Greatest comic book characters – 18. Deadpool
First comic book appearance: New Mutants No. 98
Deadpool seems to have been a popular character from his first appearance by showing that he’s a skilled and dangerous opponent. He was also loved because he was funny in a way we hadn’t seen. That’s not enough to have him ranked this high. His capability to show more emotions than joy and anger is what separates him from the rest.
We’ve seen Wade lose people he’s loved and flat out cry in front of Captain America and Wolverine (Deadpool: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly). He’s sacrificed his happiness to keep his family and friends safe. And, when it comes down to it, he’s someone you can trust by developing a moral code. It took a while, but it happened. In a decade, he may break the top ten. Maybe even the top five
Greatest comic book characters – 17. Jean Grey
First comic book appearance: The X-Men No. 1
Jean Grey has put the universe on her back and saved it countless times. If for nothing else, she should be applauded for keeping the Phoenix Force in check better than anyone else. Before anyone says she didn’t, Dark Phoenix was not Jean Grey. Jean was at the bottom of a body of water during that time.
Jean has never let the Phoenix take her over. During her most recent resurrection (Phoenix Resurrection: The Return Of Jean Grey) Jean didn’t let the idea of power overcome her. She fought back and won. Everyone else has succumbed to cosmic influence (see Avengers vs X-Men for an example). Not Jean. She’s that strong physically and mentally. Let’s also add that she does this while being an underrated leader, a great mentor, and dealing with the many personalities on the X-Men.