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The biggest surprises for me were all villains and supporting characters: Venom, Goblins of the Green and Hob variety, Bullseye, Elektra, Two-Face, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Alfred Pennyworth, Jarvis and (not a supporting character, but still a surprise ommission) Professor Xavier. Of course, I might have just missed some of them.
Oh, and with the picture accompanying this post in mind, and knowing the things the blogosphere goes crazy for, I’m surprised the Wall didn’t make it.
I also couldn’t help but notice that MJ made the list and Aunt May didn’t, which seemed noteworthy given current storylines.

Well, we know that Bruce Wayne has more money than Bill Gates. He could throw around a little green and fix the vote without much of a problem.

I was surprised that Plastic Man beat Elongated Man. That Professor X completely missed the cut (even #51)! That Wolverine finished so low and Daredevil came in so high.

G’Nort.

Hey… he was *my* number one.

Come to think of it, so was Frog-Man…

Both of them must have just been edged out, right? They were # 52? 53?

…94?

… right?

Right…?

“We know that Bruce Wayne has more money than Bill Gates. He could throw around a little green and fix the vote without much of a problem.”
In that case, Xavier should have left a telepathic message in the minds of voters. I bet he’s kicking himself he didn’t. Well, not kicking himself, per se…

The biggest surprise at DC to me was the absence of Lois Lane. At Marvel, Spider-Woman and pretty much all villains save for Doom, Magneto and Thanos out, the poor rankings of 3 of the Fantastic Four members and Iron Man out of the top 10 (although he ended just one vote behind #10 and two behind #9).

From the casual fan’s perspective, the absence of so many people I’d been led to assume were iconic in both universes: Ghost Rider, Hank Pym, Professor X, Spidey’s ‘elite’ villains (Doc Ock, the Green Goblin, the Sandman), Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen.

Also, the low ranking of the Barry Allen Flash and the stratospheric ranking of Wally West, not to mention Daredevil.

Lois Lane was definitely a big surprise for me, because in the last couple of decades she’s developed into a really fascinating personality. This is also true of Jim Gordon, whose absence baffles me. I’m also disappointed Wildcat and Big Barda didn’t make it, although not as surprised. And I would have liked to see Mr. Mxyzptlk, who was my only top ten choice not to make the cut.

But hey, Ambush Bug made it. I can’t really complain too much.

At Marvel, I guess I was expecting to see the Yancy Street Gang.

I’m too lazy to check, but did the Phantom Stranger not make the list? If so that is a HUGE omission.

Jimmy Olsen should have been there too.

I wish there were more supporting cast and villains.

Actually, my first intention was to do that picture with Hitman, but I couldn’t find a picture that perfect. Tommy Monaghan not making the list is the real shocker to me, because unlike some of the characters who made the lists, Tommy actually HAS a character. A rich, deep, amazingly real one. How many other comics could get away with basically ignoring the fact that their main character had a codename, costume and superpowers? It was a comic book about a guy named Tommy. And his really cool friends.

I cried when Tommy and Nat died. (Don’t tell anybody.)

Waller not making the list of 50 Caucasions (with a few aliens) is disturbing, but not shocking. I absolutely do NOT mean to imply that the voters or DC are racist in any way, just that DC’s track record with non-white characters is so poor.

Surprises? No X-men in the top 5. No Legionnaires at all. Fewer villains than I thought we’d see. Wonder Woman placed much higher than I’d thought. Decided lack of “cool” 90s characters. The insanity of people liking Batman (or anyone) more than Superman. Woodgod’s poor showing.

Like most everyone else, I’m surprised that Green Goblin, Venom, and Ghost Rider are missing from the Marvel list. Scarlet Witch’s omission is kind of a shock, as well. And not one Inhuman. Personally, I had Medusa on my list but even Black Bolt didn’t make it.

On the DC side I figured we’d see Supergirl, Commissioner Gordon, and Harley Quinn (unless I missed her.) Although he didn’t make my ten favorites, Gordon would’ve definitely been in my top 15. No Wildcat either despite DC really pushing the character in the last few years. And not one Legionnaire! I felt the Wolfman/Perez era Titans were good for a slot or two. And not one Legionnaire!

I think your stupid fleshy ones denying Aaron Stack his rightful place at #1 is the real tragedy. The other 50 X series robots can take the rest of the list.

I can’t believe Prof. X got snubbed completely. Just where did he finish, anyway?

Also shocked to see that the two best rogue galleries (Spidey’s and Batman’s) both got left out except for the Joker.

Overall, though, I think it all came out very nicely.

Although I didn’t vote for him, I was surprised not to see Lobo in the list somewhere. He was practically an icon for at least a few years a while back, popping up all over the place.

But it’s a moot point, because we need to do the whole thing over again anyway. I just suddenly realized that somehow I completely forgot about Killraven and Old Skull! So, if you don’t mind, Brian, we need to just clear the boards and start over.
I’m standing by with my new list, just say when!

(And, hey, everybody, this time, if you could just write in MON-EL as your fifth or sixth pick, I’d really appreciate it.)

I’m a huge Spider-Man fan but I don’t think I put any of his villains on my list aside from Doc Ock. His other villains are all cool but they’re not very good characters. I think Ellis might change my opinion of Green Goblin in another years time but he still doesn’t do much for me.

