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The House of Ideas. Talking Time's 50 Favorite Marvel Characters!
- Thread starter Adrenaline
- Start date
The funny talking gun racoon managed to have the most emotionally tumultuous arc in the entire MCU.
Also the “Here we are; a Buncha jackasses standing in a circle” kills me every time
Also the “Here we are; a Buncha jackasses standing in a circle” kills me every time
#21: Black Panther
AKA: T'Challa, Mr. Okonkwo
Powers: Vibranium suit, connection to all previous Black Panthers
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52, 1966
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Portrayed By: Chadwick Boseman
5 votes, 125 points (Top voter: Patrick)
T'Challa was born the son of T'Chaka, king of the secret African nation of Wakanda. Originally a disparate collection of tribes, they were united in a single kingdom after a meteorite made of vibranium landed in the territory. It could be used to create powerful weapons and technology, and also affected the local plants and animals. Over time, the new nation of Wakanda became highly advanced, though it hid itself from the outside world. The Black Panther was the symbol of power and leadership for the people of Wakanda, a title earned by whoever was the current king. When T'Challa was young, his father was killed and his adoptive mother kidnapped, and he spent time away from home, meeting his future wife Ororo and getting an education in the United States. He eventually returned to Wakanda and challenged his uncle for the title of Black Panther.
After taking his rightful place, he changed some old tribal practices and started making connections with the outside world, starting with the Fantastic Four. He joined the Avengers, and over time earned some resentment from his fellow Wakandans, who saw him spending time with his superhero friends instead of ruling the nation he was king of. He established rivalries with fellow monarchs Doctor Doom and Namor, and eventually married Ororo. After falling into a coma, his sister Shuri became the new Black Panther, a title she maintained after he recovered, leaving them both filling the role in different capacities. His marriage ended badly when there was a battle between the Avengers and X-Men, which among other calamities ended up flooding the capital of Wakanda.
In recent years, T'Challa was reestablished as the sole monarch of Wakanda after Shuri's temporary death, and started making more democratic reforms. He also discovered a Wakandan space empire founded by his own subjects who had traveled to the past, and started rekindling his romance with Ororo. T'Challa was of course played by Chadwick Boseman in the MCU before his untimely death. He brought both gravitas and sly humor to the role, and while I'm curious what the next movie will be like, it just won't be the same without him. Black Panther is one of the best standalone movies in the franchise, and he was the most important part of it.
AKA: T'Challa, Mr. Okonkwo
Powers: Vibranium suit, connection to all previous Black Panthers
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #52, 1966
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Portrayed By: Chadwick Boseman
5 votes, 125 points (Top voter: Patrick)
T'Challa was born the son of T'Chaka, king of the secret African nation of Wakanda. Originally a disparate collection of tribes, they were united in a single kingdom after a meteorite made of vibranium landed in the territory. It could be used to create powerful weapons and technology, and also affected the local plants and animals. Over time, the new nation of Wakanda became highly advanced, though it hid itself from the outside world. The Black Panther was the symbol of power and leadership for the people of Wakanda, a title earned by whoever was the current king. When T'Challa was young, his father was killed and his adoptive mother kidnapped, and he spent time away from home, meeting his future wife Ororo and getting an education in the United States. He eventually returned to Wakanda and challenged his uncle for the title of Black Panther.
After taking his rightful place, he changed some old tribal practices and started making connections with the outside world, starting with the Fantastic Four. He joined the Avengers, and over time earned some resentment from his fellow Wakandans, who saw him spending time with his superhero friends instead of ruling the nation he was king of. He established rivalries with fellow monarchs Doctor Doom and Namor, and eventually married Ororo. After falling into a coma, his sister Shuri became the new Black Panther, a title she maintained after he recovered, leaving them both filling the role in different capacities. His marriage ended badly when there was a battle between the Avengers and X-Men, which among other calamities ended up flooding the capital of Wakanda.
In recent years, T'Challa was reestablished as the sole monarch of Wakanda after Shuri's temporary death, and started making more democratic reforms. He also discovered a Wakandan space empire founded by his own subjects who had traveled to the past, and started rekindling his romance with Ororo. T'Challa was of course played by Chadwick Boseman in the MCU before his untimely death. He brought both gravitas and sly humor to the role, and while I'm curious what the next movie will be like, it just won't be the same without him. Black Panther is one of the best standalone movies in the franchise, and he was the most important part of it.
I'm honestly still upset at Chadwick Boseman's passing. That the man hid his illness from everyone and worked tirelessly through late-stage cancer, giving the amazing performances that he did, is nothing short of incredible.
I don't know what Black Panther II is going to be if not a retread of the original. The first movie dealt with the death of Wakanda's beloved monarch and the ensuing struggle for succession to the throne, and I don't know how you avoid the gravitational pull of just doing that again in the face of a monumental loss like this. I guess we'll see.
I don't know what Black Panther II is going to be if not a retread of the original. The first movie dealt with the death of Wakanda's beloved monarch and the ensuing struggle for succession to the throne, and I don't know how you avoid the gravitational pull of just doing that again in the face of a monumental loss like this. I guess we'll see.
#20: Wolverine
AKA: Logan, James Howlett, Patch, Weapon X
Powers: Enhanced senses and longevity, fast healing, retractable claws, adamantium-lined skeleton
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #180, 1974
Created By: Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita
Portrayed By: Hugh Jackman
7 votes, 130 points (Top voter: Torzelbaum)
If there's one thing I've learned putting this list together, it's that it's not easy to summarize 40-60 years of comic history in a couple paragraphs. And Logan might be the toughest character to try it with. His history starts in the 1880s, when he was born the son of the wealthy Elizabeth Howlett and her estate's groundskeeper Thomas Logan. You see, they were trying to make you think Logan was Thomas' other son Dog, but it was the weakly James who grew up to be the best there is at what he does. After Thomas killed James' supposed father John, James' claws emerged for the first time and he killed his actual dad in revenge. He then left home, and spent the next several decades traveling the world, growing into a formidable figure, gaining skills, and fighting in wars. After World War II he was taken in by the Weapon X program, which later turned out to be one of many successors to the original Super Solider program. Logan lost his memories of his previous life and had his entire skeleton laced with adamantium, making him even more indestructible.
