Post by Torgo on Apr 15, 2010 0:24:39 GMT -5
Well, DC has the trio of flagship characters of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman. No matter how much you like Green Lantern, Flash, or Aquaman, theirs no denying these three are on the throne overseeing that kingdom.
I've been wondering for a while whether or not Marvel had a trio of titles/characters that towered over the rest. Spider-Man is probably a given, but is he? And who else would be considered for it?
This is not a popularity poll. I'm not trying to find out what your favorite Marvel characters are. I'm trying to find out what the big three Marvel characters are.
I boiled the list down to the seven I felt were most likely to fill in the slots. If you get your panties in a bunch over the exclusion of Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange, I don't know what to tell you (except you might be a bit delusional).
Here are the seven I chose, and why and/or why not they should be considered a member of the "Trinity"...
Captain America
Why he's one of the big three: He's the most classic character Marvel's got, dating back to the 1940's. He's even the only character who had his own serial, which puts him in the ranks of both Superman and Batman. One can't deny the importance of being the most constant leader of the Avengers, too. That's gotta count for something.
Why he's not one of the big three: He's a character that kind of get's blander with each passing year. He was created, pretty much, as World War II propaganda and those days are long over (though the incidents of 9/11 did spike our patriotism quite a bit). One can't ignore just how long it took for Marvel to actually greenlight a Cap movie after they started hitting it big at the box office. Is he really that high in demand? I guess we'll find out next year.
Fantastic Four
Why they're one of the big three: When the 4 debuted, Marvel began hyping the book as the "World's Greatest Comic Mag!" and that continued for quite a while. The Fantastic Four have great chemestry together, and they're a lot of fun to watch when they're at work. It's also one of the three titles Marvel rebooted as an ongoing series in their Ultimate run.
Why they're not one of the big three: After the fairly lukewarm boxoffice reception of the big budget feature films, maybe the hype on the 4 has cooled down (but, of course, lame movies could be to blame as well). Plus, while the group works well together, seperatly is a whole 'nother story. Quite frankly, they get pretty damn boring when they're solo.
Hulk
Why he's one of the big three: A character that's a powerful combination of the stories of Jekyll & Hyde and Frankenstein, Hulk is well loved for a reason. The angst of Bruce Banner and the fury inside him is a compelling story. He's also one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. Not to mention, he had the most success Marvel has had in a live action TV series to date, churning out five seasons and three TV movies (and a fourth planned but cancelled).
Why he's not one of the big three: Ang Lee. 'Nuff Said. But I kid MJ! The Hulk has his moments of being a one-note character. "Hulk SMASH!" and whatnot. Maybe he just doesn't bring enough to the table.
Spider-Man
Why he's one of the big three: Personality wise, Spider-Man's a long time champion of the comic book superhero. Wisecracking hero that little to nobody likes, but under the mask he's just a poor schmoe who's trying to make ends meet. He's quite possibly the most relatable of all the heroes in comicdom, DC characters included. He was also the first character Marvel rebooted in the Ultimate line, to great success. Not to mention, box office wise, his films have outgrossed every other film based on a Marvel character, and every film based upon a DC character with the exception of The Dark Knight.
Why he's not one of the big three: I've heard him described as "just some punk kid that got lucky." As stupid a statement as that is, Spider-Man is just a kid. Is he just not mature enough?
Thor
Why he's one of the big three: Seriously...he's a freakin' god! How can that not qualify?
Why he's not one of the big three: While his mythological background is interesting, Thor is sort of a black sheep. At least, he is too me. He always seemed a little out of place in comics continuity to me.
Iron Man
Why he's one of the big three: Sort of a modern take on Batman, with a less somber hero, Iron Man is a whole lot of cool with a whole lot of weaponry. Plus, he seems to be the only Marvel hero thusfar who matched the box-office takes of the Spider-Man and X-Men films, skyrocketing him into the mainstream spotlight.
Why he's not one of the big three: The term "skyrocketing" should be a key note in that last sentence. Before the Robert Downey Jr. movie, I don't think Iron Man had that much mainstream success. And the success of the feature film could even be contributed to it riding on the coattails of Transformers, another big budget action movie with lots of mechanics and shiney CGI. It's not a theory I neccessarily agree with (Iron Man was ten times the movie Transformers was, and twenty times the movie Revenge of the Fallen was), but every fact must be taken into consideration. I probably would have excluded Iron Man from this list if I had polled this before the film had opened.
X-Men
Why they're one of the big three: It's an awesome concept for a superhero series, in that it takes place in a world where certian people are born with superpowers. Some use it against mankind, others to protect it. X-Men was also one of the three running series in Marvel's Ultimate line and made a major splash at the box office as well.
Why they're not one of the big three: Are the X-Men really that interesting? Take note of the fact that in the movies, the story chooses to follow Wolverine around. Why? Because he has the most potential for ass kicking sequences. Pretty much most of the characters in X-Mythology are comparible to a plank of wood. But I imagine there are legions of fans who are willing to challenge this claim of mine. Maybe it's just me.
My picks?
Spider-Man for his popularity.
Fantastic Four for their significance.
Captain America for his classic status.
