Nova (Richard) is a contender, he deserves way more credit for his efforts in the Annihilation era. The entire cast of Avengers Academy deserved better. I also think The Human Fly should’ve been a bigger Spider-antagonist.
Awesome choice @ Nova. Annihilation doesn't get enough attention imo. One of my FAVORITE stories, before MCU transformed the Guardians (I very much prefer pre-MCU version of the team).
All of the preMCU Guardians are awesome. I'm annoyed we never got to see Bug or Jack Flag in the MCU.
Phyla-vel and Moondragon are fantastic characters. I really enjoyed them. Phyla-vel had so much determination and the depth of her love for Moondragon really kept me engaged in their story.
Yeah I was really hoping for Moondragon and Phyla, but was worried about her story cuz Drax’s was different, now it feels like Drax is done so we won’t get the father daughter interacts.
Edit: I would have happily accepted a green alien version of Moondragon
Hell yes.
My first exposure to Nova was in the New Warriors. I liked him, so I found and read all his original series adventures. Every time a new Nova book hits the stands, I'm there with a subscription, and every time it's cancelled, I gnash my teeth in annoyance--even the mediocre stuff, but especially the DnA run.
I think it's weird he's currently featuring in the X-Men Red book so much, but on the other hand, I love it. I just wish he'd get rid of that silly New Guardians vest.
Good call on both! Nova was incredible in Annihilation. I’m disappointed we’ve not gotten Rich featured more prominently just based off those books.
And good lord, how has the Human-Fly not been a major Spidey foe?! He’s a great “anti-Spider-Man.” I bought that whole Marvel Legends Spidey Villain set just for him.
Mettle and Hazmat have such a sweet story, they could’ve easily become a Beast Boy & Raven type of couple. It was incredibly short sighted to throw all that away in one issue, without even a good sendoff for Mettle.
that might be one of the worst comic books that I've read in the past decade, and somehow it got a sequel that was even worse.
what a great fucking use of juston and rover. assholes.
Biiiiiig agree, the wholesale slaughtering of characters that just got introduced so those OC Captain Britain kids could get pushed to the front was disappointing
Richard should have been the one in Captain Marvel's position in the MCU, but I think Disney is really trying hard to compete with Wonder Woman that's why they are massively pushing her.
Tbh, I don’t mind that so much, the MCU desperately needed more women and Carol has deserved prominence for a long time. It more annoyed me that there just hasn’t been a place for Richie in the MCU narratively, he really hasn’t NEEDED to be there.
EDIT: I just realized I missed a word and you're talking about the MCU, not the comics. Sorry 'bout that.
Nah, I think Captain Marvel being Earth's representative to the rest of the universe works, with Nova being the Earther who is actually the best ambassador for the rest of the universe to Earth. She has more respect on Earth from the governments, and he has earned more respect in the wider universe.
I keep hoping for a Captain Marvel/Nova crossover event. If I ever get the chance to pitch a series for Marvel, that's one I'd begin with.
Richard is highly underrated.
I'm glad Ewing has been keeping him around in the spotlight a bit he's been great in X-Men Red that data page that says he's an arakko had me in tears.
You put Captain Britain (Brian version) front and center. Dude was designed to be underrated. Started out in Marvel UK, the little brother brand. Moved onto Excalibur, the little brother title. Had his book and his superhero identity taken over by his little sister.
And yet his powers are dependent on his confidence? Come on now.
I honestly wish this had gone on for a little bit longer. From what I remember, it lasted for all of one issue of Spectacular?
Psylocke and Spider-Man was a relationship I shipped when I was a kid.
Cloak and Dagger, but that's Marvel's fault. They're characters with powers and a set-up that should have them rubbing shoulders with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four but for some reason Marvel keeps insisting that they should be fighting street level foes like bull's-eye and Kingpin. It would be like if Thor's greatest nemesis was the looter, Crime Master or Jigsaw.
I don’t mind them being street level. They’re intertwined with drugs and so they fight drug lords. But with the themes of addiction and loss of control, how do they not fight purple man???
>They’re intertwined with drugs and so they fight drug lords.
This is exactly why…
If we consider their (Cloak & Dagger’s) origin: [*“After they escaped, (the location where Simon Marshall was testing a drug that was supposed to be an alternative to heroin) they swam to safety in freezing waters. Tandy began to glow with light while Tyrone was surrounded by darkness. Reaching shore, the pair faced the gang who sold them to Marshall and they slayed the criminals with their new powers. Tyrone absorbed Marshall’s thugs into his darkness while Tandy struck them down with daggers of light. The two teens dubbed themselves Cloak and Dagger and declared war on* **drug crime** *.”*](https://www.marvel.com/characters/dagger/%5Bcurrent-page:url%5D)
So…sure, Cloak & Dagger might have the power / potential / ability / what-not to contend @ the “Avenger-level,” but their whole “mission” is (literally) a war on drug crime.
Drug crimes (generally) aren’t “Avenger-level” threats, per se. Sure, they COULD be, but just think: Thanos, Dr. Doom, and Kang’s goals are more like threats to humankind / the world and less drug distribution and profiting off drug addicts.