After he left the program he joined the X-Men, and quickly became one of the series' most popular characters. He had associations with Alpha Flight, X-Force, and the Fantastic Four, and reached the height of his oversaturation in the 2000s, when in addition to his multiple X-Men assignments, he also appeared in the New Avengers and had multiple solo titles at any given time. Eventually his powers started turning on him and he seemingly died when he was trapped inside a husk of pure adamantium, but his niche continued to be filled by his female clone X-23 and a version of himself from an alternate future where the villains had taken over the planet, turning it into an apocalyptic wasteland. Eventually he escaped the adamantium and rejoined the X-Men in time for the big Krakoa status quo shift.
Wolverine was also a major character in the 90s X-Men animated series, and arguably the principal character of Fox's X-Men movie series, getting three movies of his own. Hugh Jackman is a bit too tall and handsome to be a perfect representation of the comic character, but he obviously loved the role and put his whole body into it. I would agree with arguments that Wolverine is an overexploited character, but I also think he's a really interesting guy, who fits into all kinds of different stories. Old-fashioned war stories, sci-fi epics, gritty crime tales, classic superhero throwdowns, Wolverine fits into all of them easily. He's a versatile character, and a lot of the books written about him happen to be good. And the claws are just cool. He's popular for a reason.
AKA: Logan, James Howlett, Patch, Weapon X
Powers: Enhanced senses and longevity, fast healing, retractable claws, adamantium-lined skeleton
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #180, 1974
Created By: Roy Thomas, Len Wein, John Romita
Portrayed By: Hugh Jackman
7 votes, 130 points (Top voter: Torzelbaum)
If there's one thing I've learned putting this list together, it's that it's not easy to summarize 40-60 years of comic history in a couple paragraphs. And Logan might be the toughest character to try it with. His history starts in the 1880s, when he was born the son of the wealthy Elizabeth Howlett and her estate's groundskeeper Thomas Logan. You see, they were trying to make you think Logan was Thomas' other son Dog, but it was the weakly James who grew up to be the best there is at what he does. After Thomas killed James' supposed father John, James' claws emerged for the first time and he killed his actual dad in revenge. He then left home, and spent the next several decades traveling the world, growing into a formidable figure, gaining skills, and fighting in wars. After World War II he was taken in by the Weapon X program, which later turned out to be one of many successors to the original Super Solider program. Logan lost his memories of his previous life and had his entire skeleton laced with adamantium, making him even more indestructible.
After he left the program he joined the X-Men, and quickly became one of the series' most popular characters. He had associations with Alpha Flight, X-Force, and the Fantastic Four, and reached the height of his oversaturation in the 2000s, when in addition to his multiple X-Men assignments, he also appeared in the New Avengers and had multiple solo titles at any given time. Eventually his powers started turning on him and he seemingly died when he was trapped inside a husk of pure adamantium, but his niche continued to be filled by his female clone X-23 and a version of himself from an alternate future where the villains had taken over the planet, turning it into an apocalyptic wasteland. Eventually he escaped the adamantium and rejoined the X-Men in time for the big Krakoa status quo shift.
Wolverine was also a major character in the 90s X-Men animated series, and arguably the principal character of Fox's X-Men movie series, getting three movies of his own. Hugh Jackman is a bit too tall and handsome to be a perfect representation of the comic character, but he obviously loved the role and put his whole body into it. I would agree with arguments that Wolverine is an overexploited character, but I also think he's a really interesting guy, who fits into all kinds of different stories. Old-fashioned war stories, sci-fi epics, gritty crime tales, classic superhero throwdowns, Wolverine fits into all of them easily. He's a versatile character, and a lot of the books written about him happen to be good. And the claws are just cool. He's popular for a reason.
Hard to argue against that. As the joke goes - "Wolverine has been in more comics than staples."
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I remember when it was announced that Hugh Jackman got the role people were saying real mean things about him being a fancy musical theater boy or whatever. But as you noted he just launched himself into the role and really embodies how a lot of people imagine Wolverine now.
I don't know if I have any cohesive thesis for Logan as a character, just that I think he is a neat and dynamic presence when allowed to be, and those qualities tended to be more pronounced when he was a little less focal, a little more vulnerable, and a lot more ambiguous as to who he was and where he came from. He is an ideal supporting cast member thanks to the prickly and intense interactions he has with most characters regardless of how they react to him, because it's ensured there will always be a reaction one way or another. Habitually casting him as hero man protagonist narratively limits him not just through exposure but the expectations such a role is associated with and which the character's personality chafes against.
Wolverine is definitely one of those characters like Iron Man or Batman where I love them as part of an ensemble but simply couldn’t care less when he’s the focus.
It also helped when I realized that if you read his “Best at what he does ain’t pretty” line like it’s mournful instead of badass posturing, it really makes him more likeable.
That being said, in the digital X-Men Infinite comics, he’s effectively a walking pratfall, and regardless of the writer he’s constantly the butt of jokes and yet still manages to be the unrelenting tough guy he’s always portrayed as. And also he’s everyone’s dad in the team
It also helped when I realized that if you read his “Best at what he does ain’t pretty” line like it’s mournful instead of badass posturing, it really makes him more likeable.
