#30- Iron Man- It may shock many that Iron Man is not higher up on my list. Iron Man is today one of the most popular characters in Marvel's repetoire, largely due to the highly successful (and actually very good) films. But while Iron Man has always had a fairly prominent place in my collection, and rightly is one of my favorite characters, he's never meant enough to me to crack the top 25. In fact, if not for the films, which I genuinely loved, he probably wouldn't be this high on the list. Though films or no, he would be on it. I love the aesthetic of the armor. There is something about the classic gold and red that really speaks to people, myself included. I also like the fact that there are all these different armors for various occasions. But it is Tony Stark, and his dysfunctional relationships with those closest to him, that really make the character riveting. Stark is a genuinely flawed human being, and seeing his struggles with, for instance, alcoholism really spoke to someone in my situation. That a person with so many flaws can make such a huge difference, and in the end find that place that pushes him to be something better, is a message that should resonate with everyone.
#29- Scarlet Witch- Like Longshot, Scarlet Witch is on this list in part because she possesses my favorite super power: probability manipulation. But unlike Longshot, her control of these powers is greater and so the results are that much more fantastic. Additionally, she is a far more interesting and complex character. Her on-again off-again relationship with the vision, and the fact that many beings of cosmic proportion seek to use her for nefarious ends, makes for some dynamite storytelling. You see the big secret of powers like the Witch's is that underneath it all is the power to control the fundamentals of reality, for reality at its base is dominated by the laws of probability. All that power, but with a limited ability to focus it, combined with an interesting character, all make for a perfect storm of comic book awesomeness.
#28- Phoenix (Rachel Summers)- Some might scofff that Rachel is up higher than this list than her mother, but to be honest, I've always followed Rachel more, because by the time I started collecting comics Jean Grey's adventure was back issue fodder. Rachel is an escapee from a future time when mutants are hunted like animals. She is ostensibly the daughter of Jean Grey and Scott Summers, though in another universe that no longer exists (or rather will exist). She eventually learned to access the vast powers of the Phoenix and that sent her back in time. I love Rachel because she is the ultimate fish out of water, and possessed of vast power. My favorite Phoenix adventures are those that take place with Excaliber. I just loved that team (three of its members are on this list.)
#27- Speedball- I like characters that are possessed of vast power but limited ability to use those powers. That makes for interesting storytelling, plain and simple. Speedball is a teenager who is connected to another dimension composed of pure kinetic energy. Any force direct at him is absorbed and transmitted elsewhere, usually causing him to bounce around and randomly project kinetic energy. Speedball is on this list because of an extended storyline in the New Warriors, of which he is a member. The Sphinx found a way to use his powers against others, and the Sphinx's more enlightened use of those powers revealed a force greater than most realized. That exploration of his true nature remains one of my favorite all-time storylines and that is why Speedball is on this list.
#26- Steel- John Henry Irons is descended from the legendary railroad worker of the same name. When Superman died, John had some kind of spiritual experience involving the Man of Steel, possibly even housing his soul for a short time. Irons had made quite a mess of his life, using his unique genius to create weapons that threatened the streets of Metropolis and later the world. Steel used his encounter with Superman as inspiration to create a super-powered suit that got him involved deepl with the Superman Wars leading up to Kal-Els return to the land of the living. Steel is the Iron Man of the DC universe, and I've always liked him better than Iron Man. Partly because he is a black hero, but also because of his nobility and desire to make amends, with which I identified. Tony Stark creates his suits of armor using vast monetary resources. Steel makes his without much money, using only the power of his vast ingenuity. He is the poor mans's Iron Man, and I always liked that.
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