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Ranking comic book characters by their powers, strength, physical traits, affiliations, and other features, like how just goshdarn super they are.

Superheroes

Tim Drake Is The Ultimate Robin

<a href="/list/best-alternate-costumes-in-marvel-comics/ranker-comics">Amazing alternate costumes for superheroes</a> are always entertaining, but what about alternate superhero characters? The topic of &ldquo;legacy characters,&rdquo; or replacement superheroes, has led to many heated debates&nbsp;in the world of comic book fandom. Publishers have attempted to add diversity and &ldquo;fresh ideas&rdquo; to their comic book universes by replacing their most popular heroes with younger and more diverse vigilantes. The results have been, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/superhero-replacements-worse-than-the-original/stephanroget" target="_blank">at best, mixed</a>.

Fan outrage is high anytime a popular character goes away - even the times when <a href="/list/times-marvel-has-changed-a-character-for-no-reason/ranker-comics">Marvel changes a character for no apparent reason</a>&nbsp;aren&#39;t met with as much resistance.&nbsp;Nothing is worse than seeing your favorite superhero feign death for awhile so that a precocious teenager can take up their mantle to spout internet slang and share crossovers with Spider-Man.

Now, this may be considered sacrilege in some corners of the fandom, but some legacy heroes turn out pretty cool. In fact, there&#39;s a&nbsp;rare handful of second generation superheroes who are actually better than the originals. It&#39;s not easy to replace a legendary hero,&nbsp;but as the following characters can attest to, it is doable. Check out the list below and vote up the coolest second generation heroes who you believe are an improvement from the original.&nbsp;

Best Characters

Captain America

List of the most badass, tough, and iconic comic book superheroes ever created. This list includes central characters from both the DC and Marvel Universe, as well as more non-traditional or underground comic books. The definition of what makes a &quot;superhero&quot; can be quite slippery, and often encompasses characters with questionable morals and behavior (giving rise to the notion of the &quot;anti-hero.&quot;) If you love these superheroes, you&#39;ll also be interested to know that a few of them have really <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-10-lamest-super-hero-origins/ihateeverything">lame origin stories</a>.

Traditionally, a &quot;superhero&quot; simply means a larger-than-life character, or one gifted with special abilities, either organically or via their own genius or inventiveness, who uses his or her powers to protect and defend the public from threats - at times <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unexpected-superhero-day-jobs/stephanroget" target="_blank">even while maintaining day jobs</a>. Though the word &quot;superhero&quot; began to be used as early as the 1910s, the concept really took hold in the public&#39;s mind following the introduction of Superman in 1938.

Though Superman and other characters of his day were gifted with special talents and abilities, making them particularly suited to crusading for justice, many characters that followed were more &quot;human&quot; than the noble alien from Krypton, using their intelligence (such as Iron Man or Batman) to create a superheroic persona.&nbsp; Some <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-10-greatest-disabled-superheroes-of-all-time/saintmort">superheroes also have disabilities</a> that counteract their skills, weapons or unique talents.&nbsp;

Because of the massive popularity of superheroes &ndash; particularly at the start of the 21st Century, when <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-superhero-movies-ever-made">superhero films</a> reigned at the box office &ndash; a number of deconstructions and analyses of the genre have also been done, culminating in the creation of &quot;meta-superheroes&quot; who comment on the concept of superheroism itself.&nbsp;So take a look at this list, decide who your favorite comic book superheroes are, and vote them up.&nbsp;We have your top 50 superheroes, your top 100 superheroes of all time&hellip; we don&rsquo;t quite have your top 200 comic book characters of all time simply because this list is just for the best superheroes ever. We didn&rsquo;t include the super villains on this top comic book characters list. Who are the top comic book heroes? Who is the best superhero? Let&rsquo;s put these question to rest of who is the best super heroes to rest.

Comic Books

Superheroes have never been more mainstream, but some costumed crusaders are so ubiquitous they were household names long before the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/every-character-from-the-marvel-cinematic-universe-ranked?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">Marvel Cinematic Universe</a> was born. Characters like Superman, Spider-Man, and the Incredible Hulk are all recognizable worldwide, but casual fans might be surprised to learn that even some of the most&nbsp;famous <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unrealistic-super-powers/ranker-comics" target="_blank">superpowers</a> may be a lot more complicated than they appear on the surface.

Longtime fans are well aware that comic book continuity is complex and difficult to parse; they have made peace with the fact that not every detail in these superhero mythologies will end up making it to the big screen. Regardless, fans of all stripes would probably claim to understand the full story behind some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/superpowers-we-wish-we-had/benjamin-dunn" target="_blank">more popular superpowers</a>, like flight or wall-crawling - but they&rsquo;d be wrong.