That being said, in the digital X-Men Infinite comics, he’s effectively a walking pratfall, and regardless of the writer he’s constantly the butt of jokes and yet still manages to be the unrelenting tough guy he’s always portrayed as. And also he’s everyone’s dad in the team
Wolverine and Storm are the two most stable cast members over the 15ish years of the Claremont run of X-Men, Storm because Claremont was obviously obsessed with her and Wolverine because Byrne was into him and made the character hugely popular when they were co-plotting. Byrne and then later fan demand may have forced Claremont's hand to some extent, but he clearly grew to enjoy writing the character, and Storm and Wolverine's stable presence in the cast makes it great to see these two characters develop separately and eventually together over that very long run of issues, growing from outsiders and strangers to each other, to the core of the team leadership who trust each other absolutely.
I especially love the close relationship between Wolverine and Storm in the on the run period following the Mutant Massacre, when the two of them go on a kind of leadership retreat and handle some unfinished business on their own and grapple with their new and dangerous status quo while the new team members train. (In those earlier panels I posted of Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, and Longshot having a power of teamwork arc vs the Juggernaut, that's happening while Wolverine and Storm are having Serious Business missions to try to figure out how to keep everything from falling apart and make sure no one else gets murdered...)
Wolverine's close relationships with POV characters like Kitty Pryde and Jubilee has become a source of parody at this point, but those original stories are extremely good and you can see why it became a reoccurring beat for the character. Wolverine #75 was one of the first comics I ever owned. After seeing the cartoon, I read X-Men vol. 2 #25 at a friend's house, and after seeing Magneto rip out Wolverine's adamantium I had to know what came next. I honestly didn't appreciate Hama much at the time except as one of the many X-Men comics I wanted read and did not fully understand. However, coming back to it a few years back after reading the Claremont run for the first time and understanding the context of just how far the other X-books had fallen in the 90s, Hama's run really stands out as an oasis of core X-Men storytelling, resisting the excesses of the 90s. For a while there, Hama's Wolverine solo issues where he interacted with other team members was probably the best X-Men team book, and Wolverine's conversations with Jubilee in #75 are an example of the Wolverine as mentor trope at its best:
I think basically only Larry Hama could write Wolverine solo stories that worked consistently. Until Hama took over, almost every Wolverine solo was an attempt to recreate the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont Wolverine mini with diminishing returns and increasing white savior orientalism. These stories helped to develop Madripoor into an interesting place, but very few of them worked. But Hama leaned into the bizarre with stories about a time travelling Wolverine fighting fascists with George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway in the Spanish Civil War, and his background as a Japanese American helped to reshape Wolverine's stories set in Japan and Madripoor to be a little less ridiculous and treat the characters who appeared in Japan centered stories as human beings.
On the other hand, Wolverine was a real victim of not just oversaturation but the misguided fixation on revealing Origins in the early 2000s. It was a huge mistake to eventually reveal his actual origins as definite fact and even worse to make the story extremely boring. Claremont's occasional brief flashbacks, Barry Windsor-Smith's dreamlike Weapon-X, and then Hama's stories of the Weapon program's layers of baroque lies with an unknowable core showed how to build on the character while keeping the truth ambiguous, maintaining mystique of Wolverine while giving him just enough backstory to make him more than a cipher. Now, we know about his half-brother Dog Logan, who is unfortunately not a Spider-Ham style gag character of Wolverine as a dog, just a really boring part of his actual extended family. This should all get retconned as another false memory, in my opinion...
I especially love the close relationship between Wolverine and Storm in the on the run period following the Mutant Massacre, when the two of them go on a kind of leadership retreat and handle some unfinished business on their own and grapple with their new and dangerous status quo while the new team members train. (In those earlier panels I posted of Rogue, Dazzler, Psylocke, and Longshot having a power of teamwork arc vs the Juggernaut, that's happening while Wolverine and Storm are having Serious Business missions to try to figure out how to keep everything from falling apart and make sure no one else gets murdered...)
Wolverine's close relationships with POV characters like Kitty Pryde and Jubilee has become a source of parody at this point, but those original stories are extremely good and you can see why it became a reoccurring beat for the character. Wolverine #75 was one of the first comics I ever owned. After seeing the cartoon, I read X-Men vol. 2 #25 at a friend's house, and after seeing Magneto rip out Wolverine's adamantium I had to know what came next. I honestly didn't appreciate Hama much at the time except as one of the many X-Men comics I wanted read and did not fully understand. However, coming back to it a few years back after reading the Claremont run for the first time and understanding the context of just how far the other X-books had fallen in the 90s, Hama's run really stands out as an oasis of core X-Men storytelling, resisting the excesses of the 90s. For a while there, Hama's Wolverine solo issues where he interacted with other team members was probably the best X-Men team book, and Wolverine's conversations with Jubilee in #75 are an example of the Wolverine as mentor trope at its best:
I think basically only Larry Hama could write Wolverine solo stories that worked consistently. Until Hama took over, almost every Wolverine solo was an attempt to recreate the Frank Miller/Chris Claremont Wolverine mini with diminishing returns and increasing white savior orientalism. These stories helped to develop Madripoor into an interesting place, but very few of them worked. But Hama leaned into the bizarre with stories about a time travelling Wolverine fighting fascists with George Orwell and Ernest Hemingway in the Spanish Civil War, and his background as a Japanese American helped to reshape Wolverine's stories set in Japan and Madripoor to be a little less ridiculous and treat the characters who appeared in Japan centered stories as human beings.
On the other hand, Wolverine was a real victim of not just oversaturation but the misguided fixation on revealing Origins in the early 2000s. It was a huge mistake to eventually reveal his actual origins as definite fact and even worse to make the story extremely boring. Claremont's occasional brief flashbacks, Barry Windsor-Smith's dreamlike Weapon-X, and then Hama's stories of the Weapon program's layers of baroque lies with an unknowable core showed how to build on the character while keeping the truth ambiguous, maintaining mystique of Wolverine while giving him just enough backstory to make him more than a cipher. Now, we know about his half-brother Dog Logan, who is unfortunately not a Spider-Ham style gag character of Wolverine as a dog, just a really boring part of his actual extended family. This should all get retconned as another false memory, in my opinion...
