The Marvel Cinematic Universe is a rich and colorful world, with many interesting characters that people love… or love to hate.
Here, we list the best characters in the Marvel Universe, judging them based on their character development and personality.
Top 20 Best Marvel Characters of All Time
1. Iron Man
Tony Stark has flaws that make him relatable. He starts as an arrogant engineer kidnapped by a syndicate who wanted him to create a deadly weapon.
Instead of giving the syndicate what they wanted, Tony Stark created a suit to help him escape. He became Iron Man and the founding member of the Avengers with the help of Nick Fury.
In Endgame, his character arc comes full circle when he performs the ultimate sacrifice, which was to become a suit of armor to the world.
Read: Top Iron Man Gifts
2. Spider-Man
Peter Parker was only in high school when he got bit by a radioactive spider, making him one of the youngest Marvel heroes in the Marvel Universe.
Spider-Man can shoot webs and climb walls vertically.
The young hero is optimistic yet quite reckless. He fights bad guys with a laugh… yet still can’t muster enough courage to ask his crush MJ out.
Read: Top 50 Marvel Gifts
3. Professor X
Professor X was born a telepath who can control and influence other people’s minds.
He founded a school for gifted young people aptly named Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters in the Marvel Universe and taught confused and frightened mutants how best to use their powers.
Notable alumni include Marvel characters like Jean Grey and Cyclops.
4. Thor
Thor wields the mighty Mjolnir, making him one of the strongest Marvel characters.
He is the son of Odin and Earth-goddess Gaea, making him a powerful yet arrogant hybrid god of Asgard.
Odin makes him learn the value of humility. He has him exiled to Earth, where he begins life as a doctor named Donald Blake alongside nurse Jane Foster.
When his father discovers his profound changes, he asks him to come home, but Thor refuses.
He loses his weapon and arm while fighting villains in both realms but doesn’t lose his drive to become one of the most powerful characters.
Read: Thor vs Captain Marvel
5. Captain America
When Steve Rogers first volunteered to defend America in World War Two, he was rejected due to his scrawny physique.
He was, however, chosen to become a participant in an experiment called “Project: Rebirth.”
Little did he know that this was a trial to create super soldiers by using a serum to grant them immensely powerful superhuman strength.
He becomes a secret soldier of the country and dons a red, white, and blue costume, thus becoming the hero Captain America.
He is best friends with Bucky Barnes, who becomes the Winter Soldier.
He strongly upholds wanting to do what is right all the time… even if it means fighting against his teammates in Avengers: Civil War.
Also Read: Red Guardian vs Captain America
6. Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff was trained as an agent under the Black Widow Program. As a longtime opponent of the Avengers, Hawkeye was sent to get rid of her… but he saved her instead.
Completely turning her back on her old life, Black Widow becomes a member of both the Avengers and SHIELD. She didn’t lose her torturous ways, though, preferring to use brutality against villains.
In Endgame, the female hero seeks redemption for her past misdeeds and sacrifices herself to bring back those lost.
Read: When Does Black Widow Take Place in the MCU Timeline
7. Phoenix
As far as she could remember, Jean Grey, aka Phoenix, has always had telekinetic abilities.
She is one of the founding members of the X-men and is an instructor at Professor X’s school.
She is extremely compassionate and always puts other people first. She believes in peace and hopes that humans and mutants will be able to coexist without prejudice one day.
Read: Marvel vs DC
8. Black Panther
What happened to Chadwick Boseman was unfortunate, but his performance as T’Challa in the Black Panther movie paved the way for heroes and cultures of African American origin.
Black Panther is a title that is passed down to the King of Wakanda. The black and silver suit is made from vibranium, one of the strongest elements in the Marvel universe.
He is one of the greatest heroes, always ready to defend Wakanda against anyone who threatens to disrupt its peace.
Read: Top 45 Marvel Quotes
9. Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, was initially a supervillain on Team Magneto. She wields incredible power and can even be the strongest in the entire Marvel Universe.
She realizes that she is fighting for the wrong team and joins our heroes. She is incredibly caring to those important to her and is devoted to protecting innocents.
Read: How Long Would It Take to Watch All MCU Movies
10. Ant-Man
Ant-Man starts as an antihero… after all, Scott Lang spent some time in prison before becoming the bite-sized hero.
He was personally recommended by Falcon to become an official member of the Avengers and helped in obtaining the Infinity Stones from the micro-universe.
He is a good guy and is always pushing himself to try new things.
11. Falcon
Falcon is extremely loyal to Captain America. In fact, he was personally chosen by Captain himself to carry his shield when he made the decision to retire to a past timeline.
