| abstract
| - 25. Quill (Maxwell Jordan) Nominated by: Anagram This was really the most no-brainer one on the list. With only a short life span, Quill was a pretty shallow X-Man that I never really connected to or cared about. Being a class clown only really gets you so far, and though Quill showed promise as a thief, ultimately, Quill really wasn't one of the X-Men that was going to go places. Add on top of that a boring, pretty useless power against the villains the X-Men regularly face, and you instantly realize that there are far better X-Men characters out there that are much more developed and interesting. 24. Cyclops (Scott Summers) Nominated by: crazy_toon_69 Cyclops is really terrible. When he's not busy being a smug dick, he's busy being a depressed loser who complains about being alone despite a wealthy amount of friends and romantic attachments. It's just sad that despite a 50 year history and millions of wacky things that have happened to Cyclops, he's basically the same character he was when he first debuted. You might say there's some merit to this, but when you look at the other characters that debuted alongside him, Cyclops is really lagging in the character development box. It hurts because realistically, Cyclops could become a great character with the proper writing. He's a classical flawed hero, a potentially great leader hampered by self-doubt and anger. But in the direction Cyclops is going now, it doesn't seem like any changes are coming soon. Cyclops seems forever destined to be one of the most boring X-Men around despite having a large history. 23. Paste-Pot Pete (Peter Petruski) Nominated by: hylianknight3 Better known as the Trapster at this point, 'ol Paste-Pot isn't as funny as his name and media adaptations (*coughultimatespidermancough*) would have you believe. Basically, he's a low level D-List villain who's there to give heroes a nice morale boost when they're feeling down. Despite teaming up with practically every villain the Marvel Universe, he's never had a victory against any of his main rivals. The fact is, glue is not an effective weapon against the heroes of the MU. And his other gadgets at his disposal don't help much either. Still, he's not there to be one of the big threats. He's a flavor villain, best used as part of a larger team and best used with someone's fist in his face. And Paste Pot Pete serves that role well. 22. Shang-ChiNominated by: iiicon ! It takes a lot to get me invested in a kung-fu comic. Case in point, Shang-Chi. He's just not interesting to me, despite a wide range of skills and appearances. His stories are often dry and dull, with emphasis on fighting and action rather than character development and story. Recent appearances in Avengers don't change that either. Shang-Chi is just not a character for me, I've really got nothing else to say. I'm sure he's cool for some people, and I can see that totally, but I prefer my kung-fu to come in more of an "iron" package. But more on that at a later date. 21. Puck (Eugene Judd) Nominated by: Mega Mana Despite his low placement, I actually really like Puck. He's a very fun, colorful character, with powers to match his personality. I like that he actually enjoys being a superhero, wants to keep it up as long as he can, and doesn't care if people know his identity. Puck is a breath of fresh air in my opinion. Unfortunately though, despite his freshness, Puck has never really stepped into the spotlight or elevated his character to a higher point where I say, "Man, this guy is definitely one of my faves!" Puck is ultimately a very shallow character who I don't think will ever be put on a pedestal higher than he is now. Still, like I said, there is some good to be found in Puck, and he can still be an enjoyable character to read thanks his aforementioned personality. It's nice to have characters like this too; they round out teams and fill in a spot that would be empty otherwise. They're not meant to be spotlight stealers, and Puck is another character like Trapster who fills his role nicely without much more. 20. Mojo Nominated by: la_mayonesa Mojo is a weird character, isn't he? One of the mainstay villains of the X-Men universe, Mojo is simultaneously one of the most interesting villains and one of the worst. First of all though, Mojo is one of the butt ugliest characters in all of comics, if not the ugliest. Some cool art results from this at times, but what happens most of the time is that Mojo can end up looking like a green lifeless blob. But that's art. Let's talk about character. I really like the idea of an alien TV mogul in an alternate dystopian reality, but Mojo can really be all over the place in terms of dialogue, actions, and motivations. And though he may be a good villain by way of his unique reality and plans, Mojo is generally a drag on the whole thing. He's just not an interesting villain to read. But Mojo has potential a-plenty (especially with the Mojoverse) and with the right writer could become one of the best parodies of greedy executives around. If Mojo can become more of a constant threat with a singular writer, it could happen. Mojo just needs his big break. 