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Since 1939, the Marvel comic universe has been wowing fans around the world. Martin Goodman created this magical world, and since most people alive today weren’t born before 1939—most people couldn’t imagine a world without these brain-twisting and thrilling comics.
Most people knew about Martin’s nephew, Stan Lee, that he passed the reins to because of Stan’s unique cameo appearances in the movies, but that’s just scratching the surface of Marvel. Some people only know Marvel through the movies.
If you’re anything like me, you might have gotten to know Marvel through the movies first. My husband educated me on the comics and all of their many connections, starting in 2006 when we met.
One of the things that really confused me initially was the multiverse. Why was that Spiderman with Gwen Staci, and why was that Spiderman with Mary Jane Watson? It was a real headscratcher since they were both named Peter Parker.
If you’re feeling a little confused (or a lot), I’m going to walk you through a guide to the Marvel comic universe. By the end of this article, you’ll be lightyears ahead of your friends that have only watched the movies or dabbled in the Marvel comic books. Let’s dive in.
Understanding the Multiverse
The reason there are so many different stories around some of your favorite characters is because of the multiverse. But what is the multiverse, and how does it work? How do you make sense of it all?
The multiverse means multiple universes exist at one time. That means you have multiple Spidermen, Wolverines, Captain America, Mysterio, and the rest of your favorite Marvel characters. So, if one of your favorites kicks the bucket, just check them out in another universe.
The thing to know is that they all exist with the same hierarchy. There is one main universe for the Marvel comic books, and the rest of them play off of it. This universe is called Universe 616.
Most Popular Marvel Characters in the Marvel Comic Universe
So, as you go into this list below, I added as many of the awesome characters as I could without blowing a hole in the space-time continuum. If I leave one of your favorites out, please forgive me.
Adam Warlock
The Enclave created Adam Warlock to be the perfect human being, but he got out of their control. He escaped from his evil creators and, at that time, was only known as Him. It wasn’t until later, when Thor almost beat him to death, that he went to a regeneration cocoon and was reborn later as Warlock by the High Evolutionary.
Spiderman
Ok. Some of these Spidermen get a little crazy, so prepare yourself if you haven’t gone deep into the comics.
- Cosmic Spiderman – This spiderman is the strongest out of all the universes and is also known as Captain Universe.
- Peni Parker – This spiderman is the version of Peter Parker from Japan, which is why she often is drawn in manga style.
- The Spider – This spiderman is very brutal and similar to Patton Parnel. His sociopathic tendencies caused him to use his powers to hurt people. The courts slapped him with 67 consecutive life sentences for his long list of crimes.
- Six Arm Spiderman – This spiderman drank a potion to enhance his abilities—but it just gave him four extra arms.
- Spider-Cyborg – This spiderman gained his spidey abilities along with cybernetic enhancements.
- Spinneret – Mary Jane Watson had to protect her family, and Spiderman designed a suit for MJ that helped her mimic his abilities. However, when she used the suit, it tapped into his abilities, and the closer they were, the more it drained his powers.
- Spiderman 2099 – This spiderman is named Miguel O’Hara. His DNA was biologically mixed with a spider, but it wasn’t radioactive like most of the other spidermen.
- Patton Parnel – This spiderman is Peter Parker but his opposite. He’s a maniac that doesn’t care about people or animals. He has the ability to become a spiderish beast that has fangs, eight eyes, and eight arms.
- Spider-Wolf – A bunch of people from this spiderman’s universe was werewolves – and so was he. This combination of spiderman and werewolf strength made him pretty powerful.
- Spider-Punk – This spiderman is named Hobie Brown, and in this universe, Norman Osborn runs things. Spiderman had to lead a revolution, and his spider army made him stand out from the crowd.
- Spider-Girl (Anya Corazon) – This spiderman got her abilities from the Spider Society. She is a little bit stronger than Peter Parker’s spiderman, and she can camouflage like Miles Morales.
- Spider-Girl (Betty Brant) – This spiderman twist had Betty receiving the bite during Peter Parker’s field trip instead of Peter himself. The Daily Bugle employee then became Spider-Girl with abilities exactly like Peter Parker.
- Spider-Woman (May Parker) – This spiderman came from Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s union. May Parker is their daughter. They named her after Aunt May, and since Peter was spiderman in this universe, she inherited some of her dad’s spider abilities.
