Martinex1: Hello everyone! Thanks for joining us this Tuesday for another round of "Rank and File." This time instead of looking at movies, we are going to focus on leaders from the Marvel universe. Through their decades of publishing, Marvel has created and established a myriad of characters who have leadership skills. Good or bad, hero or villain, there are dozens of candidates to consider. There are tactical leaders and monarchs and newspaper publishers and criminal emperors. So list your own personal top five bosses and also share one example of a leader that you don't like.
Here are my top five Marvel leaders:
1) Captain America. This one goes without explanation, doesn't it? Everybody turns to Cap when they need guidance. He is strategic and tactical. He is calm under pressure and always on the right side. His only weakness seems to be his ability to maintain a long term personal relationship (just ask Bernie or Diamondback).
2) Hawkeye. I enjoyed his stints with the West Coast Avengers, Great Lakes Avengers, and Thunderbolts. I find his flaws incredibly engaging (from a reader's standpoint). He is always trying to be better while bordering on arrogant incompetence. Somehow sheer will and good intentions make the difference.
3) Baron Zemo. Not that I would want to follow him - but he is particularly driven, always has a complex and competent plan, and the will to get it done. Whether battling the Avengers or leading the Thunderbolts, he is extremely watchable and is one villain that I strangely root for.
4) Nick Fury: Whether with the Howling Commandos or with S.H.I.E.L.D, nobody commands respect like Fury. Cantankerous and gruff - he is tough in all the right ways. I was always surprised he never outright led an A-List superhero team back in the Bronze Age. As far as sheer crabbiness as a style, I almost put J. Jonah Jameson in this spot, but I have to give it to Nick.
5) The Wasp. She was not the strongest nor the most capable. But I respected how Roger Stern scripted her during the classic "Siege on Avengers Mansion" storyline. She understood her own weaknesses but worked hard to surround herself with talents she didn't have and pushed forward through overwhelming odds.
Sure my picks tend to be Avengers' centric, but there are so many good choices and a favorite of mine, Namor Prince of Atlantis just narrowly missed the cut.
As far as my least favorite - he may not be the "worst" but I just don't grok why the Fantastic Four follow Reed Richards. He may have a brilliant mind, but he seems to lead the team into a lot of trouble. He is so obsessively distracted that he is a poor communicator. Thumbs down from me.
Though there are more options than I can depict, take a gander at some leaders below and using whatever criteria you deem adequate make your selections and share your thoughts.
Until Irving Forbush leads the FF, make mine BIBTA....
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Nick Fury with the Howling Commandos and S.H.I.E.L.D.?
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| Black Bolt of the Inhumans? |
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| Zemo with the Masters of Evil and Thunderbolts? |
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| How about the Wasp? She had a memorable chairmanship on the Avengers. |
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| Night Thrasher of the New Warriors? |
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| Professor X? |
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| Black Panther, King or Wakanda? |
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| Cyclops and the X-Men? |
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| Namor, King of Atlantis? |
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| Guardian from Alpha Flight? |
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| Iron Man of the Avengers? |
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| Captain America of Avengers and Invaders fame? |
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| Dr. Doom - Ruler of Latveria? |
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Dr. Strange and the Defenders?
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| Odin, Ruler of Asgard? |
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| Black Widow of the Champions? |
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| Vance Astro of the GOTG? |
12 comments:
1. Cyclops - by a very long shot; whenever 'superhero' team leader is mentioned, that's who comes to mind by default. He's an excellent strategist, tactician, always aware of the capabilities of his team-mates and what they can or can't do in a given situation, and if need be, he'll just take matters into his own hands (or eyes as the case may be) and save the day himself - like when he beat back Magneto all on his lonesome when the new X-men encountered him for the first time (of course, I'm talking about the totally awesome Cyclops who basically disappeared once Jean Grey was needlessly brought back to life).
2. Captain America - you summed it up pretty well as far as he goes.
3. Wasp - good call on this one, she also popped into my mind just before I looked at your list. I definitely like the way Stern developed the character.
4. Dr. Doom - as you point out about Zemo, he's not an aspirational character, but damned if he isn't effective; he has a dark charisma that apparently inspires loyalty (esp. among the denizens of his country) and he tends to take charge of any situation (as he does in an issue of FF during Byrne's run when he and the FF briefly join forces, and Sue thinks to herself that he's a natural leader, better than Reed, and worries about the other members following him too blindly).
...and there's no other ones that have impressed me enough to put them on a list. It was pretty cool that Black Widow was the Champions' leader, but then again that book was so all over the place that I don't recall her abilities being showcased in that regard. Also, you suggested Dr. Strange for the Defenders, but for the longest time the un-team really didn't seem to have a leader: Strange did sort of assume that role sometimes, albeit quite reluctantly, while sometimes Nighthawk aspired to the postbut didn't necessarily get any respect from anyone else...
