This week (today, in fact), our friends over at Boom! Studios are launching a little book called Soldier Zero, the first of three original series starring new characters created by the one, the only, Stan “the man” Lee. In order to commemorate this fantastic launch, the Multiversity Staff (AKA Matt, David and myself) got together and created a list of the very best characters Stan has brought to live over his nearly 50 year writing career. Want to know who made this most illustrious of cuts? Click below!
Created by Stan and the mighty Jack Kirby in 1966, Galactus officially upped the super villain ante. Think about his subtitle for a second…Galactus: Eater of Worlds. EATER. OF. WORLDS. Long before Celestials and God-Squads and Voids and Phoenixes, Galactus was the very top of the “dire threat” totem pole…and to many, he still is. While his origin was deepened and expanded upon by many over the years, even going so far as to assert that Galactus NEEDED to exist as a form of checks and balances for the universe, ground was truly broken when Stan and Jack decided that the next logical step after bank robbers, Asians with magic rings, Nazis with deformed skulls and walking lizard men was something that could and would DEVOUR THE ENTIRE PLANET.
9. The Wasp
Given the fact that her only power (for most of her existence anyway) was to grow really small and fly around, the impact Janet Van Dyne had on the Marvel Universe was immense. Helping found the Avengers and becoming one of its most prominent members throughout its 47 year-history helped make Jan one of the first and most prominent female super heroes. Deeper than that though, Jan proved to be one of the strongest willed characters seen in the medium, overcoming immense hardship and empowering herself past her tragedy to the point of forgiving the ones who caused it is an example many hope to achieve but few rarely do. Since her death a few years back, her legacy has lived on in all corners of the Marvel Universe, proving once and for all that the truly great characters are the ones that live on (especially if they aren’t immediately resurrected.)
7 (tie). Kang the Conqueror
If there is one trope of science fiction that is almost universally praised for the amount of ingenuity it can bring to a story, it’s that of time travel and venturing between alternate realities. This idea has been glorified in modern times with shows like Fringe, or even classic movies like Terminator and Back to the Future, but before all of those, a villain appeared in Avengers #8 named Kang who would soon have one of the most convoluted histories in all of the Marvel Universe thanks to time travel and alternate realities. Of course, he is also a supremely classic Avengers villain now, being the first to return for the Heroic Age in order to muck up some trouble for them. Kang is Kang, Immortus, Pharoah Rama-Tut, and Iron Lad, but most importantly he is an incredibly essential part of Avengers history and an absolutely classic villain.
7 (tie). The Silver Surfer
Over the years, Stan’s characters tended to adopt a healthly dose of symbolism, and one can’t help but notice the freed slave basis behind Norrin Radd, The Silver Surfer. Forced into indentured servitude by the Mighty Galactus, he eventually rebelled against the world devourer and went on to became one of the Marvel Universe’s most historically recognized cosmic characters. Appearing throughout the years in many different corners of the Marvel Universe, Silver Surfer in many ways became the most amoral entity in the Marvel Universe, often times being unable to grasp what good and evil really mean (as illustrated by his eventual return to Galactus’ side many years later.) However, this only makes his many acts of heroism and defense of the Universe that much more significant. While Stan may have created an actual Angel over in the X-Men, it is Norin Radd, The Silver Surfer, which is arguably the Marvel Universe’s most angelic character, showing once and for all that a complete outsider with immense power and no moral basis can eventually choose a righteous path.
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6. The Thing
Back in 1961, super heroes were, by and large, depicted as perfect human beings. Stocky analogues with perfect bodies and chiseled good looks…very much the idealized image humanity had for itself at the time (and sadly, continues to have.) This makes the creation of Ben Grimm, the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing that much more significant. Historically, super powers were viewed as a blessing to those that had them bestowed on them. Not so for Ben Grimm, as the same cosmic rays that gave him his immeasurable strength also turned him into a hideously deformed beast of a man, the first imperfect super hero the world had ever seen. In a lot of ways, Grimm’s origin and the nature of his deformity reads a LOT like the origin of a villain. However, he unwaveringly rose above his situation and became one of the most popular and recognizable characters in the history of the Marvel Universe and within the Marvel Universe itself, one of the most beloved people in the world. There are very few heroes that can’t call Grimm a friend or have attended one of his trademarked poker games, and such universally connected characters are rare in any shared universe, let alone ones that are giant orange rock-men.
