Mr. Marvel Awards - Honorable Mentions

I had a brilliant discussion with a couple of blokes recently, in which we tried to determine which Marvel Universe character epitomized the theory and theme behind the Marvel Universe itself, namely, flawed every-men gifted (or cursed depending on outlook) with powers beyond the average mortal.

The serious answers ended up with most of the heavy hitters; Wolverine, Spiderman, Iron Man, Captain America, and other similar titleholders made appearances on our lists. But I've been thinking about lesser known characters that may not be excellent contestants, but need to be recognized for their part in the overall scheme of things.

First, Luke Cage deserves an award for the simplest, most common-sense approach to a character's motivation ever. Perhaps too simplistic at times, the idea that he's simply trying to make a little money with the abilities he's acquired is elegant and clean. The moral conundrum is built into the nature of the character in his balancing act between hired muscle, and selfless hero. He may not have had flashy abilities or a stellar story, but he's a nuanced and interesting character nonetheless.

Deadpool bears mentioning for a similarly interesting ability/gimmick setup. Depending on certain interpretations of canon, some of his abilities are directly related to his ability to perceive the 4th wall, and his more mature banter rivals Spiderman himself in wit and snark. A personal favorite of mine, the mealy mouthed mercenary loses points for being distinctly unheroic, but redeems himself in always being on the right side in the end, if only for pragmatic reasons.

The third character that deserves an honorable mention is The Hulk. A front page giant, Hulk's story is often focused on choice and self-discipline. On the line between owning your powers responsibly, and them owning you. Few have ever stood toe to toe with Hulk for long, and in the end his story is about an internal battle. Just as every young adult trying to get noticed by the cute girl, do well in school, and still pay rent can associate inherently with Peter Parker, everyone who's ever been picked on can certainly empathize with a certain amount of pent-up rage.

None of these characters really competes for the top spot, but each has a narrative or personal character that insures they're at least considered, weighed objectively and given due credit.