Libertarian Librarian

Quite a bit of feedback on this, which is nice. Felt a need to respond to a few of the responses. First, I weighted my list based on both heroes I liked, heroes that have made a lasting impact on popular culture and society, and the variety and number of films/shows/books/comics/etc. they've appeared in. Longevity and quality were also important aspects.

The first criteria was the most important, since it was my list, but Harry Potter makes it in, for example, because I enjoy the books, the movies are decent, and the impact young Harry has had on society are considerable. For proof of that, check out this and this. Five of the six (soon to be six of the seven) top selling books of all time belong to the Hogwarts' crew, and 15th, 27th and 34th on the all-time top grossing films list. And, unlike Star Wars and The Lord of the Rings, he is also clearly the hero of the works. I'd take Gandalf, Aragon, or Frodo over Harry too, Troy, but that's part of the trouble-- LOTR is an ensemble piece, as is Star Wars. Plus, there are goofballs out there wanting to ban Harry books, which makes him a hero of sorts to me as well.

I also did not include actors who have played tons of heroes. John Wayne and Clint Eastwood are the prototypes here. Though, for some reason, Dirty Harry never occured to me. Josey Wales did, and that movie is still one of the best westerns ever, but it was only one movie. But I realize I have no cops, firemen or soldiers on the list. No "real life" heroes, no matter how fictionalized. Doh! Dirty Harry should be on the list. John McClain is a borderline choice, and I haven't watched 24, so I can't really comment on where I think Jack Bauer fits. Steve Austin has insufficient longevity/impact to make the top 20.

Hercules also probably should be on the list, and John's inclusion of Sampson was intriguing. Not sure Sampson has enough street cred to qualify. Thor causes me difficulty as he is, technically speaking, a god. Hercules is a demi-god for that matter, but grows up as a human. Thor is also automatically disqualified for having been coopted by the namby-pampy Minnesota Vikings and their namby-pampy indoor stadium. So, Hercules in, Sampson and Thor out.

I found it tremendously ironic and amusing that Rod should rip on John's typo "jawbone of an axe." The old kettle and pot thingie.

Yes Troy, I realize I disallowed Austin Powers for being a parody while allowing The Tick, but primarily for the reason that The Tick truly does rock. He also crosses many more media formats than Austin Powers, having been a comic, a cartoon, and a live action TV series.

Finally, my revised post-Memorial Day top 25 (my list, I can make it longer) super heroes of all time:

25) Sinbad
24) Buck Rogers
23) John McClain
22) Sampson
21) G.I. Joe
20) The Tick
19) King Arthur
18) Harry Potter
17) Dirty Harry
16) Indiana Jones
15) Conan
14) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
13) Flash Gordon
12) The Lone Ranger
11) Wonder Woman
10) Robin Hood
9) Hercules
8) The Hulk
7) Tarzan
6) Fantastic Four
5) James Bond
4) X-Men
3) Spiderman
2) Superman
1) Batman

Batman is still my #1 based on overall coolness factor. As Jim notes, Superman (or Spidey or any of the X-Men or any of the Fantastic Four or... well, you get the idea) would thrash the Dark Knight in a head-to-head throwdown, but I still prefer the moral questions (vigilanteism, revenge as a motivator, etc.) and huge quantities of grey area explored by Batman over the years, along with the cool toys.

One other factor to consider, and another reason I tend to like Batman, is the quality of the bad guys the hero faces off against. Indeed, I think that shall be Friday's best of list-- so start your thinking now about the best evil villains of all-time.

Posted by: Nick W. / 2:10 PM