19. Mr. Sinister (Nathaniel Essex)Nominated by: Wicklebee Introduced by Chris Claremont to be a more original villain, Mister Sinister is slowly approaching Norman Osborn levels of overuse, and it's a shame because Sinister has a lot of potential to be better than he currently is and is currently becoming. Sinister has always been a more psychological villain compared to the other assortment of X-Men baddies, and although even in early stories he falls prey to the Claremont trap of over explaining and over expositioning, Sinister was still an intriguing character and improved what were sub-par stories at best into really entertaining looks at the X-Men universe. Current Sinister is by far less interesting, his character diluted from bad writing and as mentioned previously, way too many appearances for a villain as dangerous as he is. All together, Sinister does have his moments (a really awesome run in the 1990s X-Factor is perhaps Sinister's best story), but he needs to go back to his roots to find what really made him great in the first place. 18. Stilt-Man (Wilbur Day) Nominated by: AfroSquirrel OK, I'll admit it, this guy makes me crack up. With a stupid name and stupid suit, Stilt-Man is certainly one of the more colorful characters to grace the pages of Marvel Comics. And can you believe this guy is a Daredevil rogue? Fits right in along with characters like Bullseye and Typhoid Mary, doesn't he? Similar to the Trapster, Stilt-Man is a complete failure of a villain who could never catch a break in any encounter with Daredevil or any other hero for that matter. I think he has more personality to offer than Trapster though. Stilt-Man is surprisingly one of the more human villains of Marvel, almost having a punch-clock villain relationship with Daredevil, even helping Matt when his suit got stolen. Hell, during his short redemption in Civil War, I even felt bad for the guy when Punisher just up and kills him. I absolutely love Punisher, but even I don't agree with that death. After all his trips and stumbles through a shaky history, Stilt-Man came close to capturing that brand of villain that just wants to go drink in a bar after he's done with all his villian-y things, something that Marvel has always struggled with villain wise. So, he's a cool one in my book. 17. Polaris (Lorna Dane) Nominated by: yellowwolley Ahhhh, X-Factor Investigations. So good! Part of that team: Polaris. A character I never really cared about until I read that series. She's a pretty cool character, but not one of the best on the team. Prior to that series, Polaris was largely a side character with a bland personality and not much interesting going on. Yet, she's the daughter of Magneto and has a pretty big history. Nothing major is ever really done with that relationship. Some stories show she loves and respects her father, and I like that, but I never felt that writers go too far beyond that. Luckily, X-Factor Investigations really gives her character a big boost, making her a quirky badass that fits right into the team's style. Much better than the weird crazy incarnation of Polaris and certainly a lot better than the bland character she was in years past. As long as Polaris stays with X-Factor, I think she'll be fine. Any more than that though, Polaris really doesn't fit that well. 16. Rocket Raccoon Nominated by: Silver_Ermine I'm gonna be honest here, Rocket Raccoon kinda bores me. He has a funny and fresh enough concept: a talking space raccoon who's a badass military genius. But really, past that, Rocket Raccoon never feels interesting or grabs my attention in any meaningful way. He's nice to have around, don't get me wrong; he adds a humorous layer to a team that's already one of the most colorful ones around. But his plotlines don't impress me and I feel much more engaged to the other team members, especially with stronger personalities like Star-Lord and Gamora. To me, Rocket's just there to make jokes andhave some funny moments with his team. Drama moments with Rocket just fall flat. Lastly, Rocket really runs the risk of being diluted into some kind of animal mascot for Marvel. While I'm hyped for the GotG movie, I just hope Marvel doesn't get too carried away with Rocket as the "cute animal mascot." 15. Ms. Marvel (Carol Danvers) Nominated by: FAHtastic Ms. Marvel is a very hit or miss character for me. In a lot of ways, she reminds me of Hawkgirl: a flying woman whose sole personality trait is "I'm a tough girl". But in a lot of ways, Ms. Marvel does well to break that trend over the years. She has very human problems that I feel writers portray very well, at least half of the time anyway. Outside of her pretty consistent and enjoyable solo series, appearances in Avengers and guest appearances elsewhere really don't cut it for me. Where a character like Polaris can work better on a team, Ms. Marvel works better solo, and it's obvious she was meant for that. Too many crowded team members who hog the spotlight drag Carol down. While I wasn't the biggest fan of her current Captain Marvel series at first, I've come to like it a little bit more. She's well characterized, and Carol's always had strong roots with the identity. Writers must know where a character belongs, and with Carol, I think that distinction is clear. 