Marvel’s Stan Lee co-created many of the publisher’s most iconic characters, from Spider-Man to the Hulk to the X-Men. However, Stan ‘The Man’ Lee didn’t build the ‘House of Ideas’ alone. Some of Marvel’s most iconic heroes come from the brains and pens of other creators.
Here are the 10 most iconic Marvel characters not created by Stan Lee – each of them household names who helped make the Marvel Universe the venerated home of the world’s greatest superheroes.
10
Star-Lord, aka Peter Quill
Created by Steve Englehart and Steve Gan
Debuting in 1976’s Marvel Preview #4, Star-Lord underwent a drastic reinvention to achieve his modern form, as depicted by Chris Pratt in the MCU. Originally a dedicated astronaut chosen for a cosmic destiny, Star-Lord was later reimagined as a cosmic slacker and the heart of the Guardians of the Galaxy.
In recent years, some aspects of Peter Quill’s origin have returned to canon, with Star-Lord reclaiming his powerful Elements Guns. However, his sentient spaceship Ship seems to be lost to history.
9
Captain Marvel, aka Carol Danvers
Created by Roy Thomas and Gene Colan
While Carol is known by most as Captain Marvel, she only took that name in 2012. Originally, she went by Ms. Marvel and was a journalist for Woman Magazine (an offshoot of Spider-Man’s Daily Bugle.) Originally possessing a precognitive ‘seventh sense’, Carol battled villains including MODOK and Mystique, who later made the jump to the X-Men franchise.
Carol was originally a side character in the adventures of the first Captain Marvel, aka Mar-Vell. Originally, her powers came from being exposed to radiation in Mar-Vell’s presence, but later Marvel retconned her as biologically half-Kree. Despite that, her bond with Mar-Vell is still a significant part of the character in the comics, and is the reason she took on her current codename.
8
Blade, aka Eric Brooks
Created by Marv Wolfman, Gene Colan
Marvel’s premier vampire hunter, Blade first appeared as a side character in Tomb of Dracula #10, wearing yellow shades and a bright green jacket. Wesley Snipes’ depiction of the hero in 1998’s Blade changed him forever, as Marvel Comics made major lore changes to match the films. It was only at this point that Blade became an official ‘Daywalker,’ possessing all the enhanced powers of vampires with none of the weaknesses.
7
Rogue, aka Anna Marie
Created by Chris Claremont and Michael Golden
Originally introduced as a villain, Rogue was a major antagonist to Carol Danvers (indeed, she’s the adopted daughter of Carol’s old enemy Mystique.) Rogue was later taken in by the X-Men and became a hero, rising to become one of the franchise’s main characters.
Recently described by Uncanny X-Men writer Gail Simone as “one of the best pure visual creations in Marvel history”, the hero is known for her wild mane of hair with an iconic white streak. Rogue has served on both the Avengers and X-Men, and only recently mended her relationship with Captain Marvel after stealing the hero’s memories and powers in her youth.
6
Thanos the Mad Titan
Created by Jim Starlin and Mike Friedrich
Arguably Marvel’s greatest villain – especially following the MCU’s Infinity Saga, where he was played by Josh Brolin – Thanos was originally introduced as an enemy of Iron Man. His design was initially based on the DC antihero Metron, but later changed to be similar to Metron’s fellow ‘New God’ Darkseid. The two have even encountered each other in Marvel/DC crossovers, with Darkseid dismissing Thanos as a “pale imitation.”
Thanos’ name comes from co-creator Jim Starlin, based on the Freudian concept of Thanatos, aka ‘the death urge.’ Starlin truncated the term and set to imagining one of the most iconic supervillains of all time, based around the ideas it inspired.
5
Deadpool, aka Wade Wilson
Created by Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld
Storming to fame as played by Ryan Reynolds, Deadpool was a late addition to Marvel lore, introduced as an X-Men villain in 1990’s New Mutants #98. The character’s striking visual design (inspired by Spider-Man) and unique motormouth earned him follow-up appearances, and the subsequent promotion to antihero, hero and eventually Avenger.
