 <p>The <code>DefaultControllerFactory</code> will indeed instantiate and destroy the controller instance for each request. (You can <a href="http://aspnet.codeplex.com/SourceControl/changeset/view/23011#266459" rel="nofollow">browse the source yourself</a>, or see Dino Esposito's article <a href="http://dotnetslackers.com/articles/aspnet/Inside-the-ASP-NET-MVC-Controller-Factory.aspx" rel="nofollow">Inside the ASP.NET MVC Controller Factory</a> for a tour.)</p>