14. Gambit (Remy LeBeau) Nominated by: The Utility Man Gambit is cool and all, but I've never really considered him one of my top favorite X-Men. I can at least say he's always an enjoyable character to read, bolstering the X-Men considerably in terms of personality. But, his stories usually hover around the "good, not great" range and honestly, though there's no denying Gambit is an absolute main character of the X-Men, I feel that not enough is done with him. He's very rarely the focal point of X-Men stories; Gambit tends to benefit most from interactions with his teammates, so he gets to play a supporting role more often than not. Still, there's nothing wrong with a strong personality, and Gambit has that in spades. Sometimes, not hogging the spotlight is better for your character over all. As long as Gambit remains a fun, cool, charismatic character, he'll always be one I like. 13. Doctor Doom (Victor von Doom) Nominated by: Achromatic Ugh, Doctor Doom. Just hearing his name illicit a groan from me. Why though? He's not a bad character, certainly. He's a powerful, complex, well-characterized villain. He has plenty of cool moments too. But I don't know, he's just too overused to be a character I particularly love. The quality content is there, but there's also a lot of pedestrian stories that make me think Doom is boring and mis-characterized. Overall, I'd say I like Doom, but his appearances could do to be turned down a bit. I really love the various intricacies with Doom, all the little things that make Doom a fun character. And his rivalry with Mr. Fantastic is one of the best and most iconic. But, and this is a problem with a lot of Marvel villains, Doom has become too overused and thus really isn't a character I get excited by anymore. 12. Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) Nominated by: kenrmcha Kitty Pryde was a character I used to love a lot more. She was a very attractive character, with a fun personality and cool power. However, looking back, I feel like I really overrated her. Her first appearances in the Claremont era don't portray her in a good light at all. She starts off as a really annoying kid sidekick, with some of the most butt-ugly costumes in the business. Stories that follow try to make Kitty badass, but she wouldn't really receive much in the way of development until Kitty Pryde and Wolverine. I was never a big fan of Kitty's early years, but she did improve vastly once she joined Excalibur. I didn't really dig the character until Astonishing X-Men though. where I particularly enjoyed her relationship with Colossus. But then, she was infused in a bullet and disappeared for awhile. And when she came back, Kitty sorta went downhill. Wolverine and the X-Men (the comic, not the show) came by, Kitty got pregnant, she seemed directionless and pointless. And it turned me off of the character. I still think her appearances in Astonishing are quite good, but I think Kitty needs a well-deserved renaissance these days. 11. J. Jonah JamesonNominated by: LordoftheMorons J. Jonah has always been one of the best aspects of the Spider-Man mythos. Jonah has this amazing dynamic with Spider-Man that is always really well done, making him both one of Spider-Man's greatest enemies but also Peter's boss and reluctant "friend". Jonah is a very well-developed character, who constantly looks and re-evaluates his motives and how he affects other peoples' lives. This is most prevalent in modern stories, especially Civil War once he finds out Peter was Spider-Man. That was a very real conflict, and its handling of that point was done really gracefully in my opinion. Jonah starts lashing out at his friends, views Peter's identity as a betrayal; it's very human and really makes Jonah a character worth reading. He has a heavy impact on Spider-Man's world, responsible for the creation of Scorpion and even the Spider-Slayers. He's deeply rooted in the web-slinger's life, more so than say Aunt May or even Mary Jane who, while important, almost never play more than one role. That's what I like most about Jonah; he's a dual-sided character with deep roots, a heavy presence, and gives the world of Peter an uncertainty that isn't always cut-and-dry like some of his other villains. Beyond that, Jonah is also one of the funniest personalities in comics, and this has always translated well to big screens and small screens alike. He's a jaded old man with a temper, and his outbursts are always great. 