Namor had set up in the pages of Namor, Jim Hammond (the Golden Age Human Torch) and Danny Rand decided to set up a new Heroes for Hire organization. Iron Fist recruited Luke Cage for this. Heroes for Hire debuted in 1997, with a core team consisting of Iron Fist, Cage, and an assortment of hangers-on: Black Knight (Dane Whitman), a new White Tiger, Hercules, She-Hulk, Ant-Man (Scott Lang), the original Human Torch, and even Deadpool were included in the cast of the book, though much of the cast rotated in a Defenders-like manner, hired for missions as necessary. Heroes for Hire was written by John Ostrander and illustrated by Pasqual Ferry. It lasted for 19 issues before it was cancelled.
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