The 100 best Marvel characters ranked: 100-81
Counting down the top superheroes, sidekicks, and villains from every Marvel movie and TV series
Film Features the X-Men
Since long before it was officially a cinematic universe, Marvel has been a pillar of pop culture, not simply telling stories (some well-established, others wholly original) that entertained audiences across the globe, but inspiring them through characters, ideas, and even values. Given Marvel’s expansive pantheon, picking out favorite characters—at least since the company’s canon started getting translated into films and TV shows—requires a careful triangulation of casting, filmmaking creativity, and in some cases, sheer longevity.
For example, everyone loves Spider-Man, but which Spider-Man? The same applies to Daredevil, Hulk, and a variety of X-Men characters, each of whom has offered different dimensions of iconic comics characters that many of us have worshipped since we were in short pants.
To that end, The A.V. Club has assembled our ranking of the top 100 Marvel characters on screens big and small. Some have served as de facto cornerstones for the evolution of the MCU, highly active across multiple storylines and platforms, while others simply made an immediate and unforgettable impression, exemplifying a heroism—or villainy—that’s complex, believable, even sympathetic. There are also those characters we just thrill at seeing on the screen, creating a fun, unforgettable moment, TV show, or movie that stands out in Marvel’s ever-increasing canon.
Our countdown kicks off with the characters who ranked from 100–81 (come back tomorrow to see who superhero-landed in our 80–61 section). You might not agree with our placement for some of these beloved heroes, sidekicks, and villains—and that’s OK. These fictional beings resonate with each of us in different ways. And while the placement subjective, based on our big nerdy hearts, it also figures to change as new Marvel projects arrive.
66 Comments
Bullseye is one of the best parts of Daredevil. He’s an absolute blast and Farrell is great in the role.It’s very much of its moment and time but I have a lot of love for Daredevil (particularly its director’s cut).
I’m on of the few people I know that likes the Daredevil movie, but that director’s cut is a genuinely good film, and I’m sad more people haven’t seen it.
I keep saying it, but the Daredevil movie does some things better than the Daredevil show, namely how it depicts his blindness and his powers.
It also had narrative momentum and didn’t feel like it was wheel-spinning constantly to justify its runtime.
I still don’t think it’s any good, but yeah, Farrell is the best part of it.
With Michael Clarke Duncan’s Kingpin in second place. He was born to play the role, and it’s a damn shame the film around him wasn’t good.
Damn right. He’s brilliant in the role.
To me, Daredevil is one really good movie and another silly-but-decent movie crammed together to create a crappy movie. Like, they start out with a serious, relatively grounded take on the character. Sure, Matt Murdock can do a lot of insane stuff, but it’s immediately shown how all that takes a massive toll on his body. He’s taking a hundred different painkillers and his cranked-up senses mean that he can only get any peace by sealing himself inside a sensory depravation tank. It hints at Catholic guilt and vigilantism-as-self-flagellation and the fundamental conflict of being both a lawyer and a vigilante, along with an overwhelming sense of isolation. There’s this serious, character-based setup that shortly gets jettisoned in favor of an absurd meet-cute martial arts fight on a playground with . . . let’s say . . . questionable physics. The tonal whiplash is so severe there should be a class action suit advertised on late-night TV.
At the end of the year, when we get a 10-part series of the Top 200 G/O Media Slideshows, will this 5-part series count as one single entry, or will each part get its own spot on the list?
Mantis is my top 25, so fun and I enjoy watching her explore the complexities and perplexities of emotions.
At no point is Ultron scary. He’s dull and he refuses to shut up. He’s like a villain in a Moore-era Bond flick.
Him limping around chewing scenery as the garbage pile is pretty “scary”. We don’t mean an adult literally had to pull the covers up and hide or anything.
Which kinda works because his personally is modeled after Tony and Stark would be an irrational asshole if not for RDJs crazy level of charisma. Spaders voice along can’t do that
I think the problem with Ultron is that James Spader’s style of snark is completely different from RDJs style of snark. You don’t really feel like one came from the other. Also, Age of Ultron never bothered to answer the question of why Ultron goes all genocide-happy immediately after being “born”. Doctor Cho literally asks that exact question and it’s never answered.
I would say I used to like The Collector, until I saw Del Toro’s absolutely awful character in the Rise of Skywalker, and realised that (as mentioned here) his whole shtick is just to dress up and act kerrrrazy. It’s retrospectively ruined The Collector for me. Should’ve just given it to Goldblum, they’re much the same character in the MCU anyway.
I’m glad they finally made a 17 year olds aunt ~45 instead of ~70. That never made any sense.
I always assumed May was always around 45-50 , and people in the 1960s just looked older , like REALLY older .
“Oh, yes, dearie, we aged faster. When we tripped the fuck out at Woodstock and ended up fucking the dealer for more acid in the mud in the middle of the day, we really didn’t think about sun protection.”
