Firstly, all my picks in this list were comic book characters first. Secondly I don't have that many anti heroes on here. I prefer more clear cut heroes who try and do as much good as possible, striving by a moral code to live by. Though there are a few on here. My all time favourite superhero, comic book and fictional character. He became my favourite through a mixture of the Disney Hercules film, the Superman cartoons and the Black Lace song Superman.
Being British, Superman isn't an American icon to me. Instead he represents the best attributes of humanity and the ultimate force for good imaginable. Superman represents us at our absolute best. He's an ideal of humanity's values and morals but he is relatable enough to still be considered a meaningful character, not a distant icon. The irony behind Superman for me is that despite being an alien with godlike powers, he acts as human as the rest of us due to his upbringing from The Kents.
His selflessness, compassion and the desire to always do the right thing are traits we could learn from and aspire to. Superman's been used in my upbringing as a moral authority and remains to me the superhero archetype by which all other heroes are measured. I'm almost certain there'll never be a comic book or fictional character I'll love more than Superman. He is simply the greatest fictional character to me.
Currently the coolest superhero around, I did watch the immensely successful s Batman cartoon but the Batman Beyond cartoon is what got me interested in Batman. Obviously, Bruce Wayne is my favourite now. His obsessive crusade against the endless wave of crime in Gotham City has made him an endearing character and Batman's gritted determination to carry on his war on crime against all the odds make him an utterly awesome character which makes his stories all the more legendary.
Batman is an example that if we set our minds to something, we can do or be anything we choose to be. Not to mention his inherent contradictions deepen the character even more.
In the comics, Janet van Dyne is an incredibly smart scientist who doubled as a superheroine. She even came up with the "Avengers" name. In the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Wasp — who might be even more powerful than Ant-Man — is so important that she earned co-billing in the Ant-Man sequel. Scott Summers, the force beam-shooting hero, embodies the X-Men vision by dedicating his life to helping fellow mutants and mankind.
The Powerpuff Girls gave kids something that they've never seen: a spectacular team of pint-sized female crimefighters. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup showed that superheroes can have a lot of fun while kicking butt.
Jessica Jones might have superpowers, but that's not what makes her one of the most important superheroes of all time. She hung up her cape — so to speak — in order to become a private investigator who represents powerful people like herself.
Jones shows that being a typical superhero isn't the only way to make a massive difference. The difference between the Green Arrow and traditional heroes, such as Batman and Superman, is that he is able to dedicate himself entirely to vigilantism and philanthropy.
Green Arrow is often the moral compass of the DC heroes. A superhero who can travel between dimensions, America Chavez aspires to be like her two mothers, who perished saving their home planet. Oh yeah, Miss America is also unfazed by bullets.
And she's a lesbian. Let all her awesomeness sink in. Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde has quite the resume. Along with having the power of intangibility, Kitty was the youngest mutant to join the X-Men team, she was one of a handful of women on said team, and she was born to Jewish parents, giving young Jewish readers someone they could relate to. Following the rise of a local gang, a retired superhero — who can manipulate electricity — turned high school principal returns to fight crime.
Jefferson Pierce shows how difficult it is for a vigilante to balance family life with protecting a city. You might not have heard of her, but Isis is an iconic superhero. The Secrets of Isis was the first American live-action superhero show to feature a female lead. In the show, a schoolteacher just so happened to be the powerful Egyptian goddess Isis. Even before her film debut drops and she presumably saves the Avengers' butts, Captain Marvel can be counted as pretty darn important.
Debuting in , Captain Marvel has had multiple iterations, but one thing stays the same: Carol Danvers is ultimately dedicated to duty and honor. The hero with cosmic powers should play a major part in the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward. A mutant with the powers of telekinesis and telepathy, Jean Grey — you might know her as Phoenix or Dark Phoenix — doesn't fear anything She has taken a dirt nap more than once, and yet she comes back to use her powers for good again and again.