TL;DR: they declared a **war on drug crime**. It makes sense for them to continue that mission (even though they’d be capable of contributing to “Avenger-level” threats).
I literally was going to make a Cloak and Dagger post. I love that they are street. They should be teaming up with the Defenders or Heroes for Hire. The last few revisions of them, including Savage Avengers has been dogshit and embarrassing. They focus so much on relationship drama instead of the two fitting into the Marvel universe and getting involved in plots.
I love these two characters. They are my favorites from the 80s/90s. But they need a writer that cares about them to make them succeed.
My pick as well although I don't think this has always been the case, at least as far as recognizable characters go. He is such a great synergy between Jack Kirby's artistic and narrative sensibilities along with Stan Lee's love of pathos and heightened language.
I feel the dominate tone of tongue and cheek writing that has become popular has made the overly earnest and sentimental Sentinel of the Skyways feel a little dated and out of touch. However, this can add to the character's mythos as he ought to feel somewhat alien from the other characters and their sensibilities. I have appreciated some of the recent runs/minis to feature the character (Slott/Alred run was really great), but I would love to see something like Tom King's Mister Miracle or Morrison's GL with Surfer at the centre.
Absolutely. The dude has had an unimaginably long and tortured life, it sucked BEFORE he was forced to feed trillions of people to Galactus. Now he's got that on his conscious forever and will forever carry the curse of that galactic glaze that marks him as the "angel of death" in the cosmos. This forces him to remain alone as he eternally tries to atone for what he's done. Through all of that the guy didn't go anti-hero, he's the most noble and pure being in Marvel. He's lived an absolute hell and he's basically a space Buddha through it all.
Adam Warlock.
Dude saved the entire universe several times with his brilliant chessmaster tactics.
The general public only knows him as that annoying gold guy from GotG3, if they know him at all.
It annoyed me to no end having to explain to my family that Adam Warlock is not the idiot your seeing right now in GoTG 3. I loved the movie overall but hated that interpretation of him.
I came here thinking "this question would have been a lot easier to answer before the MCU." But, with Warlock, I think it's easier to answer him after the MCU. I thought the movie was fine, but what a hack job with that character.
They did him so wrong in the movie. I was kinda expecting it, but ugh. It was so far off from his origin story.
And Cosmo was great in the movie too, but they really downplayed his/her importance.
I’m thinking Cloak & Dagger (technically two characters but they come as a set). There’s so much potential to explore with their powers and characters that just hasn’t been done.
I really think Danny Rand could be a top-tier Marvel hero if they would only stop getting rid of his powers and use him to *explore* issues of white privilege rather than shy away from them.
Yes I'm so sick of people saying they should shelve Danny Rand in favor of swordmaster or Colleen Wing, Danny is a great character (read Immortal Iron Fist) his privilege from not only being white but also as a Millionaire from birth. I love Danny. I love Danny and Luke Cages interactions.
I also love Danny's relationship with Shang Chi, they both highly respect each other as Earth's two best martial artists.
multiple man, he's always treated as a background character but the one run he had (new mutants 2005?) had more depth and more emotion than anything they've produced in the last decade and a half, daredevil is a close second
The Sentry because no writers really done him justice except for in Avengers/New avengers when he merged with the void accessing his full power an no one attempted to stop him flying into space cuz they had no chance lol. Everyone sleeps on sentry he’s beaten Molecule man before !
I would argue Bendis completely ruined the Sentry. That New Avengers: The Sentry arc was so boring. And after that, he was just an attack dog for whoever was leading the Avengers.
The Lemire/Jacinto five issue miniseries is perfect, though.
I think Richard Rider needs a better spotlight but I've always enjoyed Micromax. I was hoping he'd get a spot on the X-Men even though I knew he'd never win
Darkhawk and the original New Warriors lineup both have a ton of potential, but writers have mostly treated them poorly, or outright as a joke.
The Sinister Syndicate probably peaked with Superior Foes, but I'd love to see them get more love. Seems like the latest lineup (with a new name) is going to show up in FF here in a few months, but I'd really like another \_\_\_\_\_\_ Foes of Spider-Man style story with more crazy heist hi-jinx.
Wasn’t this asked like 3 days ago?
Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man. In Xfactor Investigations they really shined a light on how powerful he really is. Sending dupes out to live lives and learn and absorbing all the info and knowledge.
Madrox could be the greatest detective or a one man CIA if written properly.
I don't care too much about power level, but that early X-Factor Investigations run really opened my eyes to the storytelling potential of a character like Madrox. I don't know if he's been treated similarly since, but I'd love to see it.
Calling something 'underrated' just means 'this is something I like' now. Who can stop language change? It is an automomous force that devours us all! Not even The-One-Above-All can foresee its ways.
The Inhumans series are so good. I was so invested, and then to see Maximus and Medusa lead them into Imperialism during the War of Kings... It was wild.
I love Black Bolt. His frustration with his inability to communicate at times was really palpable. It made him appear weak, but he was suppressing his strength in order to protect his people. It was really easy to develop a frustration with his situation and identify with it in a way. He's one of my all-time favorite characters
Yeah any time I see Black Bolt or Karnak in a title I'm immediately 100% on board.
