Iron Man has been voted as the greatest MCU character of all time in a poll of Pubity fans, but where did other favourites place?
The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of the most ambitious movie projects of all time – with more than 20 films all linked into one universe and carrying threads between movies that can be quite different in character and tone.
Marvel has a huge roster of superheroes, many of which have now made the leap from comic book to big screen, many of which have become fan favourites, whether they were already well known, such as Spider-Man, or more obscure, like Star-Lord from Guardians of the Galaxy.
But which one is the greatest of all time? Pubity wanted to find out and did it through one of its famous ‘you decide’ knockout tournaments. The format is the same tried-and-tested method – 32 heroes were drawn against each other in 16 ties, with Pubity fans voting on Instagram for their favourite, who progressed to the next round, and so on until there was one winner.
Winner: Iron Man
Of all the iconic moments in the MCU perhaps the number one moment belongs to Iron Man. The hero (spoiler alert!) was the one to defeat Thanos at the end of Avengers: Endgame, but sacrificed himself in the process. Robert Downey Jr resurrected his career through his performances as the charismatic billionaire Tony Stark/Iron Man, with three solo movies and appearances in many others.
Runner-up: Spider-Man
Fans had to wait a long time for their friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man to appear in the MCU thanks to legal wrangles with Sony. But the wait was worth it. Tom Holland’s take on Peter Parker/Spider-Man quickly endeared legions of fans and his three solo movies are some of the MCU’s highest-grossing. Fans have high hopes for a fourth movie in the series, coming later this year.
Semi-finalists: Captain America and Thor
Two of the MCU’s longest-established characters made the semi-finals. Chris Evans’ Cap was one of the MCU’s early successes and became a pillar of the series through his role in the Avengers. Thor is another favourite, played by Chris Hemsworth. The Asgardian has been through more than most over the years but is still standing.
Quarter-finalists: Black Panther, Deadpool, Thanos and Loki
Fallers at the last eight stage included Black Panther, memorably played by the late Chadwick Boseman and the first black superhero to get a standalone movie in the MCU. Thanos and Loki were the two baddies to progress the furthest in the competition. Thanos memorably collected the Infinity Stones and snapped half of the population of Earth out of existence, until Iron Man’s intervention. Loki, Thor’s half-brother, has provided mischief in many movies, as well as his own show. Deadpool meanwhile has only been in one MCU movie – Deadpool & Wolverine – but starred in two other movies outside of the MCU (its complicated). But his quick wit, foul mouth and propensity to break the fourth wall makes him a firm favourite.
Round of 16
Those who lost in the second round of the competition included the two Avengers that don’t have superpowers, Hawkeye and Black Widow. This round also accounted for three of the Guardians of the Galaxy – Star Lord, Rocket Raccoon and Groot. Nick Fury also lost out – iconicly played by Samuel L Jackson, so much so that the comic character was retconned to resemble him. Wanda Maximoff was the other faller.
Last 32
The people at Pubity went for a few obscure names in this tournament, but they didn’t get much traction from fans, including Shed Kid from Iron Man 3, The Mandarian, Goose the Cat (oddly included ahead of Captain Marvel), Dum-e, Fedex Driver and Do a Flip Guy. Some notable baddies didn’t get past the first hurdle either, including Mantis, Korg, Vulture and The Grandmaster. Well-loved side characters also fell here too, including Happy Hogan, Luis, Miek and Yondu.
Howard the Duck also didn’t get far – he has had a few brief cameos in the MCU, but is surely due a movie of his own at some point? He had one in the 80s – go check it out. Or, on reflection, perhaps don’t…