Daken

While they say&nbsp;children are the future, these powerful&nbsp;children of superheroes could&nbsp;probably run the future. More than the sum of mom and dad, the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-powerful-comic-book-characters-ranked/ranker-comics?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">most powerful superhero</a> offspring&nbsp;outclass many adult heroes and villains&nbsp;in their respective universes.&nbsp;Indeed, due to the finicky logic of sci-fi,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/superheroes-with-children/chinofernandez">superheroes sometimes bear&nbsp;children</a>&nbsp;who&nbsp;are more powerful than they are. It must be a truly humbling experience to think that you're one of the most potent beings in all of creation, only to be bested by your own progeny. From the offspring of comic book legends to&nbsp;anime icons to Pixar's finest, the most powerful <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/superheroes-with-children/chinofernandez?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">kids of superheroes</a> aren't just alright, they're almighty.

poll

List of the best superpowers we all wish we had as voted by the Ranker community. This list of superpowers includes anything we&#39;ve seen in movies, read in comics, or dreamt up ourselves. Just think about how life-changing it would be to have cool superpowers. Have you ever been sitting in traffic and wished that you could just fly to work? Or have you had to run through the airport to catch your plane and thought of how great it would be to just teleport where you wanted to go? Maybe you&#39;d just want to be able to know what your partner is thinking for once. Superhero powers <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-unfortunate-x-men-mutations/tyler-mitchell" target="_blank">may not all be useful</a>, but they&nbsp;can sure come in handy, but just remember Uncle Ben&#39;s famous words, &quot;With great power, comes great responsibility.&quot;

The most-wanted superpowers - even <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/obscure-superpowers-useful/jessica-bedewi" target="_blank">the weird, obscure ones</a> - improve our everyday lives or allow us to become a little greater than we are. If you&#39;ve ever been jealous of superheroes and their different types of awesome super powers, fantasize with this list&nbsp;and pretend you&#39;ve harnessed their powers.&nbsp;Now, you can use this list of superpowers&nbsp;to dream of how your life could be. Share this with your friends and add whatever cool superpowers <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-you-wish-you-were-better-at/lauren-slocum?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">you wish you</a> had.&nbsp;

This is a list of the best superpowers we wish were real. Vote up your favorite and add any that aren&#39;t listed yet. &nbsp;

Apocalypse

Comic villains are responsible for some of the most heinous&nbsp;acts in all of fiction. They commit the sorts of graphic crimes that make empathy almost impossible. They engage in criminal activity that can send&nbsp;shivers up the spines of readers. But behind the masks and capes and ghoulish grins lie some of the most sympathetic comic book villain&nbsp;origins you&#39;ll ever hear.

Because these characters were crafted in a medium&nbsp;bursting with possibilities, the torture they endured prior to turning to the dark side is often more physically and emotionally extreme then audiences might be used to. Some of your favorite villains were tortured for millions or even billions of years. Subject to rejection, mutilation, starvation, lobotomies and more, it&rsquo;s difficult at times to determine whether the decisions they make are derived from their own will or from their circumstances. It&#39;s often heartbreaking when you really stop and think about the lives of villains in comics.&nbsp;

In order to understand what fuels the hatred&nbsp;behind the alter egos, it&rsquo;s best if we get to know them before they were baddies&nbsp;(if that&rsquo;s even possible). The saddest supervillain origin stories often begin before they had a chance to fight back. You might be surprised to learn that several villains were abused as infants,&nbsp;or slated for punishment before they were born. For many of them, crime was not a choice. It was their only identity. Here are some of the most gut wrenching, cringe-inducing, and just straight up saddest supervillain origin stories&nbsp;in history.

Hungry for more? Take a look at <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weirdest-superhero-origins/jonathan-kantor" target="_blank">some of the weirdest superhero origins</a>.&nbsp;

Marvel Comics

Captain Universe

In general, comic books have not paid nearly enough attention to people of color. Even when a Black super hero did exist, they didn&#39;t get the exposure they deserved. The best Black superheroes are every bit as iconic, interesting, and emotionally compelling as their peers.&nbsp;In fact, Black Panther&nbsp;in particular has been a consistently strong book over the years that will no doubt provide a lot of great material for a ton of films down the line. Static has not only gotten his own cartoon, but an incredibly loyal cult following. When Superman died, Steel was one of the only people who stepped up to take his place that didn&#39;t have some horrific ulterior motive waiting in the wings that could spell doom for the planet Earth. When the mantle of Ultimate Spider-Man was passed from Peter Parker to Miles Morales, the character blossomed and became arguably more beloved than his predecessor. &nbsp;

