BLOOD WORK: TOP TEN MARVEL SUPERNATURAL HEROES

TOP TEN MARVEL SUPERNATURAL HEROES

Marvel Comics has a group of heroes that many of us don't know about, a set of supernatural and horror characters seldom seen and waiting in the wings for some talented writer to breathe new life into them. Marvel's horror books have been a long standing tradition with the company, ever since the 1950's. Marvel's supernatural and science fiction tales carried the company at a time when super heroes were practically dead and gone. These stories, produced during Marvel's Atlas Era, weren't a part of the greater Marvel universe and were more or less one off stories. That may have also been the case because Marvel didn't have a cohesive universe until the 1960's when the heroes returned and the horror line of books disappeared.

It wasn't until the 1970's that the Comic Code Authority relaxed enough for the horror and supernatural side of Marvel to return. The 1970's ushered in perhaps the greatest era for Marvel's supernatural heroes. Characters like Morbius, Blade, Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, and many more made their first appearances here. Then Doctor Strange made the shift from psychedelic magic to battling satanic figures and chthonic entities. Even Spider-Man got in on the horror action fighting vampires and werewolves and man-things. But with the 1980's the horror/supernatural side of Marvel took another dip and nearly disappeared. Every single book, even the flagship horror titles like Tomb of Dracula, Ghost Rider, and Doctor Strange, were cancelled.

The 1990's saw the last great era for Marvel's horror characters thanks primarily to Howard Mackie's reinvention of Ghost Rider. Even though the 1970's was arguably the most successful period for this side of Marvel's universe, the 1990's is my personal favorite. Then came the collapse of the industry and so much of Marvel's universe disappeared. Sadly this side of the Marvel universe has languished for the better part of 20 years. Marvel has tried to restart this part of their universe time and again, trying anything and everything, but nothing seems to stick.

Below is a list of my favorites and some of the more popular heroes of the supernatural corner of the Marvel universe. As usual I have added a few bonus characters to the list.

THE BONUS

#16

THE STRAW MAN

First Appearance: Dead of Night #11 (August 1975)

Why I like him: I've got some obscure characters on this list but this one takes the cake. Originally named the Scarecrow, Straw Man is a powerful extra-dimensional entity that thrives off of fear. The gateway between Straw Man's realm and ours is through a painting in which he emerges from. He's a being of few words and has a laugh which is the most terrifying sound anyone has ever heard. Straw Man's nemesis is a demon lord named Kalumai and the two beings have been at war with each other for millennia. Kalumai has a cult of followers on Earth whose mission is to resurrect their demon god and find a way to eliminate the Straw Man once and for all.

The Straw Man has only six issues of any real significance in the 40 some years since his creation. He resurfaced in the 90's Dr. Strange book where they established him as one of the Fear Lords. And he reappeared briefly in Kieron Gillen's run on Journey Into Mystery. Much of Straw Man's character is shrouded in mystery and that is what attracts me to the character. That and I've always wanted to see a badass Scarecrow-like character. If I could ever write for Marvel Comics he'd be on my list of characters I want to write.

#15

VICTORIA MONTESI

First Appearance: Darkhold: Pages From the Book of Sins #1 (October 1992)

Why I like her: For generations it has fallen to the Montesi Family to safeguard the Darkhold (an ancient evil grimoire) from plaguing an unsuspecting world. This duty was passed down from father to son to ensure the Darkhold never fell into the wrong hands. The legacy was about to die when Vittorio Montesi discovered he was sterile. Desperate to ensure the Montesi legacy, Vittorio used a spell from the Darkhold to continue his bloodline. Nine months later Victoria was born.

Introduced as one of the Midnight Sons, Victoria is similar to DC's Raven in a few ways yet far more subtle. She has a cool origin in that she's the daughter of the dark elder god Chthon and was destined to be the vessel through which Chthon would be reborn. Black magic seethes through her, giving her a powerful rapport with the Darkhold. Raised to combat the dark forces, when her father dies it falls to her to protect the world against the Darkhold. She alone can resist the power of the Darkhold and even manipulate it to a degree. This sort of character archetype, as you'll soon see, is like catnip to me. Not much has been done with her, sadly, as there's so much potential waiting to be tapped. Victoria is an odd and fantastic character I'd love to see more of.

