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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

TOP 5 Fictional Male Heroes

Lists are fun, especially when they are lists about heroes doing heroic things. :) These are 5 of my favorite fictional male heroes.

#5. BATMAN: Some of you might be surprised  that he is at the number five spot, especially when you see who some of those above him are, but Batman is one of those characters that I LOVE, but don't like (if that makes any sense). For those that do not know, Bruce Wayne, after witnessing the murder of his parents, began to use his family fortune to finance his vigilante assault on the scum of Gotham City. He, all of his adult life, has made it his goal to wage war against any villain that poses a threat to the city that he loves and that he hopes to one day bring back from the edge of ruin.

So, why is he #5? Because he is such a downer. I don't mind a character to be "dark", but they need to have a more relatable side too. So, for that, he barely makes the list (as I was going to replace him with Rorschach from Watchmen)




#4 Captain America : This is a guy that is almost impossible not to like and respect. Sure, he comes off as a little too squeaky clean in the modern world of "dark" heroes, but he is still one of the most beloved and iconic characters that the world has ever seen. The back story for the character is that Steve Rogers, a weakling in size but with the courage of 10 men, wanted badly to serve his country during WW2. After being rejected, because of his size, he agrees to participate in an experiment that the Army is working on to create a race of Super Soldiers. After Steve successfully transforms into Captain America, the lab is destroyed along with the secrets of how Captain America came to be. Steve is later in pursuit of a villain and is thrust into freezing temperatures only to be later discovered (decades later), thawed, and he begins to fight crime.

I love that this guy is still very much a man from the 1940s. He still carries the ideals that where so prominent then. One of the most patriotic times in our history bleeds out of Steve Rogers in everything he says and does. A true hero.



#3 Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds: Those of you that do not know who this man is should be ashamed. Mal is the creation of Joss Whedon and was the main character in a short lived TV show (Firefly), the movie Serenity, and a series of comics. Mal was a fighter for the Independents or "Browncoats" against the Alliance. When the war was over, and the Independents lost, Mal became a rebel. Armed with a crew, his ship (a Firefly transport) and a strong sense of nobility, Mal does whatever it take to care for his crew and his ship. Sometimes this means doing things that most would find unethical, sometimes it means going against the law, but EVERYTHING that he does is always for the good of his crew and their safety/livelihood. He is a rebel in a war that has long been over...and he still thinks that he can win.

I love the commitment that this character has for his cause. Honestly, one of the most driven and interesting characters to come on TV in a long time. Most of the love for the character is driven by the insanely talented Nathan Fillion and the way that he steals every scene he is in.




#2 Angel: Again, another creation of Joss Whedon. Angel is a character that was introduced as a one note heartthrob on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and, by the second season of that show, had evolved into an amazing talent and a great partner (and sometimes a villain) to SMG's Buffy. Played by David Boreanaz, Angel is a character that is at odds with the world that he lives in. Born as an Irish slacker name Liam, he was turned into Vampire by his soul-less mate Darla and adopted the name Angelus. After years of wreaking havoc on the world, Angelus was cursed by a gypsy clan with a soul. Having a soul, and being forced to be remorseful for all of the wrong that he has done, forced Angelus into solitude and near the throws of insanity. He later finds his calling when he is introduced to Buffy, a young Vampire Slayer that Angel (as he now goes by) falls in love with and fights to become a better man for. The only problem with this is that Angel, if he achieves a moment of pure happiness, with lose his soul and begin to kill again. So, Angel must live a life of solitude, fighting for redemption and to hopefully find a way to become human once again.

The reason that I LOVE this character is that he is willing to do anything to redeem himself and pay for his past sins. He is willing to die, numerous times, just in the off chance that he may become human again one day. An awesome character that I have always favored over the other Vampires in TV/Movies.


#1 Superman / Doctor Who : Is it fair to have 2 #1s? No. But if you don't like it, write your own list. :). Really, I did it like this because one is a TV character and the other is a Comics character. These two actually have a lot in common, both from doomed planets that were destroyed and killed all of the planet's inhabitants, except for the occasional villain that shows up. Both have incredible powers. Both are always, through seeking them out or by chance, in the pursuit of helping those in need and saving the world time and time again.

 - #1 a. Doctor Who: If you don't know who "The Doctor" is, I suggest you look it up. Doctor Who is one of the most beloved characters in all of TV history. Having been on the air (on and off) since 1963, Doctor Who has been a highlight of many people's childhoods. The Doctor is the last of a great race known as Timelords. As the great Time War, between the Timelords and the Daleks, was coming to an end, The Doctor stole a spacecraft that could move throughout time and space, and decided to go on an adventure. As the ships cloaking device is now stuck, making the ship look like a Police Box, he now bounces through time in space in it looking for companions to take on adventures. The Doctor can die, of course, but upon death he can regenerate, giving him an entirely new body and attitude while still maintaining all of the memories of his past incarnations. He is now in his 11th form.

Doctor Who is a hero in every letter of the word. He saves people, time and time again, and the world never knows it. He doesn't use gun. His only weapons are his superior intellect and his sonic screwdriver. I fell in love with this character in 2005 and haven't shaken it since. Honestly, this is my favorite character to ever grace a TV screen.



 - #1 b. Superman : Born Kal-El on the planet Krypton, he was placed in a ship and rocketed to earth to avoid the cataclysmic destruction of his home planet. Arriving on Earth as a small boy, Kal-El is found by an elderly couple and taken home to live on their farm. As Clark Kent, Kal-El began to display powers that were far beyond those of mortal men. Super strength, heat vision, flight and many others made Clark an outcast, as he went to great lengths to hide is natural ability. After the death of his adopted father, Clark goes to work at the Daily Planet where he uses a disguise to fight crime in the streets of metropolis (and all over the world). Quickly named Superman, he fights daily for truth, justice, and the American way.

Honestly, this was actually my #1, but I just had to throw Doctor Who in there. Superman stands for everything I love about heroes. Selfless. Completely selfless. He always does what is right. He is a light in the dark shadow that is cast over the city of Metropolis. He doesn't compromise, he doesn't waiver, he is the greatest hero of my generation.





So that is it. That is my list. If you have someone that you think should have made it, let me know.




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