Even despite these triumphs, Black characters still haven&#39;t gotten the time of day they deserve. Ask most people to name a few Black super heroes and you probably will get a list with maybe three names. The good news is recent films, comics, and TV shows are really pushing their Black characters the way they always deserved. We&#39;re seeing &nbsp;new exposure for characters like Black Panther getting his own film in the Marvel cinematic universe, Luke Cage on Netflix, and Cyborg in the Justice League movie. While it was great to have Wesley Snipes as Blade have his own film series, we&#39;re glad to see new <a href="/list/best-black-superhero-movies/ranker-film/" target="_blank">Black superhero movies</a>&nbsp;filling the ranks. &nbsp;

But let&#39;s not forget how much farther we have to go. The length of this list proves there are a ton of Black superheroes that could make their debuts in television and movies. The Spectre could make a great on screen presence. Spawn deserves a better film than his 90s misfire, and with the advances in special effects and storytelling available today we could get something very special for fans of his book in addition to new audiences. If you&#39;re curious to see just how many characters are out there, check out the list of the best Black superheroes&nbsp;below and be sure to vote up your favorites.&nbsp;

There are a lot of superheroes who are strong, but what about the ones who are too strong? When you think about it, someone like Superman may be able to trade blows with the likes of Darkseid, but most of the time&nbsp;he has to hold back or he could kill someone with a sneeze. There are lots of <a href="/list/messed-up-invincible-comics-moments/jonathan-kantor" target="_blank">superheroes with this problem</a>... probably a few more than you might think. It&#39;s especially a problem for anyone who tries to have a life with a regular person since it&#39;s not that easy to simply turn off an ability built into every muscle in the body.

Not wanting to hurt the ones closest to them is one issue, but superheroes with super strength don&#39;t want to go around punching bad guys until their fists turn&nbsp;someone&#39;s face to dust. Some overpowered superheroes might, but most have to hold back&nbsp;their true strength. Keeping that in mind, these are the greatest heroes who may be a little too powerful for their own good. Who&rsquo;s your favorite overpowered hero?

Find your favorite in the list below and don&#39;t forget to vote them up! And if an insanely overpowered hero is missing, go ahead and add them to the list.

There&#39;s something inherently intriguing about weird alternate versions of superheroes. Fans of other entertainment genres may not understand the fascination that <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-comic-book-fans-dont-like-about-the-mcu/zack-howe?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book fans</a> have with alternate&nbsp;and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/depressing-future-versions-of-superheroes/eric-vega" target="_blank">depressing future versions of superheroes</a>. TV shows and movies may offer brief flash forwards&nbsp;to increase tension and generate suspense, but rarely do they spend more than a&nbsp;moment in the future. Comic books, on the other hand, devote entire issues, story arcs, and major crossover events to dozens of possible futures and characterizations.&nbsp;The X-Men started the trend with their highly successful Days of Future Past arc, and since then nearly every major superhero has grabbed a piece of the prognostication pie.

Sometimes, these visions of the future and its heroes are pleasant and utopian. But more often, they&rsquo;re the exact opposite of that. Most comic book futures run the gamut between dystopia and outright apocalypse. In fact, some of them literally feature a giant blue menace named Apocalypse raining terror down upon humanity with his Four Horseman. Yes, alternate futures are mostly meant to be foreboding and dreadful, but some take that extra step to become more disturbing than anything. Read on to discover what upsetting <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weirdest-alternate-versions-heroes-and-villains/joedonley" target="_blank">versions of superheroes</a> populate the pages of comics, and cast your vote for the creepiest of all.

Villains

They don’t call them <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-graphic-novels-and-collected-editions">graphic novels</a> for no reason. Comic books and graphic novels are works of visually and textually explicit scenarios, but one of the things that make&nbsp;them so intriguing is the fact that one-dimensional characters simply don’t exist between the pages. For this reason, there have been countless times <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-15-scariest-villains-in-comics">comic book villains</a> were sweet, even borderline sentimental, if you will.It’s easy to miss these few-and-far-between instances of comic book villains being nice. Moreover, it’s easy to forget the times our favorite heroes began as villains, despite the fact that this is a recurring comic book theme.&nbsp;If all it takes to become a villain is one bad decision, the opposite must also be true. One good deed has been known to send some of the most sinister baddies over the line into benevolence, even if just for a frozen, solitary moment.Now, to be clear, in this context, we’re not talking about characters that have a dark side.&nbsp;We’re not discussing the now-infamous antihero trope. We're talking about characters who are the dark side, the certified psychopaths who will laugh gleefully while detaching your head from your body and simultaneously humming the National Anthem. Even they might save a puppy or two along the way.From feeding orphans to rescuing superheroes, from healing plagues to sacrificing their own souls in order to save the lives and souls of others, here are some examples of unexpected supervillains who do good.

