Every comic book fan has characters that they love and dislike. You’ll find people who think that Superman is the greatest hero in the world. Meanwhile, others will say he’s too overpowered, and that the way he protects the universe is outdated. Some of this may be true and bring up some valid points, but not everyone gets justified critiques.
On the Marvel Comics side of things, you’ll find people saying ridiculous things about Miles Morales. Not because he’s a bad character. He’s hated because he’s called Spider-Man when Peter Parker is the original. However, despite the comic book creators and Peter giving Miles the blessing to use the name, he still gets unwarranted criticism thrown his way.
Miles Morales is only one of many comic book characters who get more than their fair share of negative criticism. Is he perfect? Of course not. There isn’t a perfect hero or villain in any genre. Nevertheless, there are some that get more unfavorable hate than they should.
7
Beast
There are two versions of Hank McCoy that people know. There’s the Beast that’s always smiling, bouncing around, and making jokes. Then there’s the one who spent a good part of a decade being secretive, damaging the timeline, and purposely putting his friends in harm’s way because he believed it was right. This isn’t Dark Beast from Age of Apocalypse. This is Earth-616’s own Hank McCoy.
First off, no, this is not a character anyone is supposed to root for. Beast was so disliked that Uatu took the time to tell him, “I am the Watcher. I do not act. And you disgust me, Hank McCoy.” It takes a special kind of dirtbag to make the Watcher call you out, and that’s why he doesn’t deserve the bad criticism.
It does stink when a character you like has a major change. We’ve all been there. However, this was a good thing because it was realistic. People will do unthinkable things when they’re faced with death or in defense of their people and country, and superheroes aren’t exempt from that.
Thankfully, the beloved Beast is back, but so is his counterpart, who now goes by the name Chairman. It shows that both characters have a place in Marvel Comics.
6
Wolverine (Laura Kinney)
Laura Kinney took the mantle of Wolverine following Logan’s fate in Death of Wolverine. She later went back to using the name X-23 when Logan returned, but went back to it when Krakoa began. In X-Men by Jonathan Hickman, Cyclops said Laura is like Wolverine. Laura responded, “Actually, I’m Wolverine.” Like a proud father, Logan said, “You tell ‘em, kiddo.” Sadly, like Miles Morales, this isn’t enough for some comic book fans.
The good thing about Laura being Wolverine is that she isn’t Logan or a cheap copy. There are obvious similarities, but they’re different people with different goals. For example, Laura is mentoring a group of superpowered kids and her sister/clone, Gabby Kinney, in Jody House’s Generation X-23.
An argument could have been made if Logan and Laura acted the same and fought the same villains, but they don’t. Laura is growing into something different that’s making the Wolverine name bigger and better.
5
Oliver Grayson
If you ask ten Invincible fans what their thoughts on Oliver Grayson are, you’ll likely get ten different and negative responses. Oliver is stubborn, annoying, and arrogant, and all of that gets him beaten and almost killed throughout his life. With that being said, he’s a good character.
The Invincible Universe is full of characters that boost up Mark Grayson (Invincible), Atom Eve, and Omni-Man. Oliver is one of them. For example, his almost being killed was part of the reason Mark was so determined to kill Conquest. It was a death that proved to readers/viewers that Mark had what it took to be the protector of his family and of the galaxy.
Admittedly, Oliver isn’t a likable character, and won’t be until the end of the series. That doesn’t mean he should be harshly chastised for being an obnoxious teenager. It’s part of his charm as a Viltrumite, which makes him believe he’s better than everyone.
4
Venom (Mary Jane Watson)
While Mary Jane Watson is one of the most important people in Spider-Man’s lore, she’s spent a lot of time becoming her own character. She’s worked individually with Iron Man and Black Cat, and is currently Venom. Sadly, becoming her own character is partly why some comic book fans don’t like her.
One of the many bothersome things about the Mary Jane hate is the way people say she cheated on Peter Parker. MJ was stuck in an alternate dimension for almost four years. It took her two of those years to truly believe that Peter wasn’t coming for her because she thought he was dead. Nevertheless, people will blame her for starting a relationship with someone else.
Years after returning to Earth, comic book fans remained upset with MJ when she became Venom. Meanwhile, she’s done things with the symbiote that Eddie, Peter, or Mac Gargan did. Among them is actually having a conversation with the Klyntar. It helped make their relationship and bonding experience work better than anyone else’s, and that includes Eddie Brock.
3
Captain Marvel
Carol Danvers has the reputation of being a stick in the mud. She’s a former soldier and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and has led the Avengers. All of these are why she tends to not look outside the box when it comes to orders. However, the one time she did, it started the momentum of people not liking her.
During Civil War 2, Carol used one of the Inhumans to predict and stop future crime. It led to her arresting people before they could commit an illegal offense. Among the people almost arrested was Miles Morales, who was seen standing over Captain America’s dead body. This, on top of other possible errors in the predictions, put her at odds with Tony Stark, which led to Iron Man’s temporary death/coma.
Captain Marvel hasn’t recovered from this series, and it’s doubtful she ever will. She could knock out Galactus with one punch after absorbing his cosmic energy, and people would still criticize her. It’s a shame because she’s an amazing character with a few epic comic book series.
2
Aquaman
This was a tricky one, because Arthur Curry toes the line between being loathed and underrated. A lot of this is due to the jokes from shows like Family Guy and Robot Chicken making it seem like he’s useless outside of water. Granted, the jokes are hilarious, but they didn’t help Aquaman’s legacy as a longtime member of the Justice League and King of Atlantis.
Thanks to Jeremy Adams’ run of Aquaman, now Emperor Aquaman, comic book fans are learning that Curry isn’t to be messed with. Even before he had the powers of a god who recently beat Poseidon, Aquaman was a superhumanly strong, genius military strategist who continuously helps protect the universe.
Also, talking to fish is a rudimentary way of looking at what he does. It isn’t just guppies and goldfish. Aquaman communicates with orcas, sharks, and the Kraken. All of which can dismantle his opponents with ease.
1
Paul Rabin
There are a lot of people who are reading this and turning up their nose at Paul being unjustifiably despised. Nevertheless, it’s one thing to not like a character because they add nothing to the story. It’s another to be mad at them because they “ruined” a fictional relationship that you enjoyed. Paul may have dated Mary Jane Watson and caused Peter Parker heartbreak, but that’s not Paul Rabin’s fault. In fact, he should be praised.
Paul helped keep Mary Jane alive in a universe that could have killed her. He was also a friend who didn’t force a relationship with her. He was nothing but respectful before, during, and after they dated, and maybe more understanding than some partners would have been.
When Paul died, the internet comic book community celebrated his death more than Hydra Captain America getting defeated. This is disappointing since the former is a fascist, even if the latter is commonly seen as a bland nice guy at best, and plot device at worst. Nevertheless, now that Paul is dead, we should move on and admit he wasn’t as bad as people may have thought.
- Movie(s)
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Spider-Man, Spider-Man Strikes Back, Spider-Man: The Dragon’s Challenge, Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Far from Home, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
- TV Show(s)
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Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Spider-Man Unlimited, Spider-Man: The New Animated Series, The Spectacular Spider-Man, Ultimate Spider-Man, Spider-Man, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Spider-Noir
- Comic
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The Amazing Spider-Man
- First Film
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Spider-Man
