Welcome back to top 10 Nerd everyone – the channel where we count down all things pertaining
to comics.
And other nerdy things too!
Today we’re returning to our incredibly biased collaborative channel list – the
top 10 best superheroes.
And I’m coming at you with part 4.
This time around, we still talk about some classics, we talk about some obscure heroes,
and most importantly, we dive into the history of some of the most beloved characters comics
have to offer.
10 Aquaman DC’s King of Atlantis first debuted in More
Fun comics issue 73 in November of 1941 as a backup feature.
The character soon caught on, The bronze age would present us with a tarnishing
take on the character - his wholesome, weak portrayal in Hanna-Barbara cartoon Super Friends,
which featured other members of the Justice League, notoriously made the character into
a joke - one that has lasted years, and has even been addressed by the character himself
in newer volumes of his comics, like Geoff John’s New 52 run.
That may all change thanks to his silver screen adaptation played by Jason Momoa - even to
the point that there’s speculation his solo film may be exactly what the DCEU needs in
order to retain some semblance of cinematic integrity.
Speaking of kings of Atlantis, our next number is the Marvel equivalent, but has a very different
story-
9 Namor the Sub Mariner Namor is considered the first ant-hero.
Hailing from the Golden Age, Namor the Sub Mariner began his days in comics as a character
published by Timely, who would later become Marvel.
He served as an antagonist of the United States’, with comic historian Les Daniels calling him
“a freak in the service of chaos”.
Always motivated by serving justice, he went about things in a destructive way, destroying
the likes of ships and skyscrapers in order to get what he wanted.
In the early days, he often fought against the original android version of the Human
Torch.
This all changed when WW2 came around and American comics, despite not being involved
in the war at that time, began incorporating the war into their stories, having their heroes
fight off Nazi and Axis powers.
Post-war, as the golden age was coming to an end, his title would be cancelled, but
he would resurface in the silver age alongside the fantastic four, and would continue to
be a valuable presence in the Marvel universe then on out, even becoming a member of the
Illuminati and playing a major role in certain story arc events, which, unfortunately, haven’t
included him in their MCU adaptations.
8 Lockjaw Often animal superheroes lack credibility
in the superhero world as far as some audiences are concerned.
We largely have to thank the silver age and Fredric Wertham for that - many superhero
animals were introduced back then to help ‘round out’ superheroes and make them
more ‘family friendly’.
That being said, you’ve gotta give Marvel credit - they’re super powered furry creations
tend to hold some merit, like everybody’s favourite bulldog, Lockjaw.
Lockjaw is an Inhuman dog with the power of teleportation and precognition, and is capable
of swallowing inorganic material with no ill effect.
He serves the Inhuman Royal Family as an escort and protector, and even appeared in the MCU
in the Inhumans television series.
So what makes him so awesome?
Let’s list off some of his achievements.
He killed Black Order member Supergiant in the comics.
He can sense danger from far off, like when Doctor Doom had manipulated Silver Surfer’s
powers.
He led the Pet Avengers.
Alongside Black Bolt, Medusa and other Inhumans, he helped take down Sentry.
He’s helped many a hero when it came to needing to get them somewhere speedy and vital
with his transportation abilities.
And he’s ALSO A DOG.
Evidence enough that he’s great.
Moving on!
7 Stardust the Super Wizard Diving further into the obscure, let’s talk
a bit about this hero created by Fletcher Hanks in 1939, who unfortunate sometimes suffered
from tiny head big body syndrome.
Not a real syndrome, FYI, I’m just being a dick.
So, you may be wondering, why put a completely ridiculous superhero on the list of Best Superheroes?
Well, I’m an advocate of celebrating comic book history - it’s what shaped the characters
and the medium into what we know and love now, so looking back at the form, context
and ideologies behind works like our pal Stardust here is important.
Stardust had a lot of potential, too.
He was an alien character who had a vast knowledge of interplanetary science, making him, I quote,
“the most remarkable man that ever lived”.
He also apparently decapitated criminals, so there’s that.
He would monitor crime across the galaxy from his base on a private star.
He was also a tad unhinged - his brand of justice involved the likes of turning criminals
into worms and feeding them to giant vultures from Venus, and drowning people in tidal waves,
using a disintegrating ray to dispose of the body.
It’s not illegal if theres no evidence left behind, right?
Staying on that obscure train, next up is-
6 Jill Trent, Science Sleuth Jill was much more mild of a hero compared
to Stardust.
Meaning she didn’t outright murder criminals.
She was an adventurer published by Nedor comics in 1942 who solved crimes with her detective
skills and scientific ingenuity.
She also knew her way around a fight and packed a bunch, and occasionally wielded fire arms.
She also had an arsenal of inventions she would use in her stories, like Infra-Red glasses
that gave her x-ray vision, Electro-Repellant that could manipulate metal objects, and indestructible
cloth.
Plus, on top of all that awesomeness, she could have arguably been the first queer superhero
- the character frequency shared a bed with her ‘best friend’ Daisy Smythe, and also
shared a quarter interest in a uraninite mine from Jill’s uncle, which many have read
as a subtle way of depicting that the two were in a relationship.
5 The Flash – Barry Allen We’ve managed to get through three parts
of this list without mentioning a single character whose donned the Flash mantle.
While my personal favourite is the Golden Age incarnation, Jay Garrick, we’re going
to be looking at Barry Allen – the Flash who really made an impact in the Silver Age,
setting up the most of the legacy – and powers - the character and his predecessors
now proudly boast.