As for Venom and Ghost Rider being left off entirely I think that shares a lot with Wolverines relatively poor placing. A large majority of their fanbase doesn’t come here. I know that sounds like I’m being apologetic but really, if you’re a gigantic Ghost Rider fan, what is “Comics Should Be Good” going to offer you?

And did I totally miss the Undersea heroes? Was Aquaman or Namor on the lists?

Did I just scan over them?

Yeah, no Alfred was a bit of a surprise.

Um, Ian, I’m one of the biggest Ghost Rider fans and I read this blog frequently. GR’s absence from the list truly took me by surprise, I admit. And I agree with KM and Vincent about the Scarlet Witch and Hank Pym not making the cut. Those omissions make the “what the hell?” inclusions of Nova and Ms. Marvel even MORE perplexing.

I was surprised two of my faves (Thing and Hawkeye) made the top ten considering that their solo books did so poorly. If they are more popular than Iron Man shouldn’t their books sell just as well?

And on the DC side did Catwoman place? I don’t remember her but I would think she would have been a shoe in for a least the top twenty.

Like To above there I voted for G’Nort–but I didn’t put him #1–I considered Frogman–but didn’t vote for him–I’m not surprised by his absence.

I had 5 from both my Marvel & DC top 10’s make it–of the other 5 the ones I’m most surprised missed are–
Marvel-Aunt May
DC-Sandman (Wes Dodds)

I’m not surprised Wes didn’t make it actually–but I wonder where he showed up.

Yeah where the frag was Lobo…Bastich!

Ohh…..and Squirrel Girl (lovely squirrel Girl).

Seriously though, Lobo aside, I thought it played out pretty well, several ’surprises’ where bit characters and less well known heroes placings were higher than some would have thought weren’t actually that surprising, this was a list compiled by comic fans and therefore it’s not that unusual to expect cult favourites who aren’t that well known with the wider public like Animal Man for instance, to do well.

Actually I just had a thought…did Moonknight or Deadman feature, can’t remember (Damn Batman and his mind wipes!)

Also surprised at lack of 90’s kewl characters (Lobo, Cable, Ghost Rider) although not necessarily disappointed (maybe a bit about GR).

Also surprised there was no Moon Knight! I thought he had a decent following, both nostalgically for his 80’s run and also for well-received recent exposure.

It would have been cool to see Kingpin in there, as he is a pretty iconic villain and spent decades as pretty much a pillar of the Marvel Universe (for crime, anyway).

Of course, I didn’t vote for any of the above, so maybe that says something.

(did vote for Hank Pym though, always liked the messed-up fella).

And did I totally miss the Undersea heroes? Was Aquaman or Namor on the lists?

Assuming you’ve already checked by now, but yeah, both made it to the mid-20’s respectively.

Meanwhile, add Alfred, Commissioner Gordon, Supergirl and the entire Legion of Super-Heroes to the list of supposed icons I missed.

With the Marvel list, was surprised Thanos made it where villains such as Green Goblin, Kingpin, Bullseye and Venom didn’t. I had no idea Thanos had such a cult following?

And the DC list…where on earth is Commissioner Gordon?!

I’m pretty shocked Lucifer wasn’t hanging out near the other Vertigo characters in DC.

Then I kind of assumed DC’s supporting characters like Lois and Jimmy or Alfred had fans.

MJ and JJJ made the list on the Marvel side.

I was surpised at the cosmic characters that made the Marvel list. I didn’t know anybody read that stuff.

Also, that half of the DC list was Flashes and Green Lanterns. Sure they’re essential characters, but favorites? It’s like saying your favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla.

I just found my lists. Here’s who I voted for:

Marvel characters:
1)Nick Fury
2)Beast
3)Dr. Strange
4)MODOK
5)The Thing
6)Foggy Nelson
7)Pete Wisdom
8)Howard the Duck
9)Layla Miller
10)Hawkeye

DC characters:
1)Black Canary (Dinah Laurel Lance)
2)Jimmy Olsen
3)Batman
4)The Question (Vic Sage)
5)Phantom Stranger
6)John Constantine
7)Joker
8)Detective Chimp
9)Green Arrow (Ollie Queen)
10)Deadshot

you bastards….

to all of those who left danny the street off your list, you are all dead to me. dead.

do you hear me. DEAD!

I’m surprised MODOK didn’t make it. Practically everyone I know had him somewhere on their list…

As for Daredevil placing so high, I’m not surprised, especially given the strength of the two most recent creative teams. I suppose it’s recent events that knocked Reed Richards so far down the list too, and it’s kind of funny that Doom beat even the Thing.

This poll also points to the declining popularity of the X-Men, and Wolverine in particular, and I think Marvel should take the hint and cut back on the spin-off titles and big events for a while and let those good writers they have (Brubaker, Carey and soon Warren Ellis) knock the team(s) back into shape.

I agree, the X-men have too many spin-offs to keep track of. It kind of dilutes character development. The older central characters such as Wolverine, cyclops etc aside, most of the other muties are just too one dimensional for me and would struggle to support a title of their own, as opposed to the avengers, most of whom had a solo book before joining and already had some flesh on their bones. Maybe there should be another poll, just for groups, then we can see just how popular or unpopular some of the spin-off groups are as a collective.