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Violentvixen
(She/Her)
I finally thought to check my library/Hoopla and it turns out they have a bunch of X-men collections. The oldest is Uncanny X-Men Masterworks Vol. 1, issues 94-100, looks like it goes to issue 150ish then starts jumping around a bit randomly. But still going to give these a re-read or in many cases a first read.
If you're wondering, the X-Men Masterworks collects the beginning of the series with the original team, and the Uncanny X-Men Masterworks collects it from the relaunch in the 70s that made the franchise popular.
Violentvixen
(She/Her)
Oh nice, thanks. The ordering on the library website is pretty baffling but I'm figuring it out.
#19: Doctor Strange
AKA: Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, Captain Universe
Powers: Master of the mystic arts
First Appearance: Strange Tales #110, 1963
Created By: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Portrayed By: Peter Hooten, Benedict Cumberbatch
5 votes, 132 points (Top voter: Issun)
Dr. Stephen Strange was a gifted surgeon who cared only about proving his skill and getting paid highly for his work. One night he was in a car accident from which he recovered, but left nerve damage in his hands that left him unable to perform his craft. Desperate, he sought out cures until an encounter with Baron Mordo led him to accept an apprenticeship with the Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer. Strange was unable to return to his medical career, but he proved adept at magic as well, rising to the position of Sorcerer Supreme, and dedicated his life to protecting the Earth from magical threats. His skill and expertise have made him an extremely valuable friend, and he frequently appears as a guest in the stories of other characters, whenever they come across a mystical problem they need help to solve.
He of course has his own stories as well, and has developed a formidable rogue's gallery including Mordo, Shuma-Gorath, Nightmare, and the Dread Dormammu. In addition, he is a frequent member of different iterations of the Avengers and Defenders super teams. He represented the magical community in the Illuminati, a secretive group that tried to guide Earth in the right direction from the shadows. At times he has lost access to his magic, but he always finds a way to restore his talents and continue in his important role. Of all the characters we've discussed so far, I believe Doctor Strange is the only one who is currently dead in mainstream continuity. It happened recently, and I'm sure he'll return, but until then the position of Sorcerer Supreme is being filled by his wife, Clea.
Strange is played in the MCU by Benedict Cumberbatch. His story is similar and he fills the same role as the guy who knows magical stuff, but his personality is a bit different, being a snarky sort of Tony Stark-type. I enjoy the character and the movies and there are times when Cumberbatch is clearly having a great time, but it's one of the places where the accusation of MCU protagonists being cookie-cutter rings true.
AKA: Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme, Captain Universe
Powers: Master of the mystic arts
First Appearance: Strange Tales #110, 1963
Created By: Stan Lee, Steve Ditko
Portrayed By: Peter Hooten, Benedict Cumberbatch
5 votes, 132 points (Top voter: Issun)
Dr. Stephen Strange was a gifted surgeon who cared only about proving his skill and getting paid highly for his work. One night he was in a car accident from which he recovered, but left nerve damage in his hands that left him unable to perform his craft. Desperate, he sought out cures until an encounter with Baron Mordo led him to accept an apprenticeship with the Ancient One, a powerful sorcerer. Strange was unable to return to his medical career, but he proved adept at magic as well, rising to the position of Sorcerer Supreme, and dedicated his life to protecting the Earth from magical threats. His skill and expertise have made him an extremely valuable friend, and he frequently appears as a guest in the stories of other characters, whenever they come across a mystical problem they need help to solve.
He of course has his own stories as well, and has developed a formidable rogue's gallery including Mordo, Shuma-Gorath, Nightmare, and the Dread Dormammu. In addition, he is a frequent member of different iterations of the Avengers and Defenders super teams. He represented the magical community in the Illuminati, a secretive group that tried to guide Earth in the right direction from the shadows. At times he has lost access to his magic, but he always finds a way to restore his talents and continue in his important role. Of all the characters we've discussed so far, I believe Doctor Strange is the only one who is currently dead in mainstream continuity. It happened recently, and I'm sure he'll return, but until then the position of Sorcerer Supreme is being filled by his wife, Clea.
Strange is played in the MCU by Benedict Cumberbatch. His story is similar and he fills the same role as the guy who knows magical stuff, but his personality is a bit different, being a snarky sort of Tony Stark-type. I enjoy the character and the movies and there are times when Cumberbatch is clearly having a great time, but it's one of the places where the accusation of MCU protagonists being cookie-cutter rings true.
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Olli
(he/him)
I don't dislike the MCU Dr. Strange, but he's definitely much more arrogant and reckless than the 616 version. He's not the most likeable person in his universe.
Strange suffers somewhat from the same problem as many powerful magical characters across different media - the limit and extent of his powers are not very well defined and they seem to vary quite a bit depending on the writer. There are few hard and fast limits; he can't bring the dead back to life, at least in a good way, but otherwise his magic seems to be capable of pretty much anything that's needed at the moment, unless it serves the story that "magic doesn't work like that". At least there is occasionally a cost to the magic he does, such as the supernatural creatures he's invoking for his spells occasionally coming to him for help (or worse).
Strange suffers somewhat from the same problem as many powerful magical characters across different media - the limit and extent of his powers are not very well defined and they seem to vary quite a bit depending on the writer. There are few hard and fast limits; he can't bring the dead back to life, at least in a good way, but otherwise his magic seems to be capable of pretty much anything that's needed at the moment, unless it serves the story that "magic doesn't work like that". At least there is occasionally a cost to the magic he does, such as the supernatural creatures he's invoking for his spells occasionally coming to him for help (or worse).
The cost of magic is a huge part of Jason Aaron's run on the comic, with the reveal that Strange has been offsetting it for a long time and doing so causes a major new problem to deal with.
