Marvel Comics picked up the idea for the superhero from DC Comics and took it in all kinds of amazing new directions. The House of Ideas changed a lot about the superhero but a lot of things were kept the same. Heroes protected the innocent, battled crime, and saved the world. They risked their lives to fight the good fight every day, but there are some for whom death is one of the least likely things to happen to them; they are so powerful that killing them is a chore for anyone who isn’t on their level. However, some heroes take their lives into hands every time they put on their costume, defying death every day.
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Some of these heroes haven’t always been able to defy death, losing their lives in battle, but they always come back to keep the fight going. Death is their constant companion and they’ve made a career out of denying it its due. These are Marvel’s ten most death-defying heroes, people who laugh in the face of danger.
10) Black Widow
Black Widow was once one of the KGB’s greatest assassins, trained in the Red Room and dosed with the Infinity Formula. She was trained by the Winter Soldier and was sent on the most dangerous missions, always surviving. Becoming a superhero upped the danger quotient of her life, as she found herself up against the most powerful enemies around, yet she never blanches. She jumps into every fight with reckless abandon, trusting her skills and experience to get her through. This is a woman with no powers and no armor who climbs tall buildings and swings off them, taking her life into her hands every time. Death has stopped being something she’s afraid of.
9) Hawkeye
Numerous villains have become Avengers, with Hawkeye being the best of them. Clint Barton is a highly skilled combatant, a master of numerous weapons, but is most known for his mastery of the bow and arrow. He’s a normal human with an ancient weapon throwing himself into battle against the worst enemies you can imagine. Oh and while he does that, he’s making fun of them the whole time. Death has lost all sting for him, making him one of the bravest Avengers ever.
8) Captain America
Captain America has had some amazing adventures, and all of them have proved one thing: he has no fear of death. His super soldier serum has allowed him to stay young and hale decades longer than he should have, keeping him out of the reaper’s clutches. It’s given him the strength and agility to stay one step ahead of anyone trying to kill him, and he’s used those attributes to put his life on the line time after time. He’ll throw himself at the most powerful enemies with no concern for his own safety; all that matters to him is how many lives he can save. If he has to die, he’ll die, but until then, he’ll keep spitting in the eye of fate.
7) Punisher
Frank Castle lost all fear of death as a Marine. When his family died in front of him, life lost all light for him and he devoted himself to death. As the Punisher, he walks into rooms full of heavily armed people and opens fire. He takes his life into his hands every time he goes out at night and yet he’ll never stop. The Punisher battles formidable foes, without any superpowers or high technology to even up the odds, but still wins against foes ostensibly tougher than him. He just walks into hails of hot lead every day and always comes out the other side, making sure that everyone who shoots at him doesn’t.
6) Daredevil
Daredevil’s nickname really says it all about how he feels about death. Matt Murdock is the man without fear, a blind man who decided to jump off buildings every night and battle Hell’s Kitchen’s worst. He’s someone who knows exactly how dangerous the Kingpin is and constantly fights him. He battles villains like Mr. Hyde, who can crush him him like a bug, like they’re nothing. He’s attacked groups of ninja by himself, beating them at their own game. It’s almost like he’s daring death to take him, but he always stays one step ahead of it.
5) Spider-Man
Spider-Man is Marvel’s most relatable hero in a lot of ways, but one way he’s different than all of us is his attitude towards death. Peter Parker is all about responsibility (unless it’s getting his aunt shot; then he’ll change history itself to run from that responsibility) and this has made him take his life into his hands many, many times. He swings through the city, fighting the most dangerous criminals, and then when the world is in danger, he throws himself at those guys too. His spider-sense and agility have kept him one step ahead, allowing him to throw himself into the breach again and again.
4) Jean Grey
Jean Grey has been putting her life on the line since she was a teenager, but that’s not why she’s death-defying. For her, it’s for a simple reason – she has defied death on numerous occasions, meeting her end and coming back from it. Jean Grey has died more than once, and yet she’s always come back thanks to the Phoenix Force, a universal force of death and rebirth. She knows that no matter what happens, she’s coming back, so she battles evil with the kind of abandon that one can only have if they know that death has no hold on them.
3) Mr. Immortal
Mr. Immortal lives up to his name. Craig Hollis can survive anything. So, if you blow him up, he’ll be fine. You can shoot him a million times and nothing will happen. Cutting his throat will just stop him talking until it heals. We’ve seen him at the end of the universe, where he’s the last thing other than the Hulk. He will watch everything die and yet death will never come for him until the very end.
2) Deadpool
Wade Wilson stared death in the face every day as a soldier, but it didn’t become real until he was diagnosed with cancer. He was given a healing factor and suddenly death was impossibly far away. He can survive anything; we’ve seen him lose his entire body but his head and grow it back. He can keep fighting with a giant hole in his chest. You can blow him to pieces, but he’ll just reform. No one has found any way to kill him, which is actually kind of bad for him, since Mistress Death is actually in love with him and he with her.
1) Wolverine
Wolverine has survived the most brutal battles, made into an unbeatable titan (well, a 5’3″ titan, but still) because of his adamantium skeleton and healing factor. Logan has been a survivor for years, constantly putting his life on the line for the right thing even before he became a superhero. Every time his heart stops, he’s transported to a battle with the Angel of Death and has to fight for his life. He’s won nearly every time, earning the right to live another day. In that way, he’s one of the most death-defying heroes in comics; he quite literally defies death every time he dies and comes back (don’t believe me? Read Wolverine (Vol. 3) #48).
Who do you think is Marvel’s most death-defying hero? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
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