The 5 Most Disrespected Characters in the Marvel Universe

In this case, the slap was totally justified, but it was too good a pic to pass up.

With events like Secret Wars and Convergence going on at the big two, I thought it would be relevant to single out some characters that could use some love in the aftermath of those events. Today we focus on the House of Ideas, and while these are by no means the only characters who have been disrespected over the years, these are ones I feel should be at the top of the list. A character qualifies as disrespected in a few ways, whether by the company as a whole, or by the writers and creative team that were working on their respective books, the characters within the Marvel U, or even by the fans. With that said, let's get started. 

Hank Pym

I have to be upfront about this, but Hank Pym has never been on my good side. Part of that is I find characters of his ilk grating as a whole. Characters whose brilliance is overshadowed by their complete lack of self-awareness, with a heavy dose of aloofness - so much so, you wonder how they even function in day to day society. The best comparison I can make is to Sheldon of The Big Bang Theory, and frankly he is my least favorite part of that show (can't get enough of Amy, though). That’s not even throwing in the hubris that created one of the most tyrannical characters in the Marvel U, or the verbal and physical abuse that he inflicted on Janet van Dyne, aka The Wasp. The latter has become synonymous with Pym anytime he comes up in conversation.

Take that for what you will, but it's not hard to see why Hank would be disliked by the majority of fans. In saying that, however, this is not really his fault. It lies as much on the writers and editors that the character is in this murky mess to begin with. Over the years, no one ever seemed to have a true road map to get him back to a place of recovery. In most cases you put a character through the ringer to ultimately get him to a better place, or at least to another growth point in their respective lives, but that upswing never really happened with Hank. Throughout his career the guy has had at least 4 breakdowns, switched costumes, identities, and personalities so much he could give Moon Knight a run for his money, and then had the scarlet letter tacked on when he lost it with Janet. Without a Green Lantern Rebirth-style reconstruction, the character is doomed to be constantly dogged by his past failures, without any way to shake them off. This character has too much potential, and it's a shame that most stories just tend to repeat the same pattern and leave Hank in the same position he was before, if not worse off.

Ironically, according to Jim Shooter, that abuse toward Janet wasn't even supposed to happen, well, at least on purpose, as he has stated that it was written as an accident, but an admittedly newer (at the time anyway) comic artist didn't illustrate it as such. No one can be blamed for assuming the image was purposeful, though. I mean look at it. Regardless of the slap's intent, he had already been verbally abusive to Janet, so the character was still not nearly innocent.

Either way, it would be nice to see the character get a little nudge in the right direction courtesy of the universe cherry picking possibilities of Marvel’s upcoming Secret Wars. Age of Ultron and Avengers AI have helped some, but with the possibilities of Secret Wars, I think it's time to let Hank Pym out of the rudderless cycle he's been in all these years, and either put him on the road to redemption or go all in and make him a non-apologetic villain. 

Dazzler

Ah, Alison Blaire. The pop star turned X-Man always had a great deal of potential to be something completely unique, but due to a history that reads like a Monday through Thursday episode of Days of Our Lives (everybody knows all the big stuff happens on Friday) the potential has been mostly squandered. Her history reads as either A. person who is trying to find herself B. person being taken advantage of, or C. Dying and then coming back. Seriously though, Psylocke and Jean Grey are both looking over their shoulders. It would be nice to see this character actually use the confidence and power that she has built up along the way. I mean, at one point she absorbed a whole person and turned him into energy, and even attempted to take on the Juggernaut solo. She didn’t win, but lots of people wouldn’t have even tried.

I don’t want this Dazzler anymore.

I want this one.

or this one.

I don't even mind this one, but I just need to see Alison kick ass again.

It can be done, and has been done, but maybe now is the time for it to be a bit more consistent.

Iceman

Speaking of alternate universes, Iceman seems to thrive only when he is living in one. In the central Marvel U, Bobby Drake is stuck, and not only personality-wise but also when it comes to his power levels. Bobby has always had a Peter Parker-esque quality, quipping and wisecracking his way through battles, but the character has been trudging through mediocrity for quite a while now, even in his own mini series. It's only when writers are able to branch out without consequences that the character ever evolves or becomes more then an angsty teen.

Age of Apocalypse shows us a more weathered Bobby Drake, whose quip-a-minute attitude has been not replaced but adjusted to one with a measure of sarcasm and a power set that sees the hero at his most lethal. His look follows suit, with an ethereal ice trail replacing his more human form riding on ice slides. The character is able to freeze people from the inside out for heaven's sake, but he is never allowed that kind of freedom in the regular universe. He still has doubts, sure, but he is a force to be reckoned with while working through them.

You can also see a unique take within the series Mutant X, where due to some tinkering by Loki, Bobby cannot transform out of his ice form, so is unable to touch anything without freezing and subsequently killing it. The character retains the humor, but with more substance underneath, as he uses that humor to compensate for his unfortunate condition. Outside of these alternate takes, Iceman seems to be the runt of the original X-Men in the normal Marvel U, and if Angel, who literally is just someone with wings, gets more character development than someone with Bobby’s potential, well, then that qualifies as disrespect.

Maggot

During the late 90s/early 2000s there was a new Mutant boom so to speak, but none stick out in my mind more than Maggot. Maggot was one of those off-the-wall ideas that, given some time and TLC (the term, not the group or that song by Michael Bolton), could've really become a fixture of X-teams for years to come. Instead, the promising idea was left to rot so they could introduce yet another glut of characters into the already-packed mutant population. He didn’t really turn up again (aside from a cameo or two) until they decided to kill him, and that wasn’t even in a core X-book.

