Being the other half of the "big two" comic book publishers, Marvel Comics has its respective catalog of beloved and iconic superheroes. Disney and Marvel Studios' sweeping MCU propelled these characters to gargantuan new heights and helped the superhero genre's popularity in movies with it.
The voting community at Ranker has compiled a top 10 list of the publisher's best heroes. Over the decades, these characters have either seen their legacies endure like Spider-Man and Wolverine, to others seeing strong surges in terms of mainstream appeal like Deadpool and Black Panther.
Scarlet Witch
Elizabeth Olsen's portrayal of Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch in the MCU has bolstered her reputation, and especially so with her and Vision's WandaVision series on Disney+, adding some intrigue to the universe. Being a mutant herself, her origins in the comics were tied from the start to the X-Men, making her debut in the '60s comic book series.
Her character arcs in the comics have taken her from being a villain to a regular member of the Avengers along with the X-Men. Scarlet Witch's life has involved dramatic stories tied to Magneto, but it ended up leading her to revelations regarding her true lineage. She has plenty of ripe lore in the source material, making it interesting to speculate where Scarlet Witch will be taken in MCU's Phase Four and beyond.
Black Panther
Black Panther is regarded by fans as one of 2018's best movies and a landmark in the MCU and superhero movie genre. He was the medium's first African superhero in his debut in the '60s and has now cemented his status as a pop-culture icon. T'Challa has a rich history in the comics spanning decades, with his stories varying in scope and settings such as Hell's Kitchen to outer space.
Different comic arcs have focused on personal themes of T'Challa, and while the MCU tends to focus on grand Avengers-level storylines, Black Panther has gotten numerous grounded stories alongside the large-scale ones. These stories have been known to reach intimate levels on the scale of Daredevil or Spider-Man's comics.
Captain America
Steve Rogers as Captain America is another superhero that quickly comes to fans' minds when hearing Marvel's brand name. He's long since been established as one of the core members of the Avengers -- both in the MCU and comics. Captain America is also a fascinating character to explore social commentary, as his introduction came during World War II as a piece of propaganda to aid America's war effort.
Over the decades, Captain America has been faced with challenges concerning his ideals and what it means to be "patriotic." Rogers gradually became a more grounded, humanized character in tackling these kinds of ideas, and his "everyman" appeal is still strong today as it was 80 years ago when he was created.
Hulk
The Hulk is a classic flagship hero from Marvel's comics, and if reports are true, it appears he's finally getting another solo project in the MCU. He's another one of the legendary Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's creations for the publisher and still stands as one of Marvel's strongest "monster" characters.
Hulk had several genre-defining story arcs, including Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, with the latter rumored to influence the MCU project. Throughout the years, Hulk has undergone numerous transformations, from his "savage" persona in the 1970s to his "smart" persona in the '80s and '90s, that have kept his character fresh and vital throughout the decades. His current iteration in The Immortal Hulk draws heavily on his horror monster roots and is one of Marvel's most acclaimed titles.
Doctor Strange
One of the more obscure but powerful magical characters, Doctor Strange has also been getting his due recognition as Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme. Strange is also one of the most intelligent heroes in the universe, with his origins focusing on an initial fall from grace and humbling.
Being a talented but arrogant, egotistical surgeon, Strange undergoes a compelling soul-searching quest that started as a desperate attempt to heal his hands. His stories naturally explore the more mystical corners of the Marvel Universe, and things could take an exciting, more emphasized turn in that direction for the upcoming Multiverse of Madness.
Deadpool
The Merc with a Mouth exploded into the mainstream with Ryan Reynolds' depiction in the movies, but he's been a fan-favorite in comic book circles before then. He's one of the most popular anti-heroes and cases of "breaking the 4th wall" in the superhero genre while being involved in wonderfully chaotic stories alongside Marvel's vast cast of characters.
Deadpool's dark, gory, and hilarious exploits have evolved into several memorable dynamics with the likes of Wolverine, Spider-Man, the Hulk, and even Captain America. With the raunchy charisma Deadpool has, it was only a matter of time before wider audiences fell in love with the character.
Wolverine
In addition to being what's essentially the poster boy for the X-Men, Wolverine has a longstanding reputation in Marvel overall. Hugh Jackman's portrayal certainly helped, but from the movies back the comics, James "Logan" Howlett has a high standard of quality when it comes to storytelling. He's prime for the gritty noir narratives Marvel wants to tell with the "tragic hero" element to him.
Wolverine's immense strength and durability come at the cost of having to outlive several of his loved ones, growing cynical and jaded in the process. Arcs like Weapon X show the hero's dark beginnings and highlight how much he's grown along the way, and other fan-favorites like Old Man Logan expertly mix comic book absurdity with emotional impact.
Thor
Thor in the comics was also a founding member of the Avengers, but he's become a character known for going through notable growth. Humanizing a literal god is a tough task for any writer, but his mythos and the several creative teams involved have succeeded in creating a God of Thunder that can come down to Earth and feel human.
Modern comics have done him continued justice, with story arcs like Godbomb blending the epic-scale action and art worthy of being Norse-inspired along with some psychological character studies. Throwing three incarnations of Thor against one of Marvel's best comic villains, Gorr the God Butcher, served as a thrilling backdrop for this.
Iron Man
Nick Fury was the in-universe architect for establishing the MCU's Avengers, but Robert Downey Jr.'s inspired take on Iron Man was the spark. Iron Man was also a fairly obscure superhero outside of comic book circles, but from a mix of years of development in the comics and the movies shining a spotlight on him, he's also grown into a memorable character in the source medium.
In the last decade, star comic writers like Matt Fraction (of Hawkeye fame) and Kieron Gillen made the hero accessible for new fans looking to see what they may have missed. These writers helped modernize Iron Man by emphasizing relatable flaws such as his traumatic childhood or struggles with alcoholism while still introducing fun and exciting characters like Ironheart, who is poised to succeed Tony as Marvel's armored Avenger.
Spider-Man
It's no surprise that fans voted Spider-Man as Marvel's best superhero. Well outside of Ranker, the Wall-Crawler has already firmly established himself as the world's most popular and highest-grossing individual superhero IP, with only Batman coming close.
He was Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's magnum opus, striking an excellent balance of a bonafide action hero that inspires good, and a down-to-earth, flawed, and relatable young man that's just trying to do good with the hand he was dealt. Whether grieving the death of Gwen Stacy or saving the world in such iconic storylines as Secret Wars and Civil War, Spider-Man has been the central figure in the Marvel Universe and continues to be in numerous comics, films, television shows, and video games.