- Man-Spider – This spiderman was genetically devolved and a creation of Magneto.
- Miles Morales – This spiderman is special because of his abilities. His additional abilities gave him a leg up on Peter Park. His ability to camouflage and his bio-electric energy threads make him extra cool.
- Superior Spiderman – This spiderman is Otto Octavius because Otto switched his consciousness with Peter Parker so Peter would die and he would live. However, he ended up being a better spiderman than Peter ever was and a better person than he was as Otto.
- Silk – This spiderman is also known as Cindy Moon and is in the same reality as Peter Parker. The spider stung her on the same day as Peter, but it took her a while to realize her abilities.
- Spiderling – This spiderman is named Anna-May and was the daughter of Mary Jane Watson and Peter Parker. She got her dad’s abilities and even had her own powers, which were even better. Her spidey senses could sense trouble hours before it took place.
- Spider-Gwen – This spiderman is Gwen Stacy after a spider bit her. Instead of Gwen dying, Peter ends up kicking the bucket. Gwen has access to police equipment, so that makes her a little bit cooler than Peter Parker. Her dad, George Stacy, is still alive in this universe, and she can get ahold of whatever police equipment she needs.
- Peter Parker – This spiderman is “The” spiderman. When people think of spiderman—it is usually Peter Parker. All the movies are based on him, and that’s usually why people know him more than the solely comic book spidermen.
- Scarlet Spider – This spiderman is named Ben Reilly, and he is a clone of Peter Parker. He had quite a time adapting to be a clone, but it wasn’t too bad for the world since he got Peter’s personality.
- Aracnido Jr. – This spiderman is from Mexico. The only name he has is “Junior.” He protected Mexico City, and then he became a part of the Spider-Verse.
- Pavitr Prabhakar – This spiderman is from India. His abilities came from an ancient yogi who gave him the gift so he could take on evil in the world.
- Spider-UK – This spiderman is Billy Braddock from Britain. There is still a spiderman in New York, but Billy takes care of the UK. He has an identical power level to Peter Parker.
- Spider Moon-Man – This spiderman is, well, on the Moon. His location of New Lunar York is basically New York but on the Moon. He was pretty much like the normal spiderman, but the villain Morlun took him out before he could really get going strong.
- Dr. Aaron Aikman – This spiderman chose to go under the experiment. The experiment combined his DNA with spider DNA. To use his powers fully, he had to make himself a mechanical suit. His power level is a little lower than Peter Parker’s.
- Spider-Ham – This spiderman is from Larval Earth and is a world of anthropomorphized animal people. Spider-Ham was born a spider, but the goofy scientist May Porker messed with nuclear fusion and bit him when she was delusional and transformed his DNA.
- Spiderman Noir – This spiderman is Peter Parker on Earth-90214 during the 1930s. When a bunch of spiders was let loose in a museum delivery, one of them bit Peter and cursed him with power – the power of arachnid-like abilities.
See also: Spiderman Noir Guide
Wolverine
There are at least four Wolverines. The first is the original Wolverine, and then there is X-23, Jimmy Hudson, and Old Man Logan.
Don’t forget that Logan has a son named Daken and that the Weapon X program created Weapon H that is a hybrid of Wolverine and Hulk.
Thor
There are many great variants of Thor, but we’ll just look at the main Thor and the top variants.
Thor Odinson is based on Norse mythology and is from Earth 616. He is the God of Thunder and is from the Asgardian race. They are from the pocket dimension of Asgard, known as the Realm Eternal.
Thor starts off trying to show he’s worthy to rule Asgard as he protects the realms. He’s basically a noble warrior that wants to protect the innocent that can’t protect themselves.
- Jane Foster – This Thor variant exists because Thor wasn’t worthy of Mjolnir, but Jane was deemed worthy. She got out of having cancer while she used the hammer but sadly, it advanced her cancer, and she sacrificed her life fighting as Thor. However, Odin resurrected her.
- King Thor – This Thor is in a dark alternate future where he assumed the throne of Asgard as King Thor after his dad died. There are some other versions of King Thor as well.
- Storm – This Thor is an Omega-Level mutant which means she is one of the most powerful mutants. She upped her power level when she proved she was worthy of lifting Mjolnir. The first appearance of these powers is in X-Men Annual #9 from 1985.