Strange is one of those characters I always liked a lot more in theory than in practice; I’ve liked a lot of the runs, and he’s a fun supporting character, and a lot of the characters he surrounds himself with are great but when I read his main books they generally don’t excite me.
That being said, I definitely voted for his dog, and I really liked the Death of Dr. Strange miniseries, and the current run with Jed McKay has a really strong start.
Wasn’t aware Aaron had one as well; that guy has proven himself to me. I’ll give that a read
That being said, I definitely voted for his dog, and I really liked the Death of Dr. Strange miniseries, and the current run with Jed McKay has a really strong start.
Wasn’t aware Aaron had one as well; that guy has proven himself to me. I’ll give that a read
#18: Galactus
AKA: Galan, Lifebringer, The Destruction
Powers: Cosmic omnipotence
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48, 1966
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
7 votes, 137 points (Top voter: Falselogic)
The being best known as Galactus is not native to the current iteration of the Marvel universe. He was originally called Galan, a humanoid born near the end of the previous iteration. As things were coming to an end, he merged with an entity known as the Sentience of the Cosmos. This made him powerful enough to survive the destruction of his reality and the birth of the new one. Unfortunately, it also gave him an immense hunger that can only be satisfied by consuming the energy of entire planets. He has chosen a number of different Heralds to seek out worlds for him, the most famous of which being the Silver Surfer. While most Heralds prefer to offer him uninhabitable planets, his hunger sometimes causes him to pursue populated ones like the Earth. Galactus has attempted to consume the planet multiple times, but he is always thwarted by the Fantastic Four or another interested party, such as Squirrel Girl. Since he is nearly indestructible, he is usually stopped not through force but clever manipulation.
Despite his power, Galactus has been seemingly killed or changed a number of times. He has returned to his humanoid form and spent time with the FF, and a few years ago a team known as the Ultimates managed to transform him into the benevolent Lifebringer, seriously disrupting the order of cosmic entities. While being pursued by the apocalyptic force called the Black Winter, Galactus was killed again by Thor, who used his destruction to put an end to the threat. He was then revived and merged with the Asgardian armor known as the Destroyer, giving rise to his new form and name of the Destruction.
While his unconquerable hunger makes him a terrifying and unrelenting enemy for the planets he targets, there is a certain tragedy in the character and his inability to avoid the destruction he causes. Just like predators must kill other creatures to feed, Galactus cannot survive without eating planets. Those planets of course have the right to defend themselves, but does he not himself have the right to live? When stories bother to address the question, it usually leads to interesting things. Unfortunately, the one attempt to bring the character to film in the second 2000s Fantastic Four movie was a failure. The studio chickened out of depicting a giant man in a purple suit trying to consume the Earth's energy, so instead we got a vaguely scary looking cloud. Maybe the MCU won't be afraid to give it another try in the future.
AKA: Galan, Lifebringer, The Destruction
Powers: Cosmic omnipotence
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #48, 1966
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
7 votes, 137 points (Top voter: Falselogic)
The being best known as Galactus is not native to the current iteration of the Marvel universe. He was originally called Galan, a humanoid born near the end of the previous iteration. As things were coming to an end, he merged with an entity known as the Sentience of the Cosmos. This made him powerful enough to survive the destruction of his reality and the birth of the new one. Unfortunately, it also gave him an immense hunger that can only be satisfied by consuming the energy of entire planets. He has chosen a number of different Heralds to seek out worlds for him, the most famous of which being the Silver Surfer. While most Heralds prefer to offer him uninhabitable planets, his hunger sometimes causes him to pursue populated ones like the Earth. Galactus has attempted to consume the planet multiple times, but he is always thwarted by the Fantastic Four or another interested party, such as Squirrel Girl. Since he is nearly indestructible, he is usually stopped not through force but clever manipulation.
Despite his power, Galactus has been seemingly killed or changed a number of times. He has returned to his humanoid form and spent time with the FF, and a few years ago a team known as the Ultimates managed to transform him into the benevolent Lifebringer, seriously disrupting the order of cosmic entities. While being pursued by the apocalyptic force called the Black Winter, Galactus was killed again by Thor, who used his destruction to put an end to the threat. He was then revived and merged with the Asgardian armor known as the Destroyer, giving rise to his new form and name of the Destruction.
While his unconquerable hunger makes him a terrifying and unrelenting enemy for the planets he targets, there is a certain tragedy in the character and his inability to avoid the destruction he causes. Just like predators must kill other creatures to feed, Galactus cannot survive without eating planets. Those planets of course have the right to defend themselves, but does he not himself have the right to live? When stories bother to address the question, it usually leads to interesting things. Unfortunately, the one attempt to bring the character to film in the second 2000s Fantastic Four movie was a failure. The studio chickened out of depicting a giant man in a purple suit trying to consume the Earth's energy, so instead we got a vaguely scary looking cloud. Maybe the MCU won't be afraid to give it another try in the future.
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I didn't know he was called "The Destruction" until, like yesterday (that issue *just* showed up in MU, so... it is perhaps the single greatest spoiler in this thread).
Now, having watched it recently, I can safely say that this *really* does not hold up well at all, BUT, the things that got me started on my love of Marvel were the cartoons when I was tiny. X-Men and Spider-Man were the obvious ones that stuck with me, but the other was Fantastic Four, and it stuck with me the hardest despite easily being the weakest of the three.
And that's based entirely on the Galactus 2-parter, which *blew* Tiny Octos mind. The heroes fought a God, who was going to destroy the Earth, and LOST! Rattled me, it did! There were a lot of problems with that story as an adaptation, but when you're eight years old, it doesn't take much.
Anyway, years later I started reading Silver Age FF, immediately falling in love with it, and got to the Galactus Trilogy and BY GOD, was blown away all over again; this coming not too long after the story where the Frightful Four nearly succeeded using a master plan of throwing the FF out of the window while they were napping. So "Fighting a God" is an escalation.
