Marvel Cinematic Universe took the Marvel Comic pantheon of superheroes to new heights with the success of the shared cinematic universe, turning the likes of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor into global phenomena. However, the characters weren’t even the big hitters of their publication company during its early days.
Marvel’s most popular heroes in 2012’s Avengers (Credit: Marvel Studios).
When Marvel Comics initially debuted their team-up comic Avengers, it brought together several of its superheroes, but most of them, including the faces of the MCU, were nothing more than B-listers at the point. Instead, other characters such as Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk proved far more popular and deserve to be on the Marvel Mount Rushmore.
Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor were practically B-list heroes before Avengers
Marvel Comics has given the world some of the most compelling and fascinating superheroes of all time. When the comics were developed into big screen adaptations for a shared universe, the foundation was laid on the back of Robert Downey Jr‘s Iron Man, Chris Evans‘s Captain America, and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.
Earth’s Mightiest Heores in Avengers #100 (Credit: Marvel Comics).
Over the years, the trio has become the holy trinity of the MCU, leading many fans to believe the characters are the biggest Marvel Comics heroes. However, the truth is that the heroes were nothing more than B-listers when they first debuted, and it wasn’t until much later that they achieved pop culture reverence.
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For instance, Captain America debuted in 1940 and experienced a steep decline in popularity over the next two decades. Meanwhile, Thor and Iron Man debuted in the early 1960s and did not receive their solo titles until after they were featured in the team-up comic Avengers, which debuted in 1963, with the duo being among its founding members.
Spider-Man, Wolverine, and The Hulk were the clear big hitters for Marvel
While the MCU may have benefitted from the popularity of Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor’s solo movies, the characters became bigger players in the Marvel comics after the team-up series. In contrast, heroes like Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk proved to be instantly iconic.
Spider-Man as depicted in The Amazing Spider-Man (Credit: Marvel Comics).
Spider-Man received his solo comic less than a year after he debuted in the pages of Amazing Fantasy #15 in 1962, going on to become the company’s best-selling title. Meanwhile, the Hulk debuted in a solo title in 1962, and Wolverine debuted in the hero’s series almost a decade later in 1974.
Most fans agree that by the time the 1970s rolled and the hype for the Avengers series died down, Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine (along with the X-Men), and the addition of Daredevil were the company’s most popular characters (via Reddit).
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Moreover, all the characters had their film rights purchased by other studios, proving their cultural impact spread beyond the pages of comics. Hence, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and the Hulk were the true MVPs of the Stan Lee-led company and deserve to be on the company’s Mount Rushmore along with Daredevil.
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