- Ultimate Thor – This Thor had to really put in the work to become trusted by his teammates of the Ultimates. He finally proved himself as the God of Thunder. His powers were similar to the main Marvel Thor in Earth 616, but he got some of his power from the mystical belt you see in the comic.
- Iron Hammer – This Thor is a mix of Iron Man and Thor. Gamora got the power of the Infinity Stones and folded the universe in half, which merged every soul with another soul, and hence Iron Hammer came into being.
- Thor El – This Thor is overpowered and likely the most powerful Thor. He is a fusion of Thor and Superman. Yes, Marvel and DC did a crossover in the 1990s. You can look up Unlimited Access to find Thor El.
- Thor 2099 – This Thor lives in one of the darkest Marvel timelines ever, where corporations rule the world. His name is Cecil McAdams, and he is a priest in a religion that worships the original Thor. His powers mirror the original Thor, and they were granted by the CEO of the Alchemax Corporation.
- Ragnarok – Thor from Ragnarok was a clone of Thor that Iron Man made so he could fight with the Avengers. He had most of Earth 616 Thor’s powers, but his hammer wasn’t mystical like Mjolnir.
- Thunderstrike – This Thor is from the early 1990s. His name is Eric Masterson, and he took on the role of Thor but then adopted the identity Thunderstrike. He came out in the comics with Thor but then split from him.
- Throg – This Thor is a frog because Loki turned him into a frog through one of his tricks. There are other versions of Throg as well, so enjoy going down that rabbit hole.
Cyclops
Scott Summers is a founding member of the X-Men. He emits powerful beams of energy from his eyes and has to have special eyewear to control it. He is a mainstay character of the X-Men series and is a tortured hero because of his lack of control over his powers.
Iron Man
Iron Man is Anthony Edward Stark, aka Tony Stark, and this super creative guy made 61 different Iron Man suits in the comics. Most fans would agree that Tony is a bit of a mess—even though he is an awesome superhero. He even had to give up his Iron Man role due to alcoholism, which is when James Rhodey Rhodes took over.
See also: Zombie Iron Man Guide
Daredevil
Daredevil is Matt Murdock, and you might have also heard him called Hornhead, The Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, and The Man Without Fear. A childhood accident gave him his special abilities.
He can no longer see, but the rest of his senses are heightened due to the accident. After the murder of his father, he goes through a lot and eventually becomes the vigilante we all know and love.
Hulk
The Hulk is our favorite green guy, and poor Dr. Bruce Banner gets to go along for the ride of his life after exposure to a gamma bomb. When he gets angry, the Hulk comes out to play—and by play—I mean smash. He is one of the strongest being ever, and his physical strength is potentially limitless.
Some of the other characters connected to Hulk that you should know about are:
- A-Bomb
- Red Hulk
- She-Hulk
- Skarr
These four work with Hulk a lot as supporting characters in the Hulk comics.
Silver Surfer
Silver Surfer’s name is Norrin Radd, and he wasn’t born on Earth 616—or any other Earth. He was born on the planet Zenn-La. He grew up intellectually and longed for a challenge, struggle, and more knowledge. He had to act as a herald for the universe invader Galactus in order to save his planet. This is how Norrin changed into the silver-skinned surfer we know today.
Captain America
Captain America is Steve Rogers. After he received his super-soldier serum, his whole life changed. He went from being a gimpy young man to a super-strong soldier. His wish had always been to help people, and this serum allowed him to be in a better position to do this. He is one of the main Marvel characters, and most people know him because of the Avengers.
See also: Iconic Captain America Posters
Thing
Thing is from Earth-616, and his name is Ben Grimm. He was an astronaut and a test pilot for the USAF. High levels of cosmic radiation turned him into an extremely strong rock-looking monster. He is a part of a team called the Fantastic Four that adventure around the universe.
Human Torch
The Human Torch is the very first Marvel superhero. His name is Jonathan Lowell Spencer Storm, but everyone knows him as Johnny. He craves adventure and finds it through his adventures with the Fantastic Four, other superhero groups, or even by himself. He can set his body on fire and control it by adjusting the temperature and density.
