Valiant Defenders
The Valiant Defenders of the Motherland is the Russian equivalent of the Freedom Phalanx as that country's premiere superhero team.
History
The Valiant Defenders of the Motherland started after World War II. Soviet leader Joseph Stalin reportedly was not satisfied with the alliance he made with the Axis Powers. Fearing Nazi Germany would eventually turn on them once Europe was conquered, Stalin created the Valiant Defenders as a contingency.
Stalin's fears were soon proven as Germany eventually sent their super-powered Fifth Column eastward to soften the nation for Hitler's tanks. Unfortunately for them, their initial incursion was quickly repelled.
After World War II, the original Soviet heroes were allowed to train the next generation of heroes in response to the success of the Freedom Phalanx and the rise of the Freedom Corps.
Splinter
After Stalin's death in 1953, the Soviet Politburo was splintered in the use and scope of their superhero team. Some advocated using the heroes in their traditional domestic role, while others wanted to use the super-powered champions as the vanguard of their military might.
This division forced a splinter of the group into several smaller groups.
Valiant Defenders
The original organization remained as a domestic force supplementing local law enforcement.
Soviet Defenders of the Motherland
Charged with defending the Soviet Bloc in Europe, the Soviet Defenders of the Motherland was seen as the first line of defense from a feared Western assault.
The Soviet Defenders was embroiled in the Finland Crisisin 1976 when they were involved with the downing of a NATO spy plane and the capture of its crew. When Statesman attempted to rescue the crew, it was the leader of the Soviet Defenders that fired a medium-range nuclear missile at the hero and nearly started a full nuclear exchange.
When it was discovered that several founding members of the Valiant Defenders participated in stopping hostilities, the outrage forced a restructure of the group.
Revival
Following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the children and successors of the original Valiant Defenders revived the original group to defend the newly-independent Russian Republic. The public announcement was presided by former Soviet Chairman Mikhail Gorbachev and Statesman.
The current incarnation remains active today.
(See the group's Paragon Wiki entry for more information.)
