One of the most common and surprisingly realistic superpower shared by superheroes is a form of flight. Whether it’s Superman flying with the power of the sun or Iron Man’s jet-propelled armor, flight is pretty much the most popular form of transportation in any given comic book universe. Characters like Batman, Hawkeye, or Captain America have to find other modes of transportation because they cant fly. So, they are given two options, let themselves be carried by the armpits by their superhero friends that can fly or, preferably, find themselves a sweet, sleek, one of a kind vehicle to get them from one fight to the next.
Because of the varied nature of comics, these vehicles have ranged from inspired and creative like the Batmobile to bizarre creations like the Thanos Copter, which is literally just a regular yellow helicopter with ‘THANOS’ imprinted on the tail. Since there are a ton of dumb, weird, or just kind of nonsensical vehicles in comics (like the Spider-mobile), there’s also a ton of creative or just impressive vehicles out there. For your convenience, we’ve compiled a list of the 25 absolute best, most iconic, and powerful vehicles in all of comics. Individual transport systems like Falcon’s wing-pack, Metron’s Mobius Chair, or Silver Surfer’s cosmic board don’t count. Here are The 25 Best Vehicles In Comics.
25 JOKERMOBILE
If the Joker is supposed to be the mirror opposite of Batman in every way, then it was only a matter of time before he got fed up with his opponent’s superior transportation and made his own version of the Batmobile.
The Jokermobile had accoutrements that even the Batmobile lacked. Among its many abilities, it could manifest wooden planks over the wheels specifically to deal with potholes, it's equipped with a pair of lethal machine guns, and a miniaturized engine that allows the car to run even if it crashed.
24 THE FANTASTICAR 2.0
The first Fantasticar was one of the biggest jokes in the history of comics. It was literally a flying bathtub that took the Fantastic Four into battle in the silliest way possible.
The Fantastic Four got an upgrade from their bathtub shaped ship to a sleek and updated design that caters to their superhero needs.
However, for the second version, Reed Richards decided to consider the aesthetic aspects of his team’s transport and made the new Fantasticar a multi-person, open cockpit jet. Each member of the team got their individual seat separate from the others and the could separate into four different vehicles for emergencies.
23 SUPER-CYCLE
One of the stranger devices to come out of New Genesis is the Super-Cycle. It's the giant, multi-person flying motorbike used by the Young Justice team. Apart from flying at near-sonic speeds, the Super-Cycle can phase straight through solid objects, has a measure of legitimate intelligence, and can …reproduce.
One storyline involved the Super-Cycle returning to New Genesis for its mating season, where it and a wild Super-Cycle are shown meshing together before separating to reveal a new, tiny Super-Cycle. Just don't ask or question it.
22 THE LAWMASTER
Judge Dredd is in the same league as Rorschach. They're characters that you’re not supposed to like but you end up liking them anyway because they’re just too iconic. Part of Dredd’s charm is his armory of awesome tools, including his futuristic, weaponized bike, the Lawmaster.
Equipped with an onboard AI, mounted machine guns, a Windowmaker, crowd control materials, and an advanced autopilot, the Lawmaster is the perfect vehicle for the brutally fascist police officer.
21 BLACK BEAUTY
Though it originated as part of the Green Hornet’s radio show and first appeared in the 1966 television show, the Black Beauty has appeared in the Green Hornet comic lines so it counts.
In the Green Hornet live-action movie, Kato was responsible for the modification done to Black Beauty.
One of the most iconic superhero cars in history, the Black Beauty is a sleek muscle car equipped with stinger missiles in the front and rear bumpers, non-lethal machine guns, a flamethrower attached to the grill, suicided doors with door guns, and anti-riot spike wheels. It even has dazzling ‘infra-green’ headlights to hide the car for stealth missions.
20 LOLA
The Levitating Over Land Automobile, or Lola for short, is a flying 1962 Chevy Corvette belonging ostensibly to S.H.I.E.L.D. but is operated, protected, and maintained primarily by Phil Coulson.