Well, 17 of my 20 were on the lists and the ones that aren’t there aren’t surprises.
DC
1)Kyle Rayner (16)
2)Ted Kord (15)
3)Oliver Queen (07)
4)Alan Scott (37)
5)Martian Manhunter (11)
6)Kilowog
7)Wally West (3)
8)Deathstroke (40)
9)Black Adam (38)
10)Ra’s al Ghul

Marvel
1)Spider-man (1)
2)Tony Stark (11)
3)Thing (5)
4)Deadpool (17)
5)She-Hulk (25)
6)Nightcrawler (12)
7)Clint Barton (8)
8)Carol Danvers (35)
9)Dr. Doom (4)
10)Galactus

This is a hardcore Internet fanboys list (no offense intended, since I’m one myself), I bet the list would be very different if everybody that buys or reads comic books got to vote. The X-Men characters would be much higher, characters like Captain America and Hawkeye and Hal Jordan would be much lower.

Biggest surprise for me was the Multiple Man in the Marvel list.

Also, that half of the DC list was Flashes and Green Lanterns. Sure they’re essential characters, but favorites? It’s like saying your favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla.

Don’t underestimate vanilla, buddy.

In a world full of quirky characters like traumatized billionaires, amazon princesses, and last sons of alien civilizations, the Flashes and Green Lanterns are uncomplicated average joes that were given cool powers and rose to the occasion. There is some appeal in that, something of wish fulfilment too.

Except for a little matter of physics, everybody could be the Flash. Now I have a hard time putting myself in Batman’s or the Punisher’s shoes, since I never had such major traumas in my life.

Though I have to admit, the older versions, Hal Jordan and Barry Allen, are the vanilla of the 1950s, and I find them a lot less appealing than Wally West.

I can’t believe nobody voted for Herbie Popnecker, Uncle Scrooge, Cerebus, Spawn, Vampirella, Marv, Katchoo, Grimjack, Cutter, E-Man, Reuben Flagg or Fone Bone. I mean, those are…

What’s that?

Oh.

Never mind.

Thanks KM…
probably just scanned past the two undersea guys…

I was soooo happy to see Jamie Madrox make the list. It was a surprise how high up he was. I also voted for a bunch of the Young Avengers. Given that this was all online and they have a great online following, I kinda figured at least one of them would have placed on the low end of the Marvel list.

Surprised? Deadshot, Phantom Stranger, Tim Hunter from Books of Magic, and Riddler (or other Batvillains). But I was shocked and disappointed that Waller didn’t make the list.

I was surprised that Ilyana Rasputin and Ghost Rider didn’t make the lower levels of the list, especially with their recent exposure. I was hoping both Ketch and Blaze would be on here. I was disappointed (but not too surprised) that Jubilee and Chamber didn’t make it.

but the biggest surprise to me was that i knew just about everyone on the list. I dropped out of comics for a long while in their and i never really read much of the older stuff, so the fact that they were all pretty recognizable to me was strange.

Vanilla, French Vanilla, Vanilla Creme, Organic Vanilla, Lo-Fat Vanilla, Vanilla Bean Vanilla, Frozen Yogurt Vanilla, Sugar-Free Vanilla….

Oh, there were just too many Flashes and Lanterns to choose from, so I didn’t pick any.

Always liked Hal Jordan. Just never enough to buy his books. And I honestly don’t think I’ve bought a Flash comic since about 1969.

SO when’s the poll for the favorite Non-Marvel & DC characters?

I got bored. Here, for everyone’s pleasure, is the top 102 character list.