10. Nightcrawler (Kurt Wagner) Nominated by: AdmiralZephyr I don't have too much to say about Nightcrawler. He's been one of the most consistently good X-Men since his debut, proving that he is both capable of being a star player and a well-rounded member of the X-Men. I've always thought that Kurt has the most well-developed relationships with his fellow X-Men; friendships with characters like Kitty and Colossus always felt real. Kurt has also been down some interesting paths, his priest storyline being a very well-written highlight. All in all, there's something interesting about a pacifist, Catholic superhero, and I think Nightcrawler succeeds at being a funny character with lots of drama and good characterization mixed in. 9. Wolverine (James Howlett) Nominated by: Great_Paul Wolverine may be the most overused character in the history of anything, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy his character. He differs a lot from Doctor Doom for me; I just think Wolverine's a lot more interesting, funny, and plus he just has the better stories. Thanks to a crapload of material that could fill an aircraft carrier, Wolverine has quite the number of gems in his vast history. He has plenty of duds too, but the good stories tend to stick out in my mind more, rather than the often boring stories I think of with Doctor Doom. Peter David's Hulk vs. Wolverine and Greg Rucka's Wolverine ongoing come to mind for me. And something like that pic, with Wolverine giving Nightcrawler a picture of himself, just proves that Wolverine is a special character with lots of great moments to back him up. And I like that despite his loner outlook on life, Wolverine works as a great team leader. Still, I'll be the the first to admit that Wolverine gets soft-rebooted too much and like I said, they're are plenty of duds. I mean, how many times is he going to go feral, or leave the X-Men, and oh lord, all of his sons. And how does he juggle all his team responsibilities? And he's using guns now? What? Well, whatever, if anything Wolverine is king of the gimmick. But I still love him. 8. Iron Fist (Daniel Rand) Nominated by: profDEADPOOL Here we go. The second kung-fu guy on this list. And he's leagues better than Shang-Chi. But why? It's simple really: he has more interesting stories and a better personality. Matt Fraction does a particularly great job of cobbling together the history of Iron Fist, making him more compelling for the modern age. In addition, Iron Fist has better dynamics with teammates and works better as a solo character than Shang. Not only that, but Fist's unique Iron Fist brand of kung-fu makes for a more interesting power set and better fight scenes. Iron Fist also one of the best team-ups in the business; his partnership with Luke Cage is exactly what a superhero team-up should look like. Iron Fist has been on the rise lately at Marvel, and that's a character boost I can get behind. Always compelling and always adding an interest dynamic to any story he's in, Iron Fist is definitely one of the most high-tier characters in the Marvel canon. 7. Emma Frost Nominated by: ecksgem Emma Frost is easily one of my favorite X-Men. Everything about her is spot on; dress style, personality, stories, it's all good. She works on so many levels: she can be such a b****, yet she can also be a good role model and teacher. She's been one of the X-Men's major antagonists, and now she's been a long standing member of the very team she opposed. There's a lot of duality here that makes Emma Frost really stand out. Even her relationship with Cyclops is made somewhat interesting, as Emma is a very sexually-oriented character, and there's a lot of tension there with that part of her life. Personality wise, Emma may not come across as the most interesting character in the room at all times, but, I think her dialogue is always enjoyable, and Emma can be a very scary figure, not afraid to threaten even the toughest X-Men like Wolverine. Emma is what keeps me invested in the current X-books, and she's had quite the share of funny and great moments in the current Uncanny X-Men series. And come on, there's no denying that Emma is one sexy individual! Some may see it as cheap, but I just view it as another part of her personality, and I wouldn't have her any other way honestly. Just had to post this moment 6. Gorr the God Butcher Nominated by: Murphiroth Gorr is unbelievably amazing. Easily my favorite Thor villain, Gorr turned up in what is probably the most memorable Thor arc ever written. A villain this cool and great only comes by once in a while. Backed by a revenge fueled origin story that is one of the most unique in the business, Gorr easily won me over with his mission, his weapon, and his actions, all rendered beautifully in the art of Esad Ribic. Gorr's trail of dead gods of course leads him into conflict with Thor, and their conflict is one of the best hero vs. villain battles you will ever witness in comic form or otherwise. I really cannot praise this character enough. Gorr is easily the best character debut of the 2010 decade so far. I only regret that Gorr was killed, possibly cutting off any future return. But its comics, so who knows. And besides, Gorr's death only makes him that much more memorable. 