Yet he defied an order earlier this month from a Naples judge to undergo a blood test.
Justice was being delivered to a man who defied that gift from the Almighty to the people of Iraq.
Some of them had even been ready to defy any possible attack from space.
Argentina defied efforts to prevent the transfer of German funds there from Europe.
Japan's central bank raised interest rates for the first time in a decade, defying strong pressure from government officials to keep borrowing costs close to zero.
But were not these the very stones that defied the Mogul invaders from the north?
Cities are emptying as people defy orders from the governing Taliban and try to flee.
He did not move furtively, but with a purpose that defied intervention from any quarter.
The result defied skepticism, inspiring an almost devotional response from the audience.
That was the gamble Lee had made when he defied the big man from the future.