Rorschach

It&rsquo;s safe to say&nbsp;most characters don&rsquo;t become superheroes because they possess a&nbsp;great life. If anything, most <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/updated-superhero-origin-stories/stephanroget" target="_blank">superhero origins</a> take root&nbsp;in the character&#39;s&nbsp;dissatisfaction&nbsp;towards&nbsp;their life, if not all-out tragedy. But the saddest origin stories of superheroes take the tragedy of everyday life and twist the knife until&nbsp;nothing&#39;s left to bleed. The characters on this list haven&rsquo;t simply led&nbsp;a hard life, they&rsquo;ve <a href="/list/saddest-supervillain-origin-stories/cynthia-griffith">had the hardest life</a>. Either their parents were murdered in front of them, or the one thing cherished&nbsp;most was ripped away from them, leaving them a broken mess of a person. Keep reading to learn about even more sad superhero origin stories.

For much of the golden era of comics, superhero origins were based around dead either dead parents or science gone wrong &ndash; or in the case of one character on this list, both &ndash; but as the decades moved on the origin stories got more complicated, and some of them became even more depressing. As you read this collection of the most depressing superhero origin stories prepare to sigh heavily, think about your parents, and maybe even have a stiff drink. But remember, the characters on this list took the world&rsquo;s biggest lemons and turned them into lemonade, and that means that you can too. But before you turn your life around, don&rsquo;t forget to vote on the most traumatizing superhero origin stories.

Galactus

Who are the best comic book villains of all time? This list of top supervillains in comics includes some of the most notorious evil-doers in comic book history. Some of them are among the <a href="/crowdranked-list/best-marvel-villains" target="_blank">best Marvel villains</a> like Doctor Doom, Magneto and Galactus. Others are classic <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-comic-book-villains">DC Comics villains</a>&nbsp;like The Joker and Bane. Are they the best (or worst, depending on how you view supervillains)? Vote them up! Feel free to add any great comic book villains who are missing from the list, and you can also re-rank this list your way, in any order you like. Any and all great comic book villains have one thing in common: They are the absolute arch rivals of some of the greatest and <a href="www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time" target="_blank">best superheroes</a> in comics' history. Every great protagonist needs a worthy antagonist to balance things out, after all. Several of the top supervillains listed here began their evil careers in comic books, but they quickly took their evil deeds to the big screen, starring in some of the <a href="/crowdranked-list/the-best-superhero-movies-ever-made" target="_blank">best superhero movies ever made</a>.Who do you think are the top comic book villains? Vote now!

Fictional Characters

The best superheroes have an ability that would work in the real world; powers like flying, telepathy, and heightened senses are perfect and enviable. How bad do you want to skip the TSA line and fly to Europe for a long weekend? Or use your telekinetic abilities to shoot mind knives at your enemies? Or use your ice powers to help solve global warming (we’re not actually sure how global warming works)? Now those are powers that we can get behind. The abilities on this list certainly aren’t anything that you would want to have in the real world, and, even if you had them, you wouldn’t be able to do anything with them.The power to speak to squirrels, turning into a rock, and housing two large maggots in your stomach that help you dissolve any type of matter you might encounter – these are the types of unrealistic superpowers we’re talking about on this list. The abilities that are only helpful when you live in a comic book and can get by being the third guy on a team who can transport minor distances. We’re not saying these characters are a waste of space, but they definitely aren’t the most useful cards in the deck.Put your amazing voting ability to good use and let us know which character you think has <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/useless-anime-side-characters/crystal-brackett?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most useless</a> super power, then call upon the amazing vocal prowess that you’ve gained from earth’s yellow sun and take to the comments to let us know if we’ve missed any lame mutants or metahumans.

Comic Book Characters

Quantum and Woody

Who are the funniest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book characters</a> and superheroes? It seems like too many superheroes and comic books are too grim. Everything is just too serious. There needs to be a little more humor and fun in comics. Luckily, there are some comic book characters out there that know how to have a little fun and crack a few jokes.&nbsp;Humor in comics is making a comeback and there are handful of funny superheroes out there. Everyone from Deadpool to The Tick to Rocket Raccoon makes an appearance on this list of funniest superheroes. Some of their humor is straight slapstick, while others rely on funny one-liners or witty banter, but there's plenty to go around for these funny superheroes.&nbsp;

Doppelgangers and evil twins have been a superhero staple for years. Often times, comic book publishers have the evil twins or doppelgangers coming from an alternate universe or coming to life after cloning the heroes. In other cases, superheroes and their&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/evil-alternate-versions-of-superheroes/math-erao" target="_blank">evil counterparts</a>&nbsp;have met before, either as rivals or past mentors, and are both seeking revenge.

Our list of superhero doppelgangers consists of previous mentors, rivals, clones, alternate versions, and more. We have to admit, although we want to root for the best superheroes, a few of these evil doppelgangers are pretty amazing. Who is your favorite evil twin, doppelganger, or rival in the comic books?