Marvel Comics wouldn't be what it is today without the Human Torch. The unquestioned leader of the X-Men, Charles Xavier worked tirelessly to create a world where humans and mutants can co-exist. Professor X's intelligence and discipline prove that being the biggest, strongest and fastest hero can only take you so far. Created as a weapon of war in the secretive Project X, the adamantium-infused Wolverine is a massively conflicted hero. Logan is trying to create a war-free world, where, if he's successful, his strengths will essentially become useless.
Although he might be conflicted, Wolverine's loyalty is never questioned. The quasi-vampire became the first Marvel comic book superhero successfully adapted to the big screen.
Without Blade , many of the big-money summer movies we know and love might have never been made. Blade 's success also helped popularize both superhero and vampire film genres. In , DC Comics rebooted the character as Allen. It was the first re-imagining of a character in comic-book history.
The Man Without Fear is the rare superhero who also suffers from a disability: the loss of sight. Follow Us. Starring: Catherine Cavadini , E. Jackson , Tara Strong. Directed By: Craig McCracken. Critics Consensus: Though there are more characters and plotlines, and the action sequences still dazzle, Spider-Man 3 nonetheless isn't quite as refined as the first two. Directed By: Sam Raimi.
Critics Consensus: Gritty and visually striking, Watchmen is a faithful adaptation of Alan Moore's graphic novel, but its complex narrative structure may make it difficult for it to appeal to viewers not already familiar with the source material. Directed By: Zack Snyder. Critics Consensus: Aquaman swims with its entertainingly ludicrous tide, offering up CGI superhero spectacle that delivers energetic action with an emphasis on good old-fashioned fun.
Directed By: James Wan. Critics Consensus: An action-packed, if anachronistic, look back at pulp matinee serials, The Rocketeer may ring hollow with viewers expecting more than simple fun and gee-whiz special effects. Directed By: Joe Johnston. Critics Consensus: It may not be the finest film to come from the Marvel Universe, but Thor: The Dark World still offers plenty of the humor and high-stakes action that fans have come to expect.
Directed By: Alan Taylor. Critics Consensus: No consensus yet. Directed By: Lloyd Kaufman. Critics Consensus: The Incredible Hulk may not be quite the smashing success that fans of Marvel's raging behemoth might hope for, but it offers more than enough big green action to make up for its occasionally puny narrative.
Directed By: Louis Leterrier. Critics Consensus: A silly and ribald superhero spoof, Toxic Avenger uninhibited humor hits more than it misses. Starring: Bruce Willis , Samuel L. Directed By: M.
Night Shyamalan. Critics Consensus: An eerie, haunting spectacle, Batman succeeds as dark entertainment, even if Jack Nicholson's Joker too often overshadows the title character. Directed By: Tim Burton. Critics Consensus: Although its final act succumbs to the usual cartoonish antics, The Wolverine is one superhero movie that manages to stay true to the comics while keeping casual viewers entertained.
Directed By: James Mangold. Critics Consensus: Zack Snyder's Justice League lives up to its title with a sprawling cut that expands to fit the director's vision -- and should satisfy the fans who willed it into existence. Critics Consensus: It isn't quite the breath of fresh air that Iron Man was, but this sequel comes close with solid performances and an action-packed plot. Starring: Robert Downey Jr. Directed By: Jon Favreau.
Critics Consensus: A well-chosen cast and sure-handed direction allow The Amazing Spider-Man to thrill, despite revisiting many of the same plot points from 's Spider-Man. Directed By: Marc Webb. Critics Consensus: It regurgitates plot points from earlier animated efforts, and isn't quite as funny as it should be, but a top-shelf voice cast and strong visuals help make Megamind a pleasant, if unspectacular, diversion.
Directed By: Tom McGrath. Critics Consensus: This highly derivative superhero coming-of-age flick is moderately entertaining, family-friendly fluff.
Directed By: Mike Mitchell. Critics Consensus: Visually stunning and thought-provoking, V For Vendetta 's political pronouncements may rile some, but its story and impressive set pieces will nevertheless entertain. Directed By: James McTeigue. Critics Consensus: Defendor 's reach occasionally exceeds its grasp, but this unique take on the superhero genre is held together by Woody Harrelson's solid performance.