I've got go with:
1. REED RICHARDS. The no nonsense and stalwart leader of the Fantastic Four is probably who I think of first when it comes to great team leaders. His unmatched intellect and fatherly manner makes Mr. Fantastic number one in my book.
2. THE KINGPIN. As villainous leaders go you gotta give it up for the undisputed Kingpin of Crime. Using a combination of fear and intimidation Wilson Fisk maintains his iron grip on the criminal underworld with a ruthlessness that sets the standard for for every other mob boss to follow.
3. ODIN. The dude is the ruler of Asgard and king of the Norse gods. Just maintaining control of his two problem children gives the guy a deserving spot on this list.
4. CYCLOPS. As the X-Men's team field leader Scott Summers has kept his cool, and his team together, through countless trials and tribulations. Including his true love turning into an evil god-like harbinger of destruction. It doesn't get more clutch than that.
5. NICK FURY. The leader of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Supreme Headquarters International Espionage Law Enforcement Divisions). That's right, I reject the new name for SHIELD. Anyway, from the Howling Commandos to the world's leading spy agency, Nick Fury definitely ranks one of the best natural born leaders in the Marvel U. Nuff said.
Edo and William both said what I would have said about Cyke. He was one of my favorites in the 70s. Then in the 80s he became a complete idiot (which continued into the next century).
Captain America is the consummate leader, though, isn't he? Effective no matter who his co-stars happen to be.
Doug
Well, my number one has been pretty well covered- Captain America. He's just about the physical personification of leadership. Beyond him:
2. Cyclops- Edo and William covered him just fine...
3. Dr. Doom- And again, just following the previous cogent comments ( hey,this is easy)
4. Kingpin- as William said, Wilson Fisk is the gangland all other gangsters in comicdom wish they were.
5. Dakimh the Enchanter- ok, he's a stretch, but I had to come up with something original here! In his few appearances, he does a great job of getting others to overcome mammoth obstacles. I think of his encouragement to Spider-man when they faced D'Spayre...
Aaaaaand, that should read "gangster",not "gangland ". Rasssafrassin' autocorrect...
I just noticed that Reed Richards is surprisingly not included in the images above. Seems a glaring omission for the long time leader of Marvel's first (and arguably greatest) super team.
I mean he's the original Marvel team leader. The standard by which all who came after are measured.
Reed Richards? The Kingpin? Those bunglers? Bah! Nonentities like Captain America and some mutant freak like Cyclops? I should destroy all you cretins.
But no, you will all learn what "leadership" is when my latest master plan reaches fruition.
Victor Von Doom
Latveria
Thanks for commenting Vic. And thanks for the "donation" for not sharing Reed's picture in the post.
Cheers all
Okey Dokey, here are my picks -
1) Captain America - the quintessential superhero team leader. He's got all the qualities, charisma, mental and emotional fortitude, strategic mind, and can inspire others. He's a walking talking flag, fer cryin' out loud!
2) Professor X - I was gonna mention Cyke, but to me Xavier is the true heart and soul of the X-men. Everything Cyclops learned came directly from Charles Xavier.
3) Black Widow - let's face it, keeping a team which includes a demigod like Hercules and a guy with demon issues like Ghost Rider together requires some serious leadership skills. Miss Romanoff definitely had to use her people skills here.
4) Doctor Strange - similarly to Black Widow, the good doctor had to be a good leader for the Defenders; managing the Hulk and Nighthawk ain't easy!
5) Black Bolt - the reticent leader of the Inhumans rules them not through speech but by action, although I'm sure he's wanted to whack Gorgon up the head whenever he goes off into battle without thinking!
- Mike 'my stomach is leading me to the fridge' from Trinidad & Tobago.
As far as the Bronze Age goes, it's Cap and Cyclops for me, and these two have been well-covered by our compadres. I would agree the Wasp was a surprisingly good leader -well, Stern basically rewrote her personality! But I also thought that Monica Rambeau (the second Captain Marvel) was a very strong leader too, before she was cut down by editorial edict.
Karen, that is a good choice on Monica Rambeau; those were good issues. But I was unaware of an"editorial edict." Was it because Roger Stern created her and made her a central character? I don't know the story about how she was basically dismantled and disappeared over the following years. Once on a while I'd see her in some odd issue with a different code name, but never understood how a pretty popular and emerging character was discarded... was it the Captain Marvel moniker that was the problem?
I think Doc Strange deserved a medal for leading the Defenders, particularly in the their early days. The Surfer, Hulk, and Namor weren't exactly team players. It must have been like herding cats. The only way I would take that job is if they gave me me my own personal Cloak of Levitation.
Nice to see a comment from Karen. I was a regular follower of Bronze Age Babies and was saddened to see it's closing (although I've been enjoying this blog), but I'm glad she's still a part of the community. Hello Karen!
Excelsior!
M.P.
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