Vote up your favorite superheroes and their evil counterparts to see which duo is the most popular.

&quot;With great power comes great responsibility.&quot; Yeah, that&#39;s all well and good but no one is perfect. Ranker Comics has gathered thirty different times the good guys crossed the line and became the bad guys! Sometimes it&#39;s a lapse in judgement and other times it&#39;s just flat out insanity. No one said being a hero was going to be easy!

Which <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/superheroes-ranked-by-most-comic-book-appearances/ranker-comics?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book characters</a> and superheroes became the most evil? Make sure you vote up the most <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/superheroes-who-became-villains/stephanroget" target="_blank">evil superhero transformations</a> below! These heroes have all had a long day and are a little cranky - so make sure you show them so love.

Silhouette

When superheroes first appeared in comic books, many minority groups were heavily underrepresented. There was a criminally&nbsp;small percentage of Black <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-female-comic-book-characters/ranker-characters?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">women in comics</a>. Black comic book characters just didn&#39;t really&nbsp;appear&nbsp;in&nbsp;DC or Marvel Comics until the 1970s when&nbsp;Blaxploitation films were at the peak of their&nbsp;popularity. Comics with Black girls slowly began to trickle out (usually as sidekicks serving brief tenures with&nbsp;established heroes). Over time, their importance increased and, eventually, we got the female&nbsp;African American&nbsp;comic books we desperately needed.

Over the years, we have gotten some <a href="/list/best-black-superheroes-in-comics/ranker-comics">amazing Black superheroes</a> in both mainstream&nbsp;and independent comics.&nbsp;Though other minorities groups have also gained traction in comics&nbsp;over the years, many simply were&nbsp;<a href="/list/politically-incorrect-comic-book-characters/erik-barnes">too politically incorrect&nbsp;</a>to be&nbsp;embraced and admired. There is still room&nbsp;for&nbsp;more inclusion&nbsp;of (actually cool) characters that represent the <a href="/list/handicapped-anime-characters/anna-lindwasser">disabled</a> and&nbsp;LGBTQ+ communities. Companies are recognizing these needs and are slowly working to fill these gaps.&nbsp;

And while we wait (somewhat) patiently for better representation and inclusion, it&#39;s also important to recognize the fierce Black heroines and women superheroes in the pages of our favorite comic books.&nbsp;

Now that most of the epic comic book fights ever published have been adapted to the big screen, fans and creators alike are on the lookout for&nbsp;the more unheralded matchups from comic continuity - those that might show up in the next few phases of superhero cinematics. Followers of the genre have traditionally debated who would win a superhero fight&nbsp;between their favorite characters, but there are&nbsp;unexpected results out there in the history of both <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/shameless-marvel-dc-analogs/ranker-comics?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">DC and Marvel Comics</a> that make prognosticating difficult.

Generally speaking, it&rsquo;s a good rule of thumb never to count out a character starring in their&nbsp;comic book - and there are countless upset victories&nbsp;against some of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/powerful-characters-marvel-comics/ranker-comics" target="_blank">most powerful</a> villains to prove it. <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/marvel-heroes-villains-beaten-by-squirrel-girl/erik-barnes" target="_blank">Squirrel Girl</a> has taken down her fair share of mighty opponents, and there are several instances in which one scrappy street fighter overpowers a notoriously strong team. Depending on who is writing the comic, any character can theoretically beat any other character on any given day - it&rsquo;s all just a matter of crafting the right circumstances.&nbsp;

Some superhero origins are just lame. Not all heroes get bitten by radioactive spiders, were the last survivor on a destroyed planet, or survived a science experiment gone wrong to get crime-fighting, world-saving powers. Some heroes enter the vigilante game without any pizzazz, without a modicum of sense, or with a just plain lame origin story.This list is a compilation of the lamest <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-harrowing-superhero-origin-stories/bobby-anhalt?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">superhero origin stories</a> of all time. Keep in mind, the focus is on lame origins, not necessarily lame heroes. Many of these heroes would earn respect over time or be rebooted to become the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time">greatest superheroes of all time</a>. However, whenever these <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">comic book heroes</a> tell their origin story, they probably have a hard time not blushing.

