The Challengers of the Unknown are a team of adventurers living on borrowed time.
History
Early History
The Challengers were formed at the dawn of the modern age of superheroism by Leslie "Rocky" Davis following a plane crash when he convinced the other three survivors of the crash to form a group of "heroic, two-fisted adventurers".[1]
Some time later, the group was asked to open a "Pandora's Box" by a mysterious client. After successfully completing that task, they were awarded a lucrative contract with the Pentagon to, among other things, eliminate the "worldwide genie menace".[1]
Later still, hundreds were killed when their home base, Challengers Mountain, exploded, including two founding members. Due to a personal intervention by Superman, the team is cleared of all wrongdoing, and reconstituted within a year. This reconstituted team, known as the New Challengers, were involved with suppressing an extra-dimensional incursion in Dayton, Ohio.[1]
New 52
Later, a new iteration of the team formed for a reality television contest, when several notable people were assembled by archaeologist presenter Clay Brody for his "Challengers" program. However, Clay, the contestants, producer June, and pilots Ace and Maverick, were lost in the Himalayas when their plane crashed under mysterious circumstances.
However, all but one of them showed up weeks later, remembering a recuperation in Nanda Parbat, in which the city's elder told them to beware the unknown, but also to challenge it. Returning to civilization, the group found a talisman that had led Clay to pick them, and a note explaining that it was one of a set.
The Challengers program was retooled to take advantage of the quest. With their home base on a Metropolis soundstage dubbed "Challengers Mountain", the group sought out the talismans is far-flung corners of the world, usually accompanied by some oddity, like warrior statues or giant-ant-spewing portals.
Their greatest initial challenge came when in a short period their show was cancelled and they were attacked by their dead friend, "Ace" the pilot. Though he killed two of them, they managed to defeat him, and the survivors vowed to find the rest of the talismans and save the world.
Eventually, the team began using a restored Challengers Mountain as their base of operations. In tandem with the Blackhawks, Red Tornado, Hawkgirl and Hawkman, they began to investigate the Dark Multiverse. Unfortunately, their investigation ultimately resulted in the whole of Challengers Mountain being pulled into the dark multiverse, leaving the organization effectively shuttered save for one known survivor- June Robbins, who was not present during the disaster.[2]
DC Rebirth
There's something missing here. This section of the article is incomplete, and contains information, but requires more before it can be considered complete. You can help DC Database by editing this page, providing additional information to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.
Dark Nights: Metal
There's something missing here. This section of the article is incomplete, and contains information, but requires more before it can be considered complete. You can help DC Database by editing this page, providing additional information to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.
New Challengers
There's something missing here. This section of the article is incomplete, and contains information, but requires more before it can be considered complete. You can help DC Database by editing this page, providing additional information to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.
Dawn of DC
Outsiders: Monsters of the Unknown
There's something missing here. This section of the article is incomplete, and contains information, but requires more before it can be considered complete. You can help DC Database by editing this page, providing additional information to bring this article to a higher standard of quality.
See Also
- 17 Appearances of Challengers of the Unknown (Prime Earth)
- 13 Images that include Challengers of the Unknown (Prime Earth)
- Team Gallery: Challengers of the Unknown (Prime Earth)