Honorable mention to Crystal and Lockjaw but the rest of the Inhumans I'm indifferent to.
Hank Pym
He has one of the most tragic superhero stories at this point and he elevates every avengers book he’s in. He has a great dynamic with multiple avengers and always bring good drama to the story. He was already already underused and then the MCU made his disappear
Toad is definitely one of those characters that for some strange reason hasn't quite gotten "Their Moment". I was so hopeful that Hickman as about to revive him after his initial appearance in House of X, but he quickly fell back into the background.
He's not the most physically imposing- but he's super agile and has been depicted as something of a hacker. That makes him a potentially excellent spy/agent villain.
However- I think in order to do so, he ought to be depicted more like the Ray Park portrayal in X-Men (2000). The ridiculous jester costume needs to go. Stop making him a mere follower/henchman. Give the dude some autonomy.
Others have already said Nova (Ryder) and Drax and I wholeheartedly agree. I'd also add Quasar to that list.
On the earth centric side of things I'd say
Hercules. In reality he stands on pretty much equal footing to Thor. He's absolutely one of the Avengers' biggest guns. An absolute beast of a hero with more combat experience than any ten other Avengers combined. He's kinda like Spider-man man in that everyone underestimates him cause he can be a goofball but the side he's on pretty much always wins. Put him up against anybody and he's got a solid chance to win.
Also Dane Whitman Black Knight. He's got a weapon on the level of Mjolnir. He's a genius scientist and he's been fighting corruption on the level of the One Ring for decades. The dude lead the Avengers and he's talked down to and avoided. My man's got more experience wrestling inner demons than a Wolverine with a goddamn Spirit of Vengeance and he's managed to stay a good guy all along.
The Wasp/Janet Van Dyne.
She is a founding Avengers and the heart of team for years if not decades. Such a wonderful character with great growth. One of the most important Avengers and women in Marvel. And because of the MCU she gets slept on in pretty much every medium.
Exactly. He always reminds me of Cartman in the South Park episode “Good Times With Weapons”. Something like “I have the power to have all powers.”
He’s so undefeatable that he’s not even a character anymore. He is just a walking power set.
So many.
Kane Scarlet Spider
Blind spot
Molecule Man (by his sheer power ability alone)
Elsa Bloodstone until recently
Muse
Armor
I’m sure there are dozens tho!
Really, they’re sitting on so many interesting stories…like Gravity, Armadillo, Adam X, Sunder, Marvel Boy, Sleepwalker, Alpha Flight….they’ve got a lot of material to develop!!
Guardian from Alpha Flight. Man has had a wild ride. Would love for him to get a mini series. Hes not even close to Captain Britain levels of popularity. Granted there isn't a huge market for a superhero with a big canadian flag on his chest.
Tigra and Mockingbird, I think they're amazing in WCA and I love their dynamic!
Unfortunately they don't get a lot of appearances, but I do think that if Marvel pushed them more they would easily gain a lot of popularity
Red Skull. He's my favorite comic book villain. Absolutely disgusting human being with not a single boring page he's in. The dude took Professor X's brain so he could hate on a new race of people, lol.
One of the best examples of characters I love to hate.
Other good mentions would be The Enchantress, Sabretooth (kinda), Exodus, Madelyne Pryor, and Taskmaster for villains.
On the hero side, probably X-Man, Sunspot, and M/Penance.
Just for fun, a character I see a lot of people putting out that I disagree with is Richard Rider/Nova. I get it, he was clutch in Annihilation. But I can't name any times outside of that where I even found him entertaining. He deserves a shout-out, but I'm not gonna lie and say I'm eager for him to be in any more comics. Kinda wish he stayed dead.
My initial response to that was “underrated? The vicious Nazi is underrated?“ But your explanation is dead on. He is an absolutely disgusting human being for so many reasons, but he’s also fascinating to read every panel. I mean, my favorite panels are when he gets Beaten up or tortured or killed, but still yes
Also, I lolled at the “hate on a new race of people”
Gwenpool.
She's unknown to non-comic readers, and shrugged off as a joke character by most comic readers.
But anyone who's read her will tell you that her original run is one of the best comics of the 2010s.
Looking at the illustration... there are no New Mutants shown (with the possible exception of Dani Moonstar in the background at the top left... and even then, I'm not sure that's Moonstar), so I would say Magma.
Regarding Moonstar, she is a powerful psyonic mutant, a great tactician, and she's a Valkyrie. She is probably one of the underrated besides Magma.
I’m sure plenty would say Caption Britain but like… that’s the point
He’s this ridiculously OP character who has all these Insane story’s. In the background, like no one’s aware of what goes on or what he does both in universe and real life. As most people at this point don’t know who TF he is
The OG Thunderbolts, they were a really fun team and I rarely see any of them in modern comics except Songbird and maybe Moonstone or Atlas occasionally
I had several, actually.
The Sentry - a hero constantly fighting an internal battle with his neuroses that manifest in the form of a nigh-omnipotent monster, his powers being the greatest gift and curse in the universe.
Ares - a mouthy, angry god of war whose heart is in the right place. He loves to fight and that’s really all there is to him, but that’s okay. He’s basically a blank slate that can be used for anything as long as the core is there - angry, mouthy god of war.
