Although I’m responding a couple years late here, I think it needs to be said that DeMatteis was NOT the last writer on Defenders. Peter Gillis was; he started with #132 and continued until the end with #152. And some of the stuff he wrote was even better than DeMatteis. (They were both great. I hate it that all the Defenders nostalgia since then seems to be centered on the boring original team of Namor, Hulk, and Strange. The DeMatteis and Gillis runs were the REAL Defenders.)

First, the Peter David reason, the writer could be pitching a new direction on a slumping book or character. Sometimes changing things up works; more often than not it doesn’t. Editors are willing to give it a chance, though, since a new direction has better odds than another slowly fading series. I suspect DeMatties falls into this category since his joining a book often sends it in a very different direction.

The second alternative is the Tony Danza reason. Some people are just likable and easy to work with. Tony Danza kept getting sitcoms just because he’s an affable guy in person. After working with prima donnas sometimes the nice guy is a good change. Of course being nice isn’t going to get you top tier stuff so the books on the bubble get handed out like that.

I just read that Marvel Appendix entry on Saturday the 5th, while researching that whole “Tribunal” thing for someone on the Defenders Message Board.

And now he pops up HERE, a day later, brandishing his firearm at me/us…

Something tells me that Gerber’s “random act of fate” explanation doesn’t quite gel with the coincidental nature of this.

BTW… Elf with a Gun did appear in a few other places.
(A Marvel Team-Up with Spider-Man, Howard the Duck & Gambit and that tied into a Savage Dragon / Destroyer Duck team up.)

I’m pretty sure that the Appendix lists those appearances as well.

Hey!
HERE’s a weird Comic Urban legend for you guys…
Why is it that J.M. DeMatties (who was the writer who came up with the whole convoluted “Tribunal/Time Agents/Elf” thing) seems to have a track record of being the last writer on about a billion comic titles (from several companies) when the title gets the AX.

I can think of quite a few (past and recent) instances, including this run of The Defenders.

Is he some form of Comic Book (not-so)Grim Reaper?

Look into that.

~P~
P-TOR

That said, should anybody ever sneak up on me dressed as an elf with a gun, I don’t think I should be held responsible for my actions.

This was probably my least expected, and thus so far my favorite Reason to Love Comics–thanks!

And then a truck ran the little bastard over. Beautfully done, really.

Gerber’s original intention, however, was for the Elf to not make any sense at all. In fact, he was completely random. I’ve heard such things that he was tossed in when the plot was dragging, or when Sal Buscema wanted to draw something else.”

Which is yet another example of how continuity-driven, “it all must FIT!” writing can really screw up an otherwise enjoyable concept.

Sometimes an elf with a gun is just an elf with a gun.

Dang you, Steve Gerber!