01. Batman (Bruce Wayne) – 2527 points (118) (DC)
02. Spider-Man (Peter Parker) – 2164 points (103) (Marvel)
03. Captain America (Steve Rogers)– 1616 points (43) (Marvel)
04. Superman (All Star Superman – 100 points (1)) – 1326 points (49) (DC)
05. Flash (Wally West) – 1275 (30) (DC)
06. Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) (1 as Spectre) – 1091 (25) (DC)
07. Daredevil (Matt Murdock) – 1006 (22) (Marvel)
08. Dr. Doom – 872 (15) (Marvel)
09. The Thing (Ben Grimm) - 850 (12) (Marvel)
10. The Joker – 797 (9) (DC)
11. Hulk – 730 (15 for Joe Fixit, 9 for “Professor Hulk”) (13) (Marvel)
12. Wolverine – 728 (10) (Marvel)
13. Hawkeye – 676 (17) (Marvel)
14. Robin/Nightwing (Dick Grayson) – 665 (11) (DC)
15. Thor – 605 (12) (Marvel)
16. Cyclops – 604 (13) (Marvel)
17. Iron Man (Tony Stark) – 603 (11) (Marvel)
18. Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) – 552 (12) (DC)
19. Wonder Woman - 542 (13) (DC)
20. Robin (Tim Drake) – 502 (3) (DC)
21. Nightcrawler – 497 (12) (Marvel)
22. Oracle (Barbara Gordon) (79 (1) for Batgirl) – 470 (3) (DC)
23. Magneto – 465 (7) (Marvel)
24. Dr. Strange – 464 (12 ) (Marvel)
25. Silver Surfer – 461 (8) (Marvel)
26. Beast - 456 (8) (Marvel)
27. Deadpool - 443 (13) (Marvel)
28. Martian Manhunter (J’onn J’onzz) – 438 (5) (DC)
29. Booster Gold – 428 (7) (DC)
30. Shadowcat (Kitty Pryde) - 427 (9) (Marvel)
31. The Multiple Man (Jamie Madrox) - 399 (11) (Marvel)
32. The Question (Vic Sage) – 395 (4) (DC)
33. Starman (Jack Knight) – 376 (12) (DC)
34. Jean Grey (Marvel Girl/Phoenix) - 374 (13) (Marvel)
35. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) – 370 (6) (DC)
36. Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner) – 364 (6) (DC)
37. Rorschach – 363 (5) (DC)
38. The Punisher – 360 (8) (Marvel)
39. Black Canary – 352 (4) (DC)
40 (tie). John Constantine – 344 (8) (DC)
40 (tie). Lex Luthor (All Star – 11) – 344 (1) (DC)
42. The White Queen (Emma Frost) – 332 (1) (Marvel)
43 (tie). Animal Man – 325 (7) (DC)
43 (tie). Hawkman (Katar Hol – 47 (2), Carter Hall – 278 (4)) – 325 (6) (DC)
43 (tie). Iron Fist – 325 (Marvel)
46. Dream/Morpheus – 322 (2) (DC)
47. Zatanna – 307 (3) (DC)
48. Green Lantern (Guy Gardner) – 303 (4) (DC)
49. Darkseid – 293 (3) (DC)
50 (tie). Captain Marvel (Billy Batson) – 289 (5) (DC)
50 (tie). Power Girl – 289 (5) (DC)
52. Thanos – 287 (5) (Marvel)
53. She-Hulk – 283 (9) (Marvel)
54. Flash (Barry Allen) – 281 (4) (DC)
55. Aquaman (Orin) – 269 (6) (DC)
56. Ultimate Spider-Man – 261 (12) (Marvel)
57. Catwoman – 251 (1) (DC)
58. Jesse Custer – 230 (9) (DC)
59. Death – 229 (2) (DC)
60 (tie). Spider Jerusalem – 225 (9) (DC)
60 (tie). Swamp Thing (Alec Holland) – 225 (3) (DC)
62 (tie). Sub-Mariner (Namor McKenzie) – 222 (2) (Marvel)
62 (tie). Nova – 222 (6) (Marvel)
64. Nick Fury – 221 (2) (Marvel)
65. Firestorm (201 (4) for Ronnie/Professor, 8 for Ronnie/Arkadi) - 209(4) (DC)
66. Storm – 209 (3) (Marvel)
67. Colossus – 208 (2) (Marvel)
68. Green Lantern (Alan Scott) – 196 (3) (DC)
69. Black Adam – 195 (DC)
70. Galactus – 191 (4) (Marvel)
71. Power Man (Luke Cage) – 190 (1) (Marvel)
72 (tie). Adam Warlock – 186 (3) (Marvel)
72 (tie). Yorick Brown – 186 (2) (DC)
74. Ms. Marvel – 185 (Marvel)
75. Rogue – 183 (2) (Marvel)
76. Deathstroke the Terminator - 171 (DC)
77 (tie). Invisible Woman (Sue Storm/Richards) – 170 (1) (Marvel)
77 (tie). Flash (Jay Garrick) – 170 (1) (DC)
79 (tie). Bart Allen Impulse/Kid Flash – 169 (5) (DC)
79 (tie). Bizarro – 169 (DC)
80. Princess Powerful/Bruiser (Molly Hayes) – 167 (1) (Marvel)
81. Plastic Man – 163 (3) (DC)
82. Human Torch (Johnny Storm) – 163 (Marvel)
83. Jonah Hex – 162 (5) (DC)
84. Ultimate Captain America – 161 (1) (Marvel)
85. Ambush Bug – 157 (6) (DC)
86. Elongated Man (16 for Ralph and Sue) – 153 (1) (DC)
87. The Spectre (Jim Corrigan) – 149 (1) (DC)
88 (tie). Gambit – 147 (5) (Marvel)
88 (tie). Mr. Miracle (Scott Free) – 147 (DC)
90. The Vision – 146 (Marvel)
91 (tie). Huntress (Helena Bertenelli – 125 (2), Helena Wayne - 19) – 144 (2) (DC)
91 (tie). Mary Jane Watson – 144 (Marvel)
93 (tie). Black Panther – 137 (4) (Marvel)
93 (tie). Deadshot - 137 points (3) (DC)
95. Jessica Jones – 134 (3) (Marvel)
96. Iceman – 132 (5) (Marvel)
97. Howard the Duck – 131 (1) (Marvel)
98. J. Jonah Jameson – 130 (2) (Marvel)
99 (tie). Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards) – 128 (Marvel)
99 (tie). Bucky/Winter Soldier (James Buchanan Barnes) – 128 (Marvel)
102. Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) – 126 points (1) (Marvel)

That list of 102 that combines the lists isn’t really accurate, is it? It doesn’t take into account that those came from two different lists. If voters had had to vote for their top ten Marvel or DC characters in one list, then the selections and vote counts would surely be different, wouldn’t they?

The one I voted for that I’m most suprised didn’t make the cut was Kilowog. Of course,I’m also probably the only person who had Jubilee and Wolfsbane on their top ten list.So,maybe i’m not the best person to judge who should have made the list. But seriuosly no kilowog?

Yeah, probably. In a combined list, some of the 1st place votes that went to Batman might have gone to Spider-Man or those that went to Captain America to Superman or vice versa. This list can’t really be used to prove any dominance of DC or Marvel.

