100 FAVORITE COMIC BOOK CHARACTERS
60 - 41
Need a superhero in your corner to make your enemies slip on banana peels while making their pants fall down in mid punch? Then the Scarlet Witch Wanda Maximoff is your ace in the hole. Thankfully or unfortunately maybe, writers have tended not to utilize Wanda's powers to such silly effects, instead having her develop into a ridiculously powerful being. Her "hex bolt" mutant ability which manipulates probability essentially means that she can make shit happen to people or things. So in other words, a wiiiiitch! Technically a mutant, (along with her brother Pedro "Quicksilver" Maximoff and father Magneto), Wanda took awhile to control her spell casting yet through time and training, she eventually managed to fully concentrate her hexes to awesome levels. She was able to one-up Dormamu, short circuit Ultron, and bring Wonder Man back from the dead, all with some will power and hand gestures. So yeah, good thing she has been one of the good guys for the bulk of her existence.
Bullseye is basically Dardevil's Joker. Kingpin may pull most of the cards and seemingly wield more control over the dangers in Matt Murdock's life, but Bullseye is the psychopathic loose cannon that is as deranged as he is extraordinarily skilled in the art of killing. Also like the Joker, he has no official backstory or known name, with most of his previous history and whereabouts seemingly fabricated by the man himself. He first appeared in Daredevil #131 and has continued to show up as a hired assassin and though his murderous schemes against DD are always personal, they are also surprisingly successful at times. He has killed not one but two serious love interests of Matt Murdock's, per example. Bullseye's "superpower" is pretty much non-existent; he is just an evil guy that can turn any object, even loose change or a paperclip, into a deadly weapon. His aim is also dangerously impeccable, which is nothing to sneeze at.
Spider-Man arch-villain Max Dillon/Electro has at once one of the most ridiculous and most utterly awesome costumes ever designed for a comic book character. Also for the same reason that I used to be a San Diego Chargers fan when I gave a shit about football, lightning bolts just look fucking cool. As far as an actual character goes, Dillon originally followed the usual tradition of Stan Lee penned villains in that he was an asshole who got superpowers/a gimmick and decided to rob banks. The powers that he did get though are fiendishly deadly. Utilizing electricity after simultaneously being struck by lightning whilst working on a power line = he can cause a lot of damage. Because as comic book logic clearly dictates, something that can clearly kill you in real life will in fact only make you stronger.
The original and most iconic Green Goblin Norman Osborn has remained Spider-Man's ultimate arch nemesis for very obvious reasons. As the father of Harry Osborn, (Peter Parker's college pal/one-time roommate who would eventually be one of the several and second most prominent to likewise done the Green Goblin guise), Norman set many nasty things into motion. A doucehebag industrialist and a genius, (both a common and dangerous combo in the world of superhero comics), Osborn experimented on himself with a serum that enhanced him with superhuman strength and even more intellect. It also cracked his mental psyche, pushing him into insane and ultimately super villain territory. A host of other Goblins followed, (Hob Goblin among them), but not until after Osborn pulled off what would be the greatest tragedy in Peter Parker's life, the death of Gwen Stacy. Osborn died in battle with Spidey right after that, yet he came back later on because no one in comics stays dead, as we all know.
Any great character that served as a direct inspiration for an even greater one, (Thanos in this here case), deserves some props. Jack Kirby's Darkseid was the main instigator and villain in the hugely important New God's saga and he has remained one of the very most prominent DC bad guys ever since. As a New God, Darksied is ludicrously powerful. Utilizing the Omega Effect, Darkseid has harnessed his Omega Beam to pretty much do anything, almost all of which results in instantaneous death and destruction. Then there is the immortality, telepathy, teleportation powers, and unmatched speed and strength. Not taking into account that he is a warlord who controls and rules all of the fire pit-covered death planet Apokolips. DC's cosmic characters generally cannot hold a candle to Marvels, at least in my humble opinion, but Darkseid is an exception that is far too almighty to be ignored.
