Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny Available for Preorder

For those who have been reading the recent revival of Defenders of the Earth from Mad Cave Studios, the first issue of a follow-up Defenders series has officially been listed for preorder. It was originally leaked back in August 2025.

Series Writer Dan Didio is returning for Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny, as is Colorist Juancho Velez and Letterer Carlos M. Mangual. Artist Alex Sanchez, whose previous Mad Cave Studios credits include Blade Forger and Flash Gordon Quarterly, joins the team, taking over illustration duties from Jim Calafiore.

The story snopsis is:

"Mongo is a shattered empire — and it’s at least partly Flash Gordon’s fault. The Defenders of the Earth may have saved their home planet, but Mongo paid a hefty price for Ming the Merciless’s games. Now the toll’s come due — and it’s the Defenders who will pay it. "And while the Defenders face their former friends and allies, their offspring face challenges of their own. Determined to find Rick’s missing mother, Dale, the Gordon child and his friends K’Shin, Zuffy, LJ, and Jedda investigate a former secret base held by the son of Ming. Kro-Tan may be gone, but the danger is not. A fan-favorite villain goes after the Second Gen Defenders!"

Currently, there is a main cover by Marco Santucci and a variant cover by Vasco Georgiev. You can check them out below:

Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #1 by Marco Santucci

Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #1 by Vasco Georgiev

Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #1 is scheduled to release on December 10, 2025. Series issues can be ordered through your local comic book shop or at the Mad Cave Studios website.

Need a Refresher on Defenders of the Earth Volume 1?

We recently gave our thoughts on the first Defenders of the Earth series on X-Band: The Phantom Podcast. Listen below, and let us know your thoughts on the series.