The 100 best Marvel characters ranked: 60-41

Famke Janssen’s Jean Grey feels like a relic of a superhero movie past. But Janssen’s compassionate and dignified performance with this ticking time-bomb of a character feels like one that never got its due—despite two largely derided adaptations of the classic “Phoenix Saga.” Janssen is the emotional anchor of those early movies, setting a high standard for psychological honesty as a method to cut through some overwhelming X-Men lore that requires a Cerebro to decode. Watching Janssen’s big Moses moment during 's climax, it’s clear that she’s a pioneer in these massive CGI set-pieces, which were still in their infancy. Performing against tennis balls wasn’t the required acting skill it is today, and yet she feels emotionally committed to the ones and zeroes that surround her. She nails the finale to X2, a movie that, for a time, was the standard-bearer for all superhero sequels. [Matt Schimkowitz]

This entry is a little tricky, given that we’re talking about a shape-shifting psychic “demon” with a tendency for deception and theatrics. But if you’re looking for a truly memorable Marvel villain turn, it’s hard to top Aubrey Plaza as the temporary host for classic Professor X nemesis Amahl Fahrouk, literally dancing her way through the twisted mind of Xavier’s poor, damaged son, David Haller, in Noah Hawley’s . Navid Negahban would later take over the part in the waking world, but Plaza—and the horrifying blob of CGI known as the Devil With Yellow Eyes—made for a hell of an introduction for the character in the show’s first season. [William Hughes]

Regular ol’ humans are a rare commodity in the MCU, to the point that one of our best working examples is an astrophysicist capable of hacking high-level government databases on a moment’s notice. Originally introduced as the one funny bit of the movies (before Thor got funny), Kat Dennings’ Darcy really came into her own when she popped up again in , serving as a cheerfully sarcastic surrogate for all those viewers who just wanted to watch Wanda and Vision have some fun sitcom antics, without all that creepy stuff getting in the way. [William Hughes]

Mysterio, you will always be famous. His final words caused total upheaval and eventually the arrival of, among other folks, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Men in . However, even before Jake Gyllenhaal’s alter ego is vanquished in , Mysterio is a delightful chaos machine whose tricks and lies ruin Peter Parker’s well-deserved European vacation. Positioned as a hero from another Earth, it turns out Quentin Beck is a former Tony Stark employee seeking revenge in the wildest of ways. It’s easy to see Mysterio’s impact in the multiverse of it all, but even within the film itself, he gets a strong and surprisingly funny arc—remember his maniacal laughter once he gets Peter’s AI glasses and his real purpose is revealed? Extraordinary. [Saloni Gajjar]

There’s a reason Ororo Munroe is one of the most beloved mutants in the pages of Marvel Comics. Whether she’s got her hair cut into a mohawk or she’s back to her old ways as an African weather goddess, the extraordinary creature known as Storm is a force to be reckoned with, an authority even when she’s not team leader. Halle Berry’s version of the character was saddled with a less-than-impressive set of duties, not to mention of all time, but Berry still managed to get certain qualities of the comic book icon across. Her Storm wasn’t a booming-voiced goddess, but she was a compassionate mutant sister who could give a personal touch to even the most elaborate sci-fi spectacles, and that counts for something. [Matthew Jackson]

Like most of the characters on this list, Luke Cage has cool superpowers—unbreakable skin, superhuman strength, general crime-fighting badassery. But unlike other heroes that tick those boxes, Marvel dared to include political implications in the character’s design; the idea of a bulletproof Black man can’t help but reflect and rebuke America’s legacy of anti-Black racism. Born in comic book form amid the success of Blaxploitation films, then updated for the small screen in 2016’s series, this Harlem icon is notable as much for his tender heart as his physical brawn. And who better to unite those two qualities than Mike Colter? Here’s hoping the actor was serious when he recently suggested he’d be open to returning to playing Luke. [Jack Smart]

Taiki Waititi has gotten a lot of credit for injecting some real humor into the sometimes too-serious Marvel Cinematic Universe, never more literally than when he voices Thor’s big friendly rock buddy Korg. Korg’s not just a philosopher, a solid buddy, and a decent fighter: He’s also the single funniest character in the entire MCU, an endlessly cheerful Kiwi rock man who never has a bad thing to say about anyone—except his mom’s boyfriend, who he hates. Piss off, ghost! [William Hughes]