Liefeld has since shared that Deadpool was inspired by the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny DeVito movie Twins, and the idea of the Weapon X program creating a superhuman who was the stunted ‘lesser brother’ of the iconic Wolverine. But while Deadpool remains as irreverent character, his healing factor is now generally considered even more powerful than Logan’s.
4
Storm, aka Ororo Munroe
Created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum
Mutant, superhero and goddess, Storm is one of X-Men’s most iconic characters. She first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1, which many fans have argued rescued the X-Men franchise from obscurity and established the franchise’s modern status quo. Storm was a member of the second official X-Men roster, alongside fellow icons like Nightcrawler, Colossus and Wolverine.
Recent comics have built on Storm’s immense power, seeing her connect with her mystic bloodline and become the herald of the cosmic god Eternity. Arguably, Storm is currently Marvel’s most powerful character, with her only serious rival being fellow X-Man Jean Grey.
3
Venom, aka Eddie Brock
Created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane (With Contributions from Randy Schueller, Roger Stern, Tom DeFalco, Mike Zeck, Rick Leonardi and Ron Frenz)
Introduced in the mid-80s, Venom is a product of the Secret Wars event. This toyline-linked series brought many iconic heroes and villains to the alien Battleworld, forcing them to fight on the orders of the godlike Beyonder. While on the planet, Spider-Man discovered a black costume to replace his own damaged suit, wearing it back home to Earth.
The black costume later turned out to be an alien being called a symbiote, defined by bonding with a host and enhancing their natural abilities. After Spider-Man managed to remove the symbiote suit, Venom found its new host Eddie Brock – the first in a long line of humans to lend the cannibal alien their bodies.
Originally a Spider-Man villain, Venom later became a hero in his own right, with dozens more named symbiote being introduced to Marvel lore. Donny Cates’ legendary run on Venom expanding the character’s lore into its own full-fleged franchise, complete with the godlike King in Black as Venom’s ultimate nemesis.
2
Captain America, aka Steve Rogers
Created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
First appearing in 1940, Captain America’s original comic run was published during the early days of WWII. Marvel revived the character multiple times with different people wearing the mask, however in 1964 Stan Lee hit on the genius idea of bringing back the original to join his new team with Jack Kirby, the Avengers.
Cap has since become one of Marvel’s most recognizable heroes, thanks in part to his unique shield and its attendant iconography. Surprisingly, Steve Rogers almost went by the name ‘Super American,’ before Joe Simon decided “there were too many ‘supers’ around” and went for the far less common military title (according to Simon’s autobiography, The Comic Book Makers.)
1
Wolverine, aka Logan
Created by Creators Len Wein, John Romita and Roy Thomas
One of the world’s most famous fictional characters and identifiable at a glance, Wolverine first appeared in The Incredible Hulk #180. He quickly joined the X-Men and went on to be the franchise’s breakout star. However, little do fans know how different the character could have been. Initial plans had Wolverine as a hyper-evolved animal, and Marvel originally intended his iconic claws to be part of his gloves, not a result of his mutation.
Wolverine was even almost killed off incredibly early. X-Men‘s creative team decided to kill off either Wolverine or fellow hero Thunderbird because of their similar characterizations, and ultimately chose to keep the former (rumored to be because John Byrne liked his Canadian background.) Wolverine went on to become a household name, while John Proudstar’s Thunderbird was only just resurrected in 2021’s X-Men: The Trial of Magneto #5.
Those are the 10 most iconic Marvel heroes not created by the legendary Stan Lee – let us know in the comments which other characters should appear on this, and whether you agree with our call that Wolverine is more iconic than Captain America.
- Birthdate
-
December 28, 1922
- Birthplace
-
New York, New York, USA
- Professions
-
Writer, Editor, Publisher, Producer, Actor
- Height
-
5 feet 11 inches