In the Marvel comic books, he becomes Captain America himself.
Sam Wilson worked in the United States Air Force before joining the Avengers. He is a powerful war machine on wings whose reliability makes him one of the best Marvel heroes.
12. Gamora
For some reason, Thanos spared Gamora when he wiped her entire species out. He raised her like a daughter and trained her to become a deadly assassin.
Because of this, Gamora knew Thanos better than anyone else, and she showed bravery and willingness to do whatever it took to bring him down, even if it meant sacrificing her own life.
Read: Marvel Painting Ideas & Tips
13. Doctor Strange
Stephen Strange starts as an obnoxious surgeon who came to his senses after a car accident rendered him useless.
Desperate to find a solution, he dabbled in voodoo and visited the Ancient One in the East.
The Ancient One didn’t only restore his skills but also taught the character mysticism and magic (and a bit of humility).
He eventually becomes a member of the Avengers and in their fights against villains.
Read: Best Way To Watch Marvel Movies
14. Star-Lord
Born on Earth but raised in Space, half-human Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord, spearheaded the Guardians of the Galaxy.
This treasure hunter is devious and cheeky, but deep down, he is extremely sentimental about things he cares for.
Don’t believe us? Get this: the heroes would’ve easily won the first time they faced Thanos if it weren’t for his emotions over Gamora’s death in Infinity War.
15. Hawkeye
Although Hawkeye is deadly when he’s armed with his bow and arrow, he’s obviously the weakest among the Marvel superheroes.
Clint Barton is a family man, putting his wife and kids above everything. He understands that the world needs him… but his family needs him more.
16. Wolverine
Wolverine is an integral part of X-men. He was born a sickly kid in the 1880s until his powers manifested and bone claws came out of his knuckles. He eventually got recruited by Professor X.
While Wolverine favors action over reason, his heart remains in the right place. It also wouldn’t hurt for him to tone down the violence once in a while.
Read: Wolverine vs Hulk
17. Hulk
The green-skinned Hulk is a powerful hero that can crush everything he gets his palms on. Bruce Banner wasn’t always this way, though.
After the accidental explosion of a gamma bomb, the physicist gets exposed to radiation and discovers that he could turn green and strong when he gets angry.
Bruce loathes himself for being unable to control the monster inside him and hopes to find a way to guide his alter-ego in the right direction.
18. Silver Surfer
When Galactus came to his planet to devour it, Norrin Rodd offered himself as herald instead.
Galactus took him up on his offer and granted him powers, which turned him silver and indestructible, as well as a surfboard so that he may search the universe at the speed of light.
He lost his memory in the process.
He met the Fantastic Four heroes who helped him rediscover his old self when he landed on Earth. With the help of the Fantastic Four, he managed to defeat Galactus.
19. Daredevil
Matt Murdock was bullied because his father wanted him to stay home and study instead of roughhousing out in the streets.
His kind heart led him to save an oblivious blind man crossing the street towards an oncoming truck.
The truck crashed, and its contents — which turned out to be a radioactive isotope — spilled out and blinded Matt but granted him superhuman senses.
Daredevil is a lawyer by day and at the same time a crimefighter at night and sees helping innocents as a personal duty.
20. Captain Marvel
After being exposed to the Tesseract, US Air Force pilot Carol Danvers obtained cosmic powers, making her one of the strongest heroes in the entire Marvel universe.
However, she lost all memory of being Carol Danvers after the Kree kidnapped her.
During a chance landing on Earth, she had glimpses of her past life and discovered that the Kree was using her all along.
Captain Marvel is one of the strongest Marvel heroes, although she doesn’t like answering to anyone.
Read: Captain Marvel vs Ms Marvel
FAQs
Who is the most hated Marvel superhero?
We’re not sure why people hate Captain Marvel. Perhaps it’s the way the character is portrayed as being quite cocky?
Or perhaps they don’t like the way Brie Larson plays her? Either way, people think she took up way too much screen time for someone who is fairly new to the franchise.
Who is everyone's favorite Avenger in the MCU?
In an online poll [1], heroes Iron Man and Captain America tied for the favorite Avenger spot.
It’s no wonder these two are on top as they are extremely charismatic characters portrayed by effective actors.
Let’s Sum It Up!
The Marvel Universe [2] is a complex world with thousands of different characters in the MCU movies, each with their unique personalities.
If you’re a fan of the universe, check out our Marvel merch at Toynk.
References:
1. https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/article/iron-man-captain-america-voted-favorite-avengers
2. https://www.marvel.com/
