100 greatest comic book characters of all-time
By Mark Lynch
Greatest comic book characters – 60. Sabretooth
First comic book appearance: Iron Fist No. 14
Victor Creed is one of the more deplorable villains across all comic book franchises. He actually may be the worst. His want to cause death and dismemberment isn’t matched by many. The only thing that comes close is his obsession with Wolverine. It’s so bad that he finds Wolverine on his birthday specifically to fight him. It’s like everything he’s done is to prove how much better than Wolverine he is. A mission he constantly fails at.
What’s funny is he made an incredible hero. He was still as ruthless. Just more restrained. We saw him do things for people that no one thought was possible. Like helping Monet St. Croix. While it would have been nice to see this version last longer, Sabretooth makes a much better villain.
Greatest comic book characters – 59. Barry Allen
First comic book appearance: Showcase No. 4
If you bring up the fastest beings in comic books, the Flash has to be the first on the list. If you’re going to talk about the best Flash, it’s probably not Barry Allen. He’s caused horrible things to happen in DC Comics. It’s so bad that whenever something happens in the timestream everyone looks at him. All of that helps him be the better Flash as a character.
Heroes should be flawed. It’s one of the reasons we’re happy when they overcome insurmountable odds. In Barry’s case, we can look at the Flashpoint. Him going back in time caused an entire reality to be created. One that’s on the brink of destruction. It also made for a classic series.
It isn’t just his faults. Barry built the Cosmic Treadmill, outran Death, and does all sorts of amazing things with the Speed Force. And, for all of his speed, he’s incredibly intelligent. You can’t be a forensic chemist and be an idiot.