#14

MAN-WOLF

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #124 (September 1973)

Why I like him: John Jameson actually first appeared in Amazing Spider-Man #1 but wouldn't get super powers until 123 issues later. Son of Daily Bugle editor and chief J. Jonah Jameson, eventually John became an astronaut and discovered a red gemstone on the moon. The gemstone embedded itself in John's chest and transformed him into a white furred werewolf! Recently Man-Wolf co-starred in the 2016 volume of CARNAGE, an intense return to pure Marvel horror. Man-Wolf doesn't have a whole lot of stories to his credit but what stories there are are actually pretty special. I really enjoy those stories and because of them Man-Wolf has become a favorite of mine. I'd read a whole series just about him.

Man-Wolf is a very unique werewolf, not just in the Marvel universe but in all literature. He became a werewolf due to a mysterious lunar ruby and for a while he terrorized Spider-Man like a traditional werewolf would. After his initial story in Amazing Spider-Man Marvel gave Man-Wolf a starring role in the book Creatures On The Loose. That book started off as a horror comic (as you'd expect) with Man-Wolf becoming the horror hero. And then the story went back into outer space where the origins of the moon ruby were explored. Man-Wolf's powers increased and he became a cosmic hero for a time. Returning to Earth returned him to being a horror hero once more.

#13

SIMON GARTH

First Appearance: Menace #5 (July 1953)

Why I like him: The lone hold-over from Marvel's Atlas Era horror comics, Simon Garth ~ The Zombie is one of Marvel's first horror characters. He's a Stan Lee original and co-created by one of the men responsible for Marvel even existing at all, Bill Everett. In the 1970's Simon Garth resurfaced as the star of his own book titled TALES OF THE ZOMBIE, a black & white adult magazine outside of the Comic Code. More violence and darker content.

Simon is a voodoo zombie. He's doesn't eat human flesh nor does he spread zombiism through bites. He's a supernatural super-zombie with mystical regenerative abilities and super strength. The artwork for the Tales of the Zombie book is absolutely breathtaking. From the covers by Boris Vallejo to the interiors by Pablo Marcos. Of all the zombies in literature their is none quite as unique as Simon Garth.

#12

JENNIFER KALE

First Appearance: Adventures Into Fear #11 (December 1972)

Why I like her: Jennifer is one Marvel's original witches. She first appeared as a supporting character to the swamp monster Man-Thing. Magic runs through her blood as she is a descendant of the very first Ghost Rider, Noble Kale, a cousin of both Johnny Blaze and Danny Ketch. She later became a member of the LEGION OF NIGHT, a team dedicated to combating supernatural threats to our dimension.

Doctor Strange recruited her to lead a team of witches, to help him battle demons and monsters from the nether realms. Lastly she was recruited by SHIELD to help stop the zombie-verse from invading our dimension. She joined Morbius, Werewolf by Night, Daimon Hellstrom, and Man-Thing as a new rendition of the Midnight Sons. She's a strong female character with plenty of potential for great stories.

#11

LILITH ~ DRACULA'S DAUGHTER

First Appearance: Giant-Size Chillers #1 (June 1974)

Why I like her: Lilith is Dracula's daughter but has no love for her parasitic parent. Lilith is one of Marvel's most powerful vampires. She's a dark hero who walks the line between good and evil. There is no greater motivation for her than the defeat of her father, Dracula. She was geared to be a starring character in Marvel's 1970's horror magazines like VAMPIRE TALES. Unfortunately with the decline of the horror titles at the end of the 1970's her time in the lime light was cut short.

She has since only appeared in a handful of books, playing a pivotal role in X-Men Annual #6 by possessing Kitty Pryde. Then appearing briefly in the 1990's Ghost Rider and an issue of Spider-Man Unlimited where she manipulated Simon Garth ~ the Zombie to do her bidding. Perhaps my favorite story with her was in Legion of Monsters: Morbius. With gorgeous artwork by David Finch, Lilith slew the high vampire council in order to thwart Dracula's plans. Inadvertently she placed herself as the primary target of every vampire family. That's where the issue ended. A great follow up story is just lying in wait.