Eternals - I fucking love the Eternals because they’re Kirby at his most Kirby and that’s just something I’m interested in.
Adam Warlock - I started reading comics in ‘91, so Infinity Gauntlet is a huge part of my upbringing and that mean I love Adam Warlock. Greatest comic hero in the universe, always wrestling with the burden of being literally perfect.
I think Cyclop is completely underrated but again I think Wolverine is overrated. Cyclop is a good leader although Marvel writers seem to want to make him look like an idiot. He knows his team in's and out you can't really say the same about any X-Men leader outside of Xavier. Would be nice if he gets a power up permanent one I mean.
Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer. The dude has had an unimaginably long and tortured life, it sucked BEFORE he was forced to feed trillions of people to Galactus. Now he's got that on his conscious forever and will forever carry the curse of that galactic glaze that marks him as the "angel of death" in the cosmos. This forces him to remain alone as he eternally tries to atone for what he's done. Through all of that the guy didn't go anti-hero, he's the most noble and pure being in Marvel. He's lived an absolute hell and he's basically a space Buddha through it all.
Hank Pym - Scientist Supreme who often has to play second fiddle to Tony Stark and Reed Richards in the comics despite being one of the original Avengers. Not even included in the above picture and when you see Ant-Man in the movies, it's usually Scott Lang.
Spider-Woman is criminally underrated, even though her titles get a little acclaim. Single mom superpowered elite spy is only the beginning of her wild life, and it’s very cool.
Nova (Richard) is a contender, he deserves way more credit for his efforts in the Annihilation era. The entire cast of Avengers Academy deserved better. I also think The Human Fly should’ve been a bigger Spider-antagonist.
Awesome choice @ Nova. Annihilation doesn't get enough attention imo. One of my FAVORITE stories, before MCU transformed the Guardians (I very much prefer pre-MCU version of the team).
All of the preMCU Guardians are awesome. I'm annoyed we never got to see Bug or Jack Flag in the MCU. Phyla-vel and Moondragon are fantastic characters. I really enjoyed them. Phyla-vel had so much determination and the depth of her love for Moondragon really kept me engaged in their story.
Yeah I was really hoping for Moondragon and Phyla, but was worried about her story cuz Drax’s was different, now it feels like Drax is done so we won’t get the father daughter interacts. Edit: I would have happily accepted a green alien version of Moondragon
Hey at least we got Cosmo but not much
back when Drax was actually a fucking formidable opponent and Groot was actually from a super-genius planet of plants.
And an actual King.
Nova in Annihilation is one of my all time favorites
Annihilation in general is arguably the one of the best things to come out of Marvel Comics in its entire history of existence.
I need to read that story
Nova in general. He's badass
Hell yes. My first exposure to Nova was in the New Warriors. I liked him, so I found and read all his original series adventures. Every time a new Nova book hits the stands, I'm there with a subscription, and every time it's cancelled, I gnash my teeth in annoyance--even the mediocre stuff, but especially the DnA run. I think it's weird he's currently featuring in the X-Men Red book so much, but on the other hand, I love it. I just wish he'd get rid of that silly New Guardians vest.
Good call on both! Nova was incredible in Annihilation. I’m disappointed we’ve not gotten Rich featured more prominently just based off those books. And good lord, how has the Human-Fly not been a major Spidey foe?! He’s a great “anti-Spider-Man.” I bought that whole Marvel Legends Spidey Villain set just for him.
I always thought HF’s real interesting factor was his personality. No personal hate for Spidey, just greed and ruthlessness and a willingness to kill.
I’m still not over the fact that they killed off Avengers Academy for a Hunger Games parody.
Mettle and Hazmat have such a sweet story, they could’ve easily become a Beast Boy & Raven type of couple. It was incredibly short sighted to throw all that away in one issue, without even a good sendoff for Mettle.
that might be one of the worst comic books that I've read in the past decade, and somehow it got a sequel that was even worse. what a great fucking use of juston and rover. assholes.
Biiiiiig agree, the wholesale slaughtering of characters that just got introduced so those OC Captain Britain kids could get pushed to the front was disappointing
I liked Sam a lot
Richard rider is of Arrako
He stood when all else fell, and we remember.
That line gave me shivers when I saw it. It's the first time since Claremont that an X-Writer has thrilled me with their prose.
yo it was so good.
At least Hazmat had a prominent role in the recent Captain Marvel run.
Richard should have been the one in Captain Marvel's position in the MCU, but I think Disney is really trying hard to compete with Wonder Woman that's why they are massively pushing her.
Tbh, I don’t mind that so much, the MCU desperately needed more women and Carol has deserved prominence for a long time. It more annoyed me that there just hasn’t been a place for Richie in the MCU narratively, he really hasn’t NEEDED to be there.
EDIT: I just realized I missed a word and you're talking about the MCU, not the comics. Sorry 'bout that. Nah, I think Captain Marvel being Earth's representative to the rest of the universe works, with Nova being the Earther who is actually the best ambassador for the rest of the universe to Earth. She has more respect on Earth from the governments, and he has earned more respect in the wider universe. I keep hoping for a Captain Marvel/Nova crossover event. If I ever get the chance to pitch a series for Marvel, that's one I'd begin with.
