Tarot #1

[DonCampbell]

Flashback to France (in the winter of 1944)
American forces (wiped out)
Captain America (Steve Rogers) – briefly turns into a Hulk
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Human Torch (Jim Hammond)
Oberfuhrer Okkulte
army of animated statues


Arizona (decades later)
-----------
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Valkyrie (Brunnhilde)
Hulk (Robert Bruce Banner)
Doctor Stephen Strange
Silver Surfer (Norrin Radd)
Cyrus Black
Black’s army of possessed followers/victims

Avengers Mansion
------------------------
Iron Man (Tony Stark)
Captain America (Steve Rogers)
Thor Odinson
Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff)
Vision (android)
Doctor Stephen Strange – falls under Diablo’s control
Hulk
Namor the Sub-Mariner
Silver Surfer
Valkyrie
Diablo - controlling Captain America, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch and Thor

Note #1: The events in this miniseries take place sometime after the Defenders first met the Avengers during the Avengers/Defenders War from 1973 but I have no clue as to any more precise placement.

Note #2: Although Namor is certain that his "new" memory from 1944 is true, there is no record of Okkulte and Captain America doesn’t remember the incident.

[Midnighter]

Note #1: The events in this miniseries take place sometime after the Defenders first met the Avengers during the Avengers/Defenders War from 1973 but I have no clue as to any more precise placement.

They said that the Avengers who fight against Vision are the only ones present at the mansion at that time. So we can think that other characters who were part of the formation at that time such as Mantis, Black Panther, Hawkeye or the Swordsman are simply absent. I think that, given the formation of Avengers and Defenders, is really shortly after Avengers/Defenders War.

[Leoparis]

I've been bugged by the Sub-Mariner's costume and the FF in issue 2 with Johnny in his blue uniform and Sue also in her uniform. At the time Johnny had his red uniform, Sue wasn't a member and was replaced by Medusa. These aren't too big problems but add to the difficulty.

Okkulte appears again in issue 2 but the events are rewritten out of history by issue 4.

[DonCampbell]

Note #1: The events in this miniseries take place sometime after the Defenders first met the Avengers during the Avengers/Defenders War from 1973 but I have no clue as to any more precise placement.

They said that the Avengers who fight against Vision are the only ones present at the mansion at that time. So we can think that other characters who were part of the formation at that time such as Mantis, Black Panther, Hawkeye or the Swordsman are simply absent. I think that, given the formation of Avengers and Defenders, is really shortly after Avengers/Defenders War.

Perhaps. The thing that caught my eye was when Strange referred to himself as the person who had foiled ALL of Black's previous ploys to gain power. The word "all" makes it sound like Strange had defeated him on multiple occasions but that's problematic since there were only three.

Their first published battle was in Defenders #6, and their next encounter was in Doctor Strange #34 but that story also included a flashback to a first meeting/clash that had occurred prior to the Defenders story. However, if this Tarot adventure did occur post-DS2 34, then it would also be after Defenders #60 but by that time the five original Defenders hardly ever appeared together.