Developed by Howard Stark, Lola’s wheels contain magnetic boosters that can propel it through the air with vertical takeoff technology. It’s also equipped with guns and a flamethrower. Coulson also layered the car in bulletproof material to keep it safe from any and all harm. He’s known to be remarkably protective of his beloved car.
19 SKY-CYCLE
Hawkeye is often considered one of the most useless members of the Avengers. He has an enjoyable and outsized personality, but he also uses a weapon that’s about five hundred years out of date and has no appreciable superhuman skills.
To make up for some of his combat shortcomings, he utilizes the Sky-Cycle, a manned flying drone. Built for urban maneuverability, the Sky-Cycle can reach almost 400 MPH and can climb up to 1,200 feet. Though it is primarily used by Hawkeye, the Sky-Cycle has also been used by Black Widow, Captain America, and other non-flying Avengers.
18 BRAINIAC'S SKULL SHIP
If you’re going to conquer worlds, steal cities, and destroy planets, you need a form of transportation that fully encapsulates everything that you are. For the alien information-hoarder Brainiac, that meant a massive, skull-shaped space ship with giant tendrils floating below it.
Apart from appearing absolutely terrifying, the Skull Ship is directly linked to Brainiac’s thoughts.
Brainac's skull ship has its own atmosphere, an arsenal of different torpedoes, and is equipped with Brainiac's signature weapon; the city-stealing shrink ray. The ship could reconstruct Brainiac from scratch if he were to perish.
17 HELL CHARGER
While it's not as iconic as the original Ghost Rider’s bike, Robbie Reyes’s flaming 1969 Dodge Charger is still an awesome vehicle. Even before it was augmented by the spirit of the rider, the Charger was the perfect racing car for Robbie to use in his underground schemes.
With the power of the vengeful spirit from hell, the car transformed into a literal road demon equipped with flaming wheels, an inferno engine, and screaming speeds, the perfect machine for a more modern Ghost Rider.
16 THE INVISIBLE JET
William Marston, the creator of Wonder Woman, is perhaps one of the most intuitive comic book creators of all time, in that not a single measure of Wonder Woman’s existence was wasted in embodying Marston’s proto-feminist views and liberating ideology.
Even her famous invisible jet, the most unnecessary and whimsical piece of her lore, was an allegory for how feminine compliance in a patriarchal world could allow them to fly unseen through society. The jet has invisible missiles and an AI created by the gods.
15 NIGHTWING'S BIKE
When your partner drives around in the Batmobile, any vehicle you chose is going to look pretty pathetic in comparison. Knowing this, Dick Grayson decided to just go with his gut and drove a regular motorcycle during his time as Robin.
As Dick Grayson evolved into Nightwing and separated from his mentor, he decided to modify the bike he used as Robin.
Nightwing's bike has an autopilot feature when he needs to do fancy flips off his seat, wheels that let him ride up walls for brief periods of time, and an engine powerful enough to let him jump from a rooftop into a building across the street.
14 THE QUINJETS
Designed by Black Panther himself, the Quinjets are a series of supersonic shuttles utilized by the Avengers as mass transports. Capable of reaching Mach 2.1, the Quinjets are also fitted with a total stealth immersion system, an advance maneuverability system that lets it turn on a dime, and a powerful shock absorption system that was installed after the Avengers developed a reputation for crash-landings.
Though most models aren’t weaponized, exclusive models have been known to use machine guns, missiles, and even Tony Stark’s repulsor technology.
13 THE BATWING
Batman’s near-limitless armory of bat-themed vehicles has always included multiple flying variants. Originally dubbed the ‘Batplane,’ his first flying vehicle was a WWI era biplane with a bat insignia over the propeller. After it was stolen by gangsters, he made a new Batplane modeled after more modern fighter jets.