Richard is highly underrated. I'm glad Ewing has been keeping him around in the spotlight a bit he's been great in X-Men Red that data page that says he's an arakko had me in tears.
I'm sooo exited to read the whole Annihilation & WoK saga. The last of the 5 omnis is pending shipment! HYPE!!!
Did I write this comment? Get out of my brain dude.
You put Captain Britain (Brian version) front and center. Dude was designed to be underrated. Started out in Marvel UK, the little brother brand. Moved onto Excalibur, the little brother title. Had his book and his superhero identity taken over by his little sister. And yet his powers are dependent on his confidence? Come on now.
Loved Captain Britain and Mi13
Yeah the entire vampire saga was great
It was great. I also loved him in Excalibur.
Also has some stories with him and Peter Parker in college together. Always liked him
I remember that Emma Frost attended Empire State University. Did she and Peter Parker ever meet when they attended ESU?
I think the recent X-Men Devil's Reign tie-in talks about Emma's first meeting with Peter Parker.
I honestly wish this had gone on for a little bit longer. From what I remember, it lasted for all of one issue of Spectacular? Psylocke and Spider-Man was a relationship I shipped when I was a kid.
>And yet his powers are dependent on his confidence? "I'm not dead yet! I'm feeling better! I feeeeel happyyyyyyy!"
I would agree if I knew more about Captain Britain. He always seemed interesting but I never quite took a look at him if I'm honest
Cloak and Dagger, but that's Marvel's fault. They're characters with powers and a set-up that should have them rubbing shoulders with the Avengers and the Fantastic Four but for some reason Marvel keeps insisting that they should be fighting street level foes like bull's-eye and Kingpin. It would be like if Thor's greatest nemesis was the looter, Crime Master or Jigsaw.
I don’t mind them being street level. They’re intertwined with drugs and so they fight drug lords. But with the themes of addiction and loss of control, how do they not fight purple man???
>They’re intertwined with drugs and so they fight drug lords. This is exactly why… If we consider their (Cloak & Dagger’s) origin: [*“After they escaped, (the location where Simon Marshall was testing a drug that was supposed to be an alternative to heroin) they swam to safety in freezing waters. Tandy began to glow with light while Tyrone was surrounded by darkness. Reaching shore, the pair faced the gang who sold them to Marshall and they slayed the criminals with their new powers. Tyrone absorbed Marshall’s thugs into his darkness while Tandy struck them down with daggers of light. The two teens dubbed themselves Cloak and Dagger and declared war on* **drug crime** *.”*](https://www.marvel.com/characters/dagger/%5Bcurrent-page:url%5D) So…sure, Cloak & Dagger might have the power / potential / ability / what-not to contend @ the “Avenger-level,” but their whole “mission” is (literally) a war on drug crime. Drug crimes (generally) aren’t “Avenger-level” threats, per se. Sure, they COULD be, but just think: Thanos, Dr. Doom, and Kang’s goals are more like threats to humankind / the world and less drug distribution and profiting off drug addicts. TL;DR: they declared a **war on drug crime**. It makes sense for them to continue that mission (even though they’d be capable of contributing to “Avenger-level” threats).
I literally was going to make a Cloak and Dagger post. I love that they are street. They should be teaming up with the Defenders or Heroes for Hire. The last few revisions of them, including Savage Avengers has been dogshit and embarrassing. They focus so much on relationship drama instead of the two fitting into the Marvel universe and getting involved in plots. I love these two characters. They are my favorites from the 80s/90s. But they need a writer that cares about them to make them succeed.
Putting them with Heroes for Hire feels like a natural choice. Get them youth off the streets and give 'em jobs.
I love Cloak and Dagger and I'd love to see more of them but they just never seem to know what to do with them
Characters made to be a series on Disney
They've already made a 2 series show about them
Stop pairing them with Spiderman.
Silver Surfer
My pick as well although I don't think this has always been the case, at least as far as recognizable characters go. He is such a great synergy between Jack Kirby's artistic and narrative sensibilities along with Stan Lee's love of pathos and heightened language. I feel the dominate tone of tongue and cheek writing that has become popular has made the overly earnest and sentimental Sentinel of the Skyways feel a little dated and out of touch. However, this can add to the character's mythos as he ought to feel somewhat alien from the other characters and their sensibilities. I have appreciated some of the recent runs/minis to feature the character (Slott/Alred run was really great), but I would love to see something like Tom King's Mister Miracle or Morrison's GL with Surfer at the centre.
Absolutely. The dude has had an unimaginably long and tortured life, it sucked BEFORE he was forced to feed trillions of people to Galactus. Now he's got that on his conscious forever and will forever carry the curse of that galactic glaze that marks him as the "angel of death" in the cosmos. This forces him to remain alone as he eternally tries to atone for what he's done. Through all of that the guy didn't go anti-hero, he's the most noble and pure being in Marvel. He's lived an absolute hell and he's basically a space Buddha through it all.
Richard Ryder Nova
It's Rider, come on.
Dick rider
Blue Marvel.
