When I publish this blog post, the possibility that the following list is inaccurate is high. April 28 is National Superhero Day, so I figured writing about my favorite superheroes would be a perfect way to celebrate the occasion—besides consuming my favorite superhero media, of course.
At the time of writing this, I’m revisiting Black Panther: Wakanda Forever ahead of Thunderbolts*’s release later this week. Afterwards, you bet I’m rewatching Captain America: The First Avenger. I never pass up a good opportunity to watch my favorite superhero’s origin story. Picking a list of 12 favorite superheroes, however, was difficult. About half of the following selections were a no-brainer. The rest? Those could change on any given day. (But I could watch and talk superheroes all day. No, I couldn’t resist a Steve Rogers reference.)
Steve Rogers/Captain America
If this surprises you, then you do not know me whatsoever. My favoritism for Captain America could lead to endless rambling. So I’ll leave it at this: I like that Steve Rogers’s Cap stands for what America is supposed to be. Though he starts off as propaganda, he’s never afraid to stand up for and do what’s right regardless of whether it aligns with what the government wants.
At FAN EXPO Chicago in 2023, I asked Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing (also known as the Hivemind), co-writers of the Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty (2022-2023) comic book series about their time working on that run. They mentioned how, because Steve is such a genuinely good guy, having to write him was also terrifying. Lanzing even admitted that Steve is the only character to have ever given him a panic attack. But Kelly elaborated, saying once they got over that fear, writing Rogers made them better men—at least they hope so. Because you need to be your best self to write the “best boy.”
That has stuck with me since and epitomizes why I’m so fond of Steve.
Sam Wilson/Captain America/Falcon
Sam Wilson is Captain America, and if you disagree, my blog is not the place for you. I’ve loved Sam since I first watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and my love for him has grown even more since reading the Sam Wilson-led Captain America comics. He really leads with empathy, and that’s probably what I admire most about him. Now more than ever, it’s an especially important way of going about superheroics and life in general.
Joaquín Torres/Falcon
My love for Joaquín began the moment I saw him jumping and cheering for Sam in the first episode of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. When I saw him being a fanboy for Sam, I was like, “Same.” He’s smart, eager, and loyal, and he has the best energy. It’ll be awesome to see how he has grown as a superhero once Avengers: Doomsday is out.
Arielle Agbayani/Captain America
A young Filipina American woman who is inspired by and takes on the Captain America mantle to do good? Yeah, I’m still convinced Arielle Agbayani was created just for me. She’s the character I feel most represented by, the first character I ever wanted to cosplay as, and is the featured character in The United States of Captain America #4—the first comic book I wrote a review for.
Daisy Johnson/Quake
Quake is one of the coolest, most badass superheroes, and that is not up for debate with me. She’s a significant reason why Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is so great. I feel the show failed to utilize her full potential, because there is so much more she could do as someone who has the power to manipulate and control vibrations. It’d be exciting to see how her powers could be used beyond Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but I really do love how her story ended and came full circle on the show. I’m grateful the show introduced me to and provided that take on such an epic character. Also, the fact she’s an Asian woman makes her even cooler.
Shang-Chi
An East Asian character who can do martial arts is incredibly cliché, but I still appreciate Shang-Chi. I especially love the MCU iteration of his character. His mastery of kung fu is obviously stellar, and his humanity feels accurate to the Asian American experience. Simply put, it’s just nice to have a mainstream superhero who’s Asian, so it was easy for me to gravitate toward Shang-Chi when Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings came out in 2021.
Peter Parker/Spider-Man
As I’m sure is the case for very many superhero fans, Spider-Man was one of the first superheroes I liked. A lot of that has to do with the fact Spider-Man movies were among the first superhero media I consumed, starting with Tobey Maguire’s 2002 film. My preference for the web slinger has remained as I’ve gotten older. From his abilities to his suit, he’s just a cool character overall. Peter Parker’s story, in particular, is pretty simple but meaningful. Though I’d hope people don’t relate to a loved one’s death being a defining moment of their adolescence, the emotions tied to his coming-of-age journey are still easy to relate to.
Matt Murdock/Daredevil
To be honest, Catholicism is part of what made Daredevil appealing to me. Until Matt Murdock, religion was never a defining quality of the characters I was familiar with. It certainly wasn’t important to superheroes I already knew. As a fellow Catholic, I was curious about what made his religion relevant to his story (shoutout to Catholic guilt). I’d heard good things about the Daredevil series that originally debuted on Netflix, and Daredevil seemed awesome. So when I finally had the time to, I watched it and ended up liking Daredevil more than I expected. It’s tough to not be impressed by a blind superhero who uses their heightened senses to save people and stop bad guys.
Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel
Cosmic energy powers and a cool superhero suit? What’s not to like?! On a more serious note, that montage in Captain Marvel featuring scenes from throughout Carol’s life when she gets back up is an easy way to explain why I’m a fan of her. She’s determined, resilient, and confident. In her origin film, I especially appreciated when she learns that her humanity is what helps her be a hero, so she embraces and uses it to defeat Yon-Rogg.
Johnny Storm/Human Torch
There are probably other superheroes I like more who aren’t on this list, but Human Torch felt like someone I needed to include here. Spider-Man is the first superhero I liked, but Fantastic Four (2005) was the first superhero movie I loved. And who was my favorite of Marvel’s first family? Johnny Storm/Human Torch. Was the fact Chris Evans played him a contributing factor? Yes. But his fire power was still the most awesome to me compared to the other three. It still is. Because of that, I’ll always have a special place in my heart for Human Torch.
Clark Kent/Superman
I didn’t realize this until a few years ago, but it makes sense that Superman is my favorite DC superhero. He’s basically the DC equivalent of Captain America. Of course, that’s a very generalized take on him. But it’s not wrong. As a kid, Superman was easy to like because of his all his superpowers, from super speed to the ability to fly. As I grew older, I also liked him because Clark Kent is a journalist. Now, I like him for all of that and because I can appreciate how he fights for truth, justice, and the American way (as in the ideals America was built on and is supposed to be and not how it is actually).
Mark Grayson/Invincible
Outside of Marvel, the Invincible comic book series and Prime Video show are easily my favorite superhero media. Even with the plethora of superheroes and occasional outings to space, the overall world feels grounded and true to reality. I’m caught up on the show and have just the last compendium left, but following Mark’s journey as Invincible has been really entertaining. You’re with him as he figures out the consequences of being a superhero and as he continuously grows as a powered individual and person.
“Anyone can wear the mask. But how you wear it, that’s what matters. We are all Spider-Man.” – Stan Lee
