7 Bravest Marvel Heroes, Ranked by Courage

Superheroes and bravery have gone hand in hand since the beginning, especially at Marvel Comics. The heroes of the Marvel Universe have found themselves facing down threats that would chill the most formidable to the bone. It takes something special to be a hero in the Marvel Universe; you never know when the public is going to turn against you or some all-powerful universal conqueror is going to drop out of the sky. It takes bravery to know that anything you do can turn everyone against you, even when you’re basically putting your life and sanity on the line every time you put your costume on.

Bravery links every superhero, each of them willing to do whatever it takes. However, some take it much further, their bravery almost like a superpower at times. These are the seven bravest Marvel heroes, superheroes who will face any threat to save the day.

7) Black Panther

Black Panther is an amazing hero, but he isn’t often feted for his bravery. This is a mistake. T’Challa’s whole life is defined by his stewardship of Wakanda. He will face any odds to make sure his nation is strong. He’s willing to risk everything, including his throne and his reputation, to allow Wakanda to exist for one more day. He will go against his friends, he will fight any odds alone, he will face the most powerful beings imaginable and never flinch. His bravery is off the charts and has helped make him who he is today.

6) Captain Marvel

Captain Marvel is a venerable Marvel mantle, having passed to numerous heroes over the decades. Carol Danvers has been the Captain for a while, but even before becoming one of the most powerful people on Earth, she was as brave as they come. She was an intelligence officer in the Air Force, willing to risk her life for her country. She became a superhero and ended up fighting the greatest threats with the Avengers, never shrinking from the danger. She lost her powers but stayed with the superhero community, eventually leaving everything behind to have adventures in space as Binary and fight cosmic beings. She faced her problems and beat alcoholism. Even becoming Captain Marvel shows how brave she is; she took the chance at failure and no one accepting her; instead, she’s been the leader of the Avengers for years. Her bravery is one of her strongest attributes, forging her into the hero she is today.

5) Thor

It’s easy to think that Thor wouldn’t be brave; he is, after all, a god. However, Norse gods aren’t the unkillable titans of other pantheons. They take their lives into their hands every time they go into battle and none of them more so than the Odinson. The God of Thunder has been on the forefront of every major Asgardian conflict, throwing himself into battle with wild abandon. He will face down death itself to win the day and is always ready to give up his life, for his kingdom, his family, his adopted home, and his friends and loved ones. That’s just how Thor rolls (or in his case, “that’s just how Thor is pulled by his hammer”).

4) Iron Man

Iron Man is one of Marvel’s greatest heroes. He’s been a lot of things over the years – a weapons designer, a scientist, a CEO, a hero, a villain, a friend, an enemy, a traitor – but there isn’t anyone who would say he’s not brave. Tony Stark was a pampered playboy who decided to make the world a better place after a catastrophic injury from his own weapons and since then has put himself right in everyone’s firing line. He’s lost everything to be the hero he is more than once, taking chances that no one else would, and he would gladly do it again. This is someone who could be doing anything he wanted, but instead, he’s decided to put his life on the line every day.

3) Daredevil

Daredevil is one of the toughest heroes around and his bravery has never been in doubt. In fact, he’s literally called “the man without fear”. Matt Murdock is a blind man with super senses, but that’s basically the extent of his powers. However, that doesn’t stop him from throwing himself into battle against the worst of the worst. This is a guy who sees (actually, it should be hears, but you get it) Mister Hyde, a villain who can punch it out with the strongest heroes, and thinks, “Nah, I can take him.” He looks at someone like the Kingpin and thinks that’s the kind of guy he, as one man, should take on. He’ll jump into a hail of gunfire without a second thought and will fight anyone in front of him to save the day.

2) Hawkeye

Hawkeye makes Daredevil look like a coward. This is a person with no superpowers, just a mastery of one of humanity’s oldest weapons, and he’s been fighting at the highest levels of the superhero community for his entire career. He went after Iron Man because a pretty girl told him to. He joined the Avengers and found himself in battle against the most deadly enemies you can imagine, villains with power that can destroy planets or kill him with a gesture, and what does he do? Makes fun of them and shoots arrows at them, which usually can’t even hurt them. There’s people who laughs in the face of danger and then there’s Hawkeye, who makes fun of danger and spits in its eye before mooning it.

1) Captain America

Captain America has been proving his bravery for decades, but I think the best way to prove it is to bring up Infinity Gauntlet #4. Over the course of those four issues, Cap watched the world get wrecked for reasons he didn’t understand at first, was there when half of the people on Earth were killed, and then went to fight the one who did it, Thanos. He watched as the Mad Titan killed all of the heroes he’d fought alongside in a matter of minutes, many of whom where more powerful than him. What did he do next? He walked over to the villain, locked eyes with him, and talked some smack. When Thanos punched him, he put up his shield, as if it was just another day at the office and watched it shatter, Mistress Death’s least favorite suitor holding him place so he couldn’t avoid the next shot. What did he do? He still kept fighting, landing one punch before being killed. He basically walked up to Death itself, sassed it, and then punched it in the face. That’s how brave Cap is and few can match that.

Who do you think is the bravest Marvel hero? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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