Movies & TV
Marvel Tier List Maker
Rank Marvel heroes and villains, from Spider-Man, Iron Man and Captain America to Thanos, Loki and Deadpool. Sort by power, popularity or screen time.
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Meet every character (33)
These 33 characters load into the maker above. Each write-up covers what the character is and what to weigh when you rank it. Facts were last checked on .
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Spider-Man
Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in Amazing Fantasy #15 in August 1962. His secret identity is Peter Parker, and he is one of Marvel's most popular heroes.
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Iron Man
Co-created by Stan Lee and designed by Don Heck and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39 in 1962. He soon became a founding member of the Avengers.
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Captain America
Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Captain America Comics #1 on December 20, 1940. Steve Rogers is a frail man who is enhanced to peak human perfection by an experiment.
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Thor
Based on the Germanic god, Thor Odinson was created by Jack Kirby, Stan Lee and Larry Lieber. He first appeared in Journey into Mystery #83 in 1962 and is the son of Odin.
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Hulk
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the Hulk first appeared in the debut issue of The Incredible Hulk in May 1962. He is a huge green brute with limitless strength, tied to the scientist Bruce Banner.
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Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff debuted in 1964 in Tales of Suspense #52 as an enemy of Iron Man, created by Stan Lee, Don Rico and Don Heck. She reformed into a hero in The Avengers #30 in 1966.
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Hawkeye
Clint Barton debuted as an antagonist of Iron Man in Tales of Suspense #57 in 1964, then joined the Avengers in 1965. He got his first solo miniseries in 1983, and fights with a bow.
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Black Panther
T'Challa was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, first appearing in Fantastic Four #52 in July 1966. He is the king and protector of the African nation of Wakanda, which is rich in vibranium.
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Doctor Strange
Created by artist Steve Ditko with scripting by Stan Lee, he first appeared in Strange Tales #110 in 1963. As Sorcerer Supreme, he protects the Earth dimension against magical and mystical threats.
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Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff first appeared in The X-Men #4 in March 1964, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. She began as a mutant who manipulates probability and grew into a powerful sorceress.
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Vision
Created by Roy Thomas and John Buscema, he first appeared in The Avengers #57 in August 1968. He is an android, sometimes called a synthezoid, who was built by the villain Ultron.
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Ant-Man
Several heroes have used the name. Hank Pym debuted in Tales to Astonish #27 in 1962 and became the first Ant-Man, while Scott Lang, a reformed thief and electronics expert, took the name later in 1979.
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Wasp
Janet van Dyne was created by Stan Lee, Ernie Hart and Jack Kirby and debuted in Tales to Astonish #44 in 1963. She can shrink, fly with insect-like wings and fire bioelectric blasts, and she named the Avengers.
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Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #13 in 1968 as an Air Force officer, created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan. She became the first Ms. Marvel in 1977 and later took the Captain Marvel name.
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Falcon
Created by Stan Lee and Gene Colan, Sam Wilson first appeared in Captain America #117 in 1969. He flies with mechanical wings and later became Captain America after Steve Rogers retired.
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Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby as the sidekick of Captain America, first appearing in 1941. His later identity as the Winter Soldier built on the original sidekick character.
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Loki
Based on the Norse deity, he was created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby. His role as the adoptive brother and nemesis of Thor was introduced in Journey into Mystery #85 in 1962.
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Thanos
Created by writer-artist Jim Starlin, he first appeared in The Invincible Iron Man #55 in 1973. An Eternal-Deviant warlord from the moon Titan, he is regarded as one of the most powerful beings in Marvel.
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Star-Lord
Peter Jason Quill was created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan and first appeared in Marvel Preview #4 in 1976. He is the son of a human mother and a Spartoi father, and he acts as an interplanetary policeman.
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Gamora
Created by Jim Starlin, she first appeared in Strange Tales #180 in 1975. She is the adopted daughter of Thanos and the last of her species, and a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
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Drax
Arthur Douglas was a human whose family was killed by Thanos. The being Kronos placed his spirit in a powerful new body, creating Drax the Destroyer, introduced by Jim Starlin in 1973.
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Rocket
Created by Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen, he first appeared in Marvel Preview #7 in 1976. This intelligent raccoon is an expert marksman and weapon specialist, named after a Beatles song, "Rocky Raccoon."
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Groot
Created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Tales to Astonish #13 in 1960. A tree-like alien, his speech is limited to the phrase "I am Groot," which can carry different meanings.
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Nebula
Created by Roger Stern and John Buscema, she first appeared in The Avengers #257 in 1985. She began as a supervillain, and she was later portrayed as an antihero and a member of the Guardians.
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Deadpool
Co-created by artist Rob Liefeld and writer Fabian Nicieza, he first appeared as a supervillain in The New Mutants #98 in 1991. He received his first ongoing solo title in 1997.
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Wolverine
First appearing in The Incredible Hulk #180 in 1974, he is best known as an X-Men member. James "Logan" Howlett is a Canadian-born mutant with advanced self-healing and animal-keen senses.
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Daredevil
Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett, with input from Jack Kirby, he debuted in Daredevil #1 in April 1964. The blind vigilante's enhanced senses were influenced by Everett's legally blind daughter.
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Moon Knight
Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin, he first appeared in Werewolf by Night #32 in 1975 as a mercenary antagonist. He is later a street-level vigilante who relies on combat training and equipment.
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Shang-Chi
Created by Steve Englehart and Jim Starlin, Shang-Chi debuted in Special Marvel Edition #15 in 1973. Known as the Master of Kung Fu, he is raised by his criminal father but renounces him.
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Ms. Marvel
Kamala Khan is a teenage Pakistani-American from Jersey City. Created by Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson and others, she is Marvel's first major Muslim protagonist with her own comic.
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She-Hulk
Created by Stan Lee and John Buscema, Jennifer Walters first appeared in The Savage She-Hulk #1 in 1979. A lawyer, she gained a milder version of her cousin Bruce Banner's Hulk condition.
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Silver Surfer
Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, he first appeared in Fantastic Four #48 in 1966. A metallic-skinned humanoid alien, he travels through space on a surfboard-like craft.
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Ghost Rider
Ghost Rider is the name of several heroes. The first supernatural one is stunt motorcyclist Johnny Blaze, who gives his soul to save his foster father, and whose flesh burns away at night.
About Marvel
Marvel Comics created most of these characters, and many have appeared in comics, animation, games and the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The same character can be very different from one version to another.
For a clear list, pick a single lens: comic book power level, movie popularity, or your own favorites. Mixing them makes it hard to compare a street-level hero with a cosmic one.
What to consider when you rank characters
- Power level
- Popularity
- Best story arcs
- Costume and design
- Movie portrayal
Marvel tier list questions
Does this list use comic or movie versions of the characters?
The write-ups describe the original Marvel Comics characters, including their creators and first appearances. You can still rank them however you like, whether by comics, the movies, TV series or video games.
How many Marvel characters are on this list?
There are 33 characters, covering the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, mutants like Wolverine and some street-level and cosmic heroes. If your pick is missing, you can add it as a text item.
How should I rank Marvel characters?
Common criteria include power level, personality, story depth, costume design and how well a character works in a team. Decide the rule first so a cosmic hero and a street-level hero are judged fairly.
Sources
Facts on this page were checked against these references on .