Thanks Ryan H!

Which leads us to… Favorite character of any company.
ummm….

Usagi Yojimbo!!!

That’s not true; Spider-Man still wins

I know Batman-related stuff far better than anything else, so most of my surprises are on that end. I was surprised by the degree of Batman’s win over Superman; I was expecting Batman #1, but I thought it’d be close. I was surprised by how well Grayson, Drake, and Babs Gordon did. But mostly I was surprised that Huntress made the cut while Jim Gordon and some of the high profile Bat villains didn’t. I had Alfred on my list as well, but I’m not at all surprised that he didn’t make the cut.

“I was surprised two of my faves (Thing and Hawkeye) made the top ten considering that their solo books did so poorly. If they are more popular than Iron Man shouldn’t their books sell just as well?”

No offence whatsoever to CSBG, because it caters to my every fanboy need and desire, but the opinions of the people who read this blog (myself included) really don’t match up with the opinions of the comic book buying public. It’s not a representative sample, if you will. It’s not meant to be, of course, but yeah, that’s why the Thing didn’t sell a million units per and why Suicide Squad: The Movie has yet to outgross Titanic.

Jack Knight?

Jeff - you were surprised by Jack Knight’s high placing? Have you ever read Starman? If you have and you didn’t like it, that’s cool. But if not, give it a try. It’s really great.

I accidentally voted for Pat Buchanan.

On the Marvel side, I was surprised to not see Venom and Scarlet Witch.
For DC, it was not seeing Hawkgirl and Harley Quinn.

Scott

Guess my tastes run somewhat different than the norm. I
had The Atom (Palmer), Captain Atom, and Adam Strange in my top ten for DC and they were no-shows. Had Quicksilver
in my Marvel top ten and feel that he, as a really more
believable “Flash” character would have at least made the top fifty if not for the way Marvel has handled him since, oh, about the early ’80s. Too bad. Maybe if Peter
David could do a series with him, unless by now Marvel
feels they’ve trashed the character beyond redemption or
identification. I base this on Daredevil’s surprising showing. Just about everyone accepts that it’s his story
quality, not the character himself, that achieve the ranking. Similarly, it worked just the opposite in Quicksilver’s favor, to his detriment. Now maybe we should do one more where we rank our top ten Marvel/DC characters combined! Oh, one other thing I noticed–I came up with my top 20 Marvel characters in about as many seconds; I came up with six DC–and then had to think for quite some time to get the final four, and even then they weren’t any that I was too excited about. Is it possible that Marvel does have many more iconic and popular heroes, even though DC has, perhaps, more icons recognizable to the general public? And thanks–this was fun!

Steven - The exact same thing happened to me, except with the companies switched. I thought of two dozen DC characters without hesitation and had to struggle to come up with 10 Marvel characters. So it’s likely just a matter of personal taste, rather than one company having better or more popular characters.

nadir said:
“you bastards….

to all of those who left danny the street off your list, you are all dead to me. dead.

do you hear me. DEAD!”

Ha ha. I didn’t vote for Danny, but Crazy Jane was #2 on my list. Sadly, poor Kay still didn’t make the top 51. Oh well…

There were no MAJOR surprises for me, as the lists kind of played out just as I expected, with a lot of attention given to characters with recent upsurges in usage/popularity like Iron Fist, Nova, and Jamie Madrox.

A few omissions did still shock me quite a bit though, the biggest being the omissions of Spider-Woman (who was #1 on my Marvel list- I demand a recount!!), Ghost Rider, Commissioner Gordon, and to a lesser extent, Lois Lane. All characters I think of as popular, iconic, and household names as far as comic book characters go.

Also forgot to mention at how shocked I was that Supergirl didn’t make the list. I personally find her obnoxious as hell, and now I guess most other people do too. I didn’t even realize she wasn’t on the list until we got down to the Top 5 for DC…

Which Supergirl? Silver Age? Angel? Current version?

I’m both shocked and not so shocked the Jason Todd didn’t make the list, and no John Stewart

Steven,

Funny thing is, Quicksilver is currently a recurring character in a series written by Peter David. Unfortunately, as a result of House of M, Son of M and Silent War, he’s a crazy crazy kerr-azy villain with a messiah complex, which makes him a great character but a long way from likeable. Or rational. And kind of ineffectual.

I guess this is a case of be careful what you wish for…

Biggest surprise? No MODOK in the Top50! I thought he was really popular. But this list and the sales of his recent mini prove otherwise.

I missed seeing Ray II (Ray Terrill), Triumph, and Damage make the list. What, was I the ONLY one who voted for them?
How about The Eradicator and The Cyborg Superman/Hank Henshaw?
And what about the late lamented Jack T. Chance?
And where the hell was my little spoiler, Stephanie Brown?

Somebody, please tell me why Spider-Man 2099 wasn’t here? Sure, he’s been mistreated lately by Claremont, but in the hands of Peter David he’s one of the best Spideys of all time!

Where were Blink and Morph? Did they even make the top 100?

I agree that you stupid fleshy things deserve death for the omission of Machine Man/X-51/Aaron Stack from your lists.

Why wasn’t the most powerful mutant of all on this list?

That’s right, I’m talking about Squirrel Girl!

What happens to characters like the Dark Claw (Amalgam) once their crossover universes are annihilated?