Fantastic
Mr. Fantastic is part of the Fantastic Four and is Reed Richards. He has a genius intellect, stretchable body, and superhuman durability, which makes him pretty interesting. I mean, who can turn away from a neck stretching superhero that can take a gut punch without flinching?
Invisible Woman
Invisible Woman is Susan Storm Richards. She lost her parents at a young age and had to mother her brother. She is one of the co-founders of the Fantastic Four and the most powerful member of the entire group.
She has the powers of invisibility as well as the ability to put up an energy field, and she defends herself telepathically. Don’t forget about her ability to use invisible constructs to make herself look like she’s levitating.
Luke Cage
Luke Cage was in prison when he went under super-soldier treatment. The worst part is that he was in prison for a crime he didn’t commit. Before his super strength and unbreakable skin, he was known as Carl Lucas. He also adopted the name Power Man and became a hero for hire. Let’s just say you wouldn’t want to get into a fistfight with him.
Iron Fist
Iron Fist is Danny Rand, and while he started out with a pretty charmed life, that didn’t last for long. During his journey to becoming the Iron Fist we see today, he had to learn how to harness mental and physical power.
He started saving others and fighting honorable battles. His abilities to harness spiritual energy and fight as a martial artist make him a hand-to-hand combat beast.
Nick Fury
Nick Fury is Colonel Nicholas Joseph Fury but goes by Nick. He said he was the invisible monster who kept the other monsters at bay because he’d fight the bad guys without them knowing his name in many cases.
Nick ended up working as the director at SHIELD after an invitation from Tony Stark—Iron Man. This is all pretty impressive since he has no powers at all.
Another Nick Fury you should know about is Nick Fury Jr. He’s the son of Nick Fury, but his name was Marcus Johnson until he found out about his dad and followed in his footsteps.
Gambit
Gambit from Earth-616 is Remy Etienne LeBeau, who you’ll often find hanging out with the X-Men. He’s a human mutant abandoned because of his burning red eyes. They called him the white devil, and he ended up being brought up by street thieves.
After a while, Gambit met Storm, and after some pretty cool adventures, Storm sponsored Remy’s admission to join the X-Men.
There are a lot of popular versions of Gambit in the comics, so check out some of the other Gambits from places like Earth-12, Earth-295, and Earth-371.
Hawkeye
Hawkeye is Clint Barton, and the Avengers rely on him to make the shots that no one else can. This quick-witted character has some awesome combat skills as well—even without superpowers. He uses unique arrows, and no one wants to fight with him in hand-to-hand combat unless they have a death wish.
Now, let’s not forget Kate Bishop. They share the same moniker, and she is a great archer. She is an amazing archer and fights against evil. She does great with hand-to-hand combat like Clint.
Blade
Blade is Eric Brooks, and he doesn’t care so much about humans as much as he cares about going after vampires. He is a human-vampire hybrid, and he is trying to get rid of vampires because of the one that killed his mom. He’s a monster-fighting machine, and his most reliable weapons are his swords and knives.
Thunderbolt Ross
Thunderbolt Ross is the most frequent nemesis of the incredible Hulk and Captain America. He is a US Army general that wants to capture and weaponize Bruce Banner after he turned into the Hulk. Later on, he transformed into the Red Hulk so he could fight the Hulk better.
Carol Danvers
Carol Danvers is Captain Marvel. There is another Captain Marvel, but let’s focus on Carol right now.
She is a human and Kree hybrid and warrior. She joined the Air Force and ended up being the subject of the Psyche-Magnitron machine. The imprint from Mar-Vell’s Kree Nega-Bands during this experience made her transform on a genetic level, and she got some pretty insane abilities.
Some of which are superhuman strength, superhuman stamina, superhuman durability, superhuman agility, and superhuman reflexes. She’s pretty awesome all around.
See also: Spiderman-Themed Crocs Guide: Top Picks and What to Look For
Sentry
Sentry is Robert Reynolds, who was a meth addict that broke into a lab of an unknown professor. This was when he got his hands on the Golden Sentry Serum.
Not knowing what it was, it made sense to take it, and that’s when he gained the power of a million exploding suns. His first act was to pummel an old school bully, and then he was off to help the helpless.
Prowler
Prowler is Aaron Davis. He is great at being a criminal, and he’s a marvelous thief in America. You’ll find Prowler on Earth 1610 causing trouble for his brother by exposing him to organized crime with Turk, who works for Wilson Fisk.
