When fans think of the Hogwarts houses of the Harry Potter franchise, there’s a tendency to think of Slytherin as the “evil house.” It has a reputation for turning out the most underhanded of witches and wizards, but that’s not entirely true.
Slytherin is a house of ambition and cunning. It’s for the pragmatists who know that sometimes bad things can be done for good reasons, that being nice isn’t always the best way to get something done, and that it’s okay to put yourself first on occasion. That’s why there are a surprisingly large number of superheroes who are Slytherins instead of the stereotypical heroic Gryffindor.
Batman (DC Comics)
Bruce Wayne is one slick vigilante. He maintains a cover as an arrogant playboy who doesn’t care about the rest of the world much during the day, and then dons a cowl to save it every night.
His ability to maintain a secret identity for decades would be enough cunning to land him in Slytherin. He’s also, however, someone who is willing to use every trick up his sleeve to bring people to justice - or at least, to his version of justice.
Nick Fury (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
If Batman is secretive, Nick Fury is the vault of secrets in the MCU. No one has more knowledge hidden from the people around him than the longtime director of SHIELD.
Fury demonstrates his pragmatism by taking a compartmentalized approach to his job. He controls what all of his agents have access to, and just how much they know about their missions. Fury also fakes his death in order to smoke out other spies. He even heads to space and allows himself to be impersonated on Earth so no one knows he’s gone. Fury is a master of deception and spycraft.
Kimberly Hart (Power Rangers)
The children’s series Mighty Morphin Power Rangers has earned a few comic book adaptations, a big-screen movie, and a recent reboot. In all of them is the character of Kimberly Hart. While she’s less of a mean girl in the original series than in the recent adaptations, Kimberly’s ambitious Slytherin nature is still present.
Kimberly understands that she can’t be a Power Ranger forever if she wants any chance at pursuing her own dreams. She gives up her status in order to become a gymnast. Of course, Kimberly is also pretty sneaky in the original version, able to convince Lord Zedd she’s become evil to buy herself time when kidnapped. She’s also pretty crafty in the reboot, tricking Trini into going over a cliff with her, and doing some very bad things to her old friends.
Sailor Venus (Sailor Moon)
While Sailor Moon is often thought of as the leader of her Sailor Senshi, it’s really Sailor Venus who is meant to be in charge of the group. Her natural leadership skills and her heroics might make some think she belongs in Gryffindor, but that’s not the case.
Minako is more than just the leader. She’s also a teenage girl who dreams of being a singer. She firmly believes that she can pursue that dream and still lead the Sailor Senshi. She’s also very adept at disguises and infiltration thanks to actually training with Interpol agents during her Sailor V days.
Elastigirl (Doom Patrol)
Rita finds herself a family in Doom Patrol. She grows into her role as a superhero while doing so. That doesn’t mean she’s lost her ambition or all of the selfish tendencies of her youth.
Rita is the type of person who is never satisfied with her life. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as it leaves her always trying to take another step forward. Sometimes, however, those steps are in her own self-interest instead of her team’s.
Black Widow (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Considering the Black Widow debuted in the MCU as the ace in Nick Fury’s pocket, it’s probably no surprise that she’s also a Slytherin. Natasha Romanoff has a checkered past, but she’s got a good heart.
Like Fury, Natasha wants to do the best thing for the largest amount of people. That means she’s willing to be the bad guy or the sacrifice to make things happen. Natasha has no problem being the person in the shadows or taking on different personas to get the job done.
Jaune Arc (RWBY)
Some might not consider the characters of RWBY superheroes, but Huntsmen certainly fill the role of vigilantes and secret agents in the Rooster Teeth series. Jaune Arc has also stepped up since the series first started.
Interestingly, Jaune’s hard work and determination might make some fans see him as a Hufflepuff, but Jaune has an underhanded streak a mile long. He’s cunning enough to figure out how to fake a Huntsman background and get himself into Beacon Academy despite not knowing much about how to actually be a Huntsman. Jaune tends to come up with plans a little out of leftfield that are just strange enough to work as well.
Laurel Lance (Arrow)
In the Arrowverse, fans have met multiple versions of Laurel Lance AKA the Black Canary. All of those versions of Laurel have been smart, stealthy, and ambitious.
The original Laurel steadily climbs the legal ladder of success until she’s no longer satisfied with her work. To honor her sister and make a difference, she becomes a vigilante. The next version of Laurel is a villain, but only because, like her predecessor, she’s unsatisfied in her life, and trying to follow her own ambition.
Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
To be sure, all of the brothers that make up the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are incredibly brave, stepping out of their hidden sewer home to become vigilantes in a world that would find them strange. Each of the brothers has a distinctive personality and motivations that would make them fit into different Hogwarts houses.
Raphael is the one brother who most often follows his own self-interest. He’s a rebel and a rule-breaker, skirting just outside of what he’s supposed to do so he can get what he wants. That doesn’t always work out for him.
Professor X (X-Men)
Professor Xavier isn’t your average superhero. He doesn’t often get into the fight because he’s a team builder. It’s how he builds his teams of X-Men that actually cements his place in Slytherin.
Xavier uses his own powers of telepathy to block the abilities of his students when he doesn’t trust them to handle what they can do. He also locks memories and hides truths from them in order to achieve his own dream of having a team of mutants who can be heroes for the people.