I think a lot of the more obscure characters got forgotten. That might explain their omission from the lists.

We need a revote! Now that people have been reminded of those great characters lost to the ravages of time and bad writing…

“…he’s one of the best Spideys of all time!”
I love that we live in a world where that is seen as glowing praise.

Dammit!

Dammit!

Dammit!

I forgot Shang Chi!

For most comic buyers of a certain age, Master of Kung Fu on the cover meant quality in the book. MoKF was one of 3 comics that I had subsciptions to as a young teen, the other two being X-Men and Powerman / Iron Fist. It is unfortunate that because of rights issues Marvel cannot issue an Essential Master of Kung Fu volume or two.

Shang Chi, dammit!

This was fun, Brian.
Everyone from my lists were included except Goodwin & Simonson’s Manhunter (the Paul Kirk character from DC). I always loved its blend of 30’s and 40’s style pulp, martial arts, conspiracy, and sci-fi.
Surprises as far as who made it? Winter Soldier, Iceman, Jessica Jones, Huntress, Mr. Miracle, Ambush Bug, Rorschach, Jonah Hex, Bruiser, Yorick Brown, Adam Warlock, Black Adam, Spider Jerusalem, Jesse Custer, Dream, Rorschach, Multiple Man (higher than Punisher or Storm on the lists), Ultimate Captain America & Ultimate Spider-Man (sorry Brian, these two Ultimate characters don’t make sense to me as separate entries, it’s still Steve Rogers, hero of WW2 in a flagsuit and Peter Parker traditional background, traditional costume; they aren’t distinctly different. Cap written as a more of a hardcase isn’t a real distinction. Difference in character is something like what Spider-Man 2099 is to Spider-Man. They’re different people altogether. The analogy of Ult. Spidey being what Superboy is to Superman doesn’t hold up. The original Spider-Man’s adventures begin in high school just as Ult. Spidey’s do. Anyway– I’m quibbling).
It’s not that there aren’t great characters among these surprise inclusions (heck, I voted for Mr. Miracle and Adam Warlock), just that some of them have had limited exposure, low sales, or have been “on the shelf” for awhile.
Surprise exclusions? With regards to DC, Two-Face, Riddler, Supergirl, Lois Lane, Metamorpho, Starfire, Cyborg, and Wildcat. Popular characters in the families of books or teams they appear on. No Wildstorm characters made the list. Their popularity has dimmed considerably since they were the shining stars of the comics biz 15 years ago. Maybe they should be folded into the DC proper.
Marvel’s Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Black Widow, Bullseye, Kingpin, Green Goblin, Venom, and Scarlet Witch didn’t place. All of them connected to popular books, crossovers, or movies (I thought Ares or Spiderwoman might even show).
Thanks for putting this together Brian. I know it’s work writing entries, gathering cover art, contacting people. But, if you’re inclined, put me down as another voter for a top 100 independent character list…

It’s interesting to see which characters only managed a mid table listing such as Frank Castle and Jonah Hex but managed quite a few no.1 placings on fans individual lists compared to those around them whose placings were made up of no.2-10 votes - true cult faves these fellas I’m thinking.

Suppose voting on comics is like anything else, if it were movies people who like Tarantino films wouldn’t be voting a cult French film noir as their no.1 - no list will ever suit everyone because people have different tastes and have other factors which alter their voting, age, peer group, art vs. storyline etc.

Just for the record I’m not happy unless a movie has 3-5 explosions in the opening scene, gratuitous nudity and contains the line “f**k you, you f**kin F**k” before all central characters die in a bloodbath….I also hope that the next big-screen adaptation will be Bergman inspired adaptation of the squirrel girl saga….sigh

Any chance of listing the results past 100, up to all of those who just got one vote?

What I’d like to see is a “top creators” list, based on the popularity of the top 51 from each company. Where does Stan rank against Jack? What about Julius Schwartz? Len Wein? Etc.

I vote for a list of all the characters who were voted for (outside of the top 50) as well!

I have to say, it would be very interesting to see a list of all the votes. I’m assuming that all the votes were tallied up in a single list/spreadsheet as they came in. If it could get posted, that would be awesome.

That’s actually a most excellent idea. Barring that, Brian, a column giving some more of those statistical anomalies you found interesting - who went way up at the end, who dropped sharply, who edged out who - would be really interesting.

I am surprised by two things on the DC side of things:

One, Blue Beetle (Jaime Reyes) did not make the list - he is such a great character. If you are not reading John Rogers run on this, you are missing out!

Two, Green Arrow really scored that high? I thought he’d make the list, but he beat out a lot to get on there (including Wonder Woman?).

I am surprised that woman characters did not score higher on either list. Wonder Woman is #19 and the first woman if you combine the list. Marvel does not have a woman until #30 in the combined list.

I am surprised on the Marvel side of the following:

One, Gambit did not score higher!

Two, Cyclops scored so high!

Ugh, Gambit is so much a beter character than whiney baby Cyclops.

One other thing:

HOW DID SUPERBOY OR SUPERGIRL NOT MAKE THE LIST?!?

Ugh, Gambit is so much a beter character than whiney baby Cyclops.

Nice one.

Cyclops fans are better spellers.

I was surprised by a couple of things on the lists - I expected Wolverine to at least be #2, and maybe #1. I’m not really a Wolverine fan (he’s not on my lists), but I had the impression that he was much more popular.