I’m keen to see the list of characters who didn’t make the top 100.
Peter Quill, God willing.
Here’s one.
Shang-Chi wasn’t quite as good as it was hyped up to be, but Tony Leung was amazing in it – and not for nothing, *distressingly* hot.
A few thoughts on this fine July 4thFuck slide showsThis seems like a very lazy articleWe should treat the Punisher like mass shooters in this country and just never mention him by name or talk about his exploits. When the most terrible real life people put his symbol on things, it was time to stop caring about this character. Shoot him into the sun wearing a sign that says “Suck dick Nazis and abusive police assholes”Why is Aunt May on this list? She’s great, Marisa Tomei is great but she is neither a super hero or villain. If you just want to make this a top 100 list of all characters in the MCU that’s fine but don’t say heroes and villains and then add support characters that kinda aren’t either.
I like Bernthal’s casting as the Punisher. I think he’s the best one yet. Admittedly, his best moments were actually his introduction in season 2 of Daredevil. By the finale of the Punisher series, he was a disgusting caricature of his former self, just to give comic book fans a “FUCK YEAH” moment, posing Bernthal in the iconic skull shirt with two huge fucking guns pose, shooting up a warehouse full of faceless baddies.
Agreed with Marisa Tomei’s Aunt May. She’s fine but doesn’t belong on this list.
The Punisher is a tricky one. Should we let the alt-right co-opt him and that’s the end of that? Bernthal, the comic creators, just about everyone involved with the character has denounced those associations. There’s an active effort to reclaim Frank Castle because most people feel that no, the assholes shouldn’t be allowed to ‘have him.’
Bernthal, the comic creators, just about everyone involved with the character has denounced those associations. It’s interesting to remember that at one point Brian Garfield intended his book Death Wish to be a criticism of vigilantism. Then they adapted the book into a movie and suddenly Paul Kersey is a hero with almost none of the ambiguities of the original character, and would become more heroic and less ambiguous with every stupid sequel.
Yeah, the first Death Wish was fine. It has more to do with the trauma of the murder of his wife and the brutal rape of his daughter and how he tries to cope with it. The first time he pulls the trigger, he gets physically ill over what he’d just done.Everything after that was just another jingoistic Dirty Harry killing spree where he goes out of his way, looking for trouble.
It’s the kind of the whole point of the first film that unlike the sequels and remakes and wannabes Kersey never does catch the criminals which cause him to be a vigilante. He just takes on random muggers in the hope that his actions will amount to something.
The Punisher has a new solo book out, and it’s quite good. Fortunately for you, no one’s forcing you to read it. But the fact that it exists and is selling proves the people offended by the character are an outspoken minority.
I never said I was offended by the character. Just what terrible people thinks he stands for.
Trouble is, sales figures can’t differentiate between readers who enjoy the character as an anti-hero (of which there are many), and those who admire him as their hero (of which one is too many), projecting his broad rage against “bad people” onto their own, far more demographically specific, hatreds.
I get what you’re saying, but I don’t agree. I love the Punisher because I enjoy antiheroes, and while there may be readers out there who enjoy the character for the “wrong” reasons, it’s not up to me or you to tell them they’re not allowed to read the comic. I think that’s just a form of gatekeeping. “Oh, you’re not a true fan because you don’t GET the character, you’re not supposed to root for him, he’s a cautionary tale against such and such, etc.” It’s saying your interpretation of the character is the only valid one, and everyone who extrapolates something different is wrong and not worthy of reading the title. It’s the same old toxic fandom with a social justice veneer. Another example is people saying conservatives shouldn’t like Star Trek because it goes against what the show stands for, but that’s a whole other can of worms.
Totally agreed. It’s like the people who hate Man of Steel, which fine, it’s a movie which has issues, but it’s interpretation of Superman is consistent with the characters as depicted in plenty of comics over the years.As someone who has loved Superman comics, films and tv shows for decades, I utterly disagree with the idea that I “just don’t understand Superman” because I enjoyed Man of Steel and enjoyed Henry Cavill’s take on him.
It’s odd when I hear people say they are huge Superman fans and love Zack Snyders take on him because I don’t think Snyder likes Superman. At least the Superman I know from comics. He’s to obsessed with the “God among men” aspect of the character and not the humble country kid. Honestly it’s even worse what he does to the Kents. Pa Kent telling him how he shouldn’t save people and Ma Kent telling him “You don’t owe them anything” is so counter what they stand for its character assassination. I mean like what you like. Not gonna say you “aren’t a fan” or anything but it’s just odd to me. Personally I’ll take something like All Star Superman over Snyders version any day
I get what you’re saying, for sure but I don’t see the humble country kid and the god among men aspects as being mutually exclusive. They’re different shades of the same character.There’s been great comics (among the 84 years of publication we’ve had) which have given both aspects a good showing. Superman For All Seasons, some of Byrne’s stuff are great with the stuff you’re a fan of.