For the uninitiated, Maggot was a mutant who had the “gift” of carrying around 2 slugs, named Eany and Meany, who could and would eat pretty much anything. They were nigh indestructible, and also shared a pseudo telepathic connection with their host. For a long time they were living inside him, thus they had nothing to feed on but him and what he ate, at least until Magneto removed them. Maggot shared a love-hate relationship with the creatures, and before he vanished from the books there were storylines dangling about where they actually came from, if they were supernatural in nature, or if someone created them, and why they chose him as their host.

All interesting directions, but sadly those were never delved into. To me this character is truthfully what the X-Men are all about. He has a power that has truly caused him suffering and pain, especially early on. He at times resents them and his abilities, and yet within the framework of a team and people who can teach him how to hone his powers, his abilities prove immensely valuable. Ultimately that is what the Xavier school is supposed to be about, and people like Maggot should be its star students. I feel like if Maggot were introduced now, when the mutant population is nowhere near what it used to be, he would stand a much better chance. If Sabertooth can come back from the dead, why can’t Maggot?

Mary Jane

Hear me out on this one.

I can go on about One More Day for literally weeks at a time, and I still won’t get out all of the issues I have with it. Yes yes, I know all those old stories “still happened” and so on and so on, but the fact is these decisions were made directly as a result of personal views, not what was best for the character, and that is my biggest issue.

The worst part of it was how it completely undermined the smart, intelligent, and adept woman that Mary Jane had become. This is a woman who stood by Peter through all, and I stress ALL, of his issues. Depressed “I can’t go on” Peter, angry “I’m going to bring back the black suit and almost kill people” Peter, tunnel vision “the city is all that matters” Peter, and don’t forget “oh my god Aunt May got hurt for like the 90th time so I must be by her bedside” Peter. She doesn’t get enough credit for all the junk she put up with.

When times were tough, she was right there, and the powers that be thanked her for all that time and effort by making her a scapegoat for the ultimate storyline cop out. Because obviously, someone who has been in the thick of it fighting for her marriage would just randomly decide to make a deal with the devil so Aunt May, who had to be well into her 70s or 80s at this point, wouldn't die. It couldn’t be Peter, because we can’t have our hero making a deal with Mephisto, but the woman? Yeah, why not.

After that, Marvel had to explain why they never got married, so their solution was a brick.

Okay, a cinder block and a really bad fall, but that doesn't ring off the tongue like a brick. Peter, on his way to his wedding, saves a couple from being murdered, and in the ensuing fight gets hit over the head with a cinder block, and then takes the brunt of a bad fall. This knocks him out for a good long while, and in that time he completely misses his wedding. All of this due to Mephisto's meddling, and this results in their relationship dissolving.

Now, I'll grant you, Mary Jane would probably be livid, and she would have an absolute right to be. However, does anyone really think that this woman, who even at this earlier point in their relationship (continuity wise, stay with me here) adores this man, would not be able to forgive him and move on with their lives together, instead of that one event causing them to break up? You make her look unreasonable and selfish when she throws down an ultimatum to either give up being Spider-Man or lose her, when he was trying to save someone's life.

In the effort of not just complaining about something without offering a solution, here is my take on how events would realistically play out.

(Also, when I say realistically, I am aware these are fictional characters, and we are dealing with a fictional marriage between a supermodel and a superhero that has powers like a spider. This does not change my opinion, but I felt I should at least make that known.)

(Ahem.)

Peter: (Walks in the house)

Mary Jane: Peter, is that you?

Peter: Yeah. (Still groggy)

Mary Jane: (seeing his condition) Oh my god, are you okay? (Seeing he is no worse for wear) You're fine? Good, now where the hell have you been?

Peter: I’m so sorry, there was this couple being attacked and I...

Mary Jane: ...leaped in to save the day? Of course that’s the reason, why wouldn’t it be? Even on our wedding day you have to be the hero. You really couldn’t just one time leave it for the police? After alI this time I still come in second to that damn costume.

Peter: Okay, first of all, whoa. First off, I prevented two people from being murdered, so I think I get some points for that. Secondly that brick really hurt, and third, you knew before you agreed to marry me that this comes with the territory. This is what I do, and I can’t just turn my back to that. Its not like when I missed the rehearsal dinner last week when I broke up that Walkman mugging.

Mary Jane: Hold up slugger, this isn’t ...wait...a Walkman? Do they even make those anymore? You missed our rehearsal dinner over a Walkman?

Peter: It was one of those limited edition ones, you know, with the yellow color scheme and -

Mary Jane: SERIOUSLY! Okay, back to the point, I’m just upset because you couldn’t, just for once, put me first, and that Walkman thing doesn't help. I know what I signed up for, and I’m not asking you to give up being Spider-Man or curtailing you in any way, but what I am asking for is just some consideration, and possibly, just possibly, some better prioritization on your part. That’s all. If it were this one event that would be different, but this is a pattern.

It was our wedding day, Peter, and I understand if Rhino comes charging through the wall of a casino you have a job to do, and I want you to do that. But if Carl and Hobart want to steal a Walkman, maybe let the police handle that. They kinda get paid to do that, ya know.

Peter: Hobart? Really?

MJ: FOCUS!

Peter: Okay okay, I get it. You’re right, and I really am sorry. Doctor Strange can help with smoothing things over with everybody that came. I would also really like an ice pack.

MJ: Sure thing, just hope I don't get distracted on my way to go get it. Too soon?

Now, I am far from any kind of comic or script writer, so please pardon the many script flaws there, but if we are being honest, that was way more believable then the story shoehorning via editorial mandate that was One More Day and Brand New Day in general.

All right, soapbox time is over.

Well there you have it, my top 5 disrespected Marvel characters. DC’s will be coming next week, but if you have any other nominees, let me know in the comments!