I voted for Green Goblin (Norman Osborn) but I’m not surprised he didn’t make the list - he was really cool until he died - which was 30 years ago or so. The new version of him is kind of lame.

On the DC side, I honestly expected some characters from Fables to make it - I had Bigby and Snow on my list, and figured that Bigby was probably a shoo-in. Once Rorschach made the list, I thought OMAC would also probably make it (because he’s another cool, non-DCU character from the past).

I don’t know if this is practical or not, but I agree that it’d be great to see a list of every character who received a vote - not necessarily with write-ups or anything, but just the complete list. I’d love to see where some of the other obscure characters I voted for ended up.

I didn’t vote for Spider-Man 2099, but I think it’s cool that somebody did. You will all now lose any shred of respect you might have had for me, because I will confess that I voted for Scarlet Spider/Ben Reilly - an awesome character who, unfortunately, got bad stories because of the collective mental breakdown of Marvel’s editors during the clone saga. I’m curious if anyone else voted for him.

Brian - thanks for doing this - this is probably one of the coolest things happening on comics blogs in the last few months.

I was about to remark on the apparent decline in popularity of some of the older characters, specifically some members of the JSA; Dr. Midnite, Dr. Fate, Atom Smasher, sandman etc but others too like the creeper (despite his recent run) and metamorpho. which I was simply going to put down to them being superseeded by a panthenon (bet I didn’t spell that right) of cool new heroes with powers (and costumes) which better reflect the times….until I too realized that some of these fantastic new characters like the new Blue Beetle (and Marvel’s wonderful new irredeemable Ant-Man) didn’t make it (mind you they stopped his book run, maybe that should have told me something!) I guess some characters are too new and have yet to gain a decent size of following - tell me there are other ant and beetle fans out there!?!

I was also thinking that the top characters on both lists are the ones that fans don’t like being messed with - true icons. I mean you can try killing ‘em off but the francise is too big for it to be for long, I mean that big Superman S is a world-wide brand. You can try changing Spidey’s outfit and the fans will make you have him back in blue and red before long - Supes will always wear his underpants on top of his tights with pride no matter how old fashioned it gets - maybe it’ll come round again like flares? However Luke Cage can lose the yellow shirt and tiara and the world still turns . I guess they haven’t printed his image on enough lunch boxes yet. (Still I’m glad they brought back Aquamans orange shirt).

They really need to settle on something for Luke Cage, because there is no merchandising money in black t-shirts. But I love the original look. One of my favorite costumes ever.

So, who is the newest character to make the 100? Bruiser? Yorick?

Has anyone broken the list down by decade of creation?

No Supergirl? No Scarlet Witch? The imagination boggles.

As Mr. Hand would put it…

“What are you people? On dope?”

Everyone on my DC list except Bat Lash made it into the countdown, but my Marvel list included Scorpio/Jake Fury, Scarlet Witch,Hank Pym, Devil-Slayer, Man-Wolf, Shang Chi and Killraven. Only Daredevil and Ms Marvel actually made it, which I admit I’m only marginally surprised at. Overall, the lists pretty much went as I imagined them except for the exclusions of Commissioner Gordon,Professor X and Ghost Rider which really surprised me as not being at leastin the liste somewhere if not top 20.

Just been looking at my own list of characters I’d considered for the DC list- No one loves Donna Troy anymore apparently, and now that I look again, there are very few present/past Teen Titans on the list at all. Where’s the Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire fans now then?

So how many Kirby Creations made the list? I count 23 (21 Marvel + 2 DC) without checking carefully. Pretty good showing!
P.S. Boo no Professor X!
P.P.S. Boo no Sgt. Rock!

Like most, I was more surprised by who didn’t make it than by who did. For me, I’m wondering what happened to the Titans, Legion, Superman Family (only him and Lex, really?) I’m actually more suprised that JJJ and Mary Jane made the list than that Comishoner Gordon and Lois didn’t.

I assume that votes were split between various types of Supergirls, Superboys, etc.?

Over on the Marvel side, I can’t help but notice that none of their Marvel-Vertigo line made it (I can’t remember what they called the line, but that’s what the patrons to the comic shoppe I worked in at the time called it. The line that included Blaze, Ghost Rider, Darkhold, etc.)

For that matter, while DC had a decent Vertigo showing, and one member of the Watchmen, Marvel didn’t have a single New Universe character, or Squadron member.

I’m also somewhat surprised by the decades represented. I think that only three characters created since 2000 made the list, and only two from the 90s. Most of the others (again, this is just my memory) are from the 80s or before, and on the DC side from the 70s or before.

Specific decade surprise ommisions include (80s) Cyborg (Titan), Starfire, Firestar, Justice (Vance), Speedball; (90s) Eradicator, Cyborg (Superman villian), Fire & Ice, Hitman, Shatterstar, Cable, Bishop, any of the Thunderbolts.

Again, I’m assuming that votes were split on these types of characters, knocking them lower than 51. Maybe, collectively, we just have a stronger affection for 70s DC and 80s Marvel than for the more recent fare?

Theno

Cyborg, Starfire, Changeling, and Raven… always thought of them as Marvel characters somehow stranded in the DC Universe, because:

1) They’re not legacy characters
2) They always had lots of angst
3) They’re not high-powered or over-competent
4) They have no strong relations with anyone in the DCU outside of the Titan books (maybe except for Changeling and the Doom Patrol?)

