So, after reading through Mark Ogilvie's thread "Are comic book writers limited to no new characters?" one of the things I began thinking about was whether anything even close to an iconic superhero/supervillain character has been created since Wolverine?
When I say "iconic" I mean a character that essentially transcends pop culture. You can show pretty much anyone in the world pictures of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man and the Hulk and people will have a general idea of who you're referring to.
Of the iconic super characters, I would name the following:
Superman
Batman
Wonder Woman
Spider-Man
The Hulk
The Punisher
Wolverine
Iron Man (perhaps)
Lex Luthor
The Joker
Dr. Doom
I'm sure you could put up arguments for the likes of Captain America, the Fantastic Four and Galactus as well. However, are there any other characters that I'm missing, particularly ones created since 1974 (when the Punisher and Wolverine debuted)? I'm blanking.
Replies
I have to quibble with your list. If we are saying a visually recognizable character to the general public.
I think Iron Man is definitely recognizable after his wide exposure in four blockbuster movies.
I wouldn't say the Punisher is that recognizable since his movies have never been blockbusters. His T-shirts have been popular but most people don't know where the skull image comes from.
Dr. Doom isn't instantly recognizable because the FF movies haven't been blockbusters and his costume/powers/origin haven't been consistent with the comics.
Lex Luthor has been played over the years by several different actors. I think a picture of him alone would puzzle most people. If the picture included Superman then people would make the connection that he was Lex Luthor.
As for adding to the list, I'll have to give it some thought.
I have zero issues with your quibbles Richard. I'm really more interested in newer characters that fall into that category. My list isn't exhaustive.
And yes, Lex Luthor may not be instantly recognized visually, but I think if you mention the name to pretty much anyone, they'll have a good idea who he is.
Not a superhero, but John Constantine might qualify. While not as immediately recognizable as the others, there has been a movie, and a TV series is in the works. He first appeared in Swamp Thing in 1985.
He's not a comic-book superhero, but I think The Six Million Dollar Man has the name recognition to fit the bill.
I think we can add Captain America and Thor to the instantly recognizable list. Like Iron Man, they have become well-known on the strength of several blockbuster movies. Unfortunately for the comics medium, I don't think any non-movie comics characters are on the public's radar.
For me iconic isn't just name recognition--I think of those characters who have become the standard bearers, even if others like them predate them. So Captain America is the standard bearer of the American patriotic hero--despite the earlier example of the Shield (or for that matter, Uncle Sam in political cartoons). Wonder Woman is the standared bearer of the female super-hero, even though Bulletgirl, Black Cat, Miss America and Phantom Lady all predate her.
Superman is the standard bearer of all super-heroes. Batman is the standard bearer of the masked mystery man (even though highly derivative of many other mystery men).
I like Iron Man, but he's iconic-lite at best. He's popular now, but I don't see him as being distinctive enough as a super-hero to carry the standard for a specific type of character.
Okay, Jimmm, but to Randy's point -- who's been created since 1974 who could be called an icon? Other than The Six Million Dollar man, I can't think of anybody.
I can't either.
Ghost Rider started in 1972 and was in two movies. Blade started in 1973 and was in three movies. As with the Punisher, however, I don't think the general public knows who they are. Also, they are pre-1974.
It may be significant that in the 70s Neal Adams was making a lot of noise about creators' rights. This was probably the beginning of the reluctance of creators to trust the Big Two.
It takes a while for icon status to happen -- and perhaps a generational change to see if it sticks. Two characters of recent vintage I could see including as at least potential icons are Hellboy, and Michonne from Walking Dead. Both are distinctive enough to qualify, and have popularity beyond comics.
We'll see with John Constantine, too -- another good call. His new TV show might introduce him to a whole new generation.
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