Steve Gerber first worked on the characters in "Giant-Size Defenders" #3 (January 1975) and became the writer of the main title with issue #20 the following month. He wrote the series until issue #41 (November 1976). Part of Gerber's oeuvre was reviving forgotten characters; he brought back three pre-Marvel characters, the Headmen, as well as the Guardians of the Galaxy. The Defenders met Gerber's Howard the Duck in "Marvel Treasury Edition" #12 (1976). In 2010, Comics Bulletin ranked Gerber and Sal Buscema's run on "The Defenders" first on its list of the "Top 10 1970s Marvels". Buscema's long run ended with #41, and he was replaced by Keith Giffen.