Superheroes are around to fight for truth, justice, and to generally right&nbsp;the wrongs of the world. While they usually&nbsp;stand up for virtue, there are many&nbsp;superheroes who did awful things despite their good intentions, resulting in some <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/disturbing-things-in-ultimate-marvel-universe/stephanroget">disturbing things in Marvel's Ultimate Universe</a>,&nbsp;DC's Multiverse, and Marvel's 616. In fact, there were multiple times when&nbsp;the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/shocking-times-superheroes-killed-their-friends/stephanroget">superheroes killed&nbsp;their friends</a>, making them&nbsp;much worse than supervillains.Sure, Iron Man wanted some order in the world by endorsing superhuman registration, but did he and Reed Richards have to create an interdimensional prison? And sure, maybe some villains can never be reformed, but does that give the Justice League the right to mindwipe them? Even Batman, with his &quot;no killing&quot; policy, is responsible for a few deaths. Read on for a <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-10-greatest-disabled-superheroes-of-all-time/saintmort?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">list of superheroes</a> who turned into villains or did unspeakable things in the name of &quot;greater good.&quot;

Heroes and Villains

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This list of teenage superheroes has been voted on by you. the fans. The are the best teenage <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-superheroes-all-time?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">superheroes of all time</a>! Being a teenager is both tough (because it's an awkward time) and awesome (because you're young and all of your joints work!) --- like these superheroes. From finishing yesterday's math homework and thinking about your crush by day, to saving the world and still thinking about your crush by night. Vote and help decide the best adolescent superheroes in comic book history. They may sometimes be&nbsp;identified as a young adult by casual comic book fans.Who is your favorite teenage superhero? Vote for your favorite young superhero now!

The Best Teenage Superheroes in Comic Books

The Best Teenage Superheroes

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Spider-Man

Spider-Man is a fictional superhero created by writer-editor Stan Lee and writer-artist Steve Ditko. He first appeared in the anthology comic book Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962) in the Silver Age of Comic Books. He appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, as well as in a number of movies, television shows, and video game adaptations set in the Marvel Universe. In the stories, Spider-Man is the alias of Peter Parker, an orphan raised by his Aunt May and Uncle Ben in New York City after his parents Richard and Mary Parker were killed in a plane crash.

Dick Grayson

Richard John "Dick" Grayson is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger and illustrator Jerry Robinson, he first appeared in Detective Comics #38 in April 1940. The youngest in a family of acrobats known as the "Flying Graysons", Dick watches a mafia boss kill his parents in order to extort money from the circus that employed them. Batman takes him in as his legal ward and eventually as original incarnation of the crime-fighting partner Robin. He is written by many authors as the first son of Batman. Many, including OMAC, state that he is the one that Batman cares about the most. Throughout his adolescence, Batman and Robin are inseparable. As he grows older and spends more time as the leader of the Teen Titans, however, Grayson retires as Robin and takes on his own superhero identity Nightwing to assert his independence. His Nightwing persona was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #44. As Nightwing, he leads the Teen Titans and later the Outsiders.

Raven

Raven is a fictional character from the tv series Teen Titans Go!.

Starfire

Starfire (Princess Koriand'r) is a fictional superheroine appearing in books published by DC Comics. She debuted in a preview story inserted within DC Comics Presents #26 (October 1980) and was created by Marv Wolfman and George Pérez.

Spider Gwen

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Beast Boy

Beast Boy is a fictional character from the 2007 animated film Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo.

Spider-Man (Miles Morales)

Miles Morales is a fictional comic book superhero who appears in books published by Marvel Comics, in particular the monthly series Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man. The character was created by writer Brian Michael Bendis and artist Sara Pichelli, with Bendis and Marvel editor-in-chief Axel Alonso drawing inspiration from both U.S. President Barack Obama and American actor Donald Glover.
Miles Morales first appeared in Ultimate Fallout #4, following the death of Peter Parker. A teenager of Black Hispanic descent, Miles is the second Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel continuity. Although Morales features in the Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man comic book series, he is not the lead character in the Ultimate Spider-Man animated TV series that debuted in April 2012 on Disney XD. Reaction to the character varied, with some, including Spider-Man's creator, Stan Lee, approving the creation of a positive role model for non-white children, to displeasure at the replacement of Peter Parker, with some decrying it as a publicity stunt motivated by political correctness, a charge Alonso denied.

X-23

X-23 is a fictional character, a superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. She was originally created by Craig Kyle for the X-Men: Evolution animated series before debuting in the NYX comic series in 2004. Since then she has notably had two six-issue miniseries written by Craig Kyle and Christopher Yost, regular runs in New X-Men, X-Force, Avengers Academy, and her own self-titled twenty-one issue comic series written by Marjorie Liu.
X-23 is a female clone of Wolverine. Like Wolverine, X-23 has a regenerative healing factor, superhuman strength, senses, speed, agility, and reflexes. She also has retractable adamantium-coated bone claws in her hands and feet.
Cloned from a damaged copy of Wolverine's genome, X-23 was created to be the perfect killing machine. For years, she proved herself a notable assassin working for the Facility. A series of tragedies eventually lead her to Wolverine and the X-Men. She attends the X-Mansion before serving a stint as part of the X-Force. Her most recent appearance was in the All-New X-Men.

