Marvel’s Big Three are Cap, Iron Man and Thor.
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Marvel just doesn't have a big 3 imo. I think there is actually 7 that you could call Marvels biggest heroes.
Spider-Man
Iron man
Captain America
Thor
Hulk
Wolverine
Deadpool
An argument could be made for Star Lord, Rocket, and Groot, but I don't think they are on their level quite yet.
Give Dr. Strange, Black Panther, and Captain Marvel another movie or two and they could be just as big as well.
Also worth nothing is that in Super-Villain Team-Up #14 (October, 1977), “Big Three” is used to refer to Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.
I read somewhere that Spider-Man was the most popular super-hero among children for things like clothes, toys, licensed products, etc. So in my mind it makes sense to include him. Even kids who don't read comics have a Spider-Man toothbrush or something. Captain America makes sense because I've seen him off and on all my life and the shield and suit are pretty recognizable. Same thing with Hulk. With the show in reruns forever his image is forever out there. He even has a well known catch phrase! To me, these three made sense. Now, as time goes on, that may change. Obviously we're in more of an Avengers era. And the X-Men have been gaining cultural traction for the last 20 years or so. So who knows. I just don't see them putting Deadpool on toothbrushes.
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I mean, did Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman all gain their mainstream trinity statuses the very moment their first comics hit the comic racks, or was it a later piece of media that significantly boosted their mainstream popularity beyond comic fans?
In Cap's case in particular, who was pretty much part of Marvel's big three of the 40s alongside Namor and Human Torch, he also got a film serial in 1944 and hit television in 1966, and if that wasn't good enough for Cap, then may I ask what would have been?
Last edited by Electricmastro; 11-26-2019 at 04:44 PM.
Yeah I don't really think you can ever take Spider-Man out of the "group" especially as even the last twenty years have given him Avengers prominence. It's kind of debatable otherwise with Cap, Wolverine, Hulk, and Iron Man. The X-Men as a whole are high up. I really like Thor but I can't say he's ever topped them for more than the fleeting popularity of a project or comic run.
But then it's not like Wonder Woman doesn't have to contend for her spot in the DC top 3.
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I don't think there will be a consensus about the big three that make up the heroic Trinity at Marvel so I will enumerate the big three that are the dark versions of the DC Trinity namely The Dark Phoenix, The Punisher and The Sentry.
Its Spiderman .... then the rest are up to debate.
I just don't see Spidey as debatable, really, even if he was late to the MCU.
Spider-Man and Captain America are the two locks I'd say.
For the last spot, you can pick between Wolverine and Iron Man
I don't think Marvel has a trinity, fixed or otherwise. Spider-Man is their most popular character, bar none, a situation that is highly unlikely to change. While X-Men and others do maintain high popularity,I think it's a musical chairs situation for who occupies the seats next to Spidey.
Doctor Strange: "You are the right person to replace Logan."
X-23: "I know there are people who disapprove... Guys on the Internet mainly."
(All-New Wolverine #4)
Marvel has more like a "Big Six"
Spider-Man
Hulk
Wolverine
Captain America
Iron Man
Thor
The first three of this group are their most popular consistently throughout history, whereas the latter "Big Three" have always been the most recognizable Avengers, but from the 80's until the 2000's the X-Men became the most popular group as opposed to the Avengers. The FF also could make that claim in the 60's and 70's. The MCU has greatly helped push the Avengers trio into major prominence.
Marvel would be better categorized under “Four Pillars”:
- Fantastic Four
- Spider-Man
- X-Men
- Avengers
I can’t really say IM/Cap/Thor are the Big Three because that leaves us with three gigantic elephants in the room. Also keep in mind that the Avengers were the least popular of the four for the longest time, making it even spottier to call them that.
I even question how appropriate it even is to use "top 3" anymore for DC since there have been many heroes that have proven their worth since the 40s, when Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman's (well, and Blackhawk, but that's another matter) solo titles kept on going into the 1980s. It may have been more appropriate then, but then again, then isn't exactly the same as now, and I think that can apply to Marvel too.