Marvel launched their first miniseries with Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions. The first issue had a cover date of June 1982. The issue featured a huge cast of Marvel heroes (Aurora, Guardian, Northstar, Sasquatch, Shaman, Snowbird, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Wonder Man, Angel, Beast, Hellcat, Iceman, Gargoyle, Son of Satan, Valkyrie, Ajak, Hero/Gilgamesh, Ikaris, Makkari, Reject, Sersi, Sprite, Thena, Human Torch, Invisible Girl, Mr. Fanfastic, the Thing, Black Bolt, Crystal, Gorgon, Karnak, Lockjaw, Medusa, Triton, Quicksilver, Acroyear, Acturus Rann, Bug, Devil, Marrionette, Microtron, Crimson Dynamo, Darkstar, Ursa Major, Vanguard, Cyclops, Colossus, Nightcrawler, Professor X, Sprite, Storm, Wolverine, Firebird, Texas Twister, Shooting Star, Red Wolf, Lobo, Night Rider, Iron Fist, Power Man/Luke Cage, 3-D Man, Aguila, American Eagle, Ant Man/Scott Lang, Aquarian/Wundarr, Arabian Knight, Black Knight/Dane Whitman, Valinor, Black Panther, Black Widow, Blue Shield, Brother Voodoo, Captain Britian, Captain Ultra, Clea, the Comet, Daredevil, Dazzler, Devil-Slayer, Drax, Doc Samson, Doctor Druid, Doctor Strange, Falcon, Firebird, Guardsman, Havok, Hawkeye, Her, Hercules, Hulk, Jack of Hearts, Jocasta, Karkas, Ka-Zar, Living Mummy, Machine Man, Mentor, Mockingbird, Moondragon, Moon Knight, Multiple Man, Namorita, Nighthawk, Nova, Paladin, Polaris, Powerhouse, Quasar, Razorback, Rom the Space Knight, Sabra, Shanna the She Devil, She-Hulk, Shroud, Silver Surfer, Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Star-Dancer, Starfox, Stingray, Sub-Mariner, Sunfire, Tagak, Tamara Rann, Thundra, Tigra, Torpedo, Union Jack, Venus, Werewolf by Night, Whizzer, Yellowjacket/Hank Pym, Zabu, and Korvac) as well as introducing Titanis, Xaphan, Blitzkrieg (Franz Mittelstaedt), Captain Universe, Collective Man (Han, Chang, Lin, Sun, and Ho Tao-Yu), Defensor (Gabriel Sepulveda), Peregrine (Alain Racine), Shamrock (Molly Fitzgerald), and Talisman. They were created by Mark Gruenwald, Steven Grant, Bill Mantlo, and John Romita Jr. The Grandmaster and Death played a global game using heroes with the possibility of bringing the Collector back to life at stake. ("Gathering of Heroes," Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions 1, Marvel Comic Event)