The third spot was tough though. I almost put down Hulk, but kind of thought better of it, since I didn't know if I was putting him down because I believed he belonged there or if I just liked him the best.
What do you all think?
I've been wondering for a while whether or not Marvel had a trio of titles/characters that towered over the rest. Spider-Man is probably a given, but is he? And who else would be considered for it?
This is not a popularity poll. I'm not trying to find out what your favorite Marvel characters are. I'm trying to find out what the big three Marvel characters are.
I boiled the list down to the seven I felt were most likely to fill in the slots. If you get your panties in a bunch over the exclusion of Daredevil, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange, I don't know what to tell you (except you might be a bit delusional).
Here are the seven I chose, and why and/or why not they should be considered a member of the "Trinity"...
Captain America
Why he's one of the big three: He's the most classic character Marvel's got, dating back to the 1940's. He's even the only character who had his own serial, which puts him in the ranks of both Superman and Batman. One can't deny the importance of being the most constant leader of the Avengers, too. That's gotta count for something.
Why he's not one of the big three: He's a character that kind of get's blander with each passing year. He was created, pretty much, as World War II propaganda and those days are long over (though the incidents of 9/11 did spike our patriotism quite a bit). One can't ignore just how long it took for Marvel to actually greenlight a Cap movie after they started hitting it big at the box office. Is he really that high in demand? I guess we'll find out next year.
Fantastic Four
Why they're one of the big three: When the 4 debuted, Marvel began hyping the book as the "World's Greatest Comic Mag!" and that continued for quite a while. The Fantastic Four have great chemestry together, and they're a lot of fun to watch when they're at work. It's also one of the three titles Marvel rebooted as an ongoing series in their Ultimate run.
Why they're not one of the big three: After the fairly lukewarm boxoffice reception of the big budget feature films, maybe the hype on the 4 has cooled down (but, of course, lame movies could be to blame as well). Plus, while the group works well together, seperatly is a whole 'nother story. Quite frankly, they get pretty damn boring when they're solo.
Hulk
Why he's one of the big three: A character that's a powerful combination of the stories of Jekyll & Hyde and Frankenstein, Hulk is well loved for a reason. The angst of Bruce Banner and the fury inside him is a compelling story. He's also one of the most powerful characters in the Marvel Universe. Not to mention, he had the most success Marvel has had in a live action TV series to date, churning out five seasons and three TV movies (and a fourth planned but cancelled).
Why he's not one of the big three: Ang Lee. 'Nuff Said. But I kid MJ! The Hulk has his moments of being a one-note character. "Hulk SMASH!" and whatnot. Maybe he just doesn't bring enough to the table.
Spider-Man
Why he's one of the big three: Personality wise, Spider-Man's a long time champion of the comic book superhero. Wisecracking hero that little to nobody likes, but under the mask he's just a poor schmoe who's trying to make ends meet. He's quite possibly the most relatable of all the heroes in comicdom, DC characters included. He was also the first character Marvel rebooted in the Ultimate line, to great success. Not to mention, box office wise, his films have outgrossed every other film based on a Marvel character, and every film based upon a DC character with the exception of The Dark Knight.
Why he's not one of the big three: I've heard him described as "just some punk kid that got lucky." As stupid a statement as that is, Spider-Man is just a kid. Is he just not mature enough?
Thor
Why he's one of the big three: Seriously...he's a freakin' god! How can that not qualify?
Why he's not one of the big three: While his mythological background is interesting, Thor is sort of a black sheep. At least, he is too me. He always seemed a little out of place in comics continuity to me.
Iron Man
Why he's one of the big three: Sort of a modern take on Batman, with a less somber hero, Iron Man is a whole lot of cool with a whole lot of weaponry. Plus, he seems to be the only Marvel hero thusfar who matched the box-office takes of the Spider-Man and X-Men films, skyrocketing him into the mainstream spotlight.
Why he's not one of the big three: The term "skyrocketing" should be a key note in that last sentence. Before the Robert Downey Jr. movie, I don't think Iron Man had that much mainstream success. And the success of the feature film could even be contributed to it riding on the coattails of Transformers, another big budget action movie with lots of mechanics and shiney CGI. It's not a theory I neccessarily agree with (Iron Man was ten times the movie Transformers was, and twenty times the movie Revenge of the Fallen was), but every fact must be taken into consideration. I probably would have excluded Iron Man from this list if I had polled this before the film had opened.
X-Men
Why they're one of the big three: It's an awesome concept for a superhero series, in that it takes place in a world where certian people are born with superpowers. Some use it against mankind, others to protect it. X-Men was also one of the three running series in Marvel's Ultimate line and made a major splash at the box office as well.
Why they're not one of the big three: Are the X-Men really that interesting? Take note of the fact that in the movies, the story chooses to follow Wolverine around. Why? Because he has the most potential for ass kicking sequences. Pretty much most of the characters in X-Mythology are comparible to a plank of wood. But I imagine there are legions of fans who are willing to challenge this claim of mine. Maybe it's just me.
My picks?
Spider-Man for his popularity.
Fantastic Four for their significance.
Captain America for his classic status.
The third spot was tough though. I almost put down Hulk, but kind of thought better of it, since I didn't know if I was putting him down because I believed he belonged there or if I just liked him the best.
What do you all think?
