Being
in the big three isn’t about physical power. Batman is just a normal
human, yet he is arguably the most popular member of DC’s big three.
Because
being in the big three is about identifiability, popularity with
readers, how central you are to the universe, and how many series you
touch.
When presented that way there are only three answers that really fit
1) Spider Man.
Spider Man is, without question, the most popular Marvel character of all time. Hell he is the most popular comic character period. He personally accounts for more merchandise sales than the Avengers, Superman, and Batman combined.
If
you were to ask a random person on the street who Spiderman is and what
he’s about you would probably get a pretty decent answer. Because he is
ingrained into the very fabric of our pop-culture at this point.
But
beyond popularity, Spiderman is actually fairly central to the marvel
universe too (as a result of his popularity) he has interactions and
relationships with every major character, and participates in almost
every major event. It is at this point common for in-universe characters
to consider Peter a veteran even if he is significantly younger than
them simply due to the amount of shit he has gone through.
So yeah, he is definitely number one.
2) Iron Man.
Previously this might have been questionable, but the existence of the MCU cemented it.
Iron
Man has always been popular, but the degree of such has varied over the
years. Stan Lee originally created him so that he could try and make as
unlikable of a character as possible someone people would cheer for,
and his success with that has varied. At times, like in the original
Civil War Tony has become somewhat reviled by the audience, but at
others he is beloved.
But loved or hated, he
has always been central. He houses, organizes, feeds and funds the
avengers, making him important by default. But he also participates in
nearly every earth based event, and often plays a very central role.
(Such as in Civil War where he leads one of the major factions).
That
combined with the massive boost to his popularity following RDJ taking
the role and the rise of the MCU and he solidly deserves a place on this
list.
3) Captain America.
This
third slot is a lot more debatable. Wolverine and the Hulk are both
contenders for this spot in terms of historic popularity.
But
while Wolverine Publicity is definitely a thing, and Wolverine remains
very popular, his place in-universe is a bit more obscure, and he
normally takes a smaller role in events, meaning his direct impact on
the world is minimal.
Hulk is a bit better
about that (having caused a few events himself) and he was a founding
member of both the Avengers and the Defenders, but his popularity has
been less in recent years, and he hasn’t gotten as much of a boost in
the MCU due to his failed solo movies.
The
Fantastic Four are some of Marvels oldest heroes, but they are more
recognizable as a team than individuals, and they have not appeared in
recent comics due to being extra-universal at the moment.
So that leaves us with Cap. Who is not a founding member of the avengers, though he joined quickly by issue #4.
But
while he was not an original member, Cap has been a steady member and
new founder of the avengers on multiple occasions. (recent series have
him start the avengers in collaboration with Iron Man) He is also
extremely iconic and easily identifiable from design alone, and has
taken a large role in numerous event comics. (such as leading a faction
in Civil War) and is very influential on people in-universe. (Many, many
characters idolize cap as a heroic symbol)
That,
combined with his central role in the MCU (Second only to Tony, thanks
in part to the MCU wanting to dive into the Civil War storyline which
featured them both heavily) allows him to just edge out the other
characters that might claim this spot.
So
that’s our definitive list, Cap, Spidey, and Stark. The three most
recognizable and influential characters in marvel comics at the moment
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