The evil step brother of Thor, Loki is perhaps the most manipulative and vile villain to ever grace the pages of a comic book. Loki hates Thor very passionately and a large amount of his schemes are to embarrass Thor. Loki is the source of evil that was responsible for the formation of The Avengers and continues to be a thorn in the side of The God Of Thunder. Referred to as "The God Mischief," Loki does believe in the protection of Asgard and it's people. The issue is that he feels that it has to be by his hand once he is ruler.
I really love Spawn and the original take on the character where he had no idea of who he was and his past is still one of the best story ideas in comics. The character is a combination of Spider-Man and The Batman, but has a hell of a lot more attitude and a nasty mean streak. The character was the first "independant" character to break through the glass ceiling to the popularity of Spider-Man and Superman. A trained assassin who made a deal with the devil to come back and see his wife but was slated to lead Hell's army to the gates of Heaven. Spawn rebels and is at odds both with Heaven and Hell.
THOR
There is not many characters that combine myth and legend like Thor. Jack Kirby and Stan Lee created the character based on Norse Mythology but created a Thor that was different than the traditional God Of Thunder. The character was originally created as Marvel's answer to Superman. Stan Lee said "We wanted someone as powerful but who could more powerful than an alien? Only a god." The character has excelled in the hands of Walt Simonson and J. Michael Straczynsk. Both of these men crafted the best stories in the history of the comic. Thor is at his most popular right now and I am hoping he stays where he should be, at the top of the Marvel Universe.
VENOM
This is a character that is hot or mis with me but when he is on, he is amazing. Venom was originally Eddie Brock and bonded with the symbiote out of his hatred for Spider-Man. The character was Spidey's greatest threat and then eventually became a defender of San Francisco while having a true with Spidey. Mac Gargan who used to be The Scorpion is the man who wears the symbiote and is an even more vicious and twisted individual. This incarnation of Venom eats people on a whim and allows the symbiote to have more control over the mind and body of it's host.
WOLVERINE
I know he is considered over exposed in the Marvel Universe currently but Wolverine will always be one of my favorites. He was the first Canadian character I was introduced to as a kid growing up and also the first "anti-hero" that I saw in comics. Who doesn't like a no nonsense character who has an amazing healing factor, razor sharp claws embedded in his hands, has lived for a long time and who walks the fine line between savior and threat. Wolverine was the one character who was not afraid to push himself and the envelope when he felt he had to. Canada's favorite mutant will always be on this list for me.
THE BATMAN
Why do I like The Batman?? Because he is the god damn Batman!!! The character is legendary and is different than any other character out there. The Batman uses fear, martial arts, gadgets and detective work to get the job done. He relies on word of mouth to spread his legend to the streets to scare crooks out of crime. The Batman is best used when he uses the element of fear as a weapon and "emerges from the shadows" to get his prey. He also adds something different when he has to roll up his sleeves and deduce what is happening from clues he discovers as he searches a crime scene. The Batman may be the greatest mind to have ever existed in comic book history.
DEADPOOL
What can I say about Deadpool? He is the most entertaining character I have ever read in any format. The character is always breaking the fourth wall and has multiple running conversations within his own mind. He is considered to be mostly a joke to the rest of the Marvel Universe but he is a highly skilled and deadly killer. He was in the Weapon X project and has a healing factor like Wolverine that is keeping his cancer at bay and is a master at using dual pistols and dual katannas. He has flip flopped between hero and villain on multiple occasions but he is much more entertaining and effective as a character struggling to be a hero in a world that treats him as a "wannabe".