Subsequent iterations have included a bulky flying Batcave, a bat helicopter, and even a bat whirligig. But the best version of his Batplane is undoubtably the Batwing, a highly maneuverable advanced jet with vertical takeoff, an onboard supercomputer, and transforming wings and fins.
12 THE STARJAMMER
Flown by the crew of space pirates who take their name from the ship, the Starjammer is a prototype Shi’ar warship designed for high-speed space dogfighting. Equipped with the most powerful engines the alien race ever created and armed with a series of advanced plasma cannons.
The Starjammer was stolen from the Shi'ar empire from a band of misfits, who decided to name themselves after the ship.
The ship can reach hyper-light speeds and maneuver in total space combat at the same pace. Its outer hull is capable of taking multiple plasma blasts simultaneously and without damage, the ship is said be able to last 1.4 million years.
11 THE OWLSHIP
Created by Alan Moore but a rip-off of Blue Beetle's flying Bug, the Owlship, affectionately nicknamed ‘Archie’ after Merlin’s owl, is the advanced hovership flown by Nite Owl.
Dan Dreiberg built it himself and made sure to include a number of extra capabilities. It can be remote controlled from his belt, is invisible to radars, and it can emit a dry-ice fog to shield it from view. The ship is also equipped with sonic weapons, air-to-air missiles, a flamethrower, water cannons, and chain guns.
10 PUNISHER'S BATTLE VAN
Punisher is basically a one-man army, so his car would have to reflect his no-mercy, no-prisoners, super-violent lifestyle. Enter the Battle Van, a.k.a. the War Wagon.
In stealth mode, this appears to be a regular, unmarked blue van. In battle mode, however, the car transforms into a armory, with a mounted mini-gun, grenade launcher, CAD machine guns, tear gas cannons, and even a robotic arm to grab things while Punisher is in motion. For non-lethal additions, it has a bulletproof outer casing, an onboard GPS system, and a peel-off license plate for when he needs to go incognito.
9 S.H.I.E.L.D. HELICARRIER
One of the most defining moments in the Avengers movie was the reveal of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Helicarrier, a super-sized flying aircraft carrier. The Helicarrier has been used in comics since 1965 but the flying fortress had never been realized onscreen before.
The S.H.I.E.L.D Helicarrier has its own cloaking ability that made an appears in the first Avengers movie.
By using an independent power source, the Helicarrier can fly almost indefinitely. It is armed with an armada’s worth of advanced weaponry, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, alien kinetic cannons, and anti-aircraft turrets. S.H.I.E.L.D. has used an entire fleet of Helicarriers over the years.
8 THE MILANO
In the comics, the Milano space ship was created by the Shi’ar empire as a warship for their elite armored squadron the Fraternity of Raptors. It was then stolen by the Nova Corps and reappropriated by the Guardians of the Galaxy.
The Milano is one of the most versatile vehicles in the entire Marvel Universe, capable of everything from space travel to underwater submersion. It has advanced maneuverability, high-tech defense systems, and a wide array of offensive weaponry that works in almost all environments.
7 SMARTSHIP FRIDAY
A Kymellian ‘Smartship,’ Friday’s super-advanced AI named itself after the Robinson Crusoe character. It was originally owned by the alien Aelfyre Whitemane who ended up crashing the ship on Earth and transferring his powers to the Power Pack.
Friday became the secret hideout and chaperone of the young heroes. Capable of space, water, and air travel, Friday doesn’t have much in the way of weaponry, but has limited transformation abilities and an AI so powerful that it boarders on sentience.
6 SPACEHOG
One of the most unapologetically masculine characters in all of comics, the ultra-violent space bounty hunter called Lobo needs an appropriately awesome ride to spread his ridiculousness. Luckily, he has his beloved Sprazzfrag 666, affectionately called Spacehog.
Spacehog is decorated with skulls of the people Lobo captures, as if a motorcycle that flies through space wasn't cool enough.
Lobo's motorcycle can fly autonomously, has its own miniature power plant, and a set of speakers that can blast Bruce Springsteen in the vacuum of space.