Nightcrawler
Nightcrawler is Kurt Wagner on Earth 616—the child of Mystique and Azazel. His mother abandoned him, and he has some issues, but his childhood was happy despite his abandonment. He is quite a charmer, and he has a kind soul, so it wasn’t long before he became a favorite X-Men member.
Punisher
Punisher is Frank Castle on Earth 616. His tragic backstory of losing his family makes him one of the most beloved characters with a sometimes misguided sense of justice. The former US Marine became a vigilante because he believed criminals laughed at the law, and he wanted to give them what they had coming to them.
Deadpool
Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson from Earth 616, is known as the merc with a mouth because he doesn’t care who he’s working for most of the time as long as he gets paid. He has a lot of smart alecs, and some would say, inappropriate chatter from time to time.
Iceman
Iceman is Robert Drake from Earth 616, and he discovered his mutant abilities when he was young. He couldn’t stop feeling cold and shaking from it. His town almost lynched him because they thought he was a danger to everyone. He later became the second member of the X-Men out of gratitude for Professor X because he saved his life.
Hela Odinsdottir
Hela Odinsdottir ruled Hel. She was the daughter of Odin Borson, half-sister to Thor Odinson and Loki’s adoptive sister. Hela was the Asgardian Goddess of Death.
Kaine
Kaine is Kaine Parker is the first-attempt clone Jackal put out into the world. He became deformed because of a flaw during cloning, and he was mentally unstable. He did get a slight bump in inherited Peter Parker powers, though.
Flash Thompson
Eugene Thompson of Earth 616 is Flash Thompson. He used to be a bully, but he turned into a hero known as Agent Anti-Venom. He grew out of his high school bully ways and became friends with Peter Parker in college.
Ben Reilly
Ben Reilly of Earth 616 was created by the Jackal. Ben was the first successful clone of Peter Parker. After teaming up with the real Peter, they went through some trouble together, and it ended with Ben deciding to sneak away after Peter thought he died in a fight.
Professor X
Professor X is Charles Xavier. He is a mutant who has some pretty intense telepathic powers. He specializes in mutant biology and sociology and found the infamous X-Men.
Eddie Brock / Venom
Eddie Brock is from Earth 616, and he is the villain Venom. Well, Venom turned into a hero after a while, but he started as a villain. He had some pretty interesting relationships with symbiotes and was also Anti-Venom and Toxin before returning as Venom to really be a good guy. Eddie also played a part in Carnage because Venom’s offspring merged with serial killer Cletus Kasady.
Black Cat
Black Cat from Earth 616 is Felicity Hardy. Her dad was a famous cat burglar. He got arrested, though, and after a while, circumstances made it so that his mentor, Black Fox, mentored Black Cat as his new pupil. She grew to love Spiderman, but the potential relationship was a mess waiting to happen.
Reptil
Reptil is Humberto Lopez from Earth 616. He lost his parents mysteriously while they were on a dig and had to go live with his dad’s grandfather. He almost died in a rockslide, but he carried a fossil from the dig, and he ran super fast until he realized his legs turned into dinosaur legs.
Raptor
Raptor is Damon Ryder, who was a scientist at a college in Oregon. He injected himself with dinosaur DNA. He went mad when his family died in an explosion and wanted to kill his friend Ben Reilly, but he was already dead. He, however, found Peter Parker and thought he was Ben, so he wanted to kill him.
Fin Fang Foom
Fin Fang Foom is from Earth 616 and is a Makluan. A Makluan is a shapeshifting alien from Kakaranthara. He looks like a Chinese dragon landed on Earth in China, where he and some of his pals planned on taking over the world.
Otto Octavius
Dr. Otto Octavius is a nuclear scientist and inventor. He became known as Doc Oc after a set of mechanical limbs he designed fused to him during a lab accident. He has abilities such as superman strength, durability, speed, and agility.
Mysterio
Mysterio is Quentin Beck. He used to work at Stark Industries, and he has a bone to pick with Tony Stark. Beck joined forces with other unhappy Stark employees, and they created a new superhero named Mysterio. He ended up dying after he faked an attack on London.
Rhino
Rhino is Aleksei Sytsevich, who was a thug from the Russian Mafia. He wanted easy money and went through some intense chemical and radiation treatments to transform him into a superhumanly strong agent. His power armor bonded to him and was made to look like a rhino’s hyde.
