Best Marvel Characters Who Debuted In The 2000s

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Many of Marvel‘s most popular characters have existed for several decades. For instance, Captain America first appeared in print in 1940. These characters often endure over time, with their backstories being updated to reflect the modern era. Rather than merely altering existing characters, new ones have also been introduced.

The 2000s saw the creation of numerous new characters who have become integral to the roster of heroes. Some of these characters have significantly impacted mainstream media, particularly in film and television.

8

Spider-Man Noir

Debut Year: 2008

Debut Appearance: Spider-Man Noir #1 (December, 2008)

Real Name: Peter B. Parker

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Spider-Sense, Organic Webbing, Wallcrawling, Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Speed, Superhuman Agility, Superhuman Stamina, Regeneration, Pain Immunity

Abilities: Gifted Intellect, Skilled Photographer, Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant, Private Investigator, Skilled Marksman

Spider-Man is one of the most popular characters in pop culture, and it’s no surprise that he has many different versions across the multiverse. One of the earliest and most beloved variations is Spider-Man Noir, also known simply as The Spider-Man.

He comes from the reality of Earth 90214, where superheroes emerged in the 1920s. This version of Peter Parker embodies the essence of a Film Noir detective, using his spider powers to combat crime in gritty New York City. Dressed in a striking black costume, complete with a trench coat and fedora, he was introduced to a wider audience in the movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. There is also a live-action series featuring Nicolas Cage in the works.

7

Old Man Logan

Debut Year: 2008

Debut Appearance: Wolverine (Vol. 3) #66 (June, 2008)

Real Name: James “Logan” Howlett

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Regenerative Healing Factor, Decelerated Aging, Superhuman Stamina, Superhuman Durability, Retractable Bone Claws, Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Senses

Abilities: Master Combatant, Stealth

In 2008, an alternate-reality version of Wolverine, known as Old Man Logan, was introduced. In this storyline, Wolverine was deceived by Mysterio into killing the members of the X-Men, which forced him into a secluded retirement. His quiet life changed when he embarked on a road trip with Hawkeye, a storyline that served as a loose inspiration for the film Logan.

Old Man Logan is considered one of the best story arcs in Marvel history, and the decision-makers at the Marvel Cinematic Universe should consider a more faithful adaptation for the big screen. The character has since moved to the Earth-616 universe, joining many other popular alternate-reality heroes.

6

Hawkeye

Debut Year: 2005

Debut Appearance: Young Avengers #1 (February, 2005)

Real Name: Katherine Elizabeth “Kate” Bishop

Powers & Abilities:

Abilities: Skilled Athlete, Proficient Martial Artist, Master Archer and Marksman, Adept Swordswoman, Cellist, Weaponry, Lockpicking

The original Hawkeye, Clint Barton, made his debut in the 1960s. However, in 2005, Marvel took a new direction with the character and introduced a young female hero named Kate Bishop to take on the mantle of Hawkeye.

After the Avengers helped save her, Kate admired Hawkeye because, like her, he had no superpowers yet was still a superhero. This inspiration led her to pick up a bow and train to become a hero. She eventually joined the Young Avengers and established herself as a leader. At one point, Clint officially passed the Hawkeye mantle to her while he was operating under the name Ronin. Kate became a popular character in the comics and a mainstay on various Avengers teams, ultimately making her live-action debut in the Hawkeye series on Disney+ in 2021.

5

Hope Summers

Debut Year: 2007

Debut Appearance: X-Men (Vol. 2) #205 (November, 2007)

Real Name: Hope Summers

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Power Manipulation, Power Mimicry, Power Absorption Immunity, Power Regulation, Power Amplification, Power Negation, Power Synergizing, Power Sensing, Power Bestowal, Technological Undetectability

Hope Summers has become a pivotal figure among the mutants in Marvel Comics. Born without a father due to the Phoenix Force impregnating Louise Spalding, she was the first mutant born after M-Day and is regarded as a messiah destined to save both mutantkind and humankind.