The lonely god stuff has had some equally compelling stories – Some of Grant Morrison’s stuff during the JLA run they did with Howard Porter. Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee’s For Tomorrow is excellent and has one of the most striking sequences of what it would be like for a normal person to encounter someone as powerful as Superman if he chose to intervene in a war situation.All Star Superman is great! It’s a great read and a comic I loved reading when it was coming out. I should re-read it again.I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s absolutely possible to like both! I do!
It’s not that someone isn’t “allowed” to enjoy a character for the “wrong” reasons, it’s that the real-world damage done by the people who venerate the character can make it damn hard to enjoy the fiction of the anti-hero vigilante. Like, I used to love crazy batshit conspiracy theories because they were fun and weird and imaginative. Now all the fun has been sucked out of it because of the tremendous harm actual batshit conspiracy theories have done over the last few years.
Looking at your post history I can tell why you are a fan of the Punisher
Oh, stop. “Banning” the character would have the opposite of the intended effect. Use your brain.
Maybe they changed the title, but the post I’m reading is absolutely called the 100 Best Marvel Characters.
The title was the same but the text of the piece yesterday referenced heroes and villains. The sidekicks line was added today and changed from yesterdays. I’m pretty sure. I was drinking a lot yesterday
I guess we should do away with all villains in media then, eh? Only GOOD people allowed!
This is some real bottom-of-the-barrel Kinja shit. RIP AV Club.
100-81 Review: Nightcrawler’s too low. Venom’s too high. The rest work for me.
More like Aunt MILF, amirite?-countless bros circa Civil War’s release
Is the list just based on comics? I’m confused because if yes, Cable, Electro etc should be way up and Ultron must be in the top 10.
If not, y’all just praised Bale’s Gorr as the Best MCU villain since Killmonger and and then went “anyhoo, next up is Mariah Hill who was somewhere there in the MCU”.
Wait, is this written by AI? It must be written by AI, after machine learning combing through each of the credited writer’s previous articles.
We’ll know its written by an AI if Jarvis is number two and F.R.I.D.A.Y is number one . Actually Friday should be number one dammit!:
“Targeting system’s knackered, boss.”I mean that’s the first time anyone in any marvel universe has actually written an Irish* characters dialog and it didn’t sound like a terrible stereotype!(I mean she sounds Irish , also I dunno , her chip was an Intel one that came from their Leixlip plant ..look work with me here people!!)
America Chavez? From that movie I just watched? That’s a push, guys. Even for a list that includes Foxx’s Electro.
I know the point of this post is to generate clicks, but c’mon. First off, slide shows suck. Second, the MCU/X-Men/Marvel movies have way over 100 characters, so what is the criteria here? Is the kid from ASM2 who stands up to the Rhino going to make the list? Old Loki is on it and… I have no idea why. Also, what makes these characters “best”?I know that these are dumb questions, but it is a dumb article. But you got me to comment, so congrats.
“Lenticular” means “being shaped like a lentil.”
Maria Hill could have been a little higher, an underrated part of the Avengers movies
I did like her reveal in Winter Soldier.
Close to the best part of IMO one of the best Marvel movies
Her undercover work in Canada was legendary.
She was deep, deep undercover for SHIELDMelinda May never let her hear the end of that
Placing Yondu at 90 and Pepper Potts at 85 … talk about not understanding the assignment.
How did this not start with all the Inhumans not named Lockjaw? Edit: and honestly most of the Eternals
I thought Anson Mount was a good Black Bolt. It’s not his fault the rest of that show was a dumpster fire.
Fair
Are we even sure they will make the list? We haven’t seen Iron Fist either, and they’re definitely not going to say nice things about him either.
Because they all occupy spots beyond #100, and behind the camera-truck Stark superfan from Iron Man 3.
This may very well be the laziest and worst list I’ve seen on this site. Cannot WAIT to see how the rest go since, apparently there’s no criteria as to how these are ranked. Also, just thrilled it’s another sideshow.
I have a sad suspicion the none of the Agents of Shield (other than Coulson) will make the list unless the staff here bends the rules and gives them all a single slot. (All Agents of Shield from the ABC TV show… in a bundle, feels to me like they should rank between 13th and 7th out of 100.) Breaking them up though… would/should Fitz-Simmons rank? Malinda May? Quake? General Talbot/Graviton? Idk. The show stuck the landing in a way that 80% of the MCU shows haven’t yet. But that’s show – not individual characters. So, we’ll see.Anyway, interested to see where Wesley Snipes lands.
That’s way, way WAY too many Marvel characters. Wake me up at … ten, I guess?
American Chavez looks so funny when she runs it really adds some levity to the movie, she’s running in almost every scene she’s in
BTW, will you be including both Howard Starks?
ANY MARVEL LIST WITHOUT… THE THING, THE HUMAN TORCH, DR. DOOM & THE SILVER SURFER IS A JOKE