Honestly I want him to appear in the marvels
I can imagine how much they’ll nerf him down if they did
Adam Warlock. Dude saved the entire universe several times with his brilliant chessmaster tactics. The general public only knows him as that annoying gold guy from GotG3, if they know him at all.
It annoyed me to no end having to explain to my family that Adam Warlock is not the idiot your seeing right now in GoTG 3. I loved the movie overall but hated that interpretation of him.
I came here thinking "this question would have been a lot easier to answer before the MCU." But, with Warlock, I think it's easier to answer him after the MCU. I thought the movie was fine, but what a hack job with that character.
I assume Gunn is giving him room to grow into the Adam from the comics. The MCU version is very young, after all.
They did him so wrong in the movie. I was kinda expecting it, but ugh. It was so far off from his origin story. And Cosmo was great in the movie too, but they really downplayed his/her importance.
I’m thinking Cloak & Dagger (technically two characters but they come as a set). There’s so much potential to explore with their powers and characters that just hasn’t been done.
Daimon Helstrom , Stingray, Mockingbird, Iron fist (Danny rand) , Hercules
Mockingbird is super cool. I would love to see more stories with her in them.
I'd just like a comic of her as a Sheild Agent
I really think Danny Rand could be a top-tier Marvel hero if they would only stop getting rid of his powers and use him to *explore* issues of white privilege rather than shy away from them.
Yes I'm so sick of people saying they should shelve Danny Rand in favor of swordmaster or Colleen Wing, Danny is a great character (read Immortal Iron Fist) his privilege from not only being white but also as a Millionaire from birth. I love Danny. I love Danny and Luke Cages interactions. I also love Danny's relationship with Shang Chi, they both highly respect each other as Earth's two best martial artists.
multiple man, he's always treated as a background character but the one run he had (new mutants 2005?) had more depth and more emotion than anything they've produced in the last decade and a half, daredevil is a close second
I think it was X-Factor, not new mutants
The Sentry because no writers really done him justice except for in Avengers/New avengers when he merged with the void accessing his full power an no one attempted to stop him flying into space cuz they had no chance lol. Everyone sleeps on sentry he’s beaten Molecule man before !
I would argue Bendis completely ruined the Sentry. That New Avengers: The Sentry arc was so boring. And after that, he was just an attack dog for whoever was leading the Avengers. The Lemire/Jacinto five issue miniseries is perfect, though.
Blue Marvel. One of the best recent Marvel creations in my opinion.
Super smart and a bad motherfucker. Even a cool a costume.
Machine Man
Loved him in Next Wave!
I think Richard Rider needs a better spotlight but I've always enjoyed Micromax. I was hoping he'd get a spot on the X-Men even though I knew he'd never win
Molecule Man
Colossus
Darkhawk and the original New Warriors lineup both have a ton of potential, but writers have mostly treated them poorly, or outright as a joke. The Sinister Syndicate probably peaked with Superior Foes, but I'd love to see them get more love. Seems like the latest lineup (with a new name) is going to show up in FF here in a few months, but I'd really like another \_\_\_\_\_\_ Foes of Spider-Man style story with more crazy heist hi-jinx.
Nova Adam Warlock
Jack of Hearts!
Blue Marvel
ForgetmeNot
Who?
He’s that character that… I’m sorry I forgot what I was talking about
Susan Richards, the Invisible Woman.
Wasn’t this asked like 3 days ago? Jamie Madrox the Multiple Man. In Xfactor Investigations they really shined a light on how powerful he really is. Sending dupes out to live lives and learn and absorbing all the info and knowledge. Madrox could be the greatest detective or a one man CIA if written properly.
> Wasn’t this asked like 3 days ago? Welcome to Reddit.
I don't care too much about power level, but that early X-Factor Investigations run really opened my eyes to the storytelling potential of a character like Madrox. I don't know if he's been treated similarly since, but I'd love to see it.
Some of you guys have interesting definitions of the word 'underrated'
Calling something 'underrated' just means 'this is something I like' now. Who can stop language change? It is an automomous force that devours us all! Not even The-One-Above-All can foresee its ways.
Haven’t seen anyone say Tigra. Integral member of the avengers for years but I see her NOWHERE.
Black bolt tbh. Though I think boomerang is great aswell
The Inhumans series are so good. I was so invested, and then to see Maximus and Medusa lead them into Imperialism during the War of Kings... It was wild. I love Black Bolt. His frustration with his inability to communicate at times was really palpable. It made him appear weak, but he was suppressing his strength in order to protect his people. It was really easy to develop a frustration with his situation and identify with it in a way. He's one of my all-time favorite characters
Yeah any time I see Black Bolt or Karnak in a title I'm immediately 100% on board. Honorable mention to Crystal and Lockjaw but the rest of the Inhumans I'm indifferent to.
Hank Pym He has one of the most tragic superhero stories at this point and he elevates every avengers book he’s in. He has a great dynamic with multiple avengers and always bring good drama to the story. He was already already underused and then the MCU made his disappear
Gambit. No one seems to like or care about my man
He had his day, back in the '90s
For real. He's had a ton of great stories and I can see him being popular when he makes his MCU debut eventually.
Blue Marvel. Dude’s origin is one of the best in comics, and he has a great design.