Barry Allen is the second Flash, who made his debut in Showcase #4 in October 1956.
This second Flash was also the introduction of the Speed Force - an upgrade to original
Flash’s capabilities.
In addition to that, Barry and his predecessor were responsible for the creation of the DC
multiverse.
In The Flash #123, a story called Flash of Two Worlds was released, with a cover created
by Carmine Infantino that featured both Flashes.
As the story goes, the Infantino was notorious for drawing up covers that editor Julius Schwartz
would need to come up with stories for, and rather than stumping the editor, it led to
Schwartz coming up with the idea that there were parallel universes in the comics.
Considering how big of an impact that’s had on mainstream comics in general, that’s
a big deal.
And that’s just the tip of the ice berg - Barry has been a crucial part to how the
DC universe has been shaped as a whole due to his powers and the consequences of using
the Speed Force in an extreme way.
Plus, the DCEU version of the character on the CW’s The Flash is more than lovable.
4 Jessica Jones Jessica Jones is an undeniable power house.
Whether you’re a fan of the character’s comic book persona or the Jessica of Netflix
Marvel fame portrayed by Kristen Ritter, it’s easy to find her compelling.
But, for the sake of this list, we’re taking a closer look at her MCU version, and how
it’s really changed the game when it comes to portrayed female superheroes in mainstream
media.
Cause, let’s be honest, prior to Jessica Jones, the amount of female super powered
individuals on our screens, big and small, was pretty lack lustre.
Jessica’s story in the series was not only one of a bad ass tortured character coming
to terms with her trauma and bringing it to justice, but also of a relatable anti-hero
living in a world where the larger scale MCU has a complex trickledown effect; it’s a
prime example of how creative intertwined storytelling can work REALLY well.
Jessica is a character who doesn’t want to be a hero, but finds herself pigeon holed
into that role.
And she’s definitely got her flaws, all of which make her more likeable to binge watch.
3 Squirrel Girl If you’re familiar with Squirrel Girl, you
know the character is capable of some pretty outstanding feats.
Her ability to control squirrels may seem absurd at first, but considering its allowed
her to take down the likes of Thanos and Galactus - in rather unconventional but very effective
ways - she’s become a character that is no longer dismissed.
She also previously had a relationship with Wolverine, and that in itself is no easy feat
it seems.
Squirrel Girl aka Doreen Green has been making a splash in recent years, quickly becoming
one of the most underrated heroes in Marvel’s roster.
Created by Will Murray and Steve Ditko in 1991, the character came to be out of a desire
of Murray’s to write a lighthearted superhero story rather than some of the more heavier,
dramatic arcs that had become the norm in mainstream comics in the 90s.
Since then, she’s fit into many roles - a nanny for Jessica Jone’s and Luke Cage’s
daughter, a student at Empire State University studying computer science, a member of the
Great Lake Avengers, a solo crime fighting career and even a member of Avengers, too.
2 Shazam Shazam has a long and fascinating history
as a character that stems back to the golden age, first appearing in 1939.
Originally operating under the alias of captain marvel, his origin story tells of a Young
orphan boy who is lured into an empty subway station by a man in a trench coat, then meets
a wizard and is given the powers of a bunch of gods, whose names all equal the acronym
Shazam.
When billy said Shazam out loud, he would become a fully grown man and have all of his
powers, which were very superman-esque.
Hence the first lawsuit to published fawcett comics from DC.
Eventually DC bought the rights to the character in 1972 after fawcett started to die out.
His name was officially changed to Shazam, annnnd he continued to adopt a more goofier
goody two shoes persona.
Despite that, there’s a lot of promise for Shazam these days, and hope that his upcoming
feature adaptation will return the character to his glory days will retaining a sense of
fun, reaching out and appealing to a wider audience.
At his core, Shazam is a character with the ability to empower kids - Billy can do anything
when he becomes Shazam, and that has a lot of thematic potential that could really leave
an impact on the DCEU.
1 Jean Grey Jean Grey is an Omega-level mutant, and one
of the most compelling characters in the X-Men roster, let alone in the Marvel universe.
Despite her sometimes weird ups and downs with main love interest Cyclops - who most
either love or hate - the character has withstood the test of time since her first appearance
in 1963’s The X-Men #1.
Created by legends Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, she was endowed with an immense amount of
power, has been both evil and good, and is consistently a force to be reckoned with,
on and off of the battle field.
Jean Grey has the gift of incredibly powerful telepathy and telekinesis.
As Phoenix, her powers were up-ed even more, giving her immense cosmic abilities, including
the likes of cosmic fire generation, reality warping, temporal and existence manipulation,
reality warping, life force control and space and time control.
The Dark Phoenix saga led by Chris Claremont and John Byrne remains one of the most epic
story arcs in the Marvel universe to this day, and paved the way for more complex and
conflicted portrayals of the character like the Jean in Grant Morrison’s 2004 New X-Men.
It’s also worth noting that she has died and come back to life more times than most
superheroes - which, yes, is common, but hey, considering that Jean is always in high demand,
that’s not too shabby, I guess?
There we have it friends!
So, now that we’re four parts in, what do you guys think?
I know this is a totally biased list, but in your opinion, who have we not discussed
that you think deserves a spot on our next list?
Let us know in those comments below.
Personally, I think it’s time we dive more into the big ol pool of mutants that Marvel
has to offer.
In the meantime though, if you liked this video, please show us some love and hit that
like button, subscribe if you haven’t already, and definitely check out more of the usually
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Thanks for watching everybody.
Catch you all in the next one.