Marvel has created some of the most popular heroes of all time, their roster of respected heroes changing pop culture permanently. Characters like Spider-Man were popular right off the bat, but some characters weren't as lucky. While many of these characters would go on to become icons, their beginnings weren't nearly as successful as their creators would have liked.
The dynamics of what makes a character successful can be quite unpredictable and sometimes, a character doesn't exactly have what it takes right away to be popular. Some might be sensations right off the bat but others take more time to find an audience.
10 Deadpool Wasn't The Sensation He'd Become For Years
Deadpool has become a cultural icon, known for his fourth-wall breaking humor, violent combat style, and ability to heal from just about any wound. While he's always been fairly popular, mostly because of the Liefeld New Mutants/X-Force rub, he wouldn't actually gain a lot of fans until his first mid-90s mini-series.
This would be followed by an ongoing series that would make him closer to the hero that fans know and love today. Deadpool wasn't a massive success from the word go but a work in progress. He'd get more and more popular as the years went by- until he became the icon he is today.
9 Iron Fist Wouldn't Find Success Until He Was Teamed With Luke Cage
Iron Fist was one of Marvel's ways to take advantage of the kung-fu flick craze of the '60s and '70s. Danny Rand was the latest in a long line of Iron Fists and would get his own book, where Wolverine villain Sabretooth was introduced. However, his book wasn't exactly super popular and the character wouldn't find actual success until he was teamed up with Luke Cage.
Since then, Iron Fist's popularity has waxed and waned over the years and has mostly been dependent on putting him with Luke Cage. There's just something about the two of them together that fans enjoy more than when they're apart.
8 Shang-Chi Was Strictly D-List Until Recently
Shang-Chi is about to dive deep into the mainstream with his movie and has gotten his own solo book for the first time in decades. Like Iron Fist, the character was also created to capitalize on the kung-fu movie craze, with his skill and abilities making him one of the toughest fighters in the Marvel Universe. However, beyond a short window in the '70s, Shang-Chi wasn't never extremely successful.
Even back then, he wasn't a huge character and while he would gain fans over the years, it was far below what his peers had garnered. However, with his upcoming movie, more people are coming around to the character.
7 The X-Men Had A Precipitous Fall From Grace In The '60s And '70s
The X-Men have long been one of the most well-known Marvel teams, full of some of the greatest heroes in the Marvel Universe. However, it wasn't always that way. While the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby created series had a decent start, it was never the massive success that the team's other collaborations were and once they left would fall even farther into obscurity.
Eventually, X-Men would just become a book of reprints. But writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum put out Giant-Size X-Men #1, bringing the team back to prominence and setting the stage for it to become the massive success it would in later years.
6 Scott Lang's Ant-Man Went Through Years Of Obscurity
Hank Pym's Ant-Man was one of Marvel's first heroes- but his name and powers had little consistency. Eventually, Scott Lang was introduced and became the new Ant-Man, joining the Avengers and later the Fantastic Four. While he's often considered the best Ant-Man, he was originally just a background character.
It would take years for Lang to catch on and while he had some fans, he was never exactly popular. It would take his MCU turn, which got him his own book, for the character to be truly successful.
5 Hawkeye Was Introduced As An Iron Man Villain And Wouldn't Get Popular For Years
Hawkeye's debut was as an Iron Man villain, which is a bit bizarre when one thinks about it. Black Widow, herself a villain at the time, thought an archer would be a challenger to Iron Man. After his first appearance, he essentially disappeared for a while until he joined the Avengers in issue sixteen.
Even then, he wasn't exactly popular and it took years before Hawkeye was considered successful. It took a while before he became the iconic Avengers he is today and he wouldn't get his own solo series until 2012.
4 It Took Years For Fans To Notice Hyperion
Hyperion has seen increased visibility thanks to Jason Aaron's Heroes Reborn event but the character wasn't successful when he first appeared. Originally, he and his Squadron Supreme teammates, then known as the Squadron Sinister, were created as Justice League pastiches for the Avengers to fight. They would make appearances in Avengers for years before the 1985 Squadron Supreme miniseries.
Even then, Hyperion wasn't considered successful and he'd make assorted appearances over the years, sometimes as a villain, sometimes as a hero. His recent starring roles have brought him back into readers' minds.
3 The Hulk's First Book Got Cancelled
The Hulk was always the Marvel Universe's monster but he wasn't the most popular of their Silver Age creations. While he debuted in his own book, it saw little success and was quickly canceled and he left the Avengers, a team he helped found, after three issues. While he'd get another chance in one of Marvel's anthology books, it would be years before he got his own solo title.
It's hard for fans nowadays to think of the Hulk as a failure as he's bounced back very well but it was a close thing for the Jade Giant.
2 The Punisher Wouldn't Get Popular Until Years After His Debut
When the Punisher debuted, he was quite different from the criminal killing character he is today. While he still had the same origin, he was paid to go after Spider-Man, which was quite different from how he'd be portrayed. This change in portrayal is what would make the Punisher so popular, especially as the anti-hero craze spread throughout Marvel.
Punisher would eventually become one of Marvel's biggest success stories, gaining fans and starring in movies, video games, and TV. While he's not as popular as he was, Punisher is still one of Marvel's most well-known characters.
1 Wolverine's First Appearance Was A One-Off
Wolverine is one of the most dangerous heroes but his first appearance wasn't exactly a huge star turn. Caught in a battle between Hulk and the Wendigo, his first appearance didn't seem that auspicious until creator Len Wein put him into Giant-Size X-Men #1 as a member of the new X-Men team. The character would get more and more fleshed out, especially when Chris Claremont joined the book.
Wolverine would gain more and more popularity, eclipsing all of Marvel's Silver Age icons except Spider-Man. Now, the character is a household name and one of Marvel's most popular and successful characters of all time.
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