Similar to the the Black Widow, Clint Barton began his Marvel career as a villain first before becoming a good guy and eventual Avenger. Also similar, he possesses no superpowers, (unless Hank Pym's "Pym particles" are borrowed), but instead has a knack for a certain old school weapon. Hawkeye's an archer with zero equals in ability and has proven himself over the decades to stand his own alongside Thor and Iron Man when whooping some super villain ass. Besides his near permanent alliance with the Avengers, I have always enjoyed Hawkeye because he is an asshole. Coming from a carny lifestyle and then dabbling ever briefly in a crime career before going noble and joining Earth's Mightiest Heroes, there are some rough edges that have stuck with Barton through the years. They have also produced some intense and hilarious bickerings along the way. His ripping on and jealousy over Captain America in the beginning always gave me a chuckle, for instance.
As an adamantium-encased rogue robot created by Henry Pym, Ultron has been a ultra pain in the rump for the Avengers and the Marvel universe in general for decades now. Roy Thomas and John Buscema, (one of comic books all time best creative teams), debuted Ultron in a cameo in Avengers #54 back in 1968. He has since upgraded himself numerous times from just a Terminator that shoots energy bolts from his hands. Ultron can pretty much do everything better than humans and it almost always takes a whole slew of super-powered ones to bring him down. He then of course rebuilds himself far more effectively for the next time. As is obvious, Ultron looks awesome as evil robots can often do, but his numerous nearly unstoppable powers are what have always impressed me. I also still need to read the recent Age of Ultron storyline which I can all but assume will further intensify my likeness for this evil tin can.
Apparently I dig Alan Moore penned characters that are tremendous assholes. Besides the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen's Invisible Man Griffin, The Watchmen's Comedian is the biggest asshole Moore ever created. Edward Blake certainly stretches the term "anti-hero" to about as far as it can be stretched, technically a one-time Watchman and technically a "hero", the Comedian is a nihilistic and brutal murderer, justifying his killings because humanity sucks and to hell with society. Then there is that whole rape and murdering a woman he got pregnant thing. So yeah, a standup guy to be sure, (sorry, I could not resist the pun). For anyone who has read the single greatest graphic novel of all time The Watchmen, then you all know that the Comedian inadvertently jump starts the entire narrative and plays a major factor in events as the book unfolds. He is so fascinatingly flawed that he is impossible not to hate/love.
Giving someone the superpower to control the weather is cool enough on its own, but all of the other trappings that go along with Ororo "Storm" Monroe's back-story and continuing saga really make her top-notch. She was orphaned as a child, a lifelong sufferer of claustrophobia, (from being buried under a mountain of rubble after her parent's were offed in the Suez Crisis in Egypt), trained as a expert thief into her teenage years, then worshiped as a God back in Africa before Professor X stepped into her life. So yeah, all of that before she had even heard of the X-Men. Once a part of everyone's favorite uncanny mutant team, she kicked so much ass that she became the third in command after Prof X and Cyclops, stepping in to lead them in either of those two's absences. Then she eventually hooked up with the Black Panther T'Challa and became the Queen Consort of Wakanda back in Africa. Definitely one of the most well-rounded and fully fleshed-out characters in the whole Marvel verse right here.
The Ultron-created android Vision first debuted in Avengers # 57 back in 1968, (easily one of the greatest comic book covers of all time, thank you the mighty John Buscema). He has been around for decades and has had a few different incarnations, but the one birthed by Ultron is not only the one that stuck around the longest, but also the one that most everyone knows and digs. Even though technically of artificial intelligence, he fell for and married Scarlet Witch and stayed married to her for many a long years. Which is both awkward and respect demanding, (Wanda Maximoff is a babe after all). Yet the real awesome has to do with the Vision's powers, namely the ability to manipulate his mass, which is profoundly useful. At his lightest, he can soar through the sky and at his heaviest he can invincibly stand his ground and slug it out with the Hulk if he has to. He can also pull off a nifty trick of punching through someone's body and then re-materializing partly to cause some serious discomfort as you could imagine. Oh, and he shoots energy bolts. Beause those are fun to draw.
