Hey guys!
Welcome back to Top 10 Nerd, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey.
Marvel and DC have some amazing heroes.
Despite what a lot of you guys claim, I like both franchises pretty much evenly.
But there are some other great heroes that don’t come from the big two, and they don’t
get nearly enough love.
So let’s change that, by talking about some of the most popular heroes that originated
outside of the main universes.
By the way, if you’re into this whole Fortnite thang, check out our new channel Fortnite
Central, where it will be all Fortnite, all day.
And if you’re not into Fortnite, check out Top 10 Gaming for everything else.
But first, get ready, it’s time for the Top 10 Superheroes Outside of Marvel and DC!
Number 10: The Phantom.
The Phantom has been around for aaaages.
It was actually the first American adventure comic strip, published in 1936 as part of
the King Features Syndicate.
The Phantom was even the first costumed crime fighter ever published, but while he's fairly
popular in other countries, he's pretty unknown in the US.
Which is a shame.
He dual wields pistols, with incredible aim, but that’s not the coolest bit.
He also wields two Phantom rings, each branding the person he touches or punches in a particular
way.
The good ring can give people it touches good luck, while the skull ring brings terrible
luck to those it strikes.
It’s pretty cool that such an early hero had such a unique schtick.
Number 9: Kick-Ass.
Yep, it’s time to hit up the Millarworld, where the creations of Mark Millar come to
life.
And thanks to the movies, Kick-Ass is probably the best-known superhero who comes from Millar’s
comics.
He’s not the coolest and far from the most competent, but that doesn’t stop him from
taking advantage of his near-immunity to pain to fight crime.
Poorly.
With the Millarworld recently sold to Netflix, we might see some other heroes from the publisher.
But not from Kick-Ass or the Kingsmen.
Sorry.
They’re taken.
Number 8: X-O
Manowar. X-O
Manowar is a Valiant Comics superhero, first introduced back in 1992.
And he’s pretty awesome.
He has a few origins, but they’re fairly similar.
Aric of Dacia is a barbarian warrior who is kidnapped by aliens and planned to be used
as a slave and or as food.
He escapes, and manages to get his hands on a semi-sentient armoured suit called Shanhara.
He then uses this suit to fight baddies, often clashing with the alien race that kidnapped
him.
And it’s really cool.
Number 7: The Midnighter.
We’ve touched on the Midnighter from time to time, what with his open homosexuality,
but this Wildstorm Comics creation definitely deserves a spot on this list.
The Midnighter is basically a gay, more violent, Batman.
He’s best known for fighting with The Authority alongside his husband Apollo, where he uses
various implants to improve his performance in battle and fight crime.
Pretty brutally.
And he loves every minute of it.
And yes, I know he’s an antihero, but I consider antiheroes a subset of superheroes.
I’m over it, and you should be too.
Number 6: The Black Hood.
No, not the Black Mask, not the Red Hood, this is The Black Hood.
He was created way back in 1940 by MLJ Comics, which would later become Archie Comics.
The Black Hood was revived several times over the decades, but originally he was a man named
Matthew Burland, an ex-cop who was framed and left for dead by The Skull.
He fought crime using a costume until his mask was removed in court, so he became a
private eye.
The comics didn’t really specify if he had any particular powers, but based on future
iterations, it seems that he’s just a guy.
A guy in a hood.
Number 5: Plastic Man.
That’s right, you may know Plastic Man as the hilarious indestructible superhero who’s
basically a wisecracking stretch Armstrong.
But even though he’s known as a DC hero now, he originated in Quality Comics, as a
creation of Jack Cole.
He was created way back in 1941, only moving over to DC in ‘56 when they acquired Quality.
After being doused in a chemical mixture, Eel O'Brian, later Patrick O'Brian, caused
his body to essentially turn into plastic, allowing him to change his shape and size,
and making him pretty much immortal.
And he fights crime.
With a deep, deep, V. Nice.
Number 4: Witchblade.
Witchblade comes from Top Cow Productions, an imprint of Image Comics, and I’m sorry,
Top Cow Productions is the most hilarious company name ever.
The Witchblade is a shapeshifting, sentient gauntlet that can join with a female host
and give them access to advanced healing and a bunch of weapons and armour.
It’s been wielded by ladies across the millennia, including Cleopatra of all people.
Why females, you may ask?
Well, the Witchblade is apparently a bit of a perv, providing BARELY enough to cover the
important bits.
I had a few Witchblade comics when I was a kid, and let’s just say my appreciation
for the art grew as I got older.
Number 3: Spawn.
This list simply wouldn’t be complete without Spawn, I suspect a bunch of you were waiting
for him to come up.
Spawn comes from Image Comics, first appearing in 1992, and is one of the most popular, and
most violent, heroes on this list.
When black ops agent Al Simmons was betrayed by his partner and killed, he traded his soul
to Malebolgia for the chance to see his wife.
Which didn't go so well since she had remarried and also he looked like a freaky demon thing.
So he took to fighting crime brutally with the help of his shapeshifting cape.
Number 2: Hellboy.
Hellboy comes from Dark Horse Comics, the same place as The Mask, which is pretty cool.
Most people know Hellboy from his recent movies, but the grizzled demon has been in comics
since 1993.
After being summoned to Earth as a baby by Nazi occultists, he was saved and raised by
the US government.
He grew into a big, red, demon guy, with a devil tail and horns which he files down.
With his right hand of doom, and his left hand wielding a big ol' revolver called the
Good Samaritan, he fights evil, particularly Nazis, with humour as dry as the Sahara.
Number 1: The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The Ninja Turtles have been a HUGE part of many a 90’s kid’s childhood, and continue
to be pretty popular to this day.
But they had their beginnings in comics, and their origin is pretty funny.
In 1984, two dudes, Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, self-published a comic using their
tax refund money, and parodied four popular comics from the time.
Daredevil, The New Mutants, Dave Sim's Cerebus, and Frank Miller's Ronin.
Just for fun.
They didn’t even have a company, so they just called it Mirage.
And then they showed it at a comic con, it went really really well, and they got crazy
rich, thanks to 4 giant turtles, named after Renaissance artists, who were taught martial
arts by a giant rat.
Tax refunds for the win!
That’s it for today!
Hope you guys enjoyed, if you did please smack that thumbs up button and subscribe to Top
10 Nerd for more videos!
Which of these is your favourite?
Or did I miss your fave?
Let me know in the comment section down below!
And like I said earlier, check out Fortnite Central if you’re looking to get your Fortnite
fix!
Until next time, I’m Ron McKenzie-Lefurgey with Top 10 nerd.
Later nerds!