7 Marvel Heroes Defined by Science

Marvel Comics and sci-fi have gone hand in hand since the beginning. The first Marvel hero, the Human Torch, was a robot and it would go on from there, as numerous characters gained their powers from science. Sci-fi would become a much bigger part of the Marvel Universe starting in the Silver Age, when it seemed like every early hero was in some way defined by science. Most of them got their powers through science and a lot of them were even genius scientists themselves. Being a scientist in the Marvel Universe is akin to magic – everyone knows everything about every discipline of science – and some characters have been defined by it over the years.

These characters gained their powers because of science and/or have been affected by it over and over again over the decades. Their lives as superheroes wouldn’t be the same without science and there’s a good chance that most of them never would have become heroes without it. These seven Marvel heroes are defined by science, their lives molded by it into something they never expected.

7) Beast

The Beast has changed a lot lately, becoming more of a villain and living up to his name. However, one thing that hasn’t changed about him is the science. Hank McCoy was blessed with super-strength and agility as his mutant powers, but his brain was all his own. Hank was a genius and has spent years learning everything he could about genetics and other disciplines of science. The only reason he looks the way he does is because he experimented on himself and he’s had to save his own life using the skills he brought up (and a past version of himself), all while building machinery for the X-Men and helping them work with their powers and various mutant viruses and problems. Even today as a villain, he’s still using science against the X-Men and there’s another past version of him with the team, working as their tech support and trying to make up for the barbarism of the original Beast.

6) Wolverine

Wolverine is one of Marvel’s most popular heroes and most people wouldn’t think of him as a science hero. He’s not a super genius and his mutant powers make him less human, forcing him to control the beast within him. However, then you remember that he has an adamantium skeleton and his healing factor has made him one of the most experimented-on mutants ever. He was forged into a beast by the governments of the West in Weapon X and since then, he’s been experimented on numerous times by various bad guys. In a lot of ways, science made Wolverine into the hero he is today, transforming him into one of the greatest super soldiers ever.

5) The Hulk

The Hulk has taken a turn into cosmic horror lately, but there was a time when his stories were a perfect example of sci-fi horror. Bruce Banner survived a childhood of abuse to become a world reknowned physicist, creating the gamma bomb for the US military. Of course, the whole thing went awry and he was transformed into the Hulk, the most dangerous human being in recent memory. Over the years, Banner’s past as a scientist has played a huge role in the life of the character, as he and others have tried to find a scientific solution to the Hulk. He was meant to be a man transformed into a monster by science and it continues to play a huge role in his life.

4) Hank Pym

Hank Pym had has numerous codenames over the decades – Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, Yellowjacket, and the Wasp – and his superhero career spun out of his scientific one. He created the Pym Particles, allowing him to shrink and grow, a helmet that lets him talk to insects, energy blasters, and a wing harness his girlfriend Janet used as the first Wasp. He even created life in the form of Ultron, who became one of the Avengers’ greatest enemies. Pym has long been one of the main scientists of the Avengers, working with Iron Man and others to solve the team’s problems scientifically.

3) Reed Richards

An argument can be made that the entire Fantastic Four should be here, but for Ben, Sue, and Johnny, science just gave them their powers. Each of their stories goes in different directions than just science, but the same can’t be said of Reed Richards. Reed is the greatest scientist in the Marvel Universe and most stories that star him deal with this. Science gave him his powers and his fame, and how it affects his life and those around him is usually the focus of his stories. Honestly, if you took science away from Richards, all he would be is a negligent father, husband, and friend.

2) Iron Man

The Stark family has been all about the science for years, with young Tony following in his father’s footsteps when it came to the family arms business. Then, one day, he found himself injured by his own weapons and he had to design a suit of armor, one that would not only help him escape from being captured but also keep a piece of shrapnel out of his heart. Since then, he’s tinkered with the armor, making it even more advanced and powerful, becoming one of the greatest heroes ever. He’s basically become tech support for the entire Marvel Universe, using his seemingly boundless intellect to make the world a better, safer place.

1) Spider-Man

Spider-Man is Marvel’s most relatable hero. Well, except for the science. Peter Parker was a nerdy kid growing up in Queens and science became his safe space. One day, he would get bitten by a radioactive spider, changing his life forever. Science gave him his powers and he used his knowledge to create various machines that helped him along, like his web-shooters and his spider-tracer (I miss those). While he’s more known for his vigilante methods than the scientific one, he’s one of the most underrated super geniuses in the Marvel Universe. He’s on the level of Stark, Pym, and Richards, further proving why he’s the best.

What other Marvel heroes are defined by science? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!

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