Damian Wayne

Damian Wayne is a fictional character in the DC Comics universe. He is the illegitimate son of Batman and Talia al Ghul, and thus the maternal grandson of Batman villain Ra's al Ghul. The character originally appeared as an unnamed infant in the 1987 story Batman: Son of the Demon, which was at that time not considered canon. Following this, various alternate universe stories dealt with the character's life, giving him various names. In 2006, the character was reinterpreted as Damian Wayne by Grant Morrison, and reintroduced into the main continuity in Batman #655, the first issue of the "Batman and Son" story arc.
Having grown up in a laboratory, Damian Wayne as a pre-adolescent is left by his mother in the care of his father, who previously was not aware of his son's existence. He is violent and self-important and was trained by the League of Assassins, learning to kill at a young age, which troubles the relationship with his father, who refuses to kill. However, the Dark Knight does care for his lost progeny.

Wally West

Wally West is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. He is the first Kid Flash and the third Flash.
On May 6, 2011, IGN ranked Wally West #8 on their list of the "Top 100 Super Heroes of All Time", stating that "Wally West is one of the DCU’s greatest heroes, even if he doesn’t rank as the original Scarlet Speedster".

Jason Todd

Jason Peter Todd is a fictional character that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Jason first appeared in Batman #357 and became the second character to take up the Robin identity, sidekick to the superhero Batman, when Dick Grayson went on to star in The New Teen Titans.
Though initially popular, following a revamping of his origin by Max Allan Collins, the character as written by Jim Starlin was not well received by fans. For 1988's "Batman: A Death in the Family" storyline, DC Comics held a telephone poll to determine whether or not the character would die at the hands of the Joker, Batman's nemesis. He was killed off by a vote of 5,343 to 5,271. Subsequent Batman stories dealt with Batman's guilt over not having been able to prevent Jason Todd's death.
However, in 2005's "Under the Hood" story arc, the character was resurrected, eventually becoming the second character to take up the Red Hood alias and assuming a new role as an antihero who resembles Batman in many ways, except with a willingness to use lethal force and weapons.

Cyborg

Cyborg is a fictional superhero appearing in comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Marv Wolfman and artist George Pérez, and first appears in a special insert in DC Comics Presents #26. Cyborg is best known as a member of the Teen Titans. However, in September 2011, Cyborg was established as a founding member of the Justice League as part of DC's 2011 reboot of its continuity.

Superboy (Kon-El)

Superboy (also known as Kon-El or Conner Kent) is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. A modern variation on the original Superboy, the character first appeared as Superboy in The Adventures of Superman #500 (June 1993) and was created by writer Karl Kesel and artist Tom Grummett.

Iceman

Iceman is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and is a founding member of the X-Men. A mutant, Iceman has the ability of cryokinesis where he can freeze anything around him and can also turn his body into ice. Although he is an Omega-level mutant, Drake has yet to tap into his full mutant potential. Over the years he has taken more interest in developing his abilities. One of the original X-Men, Iceman has had a frequent presence in X-Men-related comics, video games, animated series, and movies.
Shawn Ashmore portrays Iceman in the X-Men films, and voices the character in The Super Hero Squad Show.

Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes)

Blue Beetle is a fictional character, a superhero who appears in several comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appears in Infinite Crisis #3. He was created by writers Keith Giffen and John Rogers, along with artist Cully Hamner.
Jaime Reyes is the third character to assume the mantle of Blue Beetle, but he is substantially different from his predecessors. Introduced in 1939, the original Blue Beetle, Dan Garret, was a Fox Comics police officer who fought crime with superpowers gained by ingesting Vitamin 2X. A revamped version of this character, archaeologist Dan Garrett, introduced in 1964 by Charlton Comics drew mystical abilities from an ancient Egyptian scarab. Published by Charlton Comics and later DC, 1966 creation Ted Kord was Garrett's student who continued his legacy of costumed crime-fighting, although he had no superpowers. DC's introduction of Jaime Reyes in 2006 retconned and expanded upon the Blue Beetle mythos. Revealed to be alien in origin, the scarab bonds with Reyes and provides him with a suit of extraterrestrial armor shortly after Kord's death.

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Ms. Marvel

Kamala Khan is a fictional superheroine appearing in comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by editors Sana Amanat and Stephen Wacker, writer G. Willow Wilson and artist Adrian Alphona, Khan is Marvel's first Muslim character to headline her own comic book. Khan made her first appearance in Captain Marvel #14 before headlining the Ms. Marvel comic book series in February 2014.
Within the Marvel Universe, Khan is a teenage Pakistani American from New Jersey with shapeshifting abilities, who discovers that she has Inhuman genes in the aftermath of the "Inhumanity" storyline and assumes the codename Ms. Marvel from her idol Carol Danvers. Marvel's announcement that a Muslim character would headline a comic book was met with widespread online reactions and the first issue of Ms. Marvel received favorable reviews from critics.