I think that is why they more or less went out of fashion after the 80s, because the great Silver Age families of Superman, Batmen, Flashes, JLA, etc. became popular again with a vengeance.

I was very surprised and dissapointed that Sgt Rock didn’t make the list. I thought the Teen Titans and Legion would have been better represented. Also, given it’s popularity on the net and this site in particular, I’m surprised no Nextwave members made it.

I’m not surprised Scarlet Witch and Hank Pym didn’t make the list, even though they should have. Especially with Pym, it’s clear that writers like Bendis and Millar don’t like him, so they write him as an unlikeable character.

david said:
“Which Supergirl? Silver Age? Angel? Current version?”

I was referring to the current version- the flying Paris Hilton- when I talked about how obnoxious I found her. I don’t really have an opinion either way about the older versions. SG was fine and all, but I never a huge fan.

I’m not sure we have a stronger attraction to 70s and 80s DC and Marvel… It’s just that those folks who were reading comics in the sixties might vote for Spider-man and Batman, people who were reading comics in the eighties might vote for Spider-man and Batman, people who started reading comics last year might vote for Spider-man and Batman…

But those fans who do prefer older works aren’t going to vote for the Stepford Cuckoos or Ampersand the monkey.

I have no explanation for Ambush Bug, though.

My lists and placement

1. Hawkeye (8)
2. Molly Hayes (38)
3. Warlock (the New Mutants one) n/l
4. Captain America (2)
5. Wasp n/l
6. Kitty Pryde (18)
7. Monica Rambeau n/l
8. Black Knight n/l
9. She-Hulk (25)
10. Vision (42)

1. The Frog Prince n/l
2. Captain Boomerang (original) n/l
3. Deadshot n/l
4. Ampersand n/l
5. Atom (Palmer) n/l
6. Oracle (10)
7. Black Canary (18)
8. Green Arrow (7)
9. Robin (Drake) (9)
10. Poison Ivy

My biggest surprises were Atom and Wasp. My biggest dissapointment was the lack of Fables characters.

When do we see 52-100?

This is my top ten lists that I sent in..

DC
10. Booster Gold
9. Lois Lane
8. The Penguin
7. Green Arrow (Conner Hawke)
6. Secret
5. Harley Quinn
4. Green Lantern (Kyle Rayner)
3. Robin (Tim Drake)
2. Impulse
1. Superboy (Kon-el)

Marvel
10. The Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale)
9. Northstar
8. Storm
7. Mr. Sinister
6. The Human Torch (Johnny Storm)
5. Dr. Doom
4. Spiderman
3. Wiccan
2. Iceman
1. Multiple Man

My biggest surprises were my #1 Marvel Character, Jamie placing so high in Marvel. My #1 DC character Superboy (Kon-el) not placing at all.. Otherwise it was mostly a crap shoot with my other characters so I wasn’t completely surprised, though I thought that Lois might be more popular than she apparently is..

Personally I would like to see the rest of the voting, just a simple list of characters with numbers of votes… Also I would love to hear what Brian thought of the top 50 and who were his big surprises and such..

I can’t remember all who I voted for but amongst them was the original Spider-Woman, Liberty Belle, Hawkgirl, Mary Marvel, and Captain Marvel Jr.

The very idea of there being any New Universe characters on the list cracks me up. That said, Team America, US1 and the Human Fly were robbed, I tell you! Robbed!

I put Human Fly at #2. So I did my part.

And I have fond memories of being a wee lad and reading US1.

I’m yet to read Team America’s series, though I now own all the issues. I know them from their miscellaneous appearances elsewhere.

Wow….I wasn’t too surprised by Batman….more than any other character (even though Dick Grayson’s Robin is my all time favorite Character)….Batman just has a wealth of Character development, suporting cast, stories, and of course…..the BEST GALLERY OF VILLAINS EVER.

I’ve always liked Superman, but once you get past the breath taking awe of his powers…..ehh…..it gets semi-boring all too quick.

But what really surprised me was Cyclops…..to me he is….or was…..hands down the best X-Men….with the exception of Wolverine…although….if Cyclops where written more true to the early X-Men comics, and was actually shown to lead the X-Men in brilliant fashion (and I don’t really remember them ever doing this really well….because Cyclops should be a combination of the big brother looking over your shoulder type…aka Scott Summers X-Evolution Cartoon……and Michael Samuel of “La Femme Nikita” the TV series…I don’t mean ruthless….just a master strategist….like Cyclop’s is supposed to be….instead of the whiney cry baby as someone put it… if it weren’t for that, Cyclops would be right up there in popularity with Wolverine….Don’t get me wrong….I like Wolverine…he’s facinating…especially in the 1st X Man Movie…..but at some point….he’s become way overated. I mean…..come on…the movies are “Wolverine-Guest Starring the X-Men”…which was okay for the 1st 2 movies….but now all they do is try to make the guy look good by giving him other character’s love interests…as well as not having Magneto do the obvious by seperating his metal skeleton from his flesh and bones….could you imagine….Wolverine completely healing himself….but now DE-CLAWED.

On the plus side….I’m really happy that Nightwing made it high on the list…..I’ve just started collecting the series….and it’s FRICKIN’ AWESOME! Nightwing has single handedly pulled me back into the comic book scene.