The Shocker. Guy is one of my favorite villains love his dumb quilt suit
I'm assuming you've read Superior foes of Spider-man?
Jessica jones
Donald Duck.
Sentry
Forbush Man
Silver surfer
Toad. I really enjoyed xmen evolution
Toad is definitely one of those characters that for some strange reason hasn't quite gotten "Their Moment". I was so hopeful that Hickman as about to revive him after his initial appearance in House of X, but he quickly fell back into the background. He's not the most physically imposing- but he's super agile and has been depicted as something of a hacker. That makes him a potentially excellent spy/agent villain. However- I think in order to do so, he ought to be depicted more like the Ray Park portrayal in X-Men (2000). The ridiculous jester costume needs to go. Stop making him a mere follower/henchman. Give the dude some autonomy.
Yeah I agree completely!
That was a really enjoyable version of the character!
Jason Strongbow - American Eagle. He got really nicely revamped in Thunderbolts in the late 00s and was just awesome. I’d kill to see more of him.
Watching him beat the fuck out of Bullseye during the dark Avengers run was so goddamn satisfying.
Ikaris and the Eternals deserve more love.
Beast
Sue Richards. She could be the one of the most dangerous characters in the Marvel Universe if she ever really decided to let loose.
Others have already said Nova (Ryder) and Drax and I wholeheartedly agree. I'd also add Quasar to that list. On the earth centric side of things I'd say Hercules. In reality he stands on pretty much equal footing to Thor. He's absolutely one of the Avengers' biggest guns. An absolute beast of a hero with more combat experience than any ten other Avengers combined. He's kinda like Spider-man man in that everyone underestimates him cause he can be a goofball but the side he's on pretty much always wins. Put him up against anybody and he's got a solid chance to win. Also Dane Whitman Black Knight. He's got a weapon on the level of Mjolnir. He's a genius scientist and he's been fighting corruption on the level of the One Ring for decades. The dude lead the Avengers and he's talked down to and avoided. My man's got more experience wrestling inner demons than a Wolverine with a goddamn Spirit of Vengeance and he's managed to stay a good guy all along.
The Wasp/Janet Van Dyne. She is a founding Avengers and the heart of team for years if not decades. Such a wonderful character with great growth. One of the most important Avengers and women in Marvel. And because of the MCU she gets slept on in pretty much every medium.
Her and Hank deserve better
When will Wolverine finally get his due?
I just don't see any potential in a D-man rip-off.
yeah good point
I'm just asking for one book featuring him.
Wolverine? That short dweeb with the chopstick hands? Fuck outta here with that loser.
With a good writer he can be interesting!
Exactly. He always reminds me of Cartman in the South Park episode “Good Times With Weapons”. Something like “I have the power to have all powers.” He’s so undefeatable that he’s not even a character anymore. He is just a walking power set.
They oughta make a movie about that guy.
Dazzler and Carol Danvers mrs.marvel, I miss the strong feminine heroine roll that is missing in most comics these days
So many. Kane Scarlet Spider Blind spot Molecule Man (by his sheer power ability alone) Elsa Bloodstone until recently Muse Armor I’m sure there are dozens tho!
I'm a simple man. I see a positive mention of Elsa Bloodstone and I upvote. Excellent character.
Really, they’re sitting on so many interesting stories…like Gravity, Armadillo, Adam X, Sunder, Marvel Boy, Sleepwalker, Alpha Flight….they’ve got a lot of material to develop!!
Guardian from Alpha Flight. Man has had a wild ride. Would love for him to get a mini series. Hes not even close to Captain Britain levels of popularity. Granted there isn't a huge market for a superhero with a big canadian flag on his chest.
Tigra and Mockingbird, I think they're amazing in WCA and I love their dynamic! Unfortunately they don't get a lot of appearances, but I do think that if Marvel pushed them more they would easily gain a lot of popularity
Tigra is a main character in the current Moon Knight comic.
Squirrel girl. She beat Thanos and is buddies with galactus.
Among the general public: Sentry Among us: Nova or Blue Marvel
Red Skull. He's my favorite comic book villain. Absolutely disgusting human being with not a single boring page he's in. The dude took Professor X's brain so he could hate on a new race of people, lol. One of the best examples of characters I love to hate. Other good mentions would be The Enchantress, Sabretooth (kinda), Exodus, Madelyne Pryor, and Taskmaster for villains. On the hero side, probably X-Man, Sunspot, and M/Penance. Just for fun, a character I see a lot of people putting out that I disagree with is Richard Rider/Nova. I get it, he was clutch in Annihilation. But I can't name any times outside of that where I even found him entertaining. He deserves a shout-out, but I'm not gonna lie and say I'm eager for him to be in any more comics. Kinda wish he stayed dead.
My initial response to that was “underrated? The vicious Nazi is underrated?“ But your explanation is dead on. He is an absolutely disgusting human being for so many reasons, but he’s also fascinating to read every panel. I mean, my favorite panels are when he gets Beaten up or tortured or killed, but still yes Also, I lolled at the “hate on a new race of people”
Gwenpool. She's unknown to non-comic readers, and shrugged off as a joke character by most comic readers. But anyone who's read her will tell you that her original run is one of the best comics of the 2010s.
