While DC Comics may be more known for a superhero community full of detectives like Batman and the Question, the heroes from Marvel Comics often find themselves relying on their own abilities as well as police detectives and private investigators when needed, so it can be a little harder to pin down who Marvel's "world's greatest detective" could be.
So today we are going to highlight the best detectives of the Marvel universe to see who could take the title held by the Distinguished Competition's Dark Knight. We'll also largely be focusing on the costumed characters who fancy themselves detectives as opposed to the many police and non-powered PI characters that have appeared over the years.
10 BISHOP
One of the X-Men's time-traveling mutants is also a pretty good cop, and Bishop has proven this skill while working with the team as well as the FBI in the present, and in the future with the XSE (Xavier Security Enforcers).
After years of training with the XSE in a dystopian future, Bishop traveled to the past and began working with the X-Men as he attempted to stop his dark future from happening. During his time in the present, Bishop was made an agent of the FBI to work in the District X area of NYC, where he solved mutant-related cases.
9 NUR
Frank McGee was an actual detective who worked with the police for over twenty years before he was transformed into the Inhuman known as Nur after the Terrigen Mists were released into the atmosphere during Infinity. McGee gained glowing eyes that could not only project energy but also capture scenes and images like a photographic memory.
These new abilities only increased his effectiveness as a detective, though they resulted in the loss of his job and wife after his transformation. McGee would go on to lead the New Attilan Security Force before taking on cases for himself, such as helping Daredevil take down the Kingpin of New York.
8 BANSHEE
Sean Cassidy may have been better known as the mutant member of the X-Men Banshee, but he also had a long career with one of the world's premiere detective agencies, INTERPOL, or the International Criminal Police Organization.
Cassidy worked as an inspector for INTERPOL for years until the death of his wife in an IRA bombing led him to turn towards a life of crime himself before he was brought on to the X-Men by Professor Charles Xavier. Cassidy would return to INTERPOL repeatedly over the years until his death in Deadly Genesis.
7 HOWARD THE DUCK
Howard the Duck may have been "trapped in a world he didn't make," but he still managed to make use of his time on Earth by becoming a skilled private investigator. Howard actually comes from Duckworld in another universe, and was brought to Earth by a demon through the dimensional nexus, and failing to return home, he started working as a PI.
Howard T. Duck Private Investigations was originally opened in Cleveland, but he would later set up shop in Brooklyn in the same building as lawyer Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk, where he continues to take on some of the weirdest cases in the Marvel universe. Howard has been many things over the years, from possible President to galactic protector, but his best job is ducktective.
6 HANNIBAL KING
While the vampire hunter Blade is himself a fairly good investigator, his skills are generally focused on finding vampires and their hideaways. However, he did put together a team of hunters/investigators known as the Nightstalkers to vampires, and Borderline Investigative Services to everyone else.
Hannibal King was one of the founders of the group along with Blade and Frank Drake (a descendent of Dracula) and he was widely known among the occult as a vampire detective. King was a detective before he was turned into a vampire by Deacon Frost, but he was one of the few who vowed to never feed on human blood, allowing him to continue to use his skills as a detective.
5 SPIDER-WOMAN
Jessica Drew is a former agent of everything (Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., S.W.O.R.D.) and a member of the Avengers and Strikeforce as Spider-Woman, but she is also a very skilled private investigator who made her living that way for years during a time when she had lost her powers.
Even after Drew returned to the world of superheroics as Spider-Woman, she continued to work as a PI helping normal people with normal crimes. She even brought in one of Marvel's best investigative reporters Ben Urich to work alongside her, creating an incredibly effective investigative team.
4 MISTY KNIGHT
Misty Knight is another hero who started her career as an actual detective before she was brought into the world of costumed heroes and villains largely due to her relationship with heroes like Luke Cage and Iron Fist, who ran their own investigative firm called Heroes For Hire that quite often relied on Knight for her expertise.
Misty would also work alongside Colleen Wing as the Daughters of the Dragon before launching her own Heroes For Hire agency that employed various members of the Marvel Universe when needed for Misty's cases. She may not work as closely with the NYPD anymore, but Misty Knight is still one of the best detectives in the city, and the superheroes know it.
3 JESSICA JONES
Jessica Jones is likely one of the first names to come up when asked about Marvel's great detectives, as she has always been known to fans as a private investigator from her very first appearance in Alias, which retroactively established her history as a former hero in the Marvel universe.
Jones followed in the footsteps of other Marvel PI's like Dakota North, though she never quite reached the same levels of success or had the same type of big-league cases. Instead, Jessica Jones was brought back into the life of costumed heroes when she married Luke Cage and once again became an Avenger, though she has recently returned to her roots with Alias Investigations.
2 JAMIE MADROX
Jame Madrox/Multiple Man is a mutant who is able to generate duplicates of himself. These duplicates are able to live independently and learn new skills that can then be transferred to the Prime Madrox when the dupes are re-absorbed, giving Jamie Madrox a huge skill set that he used to work as a private investigator in "Mutant Town," the same district Bishop operated with the FBI.
Madrox would eventually expand his operation into X-Factor Investigations and gather a team of former allies like Strong Guy, Wolfsbane, Rictor, Siryn, M, and Layla Miller to solve hundreds of cases that ranged from everyday disputes among normal civilians to supernatural occurrences and even time-traveling investigations into the future.
1 THE PUNISHER
While Punisher can't really be called a detective considering he works against the police department at times, the truth is, Frank Castle always gets his man. The Punisher is motivated by the loss of his family due to organized crime, and his lifelong war against crime has resulted in one of the best manhunters in the Marvel universe.
There's really nowhere criminals can go for safety if they have been targeted by the Punisher, as Castle can use all sorts of connections to find them, from the lowest criminal underground to the highest government offices. If the Punisher is hunting down a criminal, he will find them, and he will punish them.