Few comic book characters have presumably died and come back to life quite as many times as Marvel Girl/Phoenix/Dark Phoenix Jean Grey has. Fewer still are more powerful. A telepath on par if not superior to Professor X, Jean Grey is capable of utilizing her brain to pretty much do anything. Her telepathy is so mighty that she can intensify other mutant's own abilities. Plus, her telekinesis is on an unmatched level, where she can fly, make others fly, move things in outer space, and control a limitless amount of objects in mid-air at one time. There are also psychic blasts and shields that she can spring up on a whim that can both kill and protect whomever she wants from being killed. All this and none of it even tapping the surface of what she can do when the alien Phoenix Force is making her its bitch, (or the other way around). When that comes into play and the Force goes Dark, you are pretty much doomed if you live on any planet anywhere. Basically few mutants if any can lay a finger on Jean Grey if she does not wish it.
At this writing I am still eight tenths of the way through Preacher, one of the best comic book titles ever produced. Three such characters from said saga appear here. One of the Preacher's villains turned hero (kind of not really) is the Saint of Killers and he is fucking awesome. A pants-shittingly ruthless Confederate soldier/bounty hunter back in the 19th century, the eventual Saint had a brief moment of peace with a woman and daughter before having it all horribly taken away from him, which set him back on a cold-hearted revenge spree. This eventually dammed him and granted him the title of the new Angel of Death. Oh yeah, his first act as the Saint was to shoot and presumably kill the Devil because the Devil insulted him. Besides the fact that he is an immortal being that cannot be destroyed, his power is that his two Walker Colt revolvers, (forged by the original Angel of Deaths' swords), will never go out of bullets, leave his person, or miss their aim. Basically if this guy wants you dead, you are dead son.
When it comes to the most excellent of all purple superhero/villain costumes that would actually look silly if worn by a real human being, none can hold a candle to Baron Zemo's. So I have to admit right out of the gate here that his appearance is the reason I initially dug him. Of course being a Captain America arch-villain and Cap being about my favorite Marvel hero since childhood, that also carries some considerable weight. Like the Green Goblin, Baron Zemo is a father and son team. The original Baron Heinrich Zemo was the evil Nazi scientist who ran into conflict with Cap back in the WWII days and subsequently was responsible for Bucky Barnes death, (decades before the Winter Soldier arc retconned it that is). Zemo then got killed and stayed dead longer than most comic book characters and in the early 70s, his son Baron Helmut Zemo took over. Ignore the rather silly "real" name there, but the second Zemo has ended up even more prolific in the Marvel Universe than his father, proving to be a huge player in the massive Civil War arc amongst others.
It is bullshit indeed that I have read a very small amount of actual comic book material featuring Marvel's most ancient mutant Apocalypse. This I shall fix, my words be marked. What I do know about Apocalypse undoubtedly puts him at a deserving position on this list. In a number of ways, he is essentially the most invincible mutant of all time. Born in ancient Akkaba, (Aqaba), and abandoned as a grey-skinned freak, he was raised by raiders in ancient Egypt and dubbed En Sabah Nur. He was an ubber mutant basically by not being limited to just one mutant ability, further pimping-out his powers with Celestial technology. This ltimately led to him becoming immortal in the process through various means. He can change any and all the molecules in his body to do whatever he wishes, including turning himself into a living weapon. The three T's of telepathy, telekinesis, and technopathy have all been mastered by him as well. He is of course also a genius. A super-mutant who is fused with machinery, is centuries old, and can single-handedly kick all of the X-Men's ass at once so ergo, he is quite goddamn awesome.
I shall not spend the entirety of this entry simply bitching about how overrated the world's most very popular and iconic superhero of all time is. Because there are perfectly sound reason for the praise. Superman kickstarted the whole superhero comics shebang. Inspiration came before obviously and there had been comic strips and whatnot featuring costumed characters who could or would eventually make their way into full fledged comic books. Yet the debut of Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's Man of Steel character in Action Comics #1 simply set the template that has continued ever since for the medium. Compared to a whole lot of DC's other tired and out-dated heroes that they have been holding onto for decades, Kal-El still works far better. Though I cannot stand Clark Kent's "glasses as secret identity disguise" for the mountains of illogical reasons therein, there is still plenty to work with in the Superman origin and mythos to make some excellent stories out of. At least when handled by the right author. For a nearly 180 approach to the character, I would highly recommend Mark Millar's Superman: Red Son, far and away the best Superman story yet told says me.