Directed By: Peter Stebbings. Critics Consensus: Bryan Singer's reverent and visually decadent adaptation gives the Man of Steel welcome emotional complexity. Directed By: Bryan Singer. Critics Consensus: Not for the faint of heart, Kick-Ass takes the comic adaptation genre to new levels of visual style, bloody violence, and gleeful profanity. Directed By: Matthew Vaughn. Critics Consensus: Exuberant and eye-popping, Avengers: Age of Ultron serves as an overstuffed but mostly satisfying sequel, reuniting its predecessor's unwieldy cast with a few new additions and a worthy foe.
Directed By: Joss Whedon. Critics Consensus: A dazzling blockbuster that tempers its sweeping scope with wit, humor, and human drama, Thor is mighty Marvel entertainment. Directed By: Kenneth Branagh. Critics Consensus: It misses perhaps as often as it hits, but Jim Carrey's manic bombast, Cameron Diaz' blowsy appeal, and the film's overall cartoony bombast keep The Mask afloat.
Directed By: Charles Russell. Critics Consensus: Batman: The Movie elevates camp to an art form -- and has a blast doing it, every gloriously tongue-in-cheek inch of the way.
Directed By: Leslie H. Critics Consensus: With the help of its charismatic lead, some impressive action sequences, and even a few surprises, Iron Man 3 is a witty, entertaining adventure and a strong addition to the Marvel canon. Directed By: Shane Black. After a scuffle, the thief panicked, firing his gun twice, and killing both of Bruce's parents. Inheriting his parents' vast fortune, Bruce dedicated the next portion of his life to becoming the perfect weapon against crime and criminals.
Traveling all over the world, Bruce studied under numerous masters of different arts, becoming the world's greatest detective, and reaching the pinnacle of human potential. Finally finding inspiration in the terrifying silhouette of a bat, Wayne took up the mantle of the Batman, Gotham City's Dark Knight. With a singular dedication to preventing and avenging crimes like the one he suffered as a child and armed with an arsenal of gadgets and skills with which to do so, Batman bridged the gap between superheroes and their predecessors, pulp heroes like the Shadow and Doc Savage.
Most importantly, Batman birthed the concept of the antihero, a character who does the right thing, but isn't always the shining example that some of his colleagues are. And, while the concept of the antihero has gone to great extremes in more recent years, none of them would exist in their current form if Batman hadn't paved the way. Peter Parker was one of the first superheroes that the audience could really identify with.
He struggled with social interactions, suffered from bullying, and lead an uninteresting home life anchored by his loving aunt and uncle. All of that changed, however, when he was bitten by a radioactive spider while on a scientific field trip, which altered his DNA and imbued him with incredible strength, the ability to cling to walls, and an uncanny "spider-sense" which alerts him to danger.
Using his own scientific ingenuity, Peter also created a pair of "web-shooters," which produce a special chemical version of a spider's webs. At first, Peter tried to use his powers for his own gain, competing in a televised wrestling match to earn money to help his aunt and uncle meet their financial burdens and to buy a car. After the competition owner stiffed him out of the money he earned, Peter let a thief that was stealing the owner's money escape, refusing to help stop the robbery, even though he could have easily done so.
Later, Peter discovered his uncle Ben had been murdered by a car thief. Tracking the car thief to a warehouse where he was hiding from the police, Peter discovered, to his horror, that the thief was the same one he failed to stop at the television station. From that day on, Peter has used his powers as the Amazing Spider-Man, flying into danger and using his abilities to protect those who can't protect themselves even when it costs him dearly.
Spider-Man operates under the mantra, "With great power, there must also come great responsibility. Spider-Man's origin combines all of the most classic aspects of pathos, tragedy, and scientific wonder into the perfect blend for a superhero origin.
I've been Newsarama's resident Marvel Comics expert and general comic book historian since Outside of comic journalism, I am the artist of many weird pictures, and the guitarist of many heavy riffs.
George Marston. Comic deals, prizes and latest news.
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