Marvel has introduced readers to many of the greatest superheroes of all-time. Heroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, Wolverine, Hulk, Thor, Iron Man, and the other A-list heroes changed the way people looked at superheroes, and opened the door for an army of B-listers who have all took important places in the hierarchy of the Marvel Universe. These lower tier heroes fill out the various superteams, and have been a part of numerous adaptations, from movies to video games. However, there’s still plenty more heroes under them, C and D-list heroes who get some spotlight, and then eventually fade into the background noise of a superhero universe.
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These minor heroes may not be able to helm their own ongoings or aren’t the first characters you think of when you think of the various Marvel teams, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t awesome. They’ve played small but crucial roles in the evolution of the Marvel Universe. These seven minor Marvel heroes are all amazing, and it would be awesome to see them again.
7) Ka-Zar
Ka-Zar is Kevin Plunder, a scion of privilege. His father discovered the Savage Land, a place under Antarctica where prehistoric creatures have survived. Kevin’s parents were killed and the boy was found and raised by the sabretooth tiger Zabu. Ka-Zar is based on old school pulp adventure characters; he’s basically Marvel’s Tarzan who fights dinosaurs and Savage Land mutates. The Savage Land doesn’t show up nearly as much as it used to, so Ka-Zar hasn’t been around for a while, which is a shame. Ka-Zar is the kind of minor character who could star in his own book (in the ’90s, he had a book from Mark Waid and Andy Kubert that’s excellent), and he even has his own arch-enemy, his evil brother the Plunderer. Ka-Zar is way cooler than he gets credit for.
6) She-Thing/Ms. Marvel II
Sharon Ventura was a stunt woman when she met the Thing. The two of them would start hanging out and she ended up joining the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, given superhuman physical attributes by the Power Broker. Sharon then started going by Ms. Marvel II. She began a relationship with the Thing, and would eventually be subjected to cosmic rays, becoming She-Thing. Sharon and the Thing’s relationship eventually ended, and she’s showed up several more times over the years since. One of the main parts of Sharon’s character was her fear of men after being sexually assaulted by the Power Broker’s men. Sharon has a history with the Fantastic Four, and hasn’t been seen in years. Her old ’80s stories are great, though, and it would be cool to see her again.
5) Smasher
Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers run was perfect and it introduced readers to several new heroes, including Smasher. Lizzy Kane found the exo-specs of the Shi’Ar Imperial Guardsman Smasher on her farm after an attack by Cassandra Nova, and took his place. She joined the Avengers thank to her grandfather, Golden Age hero Captain Terror, and helped the Avengers fight the Builders and deal with the Incursions. She ended up marrying Cannonball and the two of them had a daughter, moving to Chandrilar so Smasher could work with the Imperial Guard. Smasher has just about completely disappeared since then. She’s a cool character, and seeing her again would make at least one person happy (me; I’m that person).
4) Marrow
The X-Men were the kings of the ’90s, and Marvel introduced lots of new mutant heroes and villains over the decade. Marrow was first introduced as the leader of the Gene Nation, a group of Morlock terrorists who battled the X-Men. Storm tore her heart out, but she had a second one because of her powers, returning as an anti-hero fighting for mutants. She ended up joining the X-Men and became the new Wolverine character, a mouthy loner who cut people. Marrow’s powers caused her bones to grow out of control, allowing her to pull out her bones and use them as weapons. She’d eventually learn to control these powers and became a pretty good X-Man before leaving the team and bumming around the Marvel Universe. Marrow had all the potential in the world, but she rarely shows up anymore.
3) Fantomex
Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run was wild, and it introduced readers to multiple weird mutants. The coolest of these was Fantomex. Fantomex was created by the Weapon Plus program, a supersoldier mutant with three brains and a living UFO named E.V.A. Fantomex was a member of the X-Men and the X-Force, and has worked with the teams for years. Fantomex is one of the more entertaining characters in the Marvel Universe, but it feels like no one has really used him right since he left X-Force (not even Jonathan Hickman, although he did give readers an awesome Fantomex story in Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex #1). Fantomex is super cool, and it would be awesome if he became a regular part of the mutant Marvel Universe again.
2) Doop
Doop is possibly one of the weirdest mutants ever, which is saying something. Doop first appeared in X-Force/X-Statix in the early ’00s. The floating green blob spoke in a strange made-up language that readers couldn’t understand and he was monumentally powerful. Readers were constantly told about Doop’s wild past, including a friendship with Wolverine, and is one of the most mysterious Marvel characters ever. Doop is sort of a joke character, but it’s an awesome joke. His amazing power and opaque background makes him a joy to read about, and it would be cool if he was used way more.
1) Cannonball
Cannonball has been a member of the New Mutants, X-Force, the X-Men, and the Avengers. His kinetic blasting powers allow him to fly at high speeds, and his body is protected by a force field that absorbs kinetic energy and allows him to redirect it. Cannonball could have been the Cyclops of his generation of mutants, and has pulled some pretty amazing feats, like beating the Imperial Guard leader Gladiator, but for some reason he’s always pushed out of the spotlight. Cannonball hasn’t been heard from much since he married Smasher; even in the Krakoa Era, he barely showed up, and was killed at the Hellfire Gala before being resurrected at the end. Cannonball should be at a much higher level in the hero game than he is now, and maybe one day, a creator will come along who makes him an A-lister, like he deserves.
What is your favorite minor Marvel hero? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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