First off: A round of applause for Okoye being the MCU character with one of the funniest lines in , a movie littered with superheroes, villains, and whatnot. Danai Gurira’s exasperated line reading of “Why was she up there?” about Wanda is imprinted in our brains forever. It’s also a good example of how Gurira brings Okoye splendidly to life. A fiercely loyal Dora Milaje warrior, Okoye isn’t afraid to speak her mind, whether it’s to King T’Challa or absolutely anyone else. With her dry wit, insane fighting skills, and a bigger role post-, it will be exciting to see Okoye grow in Black Panther 2 and beyond. [Saloni Gajjar]

Was it a great idea to lean away from the traditional comic book version of Doctor Strange’s venerable instructor, now easily viewed as a trope-heavy, outdated elderly Asian mystic, when adapting the character into the MCU? Certainly. Was it an innovative notion to draw on the ambiguously gendered title to reconceive the role as female? No doubt. And one typically can’t go wrong with casting an actor of the caliber of Swinton, who brings an authentic sense of power, authority and serenity to the character. But converting one of the then-few Asian characters in the MCU into a Caucasian was an inadvertent misstep that left many audience members cringing, no matter how watchable Swinton was. The essence of her reinvention will likely inform takes on the Ancient One to come, but the role may be subject to further refinement down the line. [Scott Huver]

As Chloe Bennet herself, ’s Daisy Johnson was actually Marvel’s first Asian superhero, thank you very much. She began the series as a blank slate named “Skye,” an orphan who found a family and a calling with S.H.I.E.L.D. Over time, she reclaimed her birth name and discovered her Inhuman (ahem) abilities, becoming the superhero Quake. Though she started off as Coulson’s (Clark Gregg) mentee–and their relationship is a highlight of the show–she evolved into a leader in her own right. AOS might have been put in MCU limbo, but Daisy’s heroics are a big part of what made the studio’s first network television series an impressive seven-season success. [Mary Kate Carr]

As with his in-the-comics-only brother The Collector, your mileage for ’s villainous Grandmaster will vary pretty much entirely on how you feel about his performer; in this case, Jeff Goldblum, running with his condescending smarm at something close to its maximum setting. Like much of Ragnarok, Goldblum’s gladiatorial dictator is mostly just there for fun (Goldblum’s as much as anyone else’s), schmoozing with Loki, casually bullying Thor, and just generally seeming to have a Hel of a good time. [William Hughes]

It’s not Andrew Garfield’s fault that his tenure as Spider-Man devolved into a series of story decisions that were less about narrative and more about blatant, brick-by-clumsy-brick franchise building. Over the course of two often frustrating films in the 2010s, Garfield proved he was destined to be recognized as one of his generation’s finest actors with a beautifully orchestrated, often surprisingly moving take on Peter Parker. His ability to extract emotion from even the most ridiculous of comic book contrivances made the films all the more watchable, and his brief return in reminded everyone just how much we missed his bittersweet smirk. [Matthew Jackson]

The first of Peter Parker’s surrogate father figures to try to murder him, Norman Osborn is a tragic villain in the classic mode. As played by Willem Dafoe in Sam Raimi’s (and then again late last year, in an unexpected reprise), Osborn is all charm and rage, a man smart enough to feel his brilliant mind slipping over the edge into homicidal madness—he’s a bit of a scientist himself, you know—but incapable of keeping the malevolent Goblin at bay. [William Hughes]

A self-centered man who worships his own ego and is at the top of his field suffers through a traumatic event that makes him question his belief in himself. We’re not talking about Tony Stark, we’re talking about Doctor Strange, and while both of them have similar histories and approach life with the same too-cool-for-school attitude, an important distinction is that Tony Stark loves being the face of the MCU and Doctor Strange thinks everyone who darkens his doorway—be it Hulk falling from space or Peter Parker with a dangerous favor to ask—is an asshole. His trials and tribulations don’t make him a better person, they just make him a person who better understands the stakes in any given situation. That’s why everyone blamed Star-Lord for Thanos’ victory and nobody blamed Doctor Strange. We all trusted that he knew what he was doing.[Sam Barsanti]

