Excelsior! The Top 50 Marvel Characters Nomination Thread

[Adrenaline]

Marvel is maybe the biggest entertainment franchise in the world right now, and they built the foundation for that success over the course of over 60 years (more if you count the early days before the current era), establishing hundreds if not thousands of compelling characters for fans to fall in love with and keep them coming back to the comic shop, movie theater, and anywhere else they might show up. Let's take on the daunting task of narrowing that legion of characters down to Talking Time's 50 favorites.

To participate, send me a PM with a list of up to 25 of your favorite distinct characters from the Marvel superhero universe, in ranked order. They can be heroes, villains, civilians, or any other type of character. Please include secret identities in your list so I don’t have to follow up. The characters must have originated in a story taking place in the Marvel universe in any medium. What makes a character distinct can be fuzzy and complicated, so here are some guidelines.

Two characters that use the same codename but who are otherwise separate people are distinct. (Example: Peter Parker and Miles Morales are both Spider-Man, but they are different characters)

Adaptations of characters into a different medium may result in some differences, but they are usually not distinct. (Ex: Comic book Peter Parker and MCU Peter Parker are the same character)

If a character is cloned, and the clone has their own name and personality, they are distinct. (Ex: Peter Parker and Ben Reilly are different characters)

If, however, a clone exists to fill the same role after the original body dies, they are not distinct. (Ex: The original Ben Reilly clone and the current Ben Reilly clone are the same character)

Alternate versions of characters from different timelines or realities, in most cases, are not distinct. (Ex: 616 Peter Parker and Ultimate Peter Parker are the same character)

In certain circumstances, especially if two versions of a character exist for an extended time in the same reality, they could be distinct. (Ex: 616 Miles Morales and Ultimate Miles Morales could be considered different characters)

If a character has multiple personalities, they should not be considered distinct. (Ex: Marc Spector and Steven Grant are different aspects of the same character. Sorry, I couldn’t think of a Spider-Man example.)

Let me know if there’s any other questions I didn’t consider, and send me your finalized list by June 17th.

 

[Torzelbaum]

The characters must have originated in a story taking place in the Marvel universe in any medium.

So characters who originated outside of the Marvel universe but appeared there later are not allowed?

 

[Adrenaline]

If they first appeared in a publication by a Marvel antecedent like Steve Rogers or Patsy Walker that's fine, but a licensed character who was brought in like Conan doesn't count, I think.

 

[Torzelbaum]

licensed character who was brought in like Conan doesn't count

That's exactly the type of character I had in mind but looks like I'll have to pick someone else then.

 

[Octopus Prime]

This is… the hardest question I’ve ever been posed

 

[Falselogic]

So things like GIJOE or Transformers characters are out unless they originated in the comic, I got that right?

 

[Adrenaline]

Right

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Arguably, most of the big early ones (Optimus Prime, Snake Eyes) did. I know Transformers the comic came out concurrently with the cartoon and those comics take place firmly in the Marvel Universe until they just stopped being a part of it. Fun fact, GI Joe, a Real American Hero started out as a pitch for a new SHIELD-based series.

 

[Adrenaline]

I didn't know that. In any case, the purpose it to pick characters who exist in the Marvel superhero universe.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

 

[Octopus Prime]

Someday we might learn more about this mysterious spidery man

 

[Torzelbaum]

Yes, I would like to know if he can do whatever a spider can.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Plus there's the other two series essentially created to sell toylines that while many of the characters legally can't show up (in one case, individuals can but not under the team name and not with the old villain), they actually played a big role in the Marvel Universe.

One is ROM Spaceknight, based on a weird little action figure. Not even a line, just a figure. I've heard good things about the series but you can't really get it through reprints or trades.

One of the big deals that still matter is The Dire Wraiths, an evil alien race of shapeshifting wizards who still pop in from time to time.

The other is Micronauts.

It was a Star Wars like series set in the Microverse (which was already established in the Marvel Universe and is basically the Quantum Realm in the MCU) where these dudes fight against a Darth Vader-like villain Baron Karza. The Baron and many of the characters are lost to Marvel but the little green dude? That's Bug. Never got an action figure so he's still part of the Marvel U AND he was almost in the Guardians of the Galaxy movie but James Gunn didn't have much for him to do, I guess.

Oh, and then on the goofy side is US-1. Weirdly, it's a series based entirely on a toy truck during the end of the trucking golden age in culture (CONVOY!)

The character is still allowed to exist in the Marvel Universe but not his original truck or the name US 1. So sometimes he still teams up with Deadpool and tried to be a nanny to Jessica Jones/Luke Cage's kid. His power is he has a metal plate in his head that let's him pick up CB signals.

 

[jpfriction]

Adrenaline: I wonder if my friends like spider-man or iron man better, let’s find out.

Talking time: I bet I can figure out a way to vote for Godzilla.

 

[Issun]

Someday we might learn more about this mysterious spidery man

My guess is he's either a threat or a menace.

 

[Violentvixen]

I do not envy you having to sort through/reorganize some of these! I have a feeling I don't know enough and will submit a character that could actually be three different ones and won't know any better.

This'll be a fun one though.

 

[Torzelbaum]

My guess is he's either a threat or a menace.

Now if only we could get more pictures of him to help us decide.

 

[Adrenaline]

I suppose characters created for a Marvel universe comic that no longer appear due to licensing changes belong on the list, if they're your favorites.

 

[Kirin]

Having run the comics top 50 list back in the day, I very much sympathize with the fact that keeping comic characters and properties sorted is A Problem.

 

[Octopus Prime]

I’ve already sent in a list, realized I goofed and sent in a different list and now realized there’s a bunch of characters I should have voted for…

I got feelings for Marvel characters!

 

[Adrenaline]

Multiple revisions are allowed if that's what it takes

 

[Octopus Prime]

I’ll bear that in mind; if I don’t vote for Sentey 459, who will?

Nobody! I’m the only one to recognize he’s a recurring character

 

[Adrenaline]

There's another week left to get your submissions in. I'm hoping people are just working on their lists and not uninterested because I haven't gotten many yet.

 

[Patrick]

I'm working on mine.

 

[Torzelbaum]

I'm working on mine.

I have my candidates but still need to go through the difficult process of ranking them.

 

[Kirin]

Also working on it.

Quick Q: As you already pointed out, lots of these characters exist in multiple realities/timelines/mediums and a few exceptions notwithstanding you'll consider all those to be the same character. If we're really voting for a particular instance of the character though, would it make any difference to maybe put the source reality in parentheses, to maybe influence the write-up, or is that just unnecessarily complicating things and you'd rather we leave it off?

 

[Adrenaline]

You can include those details and I'll take them into account

 

[Falselogic]

Working on the list. This is going to be tough.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Close to being done, I swear.

 

[Beta Metroid]

My list is assembled (lol), but I'm still sorting out the rankings.