Galactus is, and always has been, the end-all be-all of Marvels cosmic threats, keeping his crown even after many stories where bigger, worse threats exists and give him a whuppin'.
Also, his mom is awesome;
Now, having watched it recently, I can safely say that this *really* does not hold up well at all, BUT, the things that got me started on my love of Marvel were the cartoons when I was tiny. X-Men and Spider-Man were the obvious ones that stuck with me, but the other was Fantastic Four, and it stuck with me the hardest despite easily being the weakest of the three.
And that's based entirely on the Galactus 2-parter, which *blew* Tiny Octos mind. The heroes fought a God, who was going to destroy the Earth, and LOST! Rattled me, it did! There were a lot of problems with that story as an adaptation, but when you're eight years old, it doesn't take much.
Anyway, years later I started reading Silver Age FF, immediately falling in love with it, and got to the Galactus Trilogy and BY GOD, was blown away all over again; this coming not too long after the story where the Frightful Four nearly succeeded using a master plan of throwing the FF out of the window while they were napping. So "Fighting a God" is an escalation.
Galactus is, and always has been, the end-all be-all of Marvels cosmic threats, keeping his crown even after many stories where bigger, worse threats exists and give him a whuppin'.
Also, his mom is awesome;
Fun fact: Doctor Strange is the only Marvel comic books I actually own. I don't read comics much at all, so my trajectory for liking him was: Dr. Orpheus in the Venture Bros. -> Marvel vs. Capcom 3 -> bought some of his comics from a convention -> MCU. One of the books I have is called "Doctor Strange: Master of the Mystic Arts." It's a pocket book-sized collection (IN FULL COLOR) of the first couple dozen of his stories and was published in 1978, so it's got this brief introduction written by Stan Lee. Anyway I really enjoy those early comics because they weren't afraid to have trippy 60s backgrounds.
Olli
(he/him)
At the very least, he needs a wisecracking sidekick.
One of my favorite recent-ish Wolverine outings is Weapons of Mutant Destruction, where he teams up with The Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Sabretooth, Lady Deathstroke, Warpath and Domino against a cyborg conspiracy.
#17: The Hulk
AKA: Robert Bruce Banner, Joe Fixit, World Breaker
Powers: Transforms into a powerful green monster that's stronger the angrier it gets
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #1, 1962
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Portrayed By: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Eric Bana, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo
6 votes, 141 points (Top voter: Olli)
Bruce Banner grew up in an abusive household. Both of his parents ended up dead, and while Bruce had a brilliant mind, he was also left psychologically scarred by his upbringing. He became a scientist with an expertise in gamma radiation. During the testing of a gamma bomb for the military, Bruce entered the impact zone to save an unaware Rick Jones from harm, causing himself to be hit by the blast. It changed him, causing him to transform into a mindless, rampaging "hulk". He was initially gray-skinned but this soon changed to green. Bruce's lack of control as the Hulk can be attributed to a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder he developed, where he has multiple different personalities, some of which only emerge when he is transformed. These identities include Bruce himself, the Savage Hulk, Joe Fixit, the Professor, the World Breaker, and the Devil Hulk. Bruce is fairly tragic as Marvel characters go, a brilliant scientist who due to past trauma is rarely able to establish a stable life for any length of time before his demons catch up with him. He has tried to cure his condition multiple times but he has not succeeded.
Hulk's volatile nature leaves him often at odds with others in the superhero community. He has been a member of the Avengers, Defenders, and Fantastic Four, but his episodes of blind rage often have him fighting his allies as much as he helps them. In the 2000s, the aforementioned Illuminati took the drastic step of tricking Hulk into entering a space vessel that took him to another planet far across the galaxy. It was there that he became a gladiator and then led an uprising to become a king in the Planet Hulk storyline. After one of his supposed allies sabotaged the ship he came on, leading to his queen's death, Hulk blamed it on the Illuminati and returned to Earth to kick all their asses in World War Hulk. More recently, Al Ewing wrote the Immortal Hulk series, which is more of a horror story than a superhero one, and is one of my favorite comics ever. In it, the various gamma-powered characters discover the Green Door that separates life and death, and what happens when the door stays open.
Hulk has a long history in TV and movies. In the 70s there was a live action series with two different actors depicting Bruce (renamed David) and Hulk, which continued with a series of TV movies in the 80s. In the 00s Ang Lee released Hulk, one of the most idiosyncratic superhero movies ever, to mixed success. It's certainly interesting. In the MCU, The Incredible Hulk is more traditional but not much better, and there hasn't been a solo Hulk movie since, but Mark Ruffalo has appeared frequently as the character, giving him that Ruffalo charm and depicting a more fun take on the character. The Hulk is a character who is constantly changing, moving from a completely in-control and capable hero to an unstoppable and unpredictable force of nature at the drop of a hat. He can basically be whatever a creative team needs him to be at a given moment, which leads to flexibility but also a lack of consistent identity. He's definitely unique, and the Marvel universe is richer for his presence.
AKA: Robert Bruce Banner, Joe Fixit, World Breaker
Powers: Transforms into a powerful green monster that's stronger the angrier it gets
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #1, 1962
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Portrayed By: Bill Bixby, Lou Ferrigno, Eric Bana, Edward Norton, Mark Ruffalo
6 votes, 141 points (Top voter: Olli)
Bruce Banner grew up in an abusive household. Both of his parents ended up dead, and while Bruce had a brilliant mind, he was also left psychologically scarred by his upbringing. He became a scientist with an expertise in gamma radiation. During the testing of a gamma bomb for the military, Bruce entered the impact zone to save an unaware Rick Jones from harm, causing himself to be hit by the blast. It changed him, causing him to transform into a mindless, rampaging "hulk". He was initially gray-skinned but this soon changed to green. Bruce's lack of control as the Hulk can be attributed to a form of Dissociative Identity Disorder he developed, where he has multiple different personalities, some of which only emerge when he is transformed. These identities include Bruce himself, the Savage Hulk, Joe Fixit, the Professor, the World Breaker, and the Devil Hulk. Bruce is fairly tragic as Marvel characters go, a brilliant scientist who due to past trauma is rarely able to establish a stable life for any length of time before his demons catch up with him. He has tried to cure his condition multiple times but he has not succeeded.
