100 greatest comic book characters of all-time
By Mark Lynch
Greatest comic book characters – 84. Luke Cage
First comic book appearance: Luke Cage, Hero for Hire No. 1
Luke Cage spent a large portion of his comic book existence being boring. He was strong and bulletproof. That’s not enough to make him interesting. Fast forward to the early 2000s and he became one of the most interesting characters in Marvel Comics.
Luke Cage became the reluctant leader of the outlaw Avengers. This writer’s favorite roster. It’s a team that helped take down Norman Osborn’s regime. Luke did this all of this while being a father and a husband. Though that time as an Avenger was relatively short-lived, it was an important time for Luke Cage and Marvel Comics fans. All Luke Cage needs is the right writer to bring his popularity back.
Greatest comic book characters – 83. Monet St. Croix
First comic book appearance: Uncanny X-Men No. 316
Monet St. Croix is a vastly underrated character. Beyond hitting the lottery of superpowers (strength, invulnerability, flight, and telepathy), she’s more than just the rich and arrogant person she portrays. There are levels to who she is. Among those layers is someone willing to die for her friends. In X-Factor No. 255 , she’s actually died doing just that.
The Jonathan Hickman era of the X-Men has given our favorite mutants a chance to shine. Among them is Monet. She’s helped save mutants by sacrificing herself on a mission near the sun (House of X No. 5), helped save Storm’s life (Giant Size X-Men: Storm No. 1), and still manages to remind people how great she is. This, on top of her flaws, makes her a complete character. The more we see of her going forward the better.