The Most Popular Marvel Hero?

The Enduring Legacy of Marvel’s Beloved Hero

From comic book pages to blockbuster movies, Spider-Man stands as a cultural icon, captivating audiences for decades. Explore the origins, evolution, and impact of this web-slinging hero, tracing his journey from Peter Parker’s humble beginnings to his status as one of Marvel’s most cherished characters.

10 The Scarlet Witch

• Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) uses her magical powers in the MCU Miniseires Wanda Vision

Scarlet Witch has done incredible things, but she has been popular for a long time. She joined the Avengers at the height of their popularity and was part of the team’s greatest relationship. Her status as a mutant and Magneto’s child made a huge difference in her popularity, but the Avengers’ 90s slide in popularity affected her as well.

Scarlet Witch has become a huge part of the Marvel Universe in the 21st century, but 2015 will be her biggest break, when she makes her MCU debut. Her solo book was a failure that year, while Wanda Maximoff’s popularity skyrocketed. The MCU online space exploded with conversations about Wanda and her new book looking to be a hit.

_{9 Magneto}

• Magneto (Michael Fassbender) uses his powers on an X-Men movie poster

The X-Men have been Marvel’s most popular characters for decades, with all of the team’s A-list members making huge strides in popularity. For the most part, the MCU has cooled off a lot, but some mutants are still extremely popular. Magneto is one of them. For decades, Magneto was easily Marvel’s most popular villain, starring in cartoons and several films.

Magneto’s popularity has remained constant since the rise of the MCU. A big part of this is Michael Fassbender’s portrayal of Magneto. While many of the new X-Men movies weren’t beloved, he was. Magneto has been at the forefront of the X-Men books for years, and that doesn’t seem to be changing.

8 Deadpool

• Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) looks shaken in Marvel’s Deadpool movies.

Deadpool gained notoriety due to his association with the X-Men, but never really reached the peak of his popularity until the late 00s. Years later he got his first series and then a funny thing happened. Deadpool merch appeared in stores like Hot Topic and people ate it up. Soon, Deadpool will get his own movie and the rest is history.

Deadpool has always been popular in the comics, but he hit audiences outside of the comics even harder. His films reached MCU levels of popularity, and the announcement of his third film, with Hugh Jackman returning as Wolverine and set in the MCU, made fans more excited than ever.

7 Captain America

• Captain America (Chris Evans) is running through an icy forest in the MCU

During the Golden Age, Captain America was Marvel’s most popular character. The 50s saw him fade away, but a return to the Silver Age saw him jump back to the top of the Marvel Universe. As the X-Men ascended, he began to wane. The 90s were an interesting time. Heroes Reborn failed, but Heroes Return reminded people why they love Cap.

Captain America is undoubtedly an inspirational hero and the leader of Marvel’s heroes, but his popularity waxed and waned throughout the 00s. His place in the MCU made him very popular. While it’s questionable whether Cap is at the level of his Golden Age popularity, fans once again love Steve Rogers with a passion.

6 Loki

• Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is smiling and looking over his shoulder in the MCU

Loki has always been a major villain in the Marvel Universe. It can be argued that Loki was the most important Marvel villain of the Silver Age. He was a great villain, yet he brought the Avengers together. However, the years that followed saw him fall from that great height.

Then the MCU happened, and Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of Loki made the character huge. In the comics, the character got a big push, got some redemption, and starred in all sorts of books. Loki is very popular outside of the comics, but he is still hugely popular.

5 iron man

• Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is going to fire beam shot in the MCU

Iron Man is an awesome hero and a force to be reckoned with. He has long been a staple of the Marvel Universe. He is a founding Avenger, and forms Marvel’s own “Trinity” along with Captain America and Thor. Of the three, Iron Man was always the middle in terms of popularity. It didn’t have the “best run of all time” or amazing producers, but it was solid.

4 Thanos

• Thanos wields his double-blades in the MCU

Marvel has created a lot of popular villains, but in recent years there have been few that can match Thanos. In the comics, he was a B-list villain and was dead until 1991’s Infinity Gauntlet brought him back to prominence. Since then, he’s had some ups and downs, but once the MCU presses, he’s back to rocking.

Thanos’ position as the biggest bad in the MCU’s The Infinity Saga once again earned him a tremendous deal. He’s starred in event books, gotten his own solo comics, and has been a near-permanent presence in the Marvel Universe. Thanos is as popular with comic fans as he is with general fans, becoming a true phenomenon in the world of superheroes.

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3 the hulk

• Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) roars into the MCU

Hulk is the strongest out there, but not the only one. It has been popular for a long time. The Hulk has been published continuously for decades, starring in solo, team, and event comics. He has huge name recognition and became a huge Marvel star when his TV show The Incredible Hulk debuted.

In the 90s, when most of Marvel wasn’t doing well, Hulk comics still sold well. Unlike many of his Silver Age Marvel compatriots, the MCU didn’t really help the Hulk’s popularity as it never flagged. His popularity has remained constant for six decades.

2 Wolverine

• Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) yells with his claws in the Marvel X-Men movies

Wolverine is the best at what he does, and that’s selling comics. His debut may not have been the greatest thing in the world, but his placement during his biggest growth period with the X-Men was a huge boon. Wolverine quickly became the most popular member of comics’ most popular team.

When the X-Men hit big, Wolverine was front and center. He still is after all these years. Even during years of MCU dominance, Wolverine is more popular than most major MCU characters. He’s a draw in every way, and his comic is consistently among Marvel’s best-selling solo books. Fans are excited for both Hugh Jackman’s return and Wolverine’s future in the MCU.

1 Spider-man

• Collage of Spider-Man (Tobey Maguire), Spider-Man (Andrew Garfield), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland)

Spider-Man has long been a Marvel star. Silver Age Marvel was quickly taking the spotlight from their iconic competition, but it wasn’t until Spider-Man debuted that they ran the table. Since then, Spider-Man has basically been Marvel’s most popular character, a nobody who sells comics and merchandise.

Spider-Man has been a multimedia star for decades, including cartoons, Japanese live action shows, video games, movies, and more. Even though fans aren’t happy with what Marvel is doing with the character, it hasn’t been over a decade since The Amazing Spider-Man is still Marvel’s best-selling book.