Who is the most well-conceived comic book superhero?

[mathew101281]

Batman and Spider-Man are easily the two most fully realized Superheroes. Most other superheroes are missing something or somethings. Either their supporting cast is sparse and non impactful, their rogue’s gallery is weak, they don’t have any iconic locations that are unique to them etc.

[Riv86672]

Exactly.
In terms of location, both characters are intimately linked to their cities.

[W1bowo]

Batman and Spider-Man are easily the two most fully realized Superheroes. Most other superheroes are missing something or somethings. Either their supporting cast is sparse and non impactful, their rogue’s gallery is weak, they don’t have any iconic locations that are unique to them etc.

+1

[mathew101281]

I think lack of focus on the peripheral elements is what dooms a lot of newer characters, and it's what concerns me about a lot of the newer and older characters I like. Most of them really don't have a mythos of their own and pretty much get by on piggie backing on bigger franchises or the shared universes as a whole. To put it simply. If the DC universe ended tomorrow, Batman would be just fine, I'm not sure Geen Arrow and Hawkman would be though.

Another way of putting it is. How long can your character's book go before it's forced to bring in elements from other franchises? In the case of Batman, and Spiderman it's probably years.

[SuperiorIronman]

I think lack of focus on the peripheral elements is what dooms a lot of newer characters, and it's what concerns me about a lot of the newer and older characters I like. Most of them really don't have a mythos of their own and pretty much get by on piggie backing on bigger franchises or the shared universes as a whole. To put it simply. If the DC universe ended tomorrow, Batman would be just fine, I'm not sure Geen Arrow and Hawkman would be though.

Another way of putting it is. How long can your character's book go before it's forced to bring in elements from other franchises? In the case of Batman, and Spiderman it's probably years.

Spider-man tried joining the FF in the first issue, fought Doctor Doom in issue 5, the first fight with Green Goblin happens with the Hulk in 14, met Daredevil in 16, which all occurs within two years of publication alongside team-ups with the Human Torch. He has solo outings sure, but Spider-man is fighting with or against outside franchises early within the Lee/Dtko run.

[Riv86672]

That was more a case of Marvel really driving home that shared universe concept wasn’t it?

[Celgress]

Batman
Superman
Spider-Man

Although it is debatable, IMO, if Spidey is number two rather than Sups. Batman I think is the best conceived. Everything about the character's origins and his motif is perfection.

[Speed Force League Unlimited]

Spider-Man is pretty consistent with his roots and evolving from there that even alternate versions stay mostly true to that. Plus his character inspired how writers modeled other characters they created in different mediums, so this is pretty hard to beat.


Batman is the closest one to follow.


Saitama (Onepunch Man). Faster than a speeding speedy Ninja, more powerful than a falling meteor, able to leap so high he can jump from the moon back to Earth in one leap. He's the strange person from City Z.
So powerful he's easily bored, but he's the hero the world needs. The concept is there, it's effective, almost nothing contradicts it, and the bald vision is simple and generic, yet so strangely inspired that it helped make him a hit.


I consider including Captain America. As a concept he's pretty ideal to look up to, but I don't know much about his Golden Age self to judge how faithful the now is to the past.


Superman is a difficult character to consider best well conceived. For the Golden Age era his creators had a specific vision to go with who was a bit of a jerk, then he slowly became the definition of maturity, and then his power sets changed with each course, and there lies the problem of how vulnerable he is to magic and kryptonite.....

[DrNewGod]

Batman
Superman
Spider-Man

Although it is debatable, IMO, if Spidey is number two rather than Sups. Batman I think is the best conceived. Everything about the character's origins and his motif is perfection.

Both Batman and Superman have been so heavily tweaked, they really aren't the characters conceived in the late 1930s anymore. Spider-Man is still pretty close to what Ditko and Lee gave us.

[Electricmastro]

Both Batman and Superman have been so heavily tweaked, they really aren't the characters conceived in the late 1930s anymore. Spider-Man is still pretty close to what Ditko and Lee gave us.

Even without the gun Batman used to have, he still seems to have exceptions when it comes to killing, despite any "no killing rule" other people keep saying he has.

[KurtW95]

Cosign for Peter Parker.

[Electricmastro]

In regards to Spider-Man, you ask me, ever since One More Day, I can't help but still feel disappointed in how unproductive it was to scale Peter back from his marriage with Mary Jane just for the sake of keeping him in a status quo that resembles his 1963 status quo. I know there are always new readers jumping onto Spider-Man and sales for the Marvel execs to consider, but I'm sorry, not allowing Peter to grow as a human being and progress his character feels so unsatisfyingly backwards to the point that it's an undertone that can't quite be shaken off to this day even if that was several years ago at this point, and why alternate Earth stories that can't be gotten in the main continuity like Renew Your Vows feel are the more satisfying.

[PoorStudent]

x-men-comics-9.jpg

X-Men

As a concept, the idea of a group of outcasts with abilities who fight for acceptance and to protect others like them is a pretty well conceived idea. It's one of the reasons why Marvel stopped making as many superhero books since x-men came out, and mostly focused on mutants. It resonates with anyone who has ever felt marginalized and works as an allegory to race, ethnicity, sexuality, disabilities, and dozens of historical issues. That what's so sucky about the movies, because the comic is so good and perfect, like how could anyone screw that up.

Not trying to be contrarian, but I never got into Spider-man. I don't dislike him, but I feel a big part of the appeal of the character is nostalgia for adolescence, and your teen years and I just don't have that. I always preferred the darker screwed up characters.

Also Dave Steven's The Rocketeer is pretty great too.

[Electricmastro]

x-men-comics-9.jpg

X-Men

As a concept, the idea of a group of outcasts with abilities who fight for acceptance and to protect others like them is a pretty well conceived idea. It's one of the reasons why Marvel stopped making as many superhero books since x-men came out, and mostly focused on mutants. It resonates with anyone who has ever felt marginalized and works as an allegory to race, ethnicity, sexuality, disabilities, and dozens of historical issues. That what's so sucky about the movies, because the comic is so good and perfect, like how could anyone screw that up.

I think it captured that aspect well in the 70s and 80s, but after Claremont left, the human/mutant relations seemed to get so unrealistic to the point that the marginalized aspect seems further and further away, with the Sentinels and extinctions and it just seeming more and more hopeless to the point that it's like "is it impossible for the marginalized to live decent lives?" Sure, there are characters like San Francisco mayor Sadie Sinclair who expressed concern for the mutants, but even characters like that feel very few and far between, as if like 95% of Earth-616 hates the mutants, to the point that it seems like a religious war (demon hunters vs perceived demons?) more than anything else.

Of course there are also all the sci-fi and fantasy elements that don't necessarily tie into the social elements, but I suppose that's beside the point.

[Gaastra]

What about Usagi Yojimbo? Has he changed?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miyamoto_Usagi