It really feels like Phil Coulson has nine lives. After being almost killed by Loki in , Coulson didn’t just survive but thrived in ABC’s for seven goddamn seasons. In running his own team, becoming a father figure to Daisy Johnson, and eventually coupling up with Melinda May, Coulson transformed into one of the most pivotal non-powerful S.H.I.E.L.D. characters. Marvel’s technically given him more screen time than most other superheroes, and Clark Gregg has milked it for all its worth. That itself should be celebrated. [Saloni Gajjar]

Given how long fans had waited for a movie, expanding on Natasha’s origins was a tall order. Luckily, casting Florence Pugh as Yelena was a slam dunk. Not only did she hold her own playing off of Scarlett Johanssen, she made the prospect of someone else taking up the Widow mantle exciting. Crucial to her character is a childlike playfulness that she held onto despite the extreme conditions of growing up as part of the Red Room. As a bonus, gave us a taste of the next generation of Marvel when Yelena faced off with Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), and the future looks fun–and completely badass. [Mary Kate Carr]

I could try to distill all the reasons Rocket Raccoon is such a beloved MCU character, a sardonic scene stealer in every movie who, despite being a CGI-animated raccoon voiced by Bradley Cooper, can pack an emotional punch just as easily as crack us up. But the whole appeal of this character can be found in a singular moment, in 2014’s first Guardians outing. Mapping out a prison break to his co-conspirators, he lists all the items they’ll need and steps to take. He points to another inmate walking by: “I need his prosthetic leg.” Later, when all hell has broken loose and the Guardians are attempting their escape, Star Lord delivers the leg. “Oh I was just kidding about the leg,” Rocket says without batting an eye. “Was it funny? What did he look like hopping around?” Never change, trash panda. [Jack Smart]

Born from a combination of lightning from Thor’s hammer, the power of the Mind Stone, and a vibranium body designed by a rogue AI, Vision’s (Paul Bettany) birth in signaled the arrival of the mightiest of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Who could forget the surprising moment the newborn J.A.R.V.I.S. turned formidable machine wielded Mjolnir—at the time an anointed ability thought to be exclusive to the God of Thunder himself. But when Vision returned in , he spent most of his screen time babysitting (and romancing) Wanda Maximoff and mainly acted as a voice-of-reason spectator during the film’s climactic airport battle. By the time came around he was nerfed even further after being crippled by Corvus Glaive’s blade, depriving us of more of the Vision’s phasing and energy-projection badassery. And of course, he died, not once, but twice at the hands of Thanos. Much like Wanda, we grieved his tragic death. But his thought-provoking line—“What is grief, if not love persevering?”—was so eloquently spoken during ’s eighth episode that , making many of us fall in love with the charismatic synthezoid all over again. [Gil Macias]

It’s not going too far out on a limb to say Cate Blanchett changed MCU antagonists forever. As Hela in Taika Waititi’s , she brought the signature gravitas and charisma we might expect from an Oscar-winning actor. But the performance wasn’t about prestige—she was just having a blast in lycra and mascara. (Part of the novelty of this bad guy, of course, was that she wasn’t a guy; it shouldn’t have taken Disney this long to consider gender parity in this universe.) The most remarkable thing about Blanchett’s ability to make us root for the vengeful and violent goddess of death is the simplicity of the character’s premise: something about being Odin’s secret child, and in prison? It doesn’t matter, because when Hela busts Thor’s hammer to pieces, Blanchett manages to upstage some of the MCU’s most iconic characters in one of its most fun films. [Jack Smart]

The secret to Star-Lord, and the thing that makes the character work in a way that , is that he’s a low-status character who isn’t fooling a single person into thinking he’s high-status. Chris Pratt acts like Han Solo in the role, but everyone around him treats him the way you’d treat someone who acts like Han Solo: by constantly rolling their eyes and showing him exaggerated “We Are Groot”-level affection when he cuts the BS and actually behaves like a normal guy. The best part is that it’s not totally clear if Chris Pratt even knows why that makes the character work, so when it does—like the “am I supposed to say Jesus?” gag—it feels like the movies are getting away with something and tapping into an aspect of his talent as an actor that nobody else has captured. [Sam Barsanti]