Not every Marvel Comics hero started as a success. But, of course, even the top-tier superheroes have ups and downs. Some heroes began as a joke and haven’t moved much past that. Then, there are those heroes that had an inauspicious debut but later rose to prominence.
This can come from a new set of creators picking up the character in a new and exciting way. It can come from die-hard fans sharing the hero with friends until it transforms into a dedicated fanbase. But, no matter how it happens, these heroes transform the landscape of Marvel Comics by enriching the world of superheroes.
10/10 Sage Spent Years As Sebastian Shaw’s Assistant
When the Hellfire Club debuted, a young, raven-haired woman stood silently by Sebastian Shaw. She worked as his assistant, and her name would later be revealed as Tessa. It would be twenty years before writer Chris Claremont retconned her as a mole in the Hellfire Club.
Her mutant powers have provided the X-Men valuable support ever since. Her powerful mutant mind not only works like a computer, but she can activate and heal mutant abilities in others. In Krakoa, she works exceptionally well with Cypher. That’s not bad for someone with no lines in her first appearance.
9/10 Tigra Debuted As A Masked Hero Called The Cat
In 1972, Marvel launched three titles aimed at female readers. One of them was The Cat, featuring Greer Grant-Nelson as a young widow given superpowers by a female physicist. This tale of female empowerment lasted only four issues.
Marvel revamped the character into a cat-person, complete with fur and claws. As Tigra, she would make appearances in various comics. Her popularity would grow as she became associated with the Avengers. She never achieved A-List status, but her story became more interesting as she evolved past mere cheesecake.
8/10 Jamie Madrox Was A Mutant With Zero Personality
When Madrox the Multiple Man debuted in Giant-Size Fantastic Four #4, he appeared to be a confused antagonist, lashing out. Professor X showed up to help subdue James Madrox, explaining him to be a mutant. Professor X took Madrox away to teach him to control his power and calm his personality.
Madrox languished until he joined a new incarnation of X-Factor. Madrox became awesome as his powers were explored, including the mental state of so many different minds integrating repeatedly. Madrox would become an investigator and have multiple duplicates pursue separate lives.
7/10 Hellcat Debuted In Teen Humor Comics
Before she became a superhero, Patsy Walker was the star of many teen humor comics. After those titles long ran their course, she showed up as the Beast’s lab assistant. Then she donned an old costume that had belonged to the Cat and called herself Hellcat.
She was a regular fixture in Defenders, eventually vanishing as the title changed directions. She recently took up the hero game again, even getting her solo series. Most recently, she became a serious love interest for Tony Stark, exhibiting courage that could never have been seen in her old humor comics.
6/10 Doug Ramsey Was Considered One Of The Weakest Mutants Until Krakoa
In The New Mutants, Doug Ramsey joined a team with a power considered weak. He could intuitively understand languages. It would be handy, especially when the New Mutants encountered aliens like Warlock. Doug would die and return to life but never find himself considered powerful by other mutants.
When the mutant nation of Krakoa was founded, they needed to communicate with the living island. Doug Ramsey became vital to the new society, and he knew it. He stepped in to prevent Mystique and Destiny from killing Moira MacTaggart. This also saw him use his two closest allies, his wife Bei and the alien mutant known as Warlock.
5/10 Rocket Raccoon Was Considered Ridiculous Until He Joined The Guardians Of The Galaxy
When Rocket Raccoon debuted in Marvel Preview #7, his now-familiar attitude was intact. Unfortunately, he wasn’t considered seriously in even this and subsequent appearances. Those appearances over three decades could be counted on two hands.
Then came his involvement in 2007’s Annihilation event. Rocket joined the Guardians of the Galaxy and became a fixture on the team. He’s even led the ever-changing line-up from time to time. His popularity led to a new series becoming the best-selling comic with its debut issue.
4/10 Before She Became Captain Britain, Betsy Braddock Was The Twin Sister To The First Captain Britain
Betsy Braddock made her debut in British Marvel Comics in the weekly anthology Captain Britain. She immediately had psychic abilities that she used to join the U.K.’s version of SHIELD. As time went on, her psychic powers developed until the villain Slaymaster blinded her.
Her popularity increased when she was brought to the highly popular Uncanny X-Men. Her popularity grew ever higher when writer Chris Claremont and artists Jim Lee and Scott Williams transformed her into a Japanese ninja with telepathy. Today, her evolution has come full circle. She’s back in her original body and operating as Captain Britain.
3/10 Dazzler’s Disco Origins Didn’t Serve The Character Well.
When Dazzler first appeared in Uncanny X-Men #130 by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Terry Austen, Tom Orzechowski, and Glynis Wein, she was performing in a run-down disco club. Her mutant powers helped the X-Men against Emma Frost, but she refused to join the team. Instead, she spent the next five years pursuing a singing career, holding onto the disco persona long after it was fashionable.
When she did join the X-Men, it became apparent how special she was. Then disco became nostalgic, and so did she. Now there’s a devoted fan base that champions every appearance and pressures Marvel for more.
2/10 Carol Danvers Languished Until Taking The Mantle Of Captain Marvel That Should Have Been Hers All Along.
From the beginning, no one knew what to do with Carol Danvers. She first appeared back in 1968 as a supporting character in the original Captain Marvel stories. Eventually, she got superpowers and became Ms. Marvel, a feminist hero that struggled for a following, even after joining the Avengers.
She lost her powers to the mutant Rogue but later got immense energy powers as Binary and later Warbird before returning to the Ms. Marvel name. In 2012, she assumed the mantle of Captain Marvel, becoming a powerful heroic icon in the Marvel Universe. The way readers and creators have embraced this role shows how awesome she is. She probably should’ve taken on the mantle about twenty or thirty years earlier.
1/10 Squirrel Girl Was A Joke Until Everybody Realized They Loved Her.
Squirrel Girl was considered a joke in her very first appearance in 1992. The premise of a squirrel-based superhero was considered silly in the 1990s as superheroes took a dark turn. She began to make more appearances over a decade later, starting with the Great Lakes Avengers and eventually becoming the nanny for Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. Then she got a solo series by Ryan North and Erica Henderson.
In The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, the hero lives up to the book’s name, finding new ways to defeat powerful foes. She also shows an infectious optimism that won her new fans. That following continues today with a constant guessing game of when she’ll appear in the MCU.
