Fan Favorites, Assemble! Who Are the Big 3 in Marvel Comics?

When you hear the name Marvel, who pops into your head first? Every brand has its most recognized faces, especially when it comes to comic books. These characters are always larger than life, jumping off the page and into our mind’s eye. That’s exactly why fans return to these stories week after week, page after page.

But who’s the most famous Marvel character of all? Well, that’s a big question. So big, in fact, that many fans actually ask, who are the big 3 in Marvel? We’ve got your answer right here. Big 3, bring it in!

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Marvel’s First Big Players

Nowadays, the Avengers are one of Marvel’s premier ensemble super hero teams. They burst onto the scene in 1963. But two years earlier, we have to give credit to Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four. After a mission to space gone awry, these four amazing individuals came back to Earth changed forever — and Marvel Comics found immediate access with their adventures.

Unlike other super hero stories, Marvel sought to give their heroes a healthy dose of humanity. They had magnificent abilities but these heroes also faced everyday struggles and worked at maintaining interpersonal relationships. In short, they were regular people with extraordinary powers. That has always been the hallmark of the Fantastic Four’s enduring popularity, which MCU fans will soon see as the Fantastic Four live-action cast takes to the big screen. Now, back to the numbers. We’ve discussed the F4. How about that Big 3?

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Who Are the Big 3 in Marvel?

Over the years, the Avengers have emerged as such a standout team because of its members. They were all heroes before their time together yet the greatest forces of evil in the Marvel universe compelled them to team up, with mighty results! Today, the Avengers are a global network of super heroes with a rotating roster of Marvel’s most popular powerhouses. However, if you were to ask a fan who the faces of the Avengers are, they’d probably name the Big 3: Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor.

Originally, the Avengers formed when Loki tried to take Thor down, and the team’s founding members intercepted the call. As fate would have it, they all answered and rushed to defeat the God of Mischief. This first lineup also included Wasp, Ant-Man, and the Hulk. Though Wasp united their group with a name, the Avengers, they all not-so-secretly didn’t trust Hulk. After uncovering their distrust, Hulk lashed out. A brief team-up with Namor then got him kicked out of the Avengers. When the team tried to track down the Sub-Mariner, they accidentally found Steve Rogers encased in ice. And the rest, as they say, is Avengers history.

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Which Heroes Are Avengers?

Many of Marvel’s most beloved super heroes have called the Avengers Mansion home. By issue 16 of the Avengers’ first comic book run, the lineup shifted once again, adding three new members who would become long-lasting Avengers in their own rights: Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver, and Hawkeye.

Other high-profile additions to the team include Vision, Black Widow, Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Wonder Man, She-Hulk, Monica Rambeau, Sam Wilson (as both Falcon and Captain America), Spider-Woman, Mighty Thor, and even frequent allies like Spider-Man and Beast. Plus, there have been multiple off-shoot teams like the West Coast Avengers, the Young Avengers, and the New Avengers.

In addition to Hank McCoy, other mutants have served on the Avengers like Wolverine, Rogue, and most recently Storm. Despite the troubled history between the X-Men and the Avengers, they do manage to cooperate sometimes.

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Other Versions of Marvel’s Big 3 Heroes

Of course, the MCU has helped cement Cap, Tony, and Thor as the prevailing Big 3. But considering the vast scope of the Marvel Multiverse, there are other strong contenders for Marvel’s Big 3. It could also be argued that Wolverine, Hulk, and Spider-Man carry the most weight in pop culture when it comes to being recognized. They are frequently referenced outside of Marvel content, proving that even non-comic book fans know their names.

On the other hand, if we’re talking pop culture references, there’s always Deadpool. His recent live-action films have catapulted his character to all-new heights of fandom. You’ve heard of Deadpool & Wolverine, haven’t you?

So, if you had to choose, who’s in your Big 3 for Marvel? Join the conversation with other Marvel fans over at Sideshow Social Network or in side.show/geekgroup, and don’t forget to Let Your Geek Sideshow!