Hulk's volatile nature leaves him often at odds with others in the superhero community. He has been a member of the Avengers, Defenders, and Fantastic Four, but his episodes of blind rage often have him fighting his allies as much as he helps them. In the 2000s, the aforementioned Illuminati took the drastic step of tricking Hulk into entering a space vessel that took him to another planet far across the galaxy. It was there that he became a gladiator and then led an uprising to become a king in the Planet Hulk storyline. After one of his supposed allies sabotaged the ship he came on, leading to his queen's death, Hulk blamed it on the Illuminati and returned to Earth to kick all their asses in World War Hulk. More recently, Al Ewing wrote the Immortal Hulk series, which is more of a horror story than a superhero one, and is one of my favorite comics ever. In it, the various gamma-powered characters discover the Green Door that separates life and death, and what happens when the door stays open.
Hulk has a long history in TV and movies. In the 70s there was a live action series with two different actors depicting Bruce (renamed David) and Hulk, which continued with a series of TV movies in the 80s. In the 00s Ang Lee released Hulk, one of the most idiosyncratic superhero movies ever, to mixed success. It's certainly interesting. In the MCU, The Incredible Hulk is more traditional but not much better, and there hasn't been a solo Hulk movie since, but Mark Ruffalo has appeared frequently as the character, giving him that Ruffalo charm and depicting a more fun take on the character. The Hulk is a character who is constantly changing, moving from a completely in-control and capable hero to an unstoppable and unpredictable force of nature at the drop of a hat. He can basically be whatever a creative team needs him to be at a given moment, which leads to flexibility but also a lack of consistent identity. He's definitely unique, and the Marvel universe is richer for his presence.
Hulk is distinctive for having quite probably the Worst Dad In Fiction
#15 (tie): Scarlet Witch
AKA: Wanda Maximoff
Powers: Chaos magic, reality warping
First Appearance: The X-Men #4, 1964
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Portrayed By: Elizabeth Olsen
6 votes, 147 points (Top voter: WildcatJF (#1))
A lot of comic characters have complicated histories, but Wanda's is complicated. Her family history and the nature of her powers have been changed and retconned numerous times. She first appeared as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with her twin brother Pietro, also known as Quicksilver. The two found they disliked villainy and soon joined the Avengers instead. Despite being known as a mutant for years, she never joined the X-Men, and while for a time she believed she was Magneto's daughter, she not only turned out to be unrelated to him, but not a mutant at all. She was born the daughter of a skilled Romani witch, and she and her brother were genetically manipulated by the High Evolutionary, increasing the potency of her power. She has had relationships with multiple characters but is best known for her marriage to the synthezoid Vision. At one point she magically created children for them to raise, but in an incident in which they were erased from existence, she also lost her memory of them and her marriage with Vision ended. However, the children later reappeared in an alternate form as members of the Young Avengers.
In the 2000s, Wanda was responsible for a series of cataclysmic events. When she regained the memory of her children, she lost control and attacked the Avengers, resulting in the apparent deaths of Vision, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang, and the team's temporary disbandment. She was then convinced by Pietro to create an alternate reality in which the Earth was ruled by Magneto's family (which included her at the time) and every person's deepest wish was fulfilled. A few character retained their memories and were able to break the spell. She then uttered the infamous phrase "no more mutants", depowering the vast majority of the mutant population. This not only disrupted the X-Men, but also caused many problems for other mutants who relied on their powers for survival or simple quality of life reasons. While many mutants have since recovered their powers through various means, most have still not forgiven her for this sin. She has spent the last several years trying to make up for her mistakes by doing good.
Scarlet Witch can be a problematic character. Female characters are often not allowed to be villainous without being manipulated, brainwashed, or mentally ill, and Wanda has been affected by each of these to various degrees. I like complicated characters, and overall I think Wanda is an integral and sometimes fascinating part of the universe, while acknowledging the flaws. She is played in the MCU by Elizabeth Olsen. In this version, she and her brother are Sokovian orphans who were given powers by HYDRA using the mind stone. She opposes the Avengers before joining them, though after losing Vision, she breaks down and creates a fictional reality where they have a happy life together with two children. After this ends, she is corrupted by a magical artifact called the Darkhold and becomes the antagonist of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This depiction of the character is not without its problems either, but I have to say I liked her as a villain. It was fun and spooky.
AKA: Wanda Maximoff
Powers: Chaos magic, reality warping
First Appearance: The X-Men #4, 1964
Created By: Stan Lee, Jack Kirby
Portrayed By: Elizabeth Olsen
6 votes, 147 points (Top voter: WildcatJF (#1))
A lot of comic characters have complicated histories, but Wanda's is complicated. Her family history and the nature of her powers have been changed and retconned numerous times. She first appeared as a member of Magneto's Brotherhood of Evil Mutants with her twin brother Pietro, also known as Quicksilver. The two found they disliked villainy and soon joined the Avengers instead. Despite being known as a mutant for years, she never joined the X-Men, and while for a time she believed she was Magneto's daughter, she not only turned out to be unrelated to him, but not a mutant at all. She was born the daughter of a skilled Romani witch, and she and her brother were genetically manipulated by the High Evolutionary, increasing the potency of her power. She has had relationships with multiple characters but is best known for her marriage to the synthezoid Vision. At one point she magically created children for them to raise, but in an incident in which they were erased from existence, she also lost her memory of them and her marriage with Vision ended. However, the children later reappeared in an alternate form as members of the Young Avengers.
