My Top Five Favorite Marvel Characters

I've thought about this for a while, but haven't written about it here. Since this is a comic book blog, I figured I would take a few moments to talk about my top five, favorite Marvel Characters. I know the Avengers are the hot thing now, but you won't see one traditional Avenger show up on my list. I've long since been a fan of the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, so you will probably see that reflected in my list. So here we go, in descending order.

5. Power Man/Iron Fist - I know these are two distinct characters, but I think they have done just as much good together as they did apart. This is my favorite comic book, buddy cop team. You have a black guy (Power Man/Luke Cage) who is from the streets of Harlem and was experimented on in prison to gain super strength and steel hard skin. You have a white guy who was raised in the mystical city of K'un L'un where he became a partial arts master with a technique called the Iron Fist. These two characters couldn't be more different and yet they just work together. Although Power Man's costume is really goofy and Iron Fist's oversized collar and kung fu slippers are ridiculous, they lend themselves to their iconic look. They are also very much a product of the blaxploitation and kung fu films of the era in which they were created. I honestly couldn't put my finger on what makes these two my guys. Or maybe it is because Kung Fu and blaxploitation films are among my favorites. There you go. We cracked the code.

4. Spider-Man - You may start to see a theme with my favorites, but I am drawn to characters that never quit. Spider-Man is the quintessential guy who never gives up, despite the odds. Writers have always seemed to heap the worst events on Spider-Man, but he never backs down. You know, other than that huge misstep with "Brand New Day", where he literally makes a deal with the devil to save his aunt and annul his marriage. Outside of that blight to his record, he has always remained a favorite of mine. He has an iconic look and a tragic back story. Until the Iron Man movies, he was the quintessential Marvel character. He still has a balloon in the Macy's Day parade! He is even my #1 guy in the Marvel Super Heroes and Marvel vs. Capcom fighting games.

3. Wolverine - The luster has come off Wolverine a little. There has always been an over-saturation of Wolverine comic appearances in the market, but these past few years have been unkind. Mostly because they had him on twenty different teams at any given time. His healing factor became utterly ridiculous and then disappeared altogether. My love for Wolverine comes from the version you saw in the 80's and 90's. You know, the guy that is the best at what he does. The cigar chomping, beer drinking, tough as nails 5'3'' guy from the X-Men. The one who was a mentor to younger characters (Kitty Pryde, Jubilee) and was also a samurai. He always had a cool look and cool powers. Like Spider-Man, he is a guy that never quits. His healing factor does help a lot with that, but it's about the personality behind it. Then the X-Men movies happened and they tried to make him into Hugh Jackman, growing him about a foot. Part of his charm was that he was the short guy with a chip on his shoulder. That's my version of Wolverine and why he is on this list.

2. The Thing - Over the years, I have really grown to love the Thing. Here's why. He's just a blue-collar guy with a heart of gold. Even though writers have gone to the well too many times, he is truly a tragic figure. Here's a guy who watched his friends get cool powers, but retained the look of normal people while he's trapped in a body made entirely of rock and all the problems that entails. His most steady girlfriend is a blind sculptress. Just let that sink in for a moment. At his best, he is a guy who never gives up (I told you I had a theme) and always has his friends' backs. This is a guy who although constantly outmatched, never backs down from a fight with the Hulk. I think that is where he always won me over. He knows he can't win, but he doesn't stop trying. He also has a cool, unique look. Maybe I just have a THING for bruisers, as this list has been leaning towards.

1. Black Panther - Within the past decade, Black Panther has jumped to the top of my list of favorite characters. My only regret is that I didn't appreciate him more as a kid. Somehow, I did not really know of his existence. Also, that wonderful series by Christopher Priest had not happened yet. You have no idea how hard it is to read comic books as a kid and not find a representation of yourself in those very books. It's even more rare to find someone who is not an embarrassment (i.e. Rage). This is a character I can be proud of. I like that he is a regal character who is always thinking a couple of steps ahead of his enemy. He is the leader of a fictional African nation that is at the cusp of development in the world. He is well respected by fellow heroes. His costumes have a sleek, simplistic look. I also like that he has the fighting skills to back it up. If he has a weakness, it's that he really doesn't have a rogue's gallery. I can forgive that though. Also, he is about to show up in the next Captain America and then have his own movie in 2017!