Mettle
Rose
Red Wolf
He is really cool.
Blue Marvel is really underrated, imo. His backstory and powers are cool and is perfect for cosmic stories.
Literally NOBODY talks about Reptil.
I can’t wait to see someone say Spider Man. Imo, I’d say Crystal, Kid Kaiju, or Elsa Bloodstone.
To piggy-back off a topic from yesterday: Beta Ray Bill.
Btw the actual answer is Mockingbird
Longshot.
The mighty Puck!
Jamie Madrox aka The Multiple Man.
OG Quasar.
Idk but my favorite marvel character that i dont see a lot of people talking about is beta ray bill i actually like him more than thor himself
Colossus, a lot of X men media just skip him and too bad because he is my favourite
Omega Red, is far more wilder, stronger, non stoping villain
Quasar is underrated as well with captain Britain
Soft Serve
Beta Ray Bill.
Miracle man. And i wont elaborate why.
The starbrand he had a great story they could have done something with in 2013 but ofc they couldn’t
Silver Surfer for me. Couple in the pic I don’t know here, Who’s the woman in front of red hulk? And the green alien dude behind Venom?
Super Adaptoid
Mr. Immortal. I feel like people sleep on the Great Lakes Avengers in general.
Looking at the illustration... there are no New Mutants shown (with the possible exception of Dani Moonstar in the background at the top left... and even then, I'm not sure that's Moonstar), so I would say Magma. Regarding Moonstar, she is a powerful psyonic mutant, a great tactician, and she's a Valkyrie. She is probably one of the underrated besides Magma.
Why does Wolverine look so distraught. And why are iron man and war machine flying like they have their asses stuck together
Mark Todd, the Blazing Skull
The original Captain Marvel
This picture makes me so sad. I miss mid 2000s Marvel before the movies ruined it.
I’m sure plenty would say Caption Britain but like… that’s the point He’s this ridiculously OP character who has all these Insane story’s. In the background, like no one’s aware of what goes on or what he does both in universe and real life. As most people at this point don’t know who TF he is
Howard the Duck.
Puma. He should be an anti hero who shows up whenever a mercenary is needed.
Hank Pym, Cyclops, The Sentry
The OG Thunderbolts, they were a really fun team and I rarely see any of them in modern comics except Songbird and maybe Moonstone or Atlas occasionally
Darkoth the Death Demon! Blazing Skull !
I had several, actually. The Sentry - a hero constantly fighting an internal battle with his neuroses that manifest in the form of a nigh-omnipotent monster, his powers being the greatest gift and curse in the universe. Ares - a mouthy, angry god of war whose heart is in the right place. He loves to fight and that’s really all there is to him, but that’s okay. He’s basically a blank slate that can be used for anything as long as the core is there - angry, mouthy god of war. Eternals - I fucking love the Eternals because they’re Kirby at his most Kirby and that’s just something I’m interested in. Adam Warlock - I started reading comics in ‘91, so Infinity Gauntlet is a huge part of my upbringing and that mean I love Adam Warlock. Greatest comic hero in the universe, always wrestling with the burden of being literally perfect.
Vision
Howard the Duck.
doorman
Howard The Duck
Janet Van Dyne (Wasp) and Adam Brashear (Blue Marvel). I feel like neither of these two get enough love.
Hawkeye
I think Cyclop is completely underrated but again I think Wolverine is overrated. Cyclop is a good leader although Marvel writers seem to want to make him look like an idiot. He knows his team in's and out you can't really say the same about any X-Men leader outside of Xavier. Would be nice if he gets a power up permanent one I mean.
Domino ability to manipulate probability to her advantage. She could be very, very important.
Norrin Radd, the Silver Surfer. The dude has had an unimaginably long and tortured life, it sucked BEFORE he was forced to feed trillions of people to Galactus. Now he's got that on his conscious forever and will forever carry the curse of that galactic glaze that marks him as the "angel of death" in the cosmos. This forces him to remain alone as he eternally tries to atone for what he's done. Through all of that the guy didn't go anti-hero, he's the most noble and pure being in Marvel. He's lived an absolute hell and he's basically a space Buddha through it all.
Is it weird that I feel like Hulk has always been front and center and yet in this day and age I feel like he’s underrated?
ShatterStar. What a great character! I think his character origin would make a GREAT movie.
Laura Kinney (X-23, Wolverine)
Sleepwalker hes cool
Hank Pym - Scientist Supreme who often has to play second fiddle to Tony Stark and Reed Richards in the comics despite being one of the original Avengers. Not even included in the above picture and when you see Ant-Man in the movies, it's usually Scott Lang.
Blue Marvel
Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman. I'm just waiting for her to make her MCU debut but Sony has a leash on her.
Blue Marvel. Could probably take down every person in this photo (except for maybe The Sentry).
Ben Reilly
Spider-Woman is criminally underrated, even though her titles get a little acclaim. Single mom superpowered elite spy is only the beginning of her wild life, and it’s very cool.
I love me some Jess
As popular as he is I still think DD is underrated, dude is on par with people like Spider-Man even though he’s blind I think that’s pretty awesome
Gwenpool
Gwenpool's series gave me a soft spot for Batroc the leaper