As a result, Cable took her to the future and raised her as his own until she was ready to fulfill her legacy. Hope developed into a significant player in the X-Men, but she has not received much mainstream recognition beyond the comics. This may change with the upcoming X-Men chapter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

4

X-23

Debut Year: 2003

Debut Appearance: NYX #3 (December, 2003)

Real Name: Laura Kinney

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Regeneration, Foreign Chemical Immunity, Disease Immunity, Longevity, Superhumanly Acute Senses, Superhuman Agility, Superhuman Reflexes, Superhuman Durability, Superhuman Stamina, Retractable Claws, Psychic Defenses

Abilities: Expert Covert Ops Training, Expert Tracker, Master Martial Artist, Master Acrobat, Multilingual, Gifted Intellect

Surprisingly, X-23 was not initially introduced in the comics. She made her debut in the animated series X-Men: Evolution in 2003 and was soon added to the comic book universe. X-23 is a clone of Wolverine, created by the Facility to serve as an assassin.

After discovering the truth about her origins, she escaped from the facility and tracked down Wolverine. He subsequently enrolled her at Xavier’s Institute and later included her as a member of the X-Men. Over time, X-23 has evolved into much more than just Wolverine’s clone; she even took on the role of Wolverine herself and has appeared in the live-action film Logan and later Deadpool & Wolverine.

3

Jessica Jones

Debut Year: 2001

Debut Appearance: Alias #1 (September, 2001)

Real Name: Jessica Campbell Jones

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Mutated Physiology (Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Durability, Accelerated Healing Factor, Superhuman Longevity, Flight, Telepathic Resistance)

Abilities: Investigation, Trained Combatant

It may come as a surprise to some that Jessica Jones was introduced in 2001 while the other members of the Defenders have been around for much longer. Retroactively, she first appeared in 1963 as a classmate of Peter Parker. However, this was retconned much later after her official debut.

Jones became a pivotal member of the Defenders, a team of street-level heroes in New York City, combining her role as a private investigator with her superhero activities. She made her live-action debut in her self-titled Netflix series, which has since been incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

2

Red Hulk

Debut Year: 2008

Debut Appearance: Hulk (Vol. 2) #1 (March, 2008)

Real Name: Thaddeus E. “Thunderbolt” Ross

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Conscious Transformation, Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Leaping, Regenerative Healing Factor, Reduced Aging, Superhuman Stamina, Superhuman Durability, Superhuman Speed, Gamma Radiation Emission, Energy Absorption

Abilities: Skilled Combatant, Master Tactician, Leadership, Weapons Proficiency

Although Thunderbolt Ross first appeared in 1962, he did not become the Red Hulk until 2008. Ross is a military general who views the Hulk as a significant threat to the world and seeks to eliminate him. After decades of unsuccessful attempts, he decides to become a version of the Hulk himself to gain the upper hand.

Over time, he softens his goal of killing the Hulk and instead joins the Avengers as a hero, establishing himself as a fully developed character in his own right. Red Hulk made his live-action debut in Captain America: Brave New World, adding to the long list of characters that have transitioned from comic books to the big screen.

1

Sentry

Debut Year: 2000

Debut Appearance: Sentry #1 (July, 2000)

Real Name: Robert “Bob/Robby” Reynolds

Powers & Abilities:

Powers: Chemically Enhanced Physiology (Molecularkinesis, Materialization, Biokinesis, Resurrection, Retroactive Immortality, Regenerative Healing Factor, Superhuman Strength, Superhuman Speed, Superhuman Agility, Superhuman Reflexes, Nigh-Invulnerability, Self-Sustenance, Superhuman Stamina, Superhuman Senses, Teleportation, Energy Absorption and Manipulation, Power Sharing, Photokinesis, Light Projection, Calm Inducement, Invisibility, Energy Blasts, Umbrakinesis, Psionic Abilities

Abilities: Genius Intelligence

Sentry is often compared to Marvel’s version of Superman, but his origins are quite different from the DC hero’s. Although he was created in 2008, his in-universe backstory dates back even further. Robert Reynolds was a meth addict who broke into a laboratory and consumed an enhanced version of the super-soldier serum called the Golden Sentry Serum, which granted him immense reality-warping powers.

Using these abilities, he became a superhero known as the Sentry, one of the earliest heroes in the Marvel Universe. However, he also had a dark alter ego named the Void. To protect the world, he teamed up with Doctor Strange and Mr. Fantastic to erase the Sentry from existence, including from his memory. Eventually, this spell lost its effect, and he became a wildcard within the Avengers, exhibiting an unstable and dangerous psyche. It remains unclear whether this specific backstory will be established in the upcoming Thunderbolts movie, where Sentry is set to make his cinematic debut.

“}]] Some of these Marvel characters have not been around for that long…  Read More