User blog comment:Spdr man/favourit super heroes and villians/@comment-4854409-20120808001643

Cyclops : I never really liked Cyclops before I started reading more recent X-Men comics. Joss Whedon did a wonderful job writing him and I loved him as the leader of the X-Men. He kind of replaced Wolverine in my heart when Wolverine decided to become Professor X Jr while Scott fought tooth and nail for a dying race instead of clinging to an antiquated and failed system.

Gambit : I've been a huge Gambit fan ever since I first saw him as a kid on the 90's X-Men show. Whats not to like? He's smooth, charming, complicated and has a cool power. I've found what I read featuring him to be pretty lackluster but the one thing I do like is his controversial transformation into a Horseman of Death. I thought this gave him some more depth and I hated when it was pretty much ignored and he showed up as his good ol' self again. Luckily, it was further explored in X-Men Legacy (albeit very briefly) and it appears to be a plot point in the new Gambit ongoing (which I have high hopes for, it looks great).

Hulk : I was first introduced to Hulk in Marvel vs Capcom 3. He's the character I used the most and it made me interested in checking him out in Hulk comics. I've never been much of a fan of the mindless brute but the way Greg Pak wrote him from Planet Hulk to Heart of the Monster was just amazing. Planet Hulk is probably my all time favorite comic book story.

Spider-Man : He's kind of my least favorite of my favorite heroes (and I have yet to really check out any of his comics) but I still love this character. I find that what distinguishes him from many other heroes is that he's just an ordinary joe. He didn't volunteer for his powers like Captain America. He wasn't born with them like the X-Men nor was he trained like them. He had to figure it out on his own and he makes a lot of mistakes which makes him really relatable. People have died because he messed up and the fact that he still tries to do better for people that hate him is very inspiring.

Jamie Madrox : Madrox is quite possibly my favorite character. Under the pen of Peter David in the X-Factor ongoing he is portrayed fantastically. X-Factors use of a perfect blend of comedy and drama reminds me of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, both of which are my favorite tv-shows. The great benefit of having a single writer, especially one that is as talented and understands the characters as much as Peter David has done wonders for X-Factor and Jamie. I really like that Jamie is indecisive. He doesn't know whats going to happen, he doesn't have the answers. All he can do is hope for the best and take a shot. Sometimes this ends well and sometimes it ends horribly. Like with Spider-Man, this humanity is what makes him so interesting to me.

Layla Miller : Layla is a strange addition to this list in that I can only see myself enjoying her as a member of X-Factor and under the pen of Peter David. She has gone from a simple plot point probably intended only for House of M to a really compelling and interesting character. Her relationship with Jamie is really fun but what I enjoy most about her is the great burden she carries. She knows stuff, a lot more stuff than anyone should really know and she is forced to follow what she knows is supposed to happen no matter how terrible it is. I really enjoyed seeing her struggle with her responsibilities in recent issues of X-Factor when she revived Guido and when we saw how she sees the world. My favorite moments with her were her breaking down and crying for the first time to Cyborg Cyclops because she simply couldn't handle the burden of knowledge and when she begged Guido for forgiveness for resurrecting him without his soul.

Magneto : While Magneto is infamous as a villain, I've always preferred him as a hero. I've never really seen him as a villain, more as a misguided or extreme person that only wants to protect his people. He has lived through many horrors and after seeing history repeated he realized that he had to make a stand. I have enjoyed what little I have read of his stint as head of the Xavier School while Chuck was in space and I have greatly enjoyed seeing him among the ranks of the X-Men again. I hope he stays a hero in Marvel Now! and that he takes up leadership role in the post-AvX X-Men.

Venom : I've really loved Venom ever since playing the Spider-Man 2000 videogame as a child. His powers and character design are extremely cool but what really sets him aside is that he has valid reasons for hating Spider-Man. He is a monster of Spidey's own creation and the fact that he has the same powers and is stronger than Spider-Man makes him the tried and true "evil version of the hero". He knows Spider-Mans darkest secrets and isn't shy about using Spidey's loved ones to get to him. I'm definitely not a fan of the new Venom series with Flash as his host. I feel that Remender isn't utilizing the struggle that comes with being a host by essentially lobotomizing the symbiote in the last couple of issues. Mac Gargan as Venom, while moderately entertaining in "Sinister Spider-Man" and "Dark Avengers" is ultimately not as big of a threat as Eddie Brock was, nor as deep a character.

Apocalypse : Apocalypse was my favorite villain in the 90's cartoon. He was ridiculously arrogant but you knew that he could back up everything he said with actions. He didn't think he was right, he knew he was and with an interesting character design and cool powers he sky rocketed to my favorite X-Man villain. I wish he was a more regularly used villain but with him currently dead in comics that doesn't seem likely to happen within the near future. Evan Sabahnur is a poor replacement but I am interested in seeing how the "Nature vs Nurture" thing turns out since all signs point that he is more Apocalypse than he thinks. I absolutely loved the additions to the Apocalypse mythos that Remender made in Uncanny X-Force and how the role of "Apocalypse" is being further explored in the Age of Apocalypse ongoing.