Vulture
Vulture is Adrian Toomes. He became the Vulture by using a special anti-gravity harness to fly. He has no remorse and gives Spiderman plenty of trouble.
Chameleon
Chameleon is Dmitri Smerdyakov from Earth 616. He learned to be a sleeper agent by using costumes and makeup to conceal his identity. He kept all his disguise materials in his multi-pocket vest.
Sandman
Sandman is William Baker. He cheated his way through life and made it big in the New York criminal underworld until he finally got arrested and spent years in solitary confinement. He became the sandman because of a massive dose of radiation that bonded his body with the sand.
Groot
Groot from Earth 616 is from Planet X but was exiled for helping a maintenance mammal and a human. Since he had nowhere else to go, he explored other galaxies. After the Kree captured him, he befriended Rocket Racoon and became part of a covert ops team led by Star-Lord.
Star-Lord
Star-Lord is the leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy. His name is Peter Quill, and everyone loves his sassy attitude. He uses his sense of humor to make light of pretty much everything while he works to save the galaxy. A celestial being gifted Star-Lord his superhuman abilities so he could survive in space, create force fields, and even fly.
Falcon
Falcon is Sam Wilson. His parents taught him to be just and fair, and he took that to heart. Both his parents were murdered, and he had to raise his sister and brother.
He learned to communicate with birds and met a falcon named Redwing that became a friend. Not long after, he met Captain America and got a winged costume to be Falcon—and there was even a time when he took over as Captain America.
Ghost Rider
There are multiple people that have been Ghost Rider, but I am going to talk about Jonathan Blaze. Ghost Rider is more of an endowed power that latches onto people. In fact, even the Hulk has been Ghost Rider.
Jonathan Blaze, however, is from Earth 616 and used to be a motorcycle stunt performer before turning into a Spirit of Vengeance. He has the power to control Hellfire and go after those that he deems evil.
Doctor Doom
Doctor Doom, aka Dr. Victor von Doom, Ph.D., was scarred from an accident and wore an iron mask to hide his face. He’s a brilliant mind and has skills in magic matching and hoped to better humanity through world conquest. He’s best known as the arch-enemy of the Fantastic Four.
War Machine
War Machine from Earth 616 is Jim Rhodes, a skilled military pilot and trusted friend to Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Tony trusted him with the suit War Machine and gave him a job as the aviator engineer at his company. When Tony had issues with alcohol, Jim even had to become Iron Man for a little while.
White Tiger
White Tiger is Ava Ayala. Her powers came from the White Tiger Amulet. She joined the Avengers Academy in California and was their first new full-time student since the academy started. She had some tension with Reptil because she wanted him to step up, but he liked how he did things.
Howard the Duck
Howard the Duck is Howard Duckson on Earth 791021. Hatched on Duckworld, he discovered he could be really smart. However, that caused him to get bullied a lot. He left his homeworld when Thog the Nether Spawn used his magic and caused a big mess. This is how Howard ended up in the Florida Everglades on Earth 616.
Elektra
Elektra is Elektra Natchios. The Hand trained her to become an assassin and will work for anyone that pays her the right amount of money. She is an amazing martial artist and has superhuman agility.
Quicksilver
Quicksilver is Pietro Maximoff. He was a native of Sokovia and grew up with his twin sister, Wanda. They lost their parents in a bombing that happened with Tony Stark’s weapons, so they developed a deep hatred for him. Pietro can move at superhuman speed due to his exposure from the Mind Stone. He and his sisters switched sides and joined the Avengers later on.
Scarlet Witch
Scarlet Witch from Earth 616 is Wanda Django Maximoff, and she is a Romani Transian sorceress. She is the twin of Quicksilver and uses chaos magic to shift probabilities as well as warping reality.
Odin
Odin Borson from Earth 616 is the All-Father and King of Asgard. His role is the protector of the Ten Realms. In ancient times, Vikings on Midgard worshipped him as the god of wisdom. He is the father of Thor and the adopted father of Loki.
Black Knight
Black Knight, Dane Whitman, is the nephew of the Black Knight named Nathan Garrett. Nathan confessed to his life of crime and wanted Dane to restore the Black Knight legacy’s honor. After accidentally bringing Toad and Magneto back to Earth, Dane put on the costume and weapons of the Black Knight in order to track Magneto down.