THE TOP TEN

#10
DOCTOR VOODOO

First Appearance: Strange Tales #169 (September 1973)

Why I like him: Twin brothers, Jericho and Daniel Drumm, both devoted their lives to helping others. One became a psychiatrist and the other became a Houngan (a voodoo priest). Daniel, the houngan, was fatally wounded battling an evil sorcerer. Daniel's spirit joined with his brother Jericho and they became Brother Voodoo. Deriving power from earth magics and the Loa (primal gods worshiped in voodoo rituals), Jericho and Daniel are the guardians of the spirit of earth and humanity.

While Doctor Strange battles pan-dimensional threats, Brother Voodoo fights against earthly dark magics. Voodoo, witchcraft, demonic possession, and zombies are a few of the frightening things Jericho Drumm and his brother Daniel are up against. All the evil entities in horror movies are in Brother Voodoo's wheelhouse. When Doctor Strange lost his powers Brother Voodoo stepped up and became the next sorcerer supreme. If you like horror, all this adds up to one very interesting and very cool Marvel horror hero.

VENGEANCE

First Appearance: Ghost Rider vol 3 #21 (January 1992)

Why I like him: Vengeance started off as the anti-Ghost Rider. Police Lieutenant Michael Badilino struck a deal with Mephisto to gain the power needed to take Ghost Rider down. He became Vengeance. Once he learned that Ghost Rider was a force for good they joined forces. Vengeance became a key member of the Midnight Sons. A leading hero in his own right, after Ghost Rider died at the end of the SIEGE OF DARKNESS story arc, Vengeance became his successor for a time.

I think his design is rad and one of his most enduring characteristics. Vengeance enjoyed popularity in the 1990's and was set to star in his own book. Due to the declining comic book market, that starring feature was downgraded to a lead story in Marvel Comics Presents for nearly thirty issues and a number of guest spots. He saw a brief resurrection in the mid 2000's but nowhere near the exposure from the 1990's. He's one of the few characters to have carried the mantle of Ghost Rider for a time and a character just waiting to burst back onto the scene.

SATANA

First Appearance: Vampire Tales #2 (October 1973)

Why I like her: The Devil's daughter, Satana is one conflicted character and that is exactly what makes her so compelling. While her father was the Devil, her mother was human. She possesses a natural capacity for great evil yet it is her human side which often forces the evil back. But occasionally the evil inside takes over and Satana acts less than heroic. Her demonic nature lends her a unique point of view too, seeing things at a darker tilt.

She's a succubus and one of Marvel's most powerful magic users. The immense powers inherited from her father make her a formidable opponent and powerful ally. She spent a large portion of her life in Hell, training and honing her powers under the teachings of powerful demons. It was there that she also fostered a deep loathing for her father. And it is that hatred of her father that helps keep her on the side of the angels even if she's a devil at heart. She's helped the Heroes For Hire, the Thunderbolts, Dr. Strange, and more. Whenever Satana is involved things become far more interesting.

HELLSTORM

First Appearance: Ghost Rider #1 (September 1973)

Why I like him: The son of Satan and brother to Satana, Daimon Hellstrom possesses the same demonic heritage as his younger sister and some of the same proclivities. His methods are questionable to say the least and many see him as a villain. The fact that he's a hero adds to the intrigue. A common theme among a certain group of Marvel heroes is attaining power from dark sources and using that power to fight against evil. Hellstorm is a perfect example of this.

At one time he seemingly slew his father and became the king of Hell. In a story written by Len Kaminski and Warren Ellis, Hellstorm became one of the most powerful supernatural heroes in the whole Marvel universe. With a great supporting cast of Jaine Cutter, Gargoyle, and Soulfire, Hellstorm became one of Marvel's best kept secrets. Lately Marvel has been reprinting his stories in new graphic novels and hopefully the 90's comic Hellstorm: Prince of Lies won't be far behind.

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT

First Appearance: Marvel Spotlight #2 (February 1972)

Why I like him: My love of monsters goes way back to when I was a little kid. In monster movies I liked the monsters more than the human characters. Traditionally werewolves are always the badguys in movies or books. So when Marvel introduces a hero that's a monster, a werewolf, for a kid like me that's a dream come true. Based on my personal biases alone this character is pure awesome. Jack Russell, the Werewolf by night, was Marvel's first lycanthrope hero and one of Marvel's most successful horror titles in the 1970's.