THE HOBGOBLIN
The rogues gallery of Spider-Man is one the largest and most diverse in the industry but there is one to me who is the most ineresting....The Hobgoblin. He has had many people under his mask and has been considered a Green Goblin knock off but the character is strong enough to stand on his own. He was originally a replacement for The Green Goblin when he was killed, who had found Norman Osbourn's stash of Goblin weapons and gliders. The character originally had an aura about him as no one knew of his identity but the idea petered out when the characters creator left Marvel. The character has disappeared from the mainstream Marvel universe since The Green Goblin has returned but he has showed up in the future universe of "Mayday" Parker (Peter's daughter who has gone on to become Spider-Girl.}
THE JOKER
What more can you say about The Joker, the guy is a certifiable nut job and the most dangerous of Batman's foes. He has no super powers and is completely off his rocker but he is completely unpredictable. He has proven to be an equal to the Caped Crusader and has permanently scarred Batman on many occasions but the two most memorable times were when he beat the second Robin (Jason Todd) so badly with a crowbar and then killed him in an explosion and paralyzing Barbara Gordon with a bullet to the spine. He can be written goofy but I truly feel that the best incarnation of The Joker was Heath Ledger. He was dangerous but chaotic and also very deliberate in the way that he conducted himself. I also liked the idea better that he did not become deformed due to acid but that he chose to wear the make-up.
THE RED HOOD
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The mystery of the Red Hood was an interesting idea and turned the world of The Batman completely upside down. The character had the former disguise of The Joker and was doing good things but in very bad ways. He had a serious killer instinct and knew Batman's every move. When they fought, he matched the Batman move for move with no clear victor. It was then discovered that the Red Hood was Jason Todd, who Bruce thought was long dead. Todd returned during Final Crisis and it played havoc with Bruce's mind. Jason Todd went on to take over the identity of Nightwing and then later had his own version of Batman but has gone back to the name and look of The Red Hood. The one thing I love about the character is that he is not written good or bad, he just does what he wants to do. It kinds of cements him into the "wild card" of the DC universe.
AZRAEL
Now speaking of wild cards, we have maybe one of the most misused characters in comic history. I love Azrael and the way he was handled originally. Being brainwashed by a religious sect as their avenging angel since birth, Jean Paul Valley then became Batman when Bruce Wayne was crippled by Bane. The character was completely different than anything else in comics at the time but they tried to make him Batman "lite" when he finally returned to being Azrael. The original costumes is the best and the others that they used were terrible. Jean Paul was more of an aggressive character who went into a trance which was called "the System." This allowed him to do things he was not capable of normally. He was an interesting character in that he was really timid but once he became Azrael and later Batman, he was a vicious fighting machine.
ANGELA
The character was given the task by Heaven to take out Spawn and Angela was not that much different than the one she hunted. To me the best the character was portrayed was in the Angela mini series where she needed to team with her adversary and then ultimately needed Spawn to clear her name. She is one of the most feared and successful angels in Heaven's arsenal. I wish that she would have been used more when the character was alive in the series, as it presented a very unique dynamic that has been lacking for Spawn in the series.
MISTER SINISTER
This character was the first major villain that I encountered in comic books. I had started to read X-Men religiously during their huge mutant cross over event Inferno and Mister Sinister was at the very center of the entire story. He was not as active in the actual fighting in the crossover as he was active in pulling the strings. He is a unique looking character who has be a thorn in the sides of the X-Men.
SPIDER-MAN
What can you really say about good ole Web-Head? He is an iconic character that has remained popular, important and relevant to the Marvel Universe. He was comics "every man" as he had to juggle his real life issues and responsibilities as Peter Parker as well as his responsibilities that comes with having the powers as Spider-Man. The character has recently had major changes with his relationship with Mary Jane but Spider-Man has now returned to the status of "lovable loser" who can not catch a break. He has battled normal street thugs and ran up the totem poll to super powered villain but he always finds a way to win. Spider-Man embodies alot of different traits and it makes him a very unique character.
ROGUE
I do not know if it is the two toned hair, the southern accent or the ability to absorb other people's powers but I love Rogue. She potentially could be the most powerful characters but is also one of the most tragic characters. She can not live a normal life as she can not touch people she cares about and it is such an interesting story device. I think she could be one of the most interesting characters if she is used right but she needs someone to foil her and Gambit is a perfect foil. Rogue is a tough cookie but Gambit always seems to find a way to break down her walls.
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