Wasp
Wasp is Janet Van Dyne on Earth 616. She is a fashion designer, but she worked with Dr. Hank Pym to biologically alter her with his Pym Particles. She became the crime-fighting partner of Pym, and they eventually married, but their relationship didn’t end well.
Wasp is also Nadia, who turns out to be the daughter of Dr. Hank Pym. She was raised from birth under the Red Room but escaped and took on the mantle of Wasp.
Ant-Man (Lang)
Ant-Man from Earth 616 is Scott Lang. He couldn’t support his family with his job, so he turned to burglary. After serving his prison sentence, he got parole, but during his prison stay, Peggy divorced him.
Stark International ended up hiring him because he worked on studying electronics in prison. He ended up stealing the Ant-Man outfit from Dr. Hank Pym but used it to help someone, so the Dr. told him he could keep it if he behaved.
Winter Soldier
Winter Soldier is Bucky Barnes, and he fought alongside Captain America during World War II. However, Bucky died during this time—or at least, that’s what it seemed like. The Russain’s had actually captured him and turned him into a killing machine.
Black Widow
Black Widow is Natasha Romanoff, who has a less than heroic past became one of SHIELD’s best assassins and often a member of the Avengers. She started out as an agent of evil, but she is now a force for good. She is stealthy and has superhuman agility, as well as aging slowly.
Magneto
Magneto is Max Eisenhardt. His magnetic abilities make him a force to reckon with as he fights for his kind. His goal is to preserve the mutant race even if that means he might have to do things against “the greater good.”
Mystique
Mystique is Raven Darkholme from Earth 616. Mystique embraced extremist solutions to achieve her goals. She and her wife Destiny worked with the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants to kill anti-mutant politicians. Mystique infiltrated many mutant organizations and worked against Professor X’s plans.
Loki
Loki is Loki Laufeyson and is the god of mischief and brother to Thor. His tricks cause problems all throughout the realms. He was abandoned by Frost Giant royalty, but the Asgardian king, Odin, adopted him.
Despite this kind of act, Loki got into all kinds of trouble. He has the ability to shapeshift and send out energy blasts and let’s not forget his superhuman strength.
Red Skull
Red Skull is Johann Shmidt and became one of Captain America’s worst enemies during World War II. Johann had a tragic childhood and spent much of his time in prison when he wasn’t working less than exciting jobs.
Adolf Hilter himself took an interest in Johann and trained him to be a National Socialist. Later he was exposed to experimental gas and was in suspended animation for decades until the terrorist group HYDRA found him.
Black Panther
Black Panther is T’Challa, who is the king of Wakanda. Wakanda is one of the most technologically advanced countries in the world. Though he is an Avenger, his loyalty is to his people, and he defends them with everything he has. Even though he has no superpowers, he is very smart and has a tactical mind that helps his people.
Storm
Storm is Ororo Munroe from Earth 616. She is a powerful mutant with the ability to manipulate the weather. After using her abilities to help ease droughts where she lived, Professor X approached her and asked her to join the X-Men. She accepted the offer and adopted the name Storm.
Doctor Strange
Doctor Strange is Stephen Strange, who used to be a renowned surgeon. Now he is the Sorcerer Supreme, which means he is Earth’s protector against mystical threats. He has magic, the ability to use the Eye of Agamotto, the cloak of levitation, and astral projection on his side, which makes him pretty awesome.
Gamora
Thanos raised Gamora as a living weapon, but she wanted redemption. She believed her path to redemption was through being a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. She is the last survivor of her entire race, the Zen-Whoberi, and uses her abilities to help others.
Green Goblin
Green Goblin is Norman Osborn. Norman is the father of Peter Parker’s best friend, Harry. Green Goblin is out of his mind with hatred for Peter Parker and causes chaos and destruction throughout the city. The Goblin Formula gave Norman superhuman strength, reflexes, healing, endurance, and speed.
Drax the Destroyer
Drax the Destroyer is Arthur Douglas from Earth 616. Mentor, the Father of Thanos, and his father Kronos made Arthur Douglas a body for his living consciousness before it completely left his own body. They also gave him superpowers and took his memories from his old life—only leaving him with great hate for Thanos.