Jack is in constant battle with the beast inside. When the wolf comes out it takes every ounce of Jack's willpower to keep it from killing. The curse of the werewolf was passed down to him by his father, who acquired the curse by reading a spell from the Darkhold. Eventually Jack finds the answer in embracing the wolf. He and the wolf merge, becoming more powerful, able to transform at will, and retain Jack's intelligence. He's a long time friend of another supernatural hero, Morbius, and has fought alongside hero Moon Knight many times. Now I ask you, what's cooler than a werewolf super-hero?

MAN-THING

First Appearance: Savage Tales #1 (May 1971)

Why I like him: From a design aspect Man-Thing is very interesting and cool looking. Many artists have utilized his unique design producing some truly amazing images of the character. And as a character is something of an oddity in that more often than not he is incapable of speaking. Most classic stories involve other characters with him caught in the middle. He's an empath and it is his empathic abilities which often drive his actions. Fear is the one emotion that causes him pain and he seeks to snuff it out. Whoever knows fear burns at the Man-Thing's touch!

Man-Thing is the guardian of the Nexus of All Realities, an extra-dimensional gateway lying hidden deep within the Everglades. J.M. DeMatteis wrote an amazing story with Man-Thing in the late 1990's where the Nexus was shattered. Pieces of the Nexus lay scattered across the cosmos and Man-Thing traveled everywhere and anywhere to retrieve them. As the story progressed Man-Thing developed new powers, changing his body's shape, gaining the ability to fly, and even speaking. In Jeff Parker's run on Thunderbolts, Man-Thing and Satana worked together in some very cool and interesting ways. He's without a doubt one of Marvel's most challenging characters to write but has the capacity to be one of the best!

#4
BLADE

First Appearance: Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973)

Why I like him: A sword wielding vampire hunter. Need I say more? Blade is perhaps Marvel's least successful character in comic books that is incredibly successful in film. After the 1990's he couldn't carry a comic book to save his life but yet he has a successful franchise of films and a high quality animated series to his credit. He first appeared as an enemy of Count Dracula, his only abilities being extremely skilled with weapons, immune to vampire bites, and an obsession with his vampire slaying job that bordered on insanity. He appeared occasionally in Tomb of Dracula as one of Rachel Van Helsing's vampire hunters, showing up in around 25 issues of that book's 70 issue run. Marvel gave him a few starring roles randomly here and there but he never really had taken hold in the 1970's. In all truthfulness there are many other characters on this list that have had greater comic book success than Blade including Blade's nemesis Dracula.

Rise of the Midnight Sons, an event in the 90's spinning out of the pages of Ghost Rider, saw Blade's big return and reinvention. He now wore his signature black leather and carried his iconic sword. With the surviving members of Rachel Van Helsing's Vampire Hunters, Frank Drake and Hannibal King, they became the Nightstalkers. It was this iteration of Blade that saw the most success as a comic book. The 1998 film, Blade, was largely based off of the 1990's interpretation with one little addition. The film turned Blade into the Daywalker, half-man half-vampire, possessing all the strengths of the vampires and none of their weaknesses save the thirst. It was this concoction of elements that has made Blade the powerhouse character that he is today. And in the usual Marvel fashion, they wrote a comic story which gave Blade his Daywalker persona matching the comic version to the film version. Can't say I blame them for doing it either. He's essentially the Vampire Hunter D of the Marvel universe and one of my favorites.

MORBIUS

First Appearance: Amazing Spider-Man #101 (October 1971)

Why I like him: Morbius has the distinct honor of being Marvel's first published vampire. When the Comic Code Authority relaxed its harsh horror regulations, Marvel celebrated with the creation of Morbius. They couldn't go too wild with it though, hence Morbius being a scientific vampire and not one borne from supernatural forces. The scientific origins of his character are what makes Morbius a very unique figure among the countless vampires in literature. Like many of the characters on this list, Michael Morbius is a good man in conflict with his darker nature. Once he began aiming his vampiric thirst at the scum of the earth, his heroic nature emerged.

