Top 10 superheroes

1. Spiderman

Real name Peter Parker. Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for Marvel Comics in 1962. "Spidey" is my favourite superhero because his superpowers are a lot of fun and underneath the mask he is a shy and nerdy teenager, and thus the most relatable of all superheroes.   





2. Batman

Real name Bruce Wayne. Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger in 1939 for DC Comics. Although technically speaking not a superhero (if you define superheroes by their superpowers), more of a masked vigilante or crimefighter, but you can't have a list of great superheroes without the Bat Man, the Caped Crusader, the Dark Knight. Love the look, the mythology, the movies.












3. Superman

Real name Kal-El. Alias Clark Kent. Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the 1930's and published by DC Comics. If you need to know why I think Superman is such a great character, check out David Carradine's monologue at the end of "Kill Bill: Volume 2." Many consider Superman to be the blueprint for superheroes as we know them today. I do not disagree.




4. Silver Surfer

Real name Norrid Radd. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966. He's an alien with a humanoid silver body that rides around on a surfboard in space, what's not to like? He should get a decent film series of his own, he's that cool.














5. Wonder Woman

Real name Princess Diana of Themyscira. Alias Diana Prince. Created by William Moulton Marston, a psychologist, for DC Comics in 1941 (during the Golden Age of superheroes). One of few superheroines with enough prowess to equal Superman himself, she's got a ton of cool gear and is about as iconic as they come. We're all very excited to see what she'll be like in the upcoming Justice League film Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.










6. Deadpool

Real name Wade Winston Wilson. Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld for Marvel Comics in 1991. A good superhero should verge on antihero, like Deadpool. Although he's a villain originally, he's proven popular enough to merit a film of his own (to be released in 2016). I like Deadpool because his costume is great, he's armed with samurai swords and has supernatural healing abilities. He's also a bit of a wacko.











7. Wolverine 

Real name James Howlett. Alias Logan. Created by Len Wein and John Romita Sr for Marvel Comics in 1974. Although Wolverine's original costume was pretty cool, what they did with the character in the X-Men movies really cemented him as one of the great iconic superheroes. Like Deadpool, Wolverine has regenerative powers, but it's those adamantium claws that makes him awesome.












8. He-Man

True identity Prince Adam of Eternia. Created by Mattel in the 1980's. He-Man may not be your typical comic book superhero, and not a character a lot of superhero fans would even consider one of the ten greatest, but He-Man was a huge part of my childhood and as such inevitably one of my top choices. That he was created by a toy company to sell merchandise is quite obvious when you have Battle Cat, Skeletor and Castle Greyskull, amongst other things. But the most important quality for a great superhero is that they're iconic, and there's no denying He-Man certainly is that at least.





9. The Hulk

Real name Bruce Banner. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1962 for Marvel Comics. The Hulk is a character that manages to have the symbolic depth of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde while at the same time being a kick-ass action movie monster. I think the Hulk is more of an antihero than Deadpool and Wolverine, yet he is mostly classified as just a superhero. Embodies the subtext of all science fiction, that scientific knowledge is powerful and dangerous.

10.  The Phantom

Alias Kit Walker. Created by Lee Falk in 1936. Like Batman, the Phantom is not technically a superhero, but I consider him the prototype or the grandaddy of the whole superhero genre. The Phantom was the first comic book character that wore a skintight costume and a mask without visible pupils to fight crime. He has a great backstory that includes passing on the mantle of the Phantom from father to son, making people believe he's immortal. The Phantom lives in a cave in Africa called Skull Cave with his wolf Devil and horse Hero. You can't get more iconic than this guy!