In the 2000s, Wanda was responsible for a series of cataclysmic events. When she regained the memory of her children, she lost control and attacked the Avengers, resulting in the apparent deaths of Vision, Clint Barton, and Scott Lang, and the team's temporary disbandment. She was then convinced by Pietro to create an alternate reality in which the Earth was ruled by Magneto's family (which included her at the time) and every person's deepest wish was fulfilled. A few character retained their memories and were able to break the spell. She then uttered the infamous phrase "no more mutants", depowering the vast majority of the mutant population. This not only disrupted the X-Men, but also caused many problems for other mutants who relied on their powers for survival or simple quality of life reasons. While many mutants have since recovered their powers through various means, most have still not forgiven her for this sin. She has spent the last several years trying to make up for her mistakes by doing good.
Scarlet Witch can be a problematic character. Female characters are often not allowed to be villainous without being manipulated, brainwashed, or mentally ill, and Wanda has been affected by each of these to various degrees. I like complicated characters, and overall I think Wanda is an integral and sometimes fascinating part of the universe, while acknowledging the flaws. She is played in the MCU by Elizabeth Olsen. In this version, she and her brother are Sokovian orphans who were given powers by HYDRA using the mind stone. She opposes the Avengers before joining them, though after losing Vision, she breaks down and creates a fictional reality where they have a happy life together with two children. After this ends, she is corrupted by a magical artifact called the Darkhold and becomes the antagonist of Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. This depiction of the character is not without its problems either, but I have to say I liked her as a villain. It was fun and spooky.
I haven't seen Strange 2 yet, but WandaVision took a decent character and made her one of the best in the MCU, and is the reason she was on my list.
Hulk may have been the first Marvel character I ever encountered (except for maybe Spider-Man) because my dad watched the TV show when I was a kid. I voted for him because Ruffalo was a great Banner and Hulk's design has always been cool. Plus he was in FF4.
Hulk may have been the first Marvel character I ever encountered (except for maybe Spider-Man) because my dad watched the TV show when I was a kid. I voted for him because Ruffalo was a great Banner and Hulk's design has always been cool. Plus he was in FF4.
I've always wanted to watch Lou Ferrigno Hulk, but have yet to take that plunge. I do wish Edward Norton worked out in the MCU, but Ruffalo is also really fun.
Important spoiler update: Galan was separated from the Destroyer and returned to his traditional Galactus identity in an issue of Fantastic Four released the very day I wrote his entry for the list. That entry has been updated.
Thank goodness, I was worried for him
Catching up with the thread: There's a lot of Marvel characters I don't have a lot of experience with and thus don't got a lot to say about, but here's a few that I do:
31: Jubilee: Not really a fan of her. In fact, she (historically at least) suffered from a lot of age-old problems of being a female Asian character designed and written by white guys. Which at best ends up patronizing and inauthentic, and at worst is loaded with all the usual baggage a lot of us Asian-Americans are used to but tired of.
30: Doctor Octopus: Probably my favorite Spider-Man villain? We desperately need a Superior Spider-Man storyline in movies, just let's leave the icky MJ stuff out.
26. Venom: Evil Alien Spider-Man is a fun idea, even if the execution is edge-lord shit. The movies are tops.
25. Beast: I enjoyed Beast a whole lot as a kid. Always had an affinity for The Brains of the group in these kinds of things. His character was done an immense disservice in the First Class movies.
24. Thor: Always been iffy about the character because of the propensity for Bad People to attach themselves to Norse mythology, but MCU Thor is a lot of fun. The last movie was incredible.
23. Professor X: Love the character. Always envisioned him as Captain Picard in a wheelchair, so pstew playing him felt like destiny. All of the little comic details I was ignorant of though that got brought up in this thread are very distressing to me, but Comics, Am I Rite?
20. Wolverine: I get the appeal, but I always thought the guy was massively overrated.
19. Doctor Strange: Strange's relationship with orientalism is not great, and in fact pretty infuriating when I think about it too much.
18. Galactus: I don't know much about the guy but he seems very Anti-Monitory.
17. The Hulk: Hulk (2003) is a masterpiece and I'll die on this hill.
16. Scarlet Witch: No real comic book experience with Wanda, but she's fantastic in the MCU for being just one of the biggest hot messes there is.
31: Jubilee: Not really a fan of her. In fact, she (historically at least) suffered from a lot of age-old problems of being a female Asian character designed and written by white guys. Which at best ends up patronizing and inauthentic, and at worst is loaded with all the usual baggage a lot of us Asian-Americans are used to but tired of.
30: Doctor Octopus: Probably my favorite Spider-Man villain? We desperately need a Superior Spider-Man storyline in movies, just let's leave the icky MJ stuff out.
26. Venom: Evil Alien Spider-Man is a fun idea, even if the execution is edge-lord shit. The movies are tops.
25. Beast: I enjoyed Beast a whole lot as a kid. Always had an affinity for The Brains of the group in these kinds of things. His character was done an immense disservice in the First Class movies.
24. Thor: Always been iffy about the character because of the propensity for Bad People to attach themselves to Norse mythology, but MCU Thor is a lot of fun. The last movie was incredible.
23. Professor X: Love the character. Always envisioned him as Captain Picard in a wheelchair, so pstew playing him felt like destiny. All of the little comic details I was ignorant of though that got brought up in this thread are very distressing to me, but Comics, Am I Rite?
20. Wolverine: I get the appeal, but I always thought the guy was massively overrated.
19. Doctor Strange: Strange's relationship with orientalism is not great, and in fact pretty infuriating when I think about it too much.
18. Galactus: I don't know much about the guy but he seems very Anti-Monitory.
17. The Hulk: Hulk (2003) is a masterpiece and I'll die on this hill.
16. Scarlet Witch: No real comic book experience with Wanda, but she's fantastic in the MCU for being just one of the biggest hot messes there is.