Real Name: Sassafras

Identity/Class: Animal, canine

Occupation: Former unofficial mascot of the New Defenders

Group Membership: None

Affiliations: New Defenders (Andromeda, Angel, Beast, Cloud, Hellcat, Iceman, Gargoyle, Manslaughter, Moondragon, Overmind, Son of Satan, Candy Southern, Valkyrie), Dolly Donahue; General Argyle Fist and his men (including Michael Kaye)

Enemies: Dragon of the Moon, the Gamma Spores, Mad Dog, Mandroids, Manslaughter, the Mutant Force (Burner, Lifter, Shocker, Slither), Professor Power, Ephraim Soles

Known Relatives: None

Aliases: Sassafras, the Dog Filled with Fear

Base of Operations: formerly Defenders Mansion;

Formerly Doctor Strange’s Mansion;

Formerly an unnamed pet store

First Appearance: (New) Defenders I#122 (August, 1983)

Powers/Abilities: Yapping, cringing, and slipper chewing.  Oh, and she used to mess on the carpet.

History: ((New) Defenders I#122 (fb)) – Beast was out jogging when he saw Sassafras in a pet shop window.  He purchased her and brought her home.

(Defenders I#122) – Beast introduced Sassafras to Dolly Donahue, Gargoyle, Overmind, and the Valkyrie at Doctor Strange’s mansion. They knocked over a lamp while playing, though Overmind saved it.  She chewed on a slipper while the Defenders talked about Hellcat and the Son of Satan’s upcoming wedding.  Later, she messed on the floor and got scolded by the Beast.  After the mailman came, she did it again and got scolded again.  Still later, Sassafras chased bubbles from the Gargoyle’s bubble bath, then followed the Defenders as they raced downstairs.

((New) Defenders I#125) – Sassafras was awakened by Moondragon battling the team.  She greeted the Beast as he announced his decision to make the Defenders into a team.  She flew with the Defenders to the wedding in a Quinjet.  When Mad Dog and the Mutant Force attacked, Sassafras helped Beast fight Slither.

((New) Defenders I#127) – Sassafras went with the Beast to the dinner party at Iceman’s parents’ home.  She rode home with the Beast when the Secret Empire Mandroids attacked.  Sassafras was left in the care of Candy Southern.

((New) Defenders I#129) – Candy brought Sassafras back to the mansion.

((New) Defenders I#130) – Professor Power attacked the Mansion and held Dolly, Candy, and Sassafras hostage until the Defenders arrived and defeated him.

((New) Defenders I#132) – Sassafras relaxed with the team, scratching at the Angel for attention.  After the Defenders defeated Ephraim Soles, Sassafras smelled at the goop all over the floor.

((New) Defenders I#134) – Sassafras was present when Manslaughter almost killed the Defenders.  She fled with Dolly while the major battle took place.

((New) Defenders I#135) – Sassafras ate while Beast held Manslaughter in the kitchen.  She got scolded by Dolly for sniffing Manslaughter, because she didn’t ‘know where he’s been.’

((New) Defenders I#136) – Sassafras woke Cloud up to play after chewing on a slipper, and hid when Cloud screamed.  Moondragon zapped Sassafras with a mental blast to shoo her out of the room.

((New) Defenders I#138) – Candy Southern set up a new hologram security system, which manifested a hologram of Galactus riding on the back of a giant Sassafras.  Sassafras barked at the hologram.

((New) Defenders I#139) – Sassafras and Dolly watched as the Defenders flew off to battle.

((New) Defenders I#140) – Sassafras barked at Moondragon’s new costume.

((New) Defenders I#141) – The Gamma Spores drew up to attack the mansion in the form of bunnies, and Sassafras barked at them so Iceman put her in her safety bunker.  Later when the Spores breached the Mansion, Iceman grabbed Sassafras and ran for it.  The team beat the Spores later.

((New) Defenders I#143 -BTS) – Sassafras, Dolly, and Candy fled the mansion when the Dragon of the Moon attacked.

((New) Defenders I#144) – The three of them fled to the military base of General Argyle Fist, then headed back to the mansion.

((New) Defenders I#145) – Sassafras ran to the Beast when they returned.

((New) Defenders 150/2) – Sassafras (who’d been left at the mansion while the team was in New York) watched the army men clean up and move out.  Michael Kaye, who’d leave open Baby Ruth bars for Sassy to eat, left the security system on.  Sassafras attacked, ran from, or growled at holograms of Nick Fury, Doctor Strange, the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Captain America, Sherlock Holmes and Watson, Thor, Hulk, Werewolf, and Ghost Rider.  Finally, Manslaughter turned the system off and picked Sassafras up, stating they would wait for the Defenders to return together.

((New) Defenders I#151) – Sassafras was trapped in a room until Gargoyle and Andromeda freed her.  She whimpered as Manslaughter ignored them.

((New) Defenders I#152) – After the Defenders finished their battle with the Dragon of the Moon, Sassafras ran to and was picked up by the Beast.

Comments: Created by J.M. DeMatteis, Don Perlin, and Kim DeMulder.

So the Beast went from the Defenders and moved on to X-Factor and the X-Men.  What happened to Sassafras?  Is she still waiting in the New Mexican desert waiting for his return?  Did she eat some Gamma Spores and turn into a rampaging beast?  Or maybe she vanished with Dolly Donahue into comic book limbo…

Clarifications:

Sassafras has no known connections to any other dogs.

images:
(New) Defenders I#150, p37, pan3; p38, pan3

Defenders I#122 (August, 1983) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Al Milgrom (editor)
Defenders I#125 (September-December, 1983) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#127 (February, 1984) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Sal Buscema (penciler), Alan Kupperberg (inker), Ann Nocenti (editor)
(New) Defenders I#129 (April, 1984) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#130 (May, 1984) - JM DeMatteis (writer), Mike Zeck (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#132 (July, 1984) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#134-136 (August-October, 1984) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#138-139 (December, 1984 - January, 1985) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#140-141 (February-March, 1985) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#144 (June, 1985) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Kim DeMulder (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#145 (July, 1985) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Art Nichols (inker), Carl Potts (editor)
(New) Defenders I#150 (December, 1985) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Alan Kupperberg & Randy Emberlin (inkers), Carl Pott (editor)
(New) Defenders I#151-152 (January-February, 1986) - Peter B. Gillis (writer), Don Perlin (penciler), Dell Barras (inker), Carl Potts (editor)

Last updated: 07/18/13

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

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