5. Captain Britain (Brian Braddock) Nominated by: scarletspeed7 Captain Britain is one of the most awesome Marvel creations, thanks largely in part to the renaissance brought to the character by Alan Moore and Alan Davis in the 1980s. Stated by Moore himself to be “the least interesting character in the room”, it’s largely true. Yet, despite this seeming disadvantage, it actually shifted things in the Captain’s favor. What resulted was a very realistic superhero, one who is decidedly human in his actions, and one that provides a solid ground for the reader as Britain goes up against larger than life villains like the Fury and Mad Jim Jaspers. This kind of character development is risky but pulled off spectacularly. It makes Braddock much more than a boring everyman hero, more than just “the British version of Captain America”. Britain was very much the antithesis to the other heroes of his time, and what we got was a character that seemed boring on the outside, but surprisingly made for a much more interesting character than what was originally let on. Writers like Paul Cornell would carry on this tradition, but for me, Britain will never me more in his prime than he was in Moore’s and Davis’ spectacular stories for the character. 4. Domino (Neena Thurman) Nominated by: ahirsch101 A few places short of my favorite X-Man, Domino has been one of the most consistently good Marvel characters of the past twenty years. She's someone that's always been steeped in the politics of the X-Men, providing deep looks into the other members, sometimes funny (like Deadpool) or serious (like Wolverine). I think what makes her a success is a really strong personality. She's not just your typical tough girl. Despite her powers and outward demeanor, Domino has shown that she can be very apprehensive, sad and cold, and even a bit soft. I've always liked that, and it's why her appearances with Deadpool are some of my favorite of hers. And it's also why more serious are like X-Force can work so well too. Domino is a very dynamic character like her powers, and is a character than can fit into almost any situation and be one of the best personalities in the room. 3. Moon Knight (Marc Spector) Nominated by: mcflubbin Moon Knight is one of those legendary Marvel characters, the kind you always hear praise of, and never spoken of in a bad light. And I agree completely. Moon Knight is a spectacular character, one of the best street level heroes in the entire business, a character with one or two missteps at the most in a sea of great stories. For some reason though, Moon Knight is almost always doomed to short running series and cancellation, and never succeeds that B-List/C-List bubble. Reading the Moon Knight Essential collection I picked up a few months ago made me appreciate just how realistic this character actually is. Despite being an inherently fantastical character with moon powers and Egyptian gods, Moon Knight's stories are quite grounded, focusing on street-level crime with criminals that don't get much tougher than a teen thug who just wants to do better. It's a nice new perspective and quite refreshing. Modern Moon Knight stories would largely abandon that side of things, refreshing Moon Knight with a multi-personality disorder that made things fun and interesting. And they're both equally valid. Moon Knight really represents that comic creativity, and I love that something new is always being done with him. Characters tend to get stale over the years, but Moon Knight will always remain something special in my opinion. 2. Venom (Eddie Brock) Nominated by: skull_bonek23 Eddie's not my favorite Venom, but damn is he good. He's such a classic villain, his early appearances being especially good. He's such a dynamic villain, and is a very personal villain to Peter, considering he was the last owner of the symbiote. But I love that he also has this sense of justice, and has no qualms about being a hero when the need arises. And he's just such a cool villain. I'm a big fan of symbiotes and their powersets and designs, they're some of my favorite designs in the entirety of comics. And I love dangerous villains, Venom providing a formidable opponent in strength and psychology too. But honestly, his whole schtick gets really stale by the time you get to mid-90s stuff, and this is why he's not my favorite Venom, and it's a problem the #1 on my list doesn't have. Venom's early stuff is still fantastic though, and I'll always love Peter's and Eddie's rivalry there. 1. Taskmaster (Tony Masters) Nominated by: TheArkOfTurus And here we are: #1. Taskmaster is amazing and placed solidly as my 5th favorite Marvel character. Taskmaster is a winner in all areas of his character. Awesome original power, great personality, interesting varied history, plenty of great and memorable moments, and well-done interactions with other characters. Taskmaster is a pretty perfect character, perhaps even more so than characters I like more above him. I love that he doesn't fit any one particular archetype. His past is mysterious, however that's his own fault. He can serve as a dangerous villain to the Avengers, yet can become a drill instructor for the Initiative. He's superpowered, yet his powers actively hurt him. And hell, even his powers aren't a sure bet as shown when he couldn't copy Agent X's moves. And what other superpowered individual gets actively hurt by their power anyway? And then there's Taskmaster and Deadpool, one of the funniest relationships ever. Taskmaster is just such a fun and great character, and he's entirely deserving of this coveted #1 spot.
|
![[RDF Data]](/fct/images/sw-rdf-blue.png)