Summary

Since the debut of Namor in the 1930s,Marvelhas introduced thousands of heroes and villains over the years. Many of the iconic characters — such asDoctor Strange, Wolverine, and Iron Man— have been around for decades.

Even when it feels like everything has already been done, some characters introduced in the last 10 to 15 years have significantly impacted and become some of the most popular in theMarvelUniverse today. This list ranks the best characters thatMarvelintroduced between 2010 and 2019 based on their popularity.

Debut Year: 2014

Ghost Rider was originally introduced in the 1970s with Johnny Blaze as the central character. However, in 2014, Marvel took the Spirit of Vengeance in a new direction by introducing Roberto “Robbie” Reyes. Reyes made his first appearance inAll-New Ghost Rider, where he entered a drag race in a car possessed by the satanic spirit of his uncle, Elias Morrow.

This event transformed him into a new version of Ghost Rider, but instead of the iconic motorcycle, Robbie rides a 1969 Dodge Charger. As the story progressed, he developed into a hero in his own right and even became a member of the Avengers. Fans quickly embraced the character,leading to his live-action debutin Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

There are now numerous Spider-Man side characters, originating from events like the Clone Saga and more recent examples like the Spider-Verse. One notable character is Silk, who has taken on a more prominent role and even gained her own self-titled series the year after her debut in Amazing Spider-Man (Vol. 3) #4.

Cindy Moon was on the same field trip as Peter Parker when he was bitten by a radioactive spider. She was also bitten by the same spider, which gave her powers similar to those of Spider-Man. However, she was soon taken by Ezekiel Sims to protect her from Morlun, a hunter of the Spider-Totems. Peter only discovered her existence 13 years later and ultimately freed her from the bunker where she had been held.

Jane Foster has been a supporting character andlove interest of Thor Odinsonsince the 1960s. However, it wasn’t until 2014 that she became a hero in her own right. Unfortunately, she was diagnosed with cancer but refused magical assistance from Thor, who had lost the right to wield Mjölnir. In a surprising turn of events, the magical hammer called out to Jane, and when she picked it up, it cured her illness and granted her the power of the Mighty Thor. This storyline was later adapted into theMarvel Cinematic Universe inThor: Love and Thunder.

As she embraced her identity as a hero and joined the Avengers, Jane discovered that the cancer did not actually go away; it was only a temporary fix while she was in her Thor form. Although wielding Mjölnir made her well, it ultimately made her condition worse as it removed the chemotherapy from her body. In time, she took on the mantle of Valkyrie, which granted her new permanent powers and cured her cancer permanently.

7Falcon (Joaquín Torres)

Debut Year: 2016

The mantle of Falcon was first held by Sam Wilson, who would later become Captain America. As a result, the new Cap needed a Falcon, which led to the introduction of Joaquín Torres in 2016. Torres was a member of the Mexican community who helped people cross the border into the United States.

He was captured by the Sons of the Serpent and experimented on by Karl Malus, transforming him into a human-falcon hybrid using Wilson’s avian partner, Redwing. This transformation granted Torres the ability to fly with his wing-like arms, a healing factor, and a psychic link with Redwing, similar to Wilson’s. After Captain America rescued him and the others who were captured, Torres became the next Falcon.

Debut Year: 2011

Flash Thompson is often recognized by casual fans as Peter Parker’s high school bully. However, in 2011, his character took a new direction. After graduating from high school, Flash enlisted in the army but tragically lost his legs during combat. Following this, he was bonded with the Venom symbiote through an experiment and became Agent Venom, working for the U.S. government.

This unique interpretation of both Flash and Venom became a popular character, thanks greatly to his striking costume. Despite this success, Agent Venom has not been featured in much additional media.After the symbiote returned to Eddie Brock, Flash later transitioned to become Agent Anti-Venom, wielding the Anti-Venom symbiote, a mantle he currently holds.

Debut Year: 2017

Debuting in 2017, Riri Williams is a child genius who created her own suit of Iron Man armor. This achievement led Tony Stark toendorse her as a hero and become her mentor. Williams subsequently fought alongside Iron Man during the second Civil War event, which resulted in Stark falling into a coma. As a result, Williams took on the responsibility of becoming Ironheart in his place.

Riri Williams was well-received by fans and is best known as a member of the young superhero group, the Champions. She made her MCU debut inBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverand was scheduled to appear inArmor Wars, although that project’s status is currently uncertain.

Cosmic Ghost Rider is a multiversal counterpart to Frank Castle, the Punisher, who died during Thanos' quest for Earth. After his death, he was sent to Hell and made a deal with Mephisto to become the Ghost Rider. When he returned to Earth, he discovered that Thanos had won and that he was the last person alive. Eventually, Galactus came to the planet and made a deal with Castle, exchanging Earth for the Power Cosmic so he could seek revenge on the Mad Titan. As a result, he became a combination of Ghost Rider and a Herald of Galactus.

This concept is quite outrageous, but it works surprisingly well. Cosmic Ghost Rider has appeared in several different stories, proving himself to be a powerful character across the Marvel Multiverse. Despite this, there have been no major appearances of the character outside the comics.

Spider-Gwen is analternate reality version of Gwen Stacyfrom Earth-65, where she was bitten by the spider instead of Peter Parker. This bite granted her arachnid abilities. Initially known as Spider-Woman, she later adopted the name Spider-Gwen and eventually became Ghost-Spider.

She played a crucial role in the Spider-Verse saga by teaming up with other Spider-heroes to fight against the Inheritors across the Multiverse. Over time, she established herself as a hero in her own right and eventually settled on Earth-616. Spider-Gwen is particularly well-known for her prominent roles in the animated filmsSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verseand its sequel,Across the Spider-Verse.

Ms. Marvel is a well-known character who has become a major player among the Avengers, moving beyond her role as a sidekick to Captain Marvel. Kamala Khan is an interesting blend of both an Inhuman and a Mutant, which provides her with two distinct sets of abilities: elongation and hard light regeneration.

She is a groundbreaking character, as she was the first muslim to headline a comic book series — a milestone that should not have taken until the 2010s to achieve. Ms. Marvel has gone on to star in her own self-titled series in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and is also featured in the movieThe Marvels.

Without a doubt, Miles Morales is the most popular Marvel character introduced in the 2010s. Originally from the Ultimate Universe, he became a replacement for Spider-Man after the apparent death of Peter Parker. Since then, he has transitioned to the main 616 Marvel Universe. As a new Spider-Man, Miles possesses all the abilities of Peter Parker, but he also has the unique powers of generating electricity and using camouflage, which make him even more formidable.

His rising popularity has resulted inhis own animated movie series, a video game,and even a brief reference in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), although he has not yet made a full live-action debut.