Jack Kirby's reluctant horror creation for DC in the early 70s has gone on to become a mainstay anti-hero in comic history. Kirby was asked to do a horror comic by DC even though he had zero interest in such a thing, whipping up The Demon rather effortlessly. At that point, DC cancelled his epic and awesome Forth World title, essentially forcing him stick with The Demon instead. Jason Blood, (sort of a DC version of Doctor Strange), is forever linked to the Belial-fathered demon Etrigan since the days of Camelot and by reciting of a certain poem, he instantaneously transforms back and forth. You would be right to assume that Etrigan once fully emerged is an asswhooping fiend. Super strength, speed, agility, telepathy, and the ability to shoot hellfire from his mouth are quite effective. Best of all though, by technically being a sadistic demon that can laugh at/greatly enjoy pain, such a thing comes quite in handy when people are trying in vain to kick your ass.
There are a small handful of beings in all of comicdom that pretty much cannot be destroyed. Planet-feasting Galactus is near chief among them. Roughly the way that the Marvel cosmic universe works is that there are "abstract beings" like Living Tribunal, Death, and Eternity who do not possess physical bodies yet exist everywhere at once, only really manifesting when an artist needs to draw them. Then there are beings like Galactus, who himself is even older and equally as omnipotent. His own physical body is still different to all who perceive him. Us humans get the nifty blue and purple armor-clad version. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in Fantastic Four # 48 back in 1966, Galactus was legendary right out of the gate. Both Lee and Kirby had the sense to establish him not as a purely evil entity but instead a god-like presence whose devouring of worlds is done out of necessity and survival as opposed to some meglomaniacal destruction fetish.
Rocking a Guy Fawkes mask, V from V for Vendetta not only has one of the most iconic comic book looks ever, but also one of the easiest Halloween costumes to pull-off as well. Alan Moore has a number of masterpieces under his belt, and the first truly great one that helped put him on every comic book reader and publisher's radar was Vendetta. The books titular character's only given name in the entire story is V, the vigilante who sends the fascist regime of the British Parliament into anarchy with a fiendishly clever year long plot, all taking place in a fictitious 1997. Moore's stellar knack for re-creating history, (or the future in this case), was perfected with The Watchmen, but Vendetta is a landmark graphic novel almost on par. V's equally rebellious and insane masterminding makes him one of the most morally grey and fascinating characters the medium has ever had.
Batman's greatest love interest and greatest female villain? Few would argue that Miss Selina Kyle deserves both prizes. Catwoman has been around just about as long as Batman has, debuting in Batman #1 in 1940. Similar to most of those original interpretations, she was a pretty straight-forward, gimmicky super villain who liked to steal/do woman things like purr and crack a whip. See the 60s Batman TV show. Though for many a long year now, Selina has had an incredibly complex personal and romantic relationship with the Caped Crusader, probably comic's most definitive love/hate dynamic ever. Catwoman is naturally self-serving and untrustworthy, but never a deplorable or evil person in any capacity. She has in fact been increasingly on the side of Bats more often than not over the years. It is a nice approach to a character that could have perpetually stayed as dumb as the Penguin, but has instead become one of the very best anti-heroes in superhero comics.
Another
all-powerful ancient deity, demon-realm lord Dormammu is on a whole
other level of omnipresent. No true age has ever been given to him, but
it has been estimated that he is possibly billions of years old. He first clashed with Doctor Strange
in Strange Tales #126 and hitherto became the Doc's primary
arch-villain. His abilities are virtually limitless, with his only "weakness" being that he is too boastful and arrogant by essentially talking up too much time while his intended victims find a way to foil one of his schemes. After all, the writers had to come up with some reason to not have him
control all of the universe as he is seemingly able. Also, Dormammu's power
is further enhanced within his own Dark Dimension. So once out of it,
he is only slightly-kind-of-not-really likely to be un-victorious. He has been said to be the only non-cosmic being able to
single-handedly defeat any cosmic entity, plus no extra-dimensional
beings are near as malevolent as he. So yeah, how can you not love this
guy?
No comments:
Post a Comment