7 Minor Marvel Heroes You Forgot Were Awesome

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Marvel Comics is famous for creating iconic superheroes like Spider-Man, Captain America, and Iron Man. These popular characters redefined the superhero genre and paved the way for a wide range of lesser-known heroes to find their place in the Marvel Universe. While many of these supporting heroes join superteams and appear in movies and games, there’s also a large number of even more obscure characters who occasionally get their moment to shine before becoming less prominent within the expansive world of Marvel.

These heroes might not lead their own comic series or be the first names that come to mind when you think of Marvel teams, but they’re still fantastic. They’ve each had important, if smaller, parts in shaping the Marvel Universe, and it would be great to see them return.

7) Ka-Zar

Ka-Zar, whose real name is Kevin Plunder, comes from a wealthy family. His father discovered the Savage Land – a hidden prehistoric world beneath Antarctica. After his parents died, Kevin was raised by a sabretooth tiger named Zabu. Inspired by classic adventure heroes like Tarzan, Ka-Zar battles dinosaurs and strange creatures in the Savage Land. While the Savage Land hasn’t been featured much lately, Ka-Zar is a compelling character who deserves more attention. He even had his own successful comic book series in the 1990s, created by Mark Waid and Andy Kubert, and has a nemesis in his villainous brother, the Plunderer. Overall, Ka-Zar is a much more interesting hero than people realize.

6) She-Thing/Ms. Marvel II

Sharon Ventura began as a stuntwoman and crossed paths with the Thing. She then joined the Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation, gaining enhanced strength and abilities thanks to the Power Broker, and adopted the name Ms. Marvel II. A romantic relationship developed between Sharon and the Thing, but she later underwent a transformation into She-Thing after exposure to cosmic rays. Though their relationship didn’t last, Sharon has reappeared in Marvel stories over time. A significant part of her backstory involves overcoming the trauma of sexual assault perpetrated by associates of the Power Broker, which led to a fear of men. Sharon has ties to the Fantastic Four but hasn’t been featured in recent comics. Many fans fondly remember her stories from the 1980s and would like to see her character return.

5) Smasher

Jonathan Hickman’s run with the Avengers was exceptionally well-done and introduced a number of new characters, one of the most memorable being Smasher. After Cassandra Nova attacked her farm, Lizzy Kane discovered the advanced technology of Smasher, a Shi’Ar Imperial Guardsman, and took on his identity. With a connection to her grandfather, the Golden Age hero Captain Terror, she was recruited into the Avengers. Smasher played a key role in battles against the Builders and in addressing the Incursion crisis. She later married Cannonball, and they had a daughter, eventually moving to Chandrilar to allow Smasher to continue working with the Imperial Guard. Since then, the character has largely faded from view. She’s a fantastic addition to the Marvel universe, and many fans – including myself – would love to see her return.

4) Marrow

The X-Men were hugely popular in the 1990s, and Marvel created many new mutant characters during that time. Marrow first appeared as the leader of the Gene Nation, a group that fought against the X-Men. Though Storm initially defeated her, Marrow survived thanks to her unique abilities and later returned as a more complex character fighting for mutant rights. Eventually, she joined the X-Men, filling a similar role to Wolverine – a tough, independent fighter. Marrow’s powers caused her bones to grow rapidly, which she could then use as weapons. She eventually gained control of this ability and became a valuable member of the team before leaving to explore the wider Marvel Universe. Marrow had a lot of promise, but she hasn’t been featured much recently.

3) Fantomex

Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men was known for introducing strange and unique mutants, and Fantomex was arguably the most interesting. Created as part of the Weapon Plus program, Fantomex is a powerful mutant with three brains and a sentient spaceship named E.V.A. He’s been a member of both the X-Men and X-Force, working with those teams for quite some time. While Fantomex is a genuinely fun character in the Marvel Universe, he hasn’t been utilized to his full potential since leaving X-Force. Even Jonathan Hickman, despite offering a great one-shot story featuring him in Giant-Size X-Men: Fantomex #1, hasn’t fully brought him back to the forefront. It would be fantastic to see Fantomex become a more consistent presence in the Marvel Universe’s mutant stories again.

2) Doop

Doop is a truly bizarre mutant, and that’s high praise considering the world of X-Men! He first showed up in the comic series X-Force/X-Statix in the early 2000s as a floating green blob who spoke an unintelligible language. Despite being a bit of a comical character, Doop is incredibly powerful and shrouded in mystery. We’re constantly hinted at a wild history, including a connection to Wolverine, making him one of Marvel’s most enigmatic figures. He’s a fun character to read, and many fans would love to see him appear more often in Marvel stories.

1) Cannonball

Sam Guthrie, known as Cannonball, has been part of several famous teams including the New Mutants, X-Force, the X-Men, and even the Avengers. He can fly incredibly fast using kinetic energy blasts, and his body is naturally protected by a force field that absorbs and redirects impacts. Many believed Cannonball had the potential to be a leader like Cyclops, and he’s proven himself with impressive victories – he even defeated Gladiator, the leader of the Imperial Guard – but he consistently gets overlooked. Since marrying Smasher, Cannonball hasn’t been featured prominently in stories. Even with the rise of the mutant nation of Krakoa, he had a limited role and was tragically killed at the Hellfire Gala, though he was later brought back to life. Cannonball deserves to be a more significant hero, and hopefully, a writer will eventually recognize his potential and elevate him to the status he deserves.

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2025-11-02 00:13