4 (tie). Nick Fury
While there are many super-spies to choose from in the Marvel Universe, few can stack up to the original war hero of the Marvel Universe, Nick Fury. He has got to be one of the oldest characters in the MU that DIDN’T travel forward in time or get frozen in a block of ice like a lil’ punk. Relying only on his immeasurable cunning, wit, common sense and unwavering definition of right and wrong, Fury has been the backbone of the super hero community since the dawn of the Marvel Universe. Surviving this long but never really appearing to age, no one really knows just exactly old ol’ one eye actually is. But from leading the Howling Commandos to becoming the head of SHIELD to creating and leading the Secret Warriors, Fury’s trail of influence has blazed far and wide across the MU and his gruff, hard-nosed, often ruthless military tactics helped influence, mold and hone the abilities of countless other heroes in the MU and beyond.
4 (tie). Hawkeye
While not the first archer to fight side by side with beings that can topple mountains in the history of comic books, Clint Barton has become one of the most beloved heroes in the Marvel Universe and virtually synonymous with the everyman of the MU. However, more notable than that is the fact that Clint is one of the very first reformed villains in the history of the universe as he began his career as a super-talented pawn of the Black Widow, however he eventually realized the error of his ways and pledged to live a better life. His honesty and apparently integrity appealed to Iron Man, who sponsored him for membership in the Avengers, where he would remain for many years to come, becoming one of the heroes most synonymous with the organization. Many years and a few deaths and identity crises later and this modern day Robin Hood is now back, better than ever and back in the forefront of the MU once more, with all the wit and bravado that made him who he is in full effect.
3. Magneto
Much like others on this list, Magneto is much MUCH more than a simple super villain. He symbolizes something much greater than the comics medium itself, and the commentary on intolerance that Stan and Jack made by introducing him was one of the most enlightened portrayals of a real world issue seen at the time. Think about it: a mutant outcast fighting intolerance with intolerance? The message they were sending about the nature of the modern day American in the 60s was immensely powerful, and one that still resonates to this day. This impact is magnified when you consider his expanded origin which establishes him as a holocaust survivor. Now of course, Magneto himself has gone though more than a few shifts within that time: evil, good, back to evil, brain-dead, a child, a ruler of his own sovereign state, depowered, powered, father, lover and friend. Given all these shifts, it’s hard to see what the future holds for Magneto (especially given that he is now a respected member of the team he spent years trying to kill), but whatever it is it will almost assuredly be motivated by his strong will and strict belief in what he perceives to be righteous.
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2. Dr. Doom
While many super-villains have come and gone, none have been as ever-present as Victor Von Doom. One of the most ruthless characters in the history of the Marvel Universe, no matter how much he is overused as an *insert villain here*, he always seems to come across as a credible threat. And why wouldn’t he? A technological mastermind that also happens to be an immensely powerful dark wizard and a tyrannical dictator of his own freakin’ country? Nearly every major heroic player in the Marvel Universe is threatened by this guy, which speaks volumes of not only his resilient nature, but the writers that have handled him over the years. Creating an honest to God credible threat in comic books these days, especially given the revolving door of death seen in many of them, is no easy task, and the fact that Doom, even in his current weakened state, still strikes fear into the hearts of Marvel’s super heroes, proves that Stan really did know how to create characters with staying power.
1. The Amazing Spider-Man
While Stan Lee was responsible for creating literally hundreds of original characters over the last six decades, none have made more of an impact or become more recognizable than Peter Parker; The Amazing Spider-Man. First appearing in Amazing Fantasy #15 in August of 1962, Lee and artist Steve Ditko concieved an everyman that was relatable to the majority of the young, comic-book reading populace: a young, nerdy orphan boy that went to school every day only to face ridicule and torment. Then one day this boy, through a cliche post-war paranoia influenced fluke is given immense power. And yet, when he misused said power for personal gain, he learned a valuable lesson as he indirectly caused the murder of his beloved Uncle Ben. However, taking his Uncle’s mantra “with great power comes great responsibility” to heart, Peter dedicated his life to using his power to better the situations of those around him, often to the point of worsening his own life to do it.
All good characters should keep us entertained, but all GREAT characters should inspire us, breaking out of their fictional boundaries and becoming a cornerstone of how we life our life, if only by reminding us to be mindful of our fellow man. More than anything, Peter Parker teaches us that no matter where we come from or the kind of people we are at any given moment, we can all rise up and make a difference.
Oh. And before we go, we have one more member to this list.
UNQUESTIONED, BIGGER THAN THE BIGGEST CHAMPION #0…
‘Nuff said.