Morbius
Morbius is Michael Morbius from Earth 616. His desperate attempt at saving his life made him into Morbius the Living Vampire. He tried to fix his rare blood disease using vampire bat DNA, but he mutated into a blood-sucker. He started as an adversary to Spiderman and Blade, but he became a vigilante and continued to try to cure himself.
Rocket Racoon
Rocket Racoon is modified both genetically and cybernetically. He was a freelance mercenary, but then he became a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He’s great tactically and enjoys picking up bounties alongside his pal Groot.
The Lizard
The Lizard is Curtis Connors from Earth 616. He was a gifted surgeon that joined the US Army. During the war, his right arm was injured badly, and they had to take it off. He tested reptile DNA on himself and was super happy to see his arm grow back. Sadly, the DNA mutated and made him a vicious creature. Later, Spiderman did help cure him, however.
Electro
Electro is Maxwell Dillon. After a major accident, Max became Electro and had a hatred toward Oscorp that overpowered him. His new powers allowed him to generate and control insane amounts of electricity. He felt like the company had neglected him, and he was also mad at Spiderman because he felt like he’d wronged him as well.
Hobgoblin
Hobgoblin is Roderick Kingsley on Earth 616. A fashion designer out of New York City, he used less than above-board business practices. Roderick got the Green Goblin’s original suit and equipment from a bank robber named George Hill.
He went on a blackmail run and tried to take down his competition. He ended up injecting himself with a modified version of Norman Oswald’s formula. He got all the strength minus the craziness.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some other great characters you’ll have to check out as well if you don’t already know who they are.
- Thena
- Ikaris
- Kingo
- Ajak
- Phastos
- Sersi
- Gilgamesh
- Sprite
- Makkari
- Druig
- Kro
- Starfox
- Pip
- Carnage
- Pyro
- Hank Pym
- Colossus
- King Pin
- Moon Knight
- Juggernaut
- Angel
- Hercules
- Kitty Pryde
- Nova
- Namor
- Beast
- Rogue
- Captain Marvel (the dude)
- Molten Man
- Cloak
- Dagger
- Mr. Immortal
- She-Hulk
- Jean Grey / Dark Phoenix
- Ultron
- Galactus
- Apocalypse
- Toad
- Captain Britain
- Union Jack
- Silver Sable
- Vision
- Cable
- Bishop
- Havok
- Wonder Man
- Black Bolt
- Mockingbird
- Lockheed
- Noh-Varr
- Dum Dum Dugan
- Ka-Zar
- Wiccan
- Madrox
- Swordsman
- Rick Jones
- Hulkling
- Patriot
- Banshee
- Beta Ray Bill
- Cassie Lang
- Speedball
- Phil Coulson
- The Collector
- Thanos
- Prodigy
- Squirrel Girl
- Sabretooth
- Jubilee
- Emma Frost
- MODOK.
- The Abomination
- The Enchantress
- Kang the Conqueror
- Bullseye
- Valkyrie
- Jessica Jones
- Tigra
- Hope Summers
- Medusa
- Crystal
- Psylocke
- Shanna
- Dazzler
- Sif
- Blob
- Kraven the Hunter
- Scorpion
- Shocker
- Jackal
- Hydro-Man
- Mantis
- Sharon Carter
- Miss America
- Kamala Khan
- Quake
- Monica Rambeau
- Phyla-Vell
- Moondragon
- Hellcat
That’s quite a list, right?
FAQs
Question: What is the Name of Thor’s Hammer?
Answer: Thor’s hammer’s name is Mjolnir.
Question: Who Held the Space Stone Last Before Thanos Put it in His Gauntlet?
Answer: Loki was the last to hold the Space Stone before Thanos put it in his gauntlet.
Question: What Comic Book First Included Spiderman?
Answer: Spiderman was first seen in Amazing Fantasy #15
Wrapping Up the Marvel Universe
Who am I kidding? There is no way to wrap up the Marvel Universe. I’d literally have to write for the rest of my life and then some to cover every variant of all of the awesome characters we all know and love—and some you may not know.
That being said, if you want to be a super knowledgeable Marvel fan, then you’re got a good foundation here. If you want to learn even more about Marvel, then bookmark the site and make sure to check out the rest of the content.
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