At one point Morbius was starring in two books at the same time! He took over as lead hero in the book Adventures Into Fear once Man-Thing jumped over to his own book. And he was the lead in Marvel's adult horror magazine Vampire Tales. His character was revamped in the late 80's with the Doctor Strange book and received a new starring role in his own book a few years later. Morbius ~ The Living Vampire was one of the titles borne out of the 90's horror boom at Marvel due to the extreme success of the 90's Ghost Rider book. With incredible artwork by Ron Wagner and a dark story by Len Kaminski, Morbius' 90's book is one of my all-time favorite comics from Marvel and the major reason why Morbius is one of my all-time favorite Marvel characters.

DOCTOR STRANGE

First Appearance: Strange Tales #110 (July 1963)

Why I like him: If there is one character on this list that is currently in style right now it's Doctor Strange. Of all of Marvel's supernatural heroes, Dr. Stephen Strange is the most versatile. The adventures range from fantasy fairy tales, psychedelic pan-dimensional acid trips, conventional super hero adventures, to dark horror. This versatility is one of the reasons why he has endured since 1963. The breadth of story possibilities with the character is endless. He's faced giant killer bunny rabbits to satanic figures. Created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, Doctor Strange is one of Marvel's great 60's creations and the anchor of Marvel's supernatural corner of the universe.

Doctor Strange, like many of those original 60's heroes that are now so legendary, took a while to catch on. Because of the unique nature of the character, many writers offered various approaches. Roy Thomas, Steve Englehart, Roger Stern, Peter Gillis, David Quinn, J.M DeMatteis, and others contributed wonderful runs on the character. Of all the characters to have suffered from the 90's comic market crash, Doctor Strange was probably effected the most. It took nearly twenty years for him to make a solid comic book comeback. Now, with the success of the Marvel Studios film, it looks the character will be sticking around for quite some time.

GHOST RIDER

First Appearance: A-1 Comics (January 1950)

First Marvel Appearance: The Ghost Rider #1 (February 1967)

It's a close race between the top two Marvel supernatural heroes. The original Ghost Rider first appeared in comics in 1950 as a supernatural western hero. He was acquired by Marvel Comics and introduced into the Marvel universe in 1967. In August of 1972 a new Ghost Rider roared into comics with a fiery skull and motorcycle. A comic legend was born. Johnny Blaze's original run lasted over ten years and 81 issues before being cancelled in 1983. Then in May of 1990 a new Ghost Rider emerged bringing with him a popularity the likes of which the character had never known before. Ghost Rider single handedly ushered in a new era of Marvel supernatural greatness. This Ghost Rider brought the chains and the black leather, the Penance Stare and the rad chopper. Along with multiple titles there wasn't a comic book he didn't guest star in.

While Doctor Strange may have been in the Marvel universe earlier and directly associated with Steve Ditko and Stan Lee, his character never enjoyed the level of popularity that Ghost Rider has. Sadly due to two largely panned movies and multiple failed comic book iterations, the world of Ghost Rider is in a state of healing and in need of rebuilding. Despite the troubles of the last decade and the multiple characters to have carried the mantle of Ghost Rider, the character remains one of Marvel's most enduring properties as well as the most recognizable supernatural hero in their library.

Top to bottom and left to right: Man-Thing, Morbius, Werewolf by Night, Daimon Hellstorm, Jennifer Kale

And there you have it! The top heroes of the supernatural side of the Marvel universe. In case you couldn't tell, this section of Marvel's mythology is one of my favorites. The supernatural corner is the last side of Marvel's universe in need of resuscitation. There is so much potential being unused and a rich history to draw from for new stories. Hopefully with the success of the Doctor Strange movie and comic book we'll see more interest in the darker side of Marvel. And, God willing, maybe we'll see more Marvel Studios films exploring these characters in the future or better yet, a Netflix series or two.

Hope you enjoyed the list! If you have your own top ten supernatural heroes please list it in the comments below!

Honorable Mentions: Elsa Bloodstone, Ulysses Bloodstone, Gargoyle, Modred the Mystic, Legion of Night, Frankenstein's Monster, N'Kantu ~ the Living Mummy, Manphibian, Gabriel Rosetti, Agatha Harkness, the Blazing Skull, and more