Jubilee

Jubilee is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, most commonly in association with the X-Men. She is a mutant with the superhuman power to generate pyrotechnic energy plasmoids from her hands. A teenage "mall rat," she was the X-Men's youngest member in the early 1990s, often playing a sidekick role.
Jubilee eventually joined the junior team Generation X. She was a prominent character in the 1990s-era X-Men animated series. In late 2004, Marvel launched a self-titled series for Jubilee set in Los Angeles, written by Robert Kirkman and covers by Casey Jones; it was canceled after six issues. She also has cameo appearances in all three X-Men films; she is portrayed by Katrina Florence in X-Men and by Kea Wong in X2: X-Men United and X-Men: The Last Stand.
Jubilee is one of the depowered mutant characters who later reappeared using technology-based powers in the New Warriors comic series. She has since been turned into a vampire where she gained vampire-like powers.

Tim Drake

Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake-Wayne is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics and in related media. The character was created by Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick. From 1989 to 2009, he was known as the third character to take up the Robin identity in the Batman comics. Tim Drake made his first comic book appearance in Batman #436. Following the events in Batman: Battle for the Cowl, he has taken up the identity of Red Robin.
According to writer Scott Lobdell, after the continuity changes after the DC Comics relaunch, it was said that Tim Drake never took up the Robin mantle officially, but rather was Batman's sidekick under the name Red Robin. This goes against his own stories as well as stories by Scott Snyder and Peter J. Tomasi, which all make references to Tim Drake's time as Robin. The first trade paperback of the New 52 Teen Titans series alters the issue to remove the reference to him as Robin, but the Batman collection contains no alteration.
In 2011, Tim Drake was ranked 32nd in IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes.

Captain Marvel

Shazam, known until 2011 as Captain Marvel, is a fictional superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics, and in a number of television and video game adaptations. The character was created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, and first appeared in Whiz Comics #2, published by Fawcett Comics.
Shazam is the alter ego of Billy Batson, a boy who, by speaking the magic word "Shazam", can transform himself into a costumed adult with the powers of superhuman strength, speed, flight, and other abilities. His name is an acronym of the six figures from whom his magical powers derive: Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, and Mercury.
Based on book sales, the character, then known as Captain Marvel, was the most popular superhero of the 1940s, outselling even Superman, and Fawcett expanded the franchise to include other "Marvels", primarily Marvel Family associates Mary Marvel and Captain Marvel Jr., who can share Billy's powers. Captain Marvel was also the first comic book superhero to be adapted into film, in a 1941 Republic Pictures serial titled Adventures of Captain Marvel.

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Kitty Pryde

Katherine Anne "Kitty" Pryde is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, commonly in association with the X-Men. The character first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #129 and was co-created by writer-artist John Byrne and Chris Claremont.
A mutant, Pryde possesses a "phasing" ability that allows her and objects or people with which she is in contact to become intangible. This power also disrupts any electrical field she passes through, and lets her simulate levitation.
Storm christened Kitty with her first code name, Sprite. Professor X had also suggested the codename Ariel, which Kitty adopted for a short time prior to adopting the codename Shadowcat. Pryde was the youngest person invited to join the team of mutant superheroes the X-Men.
During her early years, she was portrayed as a "kid sister" to many older members of the X-Men, filling the role of literary foil to the more established characters. In the years since her introduction, she has aged and matured, and has become a main character on her own.

Barbara Gordon

Barbara Gordon is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Batman. The character was created by William Dozier, Julius Schwartz, and Carmine Infantino.

Cloak and Dagger

Cloak and Dagger are a fictional comic book superhero duo in Marvel Universe. They were created by writer William "Bill" Mantlo and artist Edward Hannigan.

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Nova (Richard Rider)

Nova (Richard Rider) is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics, historically as the star of his own series, and at other times, as a supporting character in team books such as The New Warriors. He is a member of the intergalactic police force known as the Nova Corps, for which he gained superhuman abilities including enhanced strength, flight and resistance to injury.
In May 2011, Nova placed 98th on IGN's Top 100 Comic Book Heroes of All Time.

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Flash Thompson 

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Scarlet Spider

Scarlet Spider is a fictional character who appeared in Marvel Comics series starring Spider-Man. Scarlet Spider's costume was designed by Tom Lyle and the first appearance of the hero is in Web of Spider-Man #118. The identity of the Scarlet Spider has been used by several characters: Ben Reilly, Peter Parker, Joe Wade, a group of three Michael Van Patrick clones working with the Initiative, and Kaine.

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 This list of teenage superheroes has been voted on by you, the fans. The are the best teenage superheroes of all time! Being a teenager is tough!
 
