While most casual fans of Marvel Comics know that the main team that gets the spotlight for the comic book company is The Avengers, there are several other teams who populate the Marvel Universe. These groups are just as popular or powerful in their own right, including the street-level team known as Heroes for Hire.
Originally consisting of only Luke Cage and Iron Fist, the team has since expanded and included several other heroes over the years, from street-level fighters to gods and other superhuman beings. Let’s take a look at the ten most powerful Marvel heroes to join Heroes for Hire.
10 Misty Knight
The first powerful team member and has been a pivotal character and the heart and soul of the team for years: Misty Knight. A former star police officer in the NYPD, Misty was forced to leave after stopping a bomb attack that left her arm amputated. After Tony Stark gave her a bionic arm to replace the one she’d lost, she gained superior strength and joined Colleen Wing in fighting crime.
Eventually, they worked with Luke Cage and Iron Fist but were not members of Heroes for Hire. Eventually, however, new iterations of the team were led by Misty herself.
9 Colleen Wing
Colleen Wing was the next member to join the team. and help build a solid foundation for Heroes for Hire. Misty Knight’s best friend and ally to Iron Fist himself, she was trained by her grandfather in the ways of the Samurai. Colleen was born and raised in Japan and learned of a prophecy that Iron Fist would come seeking vengeance for his parent’s passing, and she would aid him.
Colleen eventually bonded with Misty, and the two formed the Daughters of the Dragon. They worked with Iron Fist and Luke Cage and eventually came to lead their various versions of Heroes for Hire.
8 Falcon
A number of heroes have been called in for various missions for the Heroes for Hire team. Some of these heroes have gone on to become prominent members of the Avengers themselves, and have even become leaders of that team. The Falcon is a prime example.
Otherwise known as Sam Wilson, Falcon was Captain America’s sidekick and a true hero, even being given the mantle of Captain America himself years later by Steve Rogers. Sam was one of several heroes who rotated in and out of the Heroes for Hire as the missions required.
7 Black Widow
The various heroes of this organization have a wide range of power-sets and abilities. While some do have the superpowers fans have come to know and love, others are skilled warriors or spies who are more stealthy and mission-oriented. One example is the longtime Avenger, Black Widow.
Also known as Natasha Romanova, Black Widow is a former brainwashed Russian spy for the Red Room program and an assassin. Working with the Avengers' archer Hawkeye, she broke her programming and became a true hero. She joined particular missions when Misty Knight reformed the team after the Shadowlands storyline, during a time when Misty Knight was being brainwashed herself.
6 The Punisher
If there is one man who defines the street level justice that the Heroes for Hire was founded on, it would be The Punisher. One of the several heroes who rotated in and out of the team’s roster, Frank Castle was the ultimate definition of a vigilante hero, depending on who you ask.
The Punisher is known for taking no prisoners and dealing out an extreme, permanent form of justice to his enemies. Yet he is a ruthless, skilled fighter and soldier who few can stop, making him a powerful asset in the field for truly tough missions.
5 Spider-Man
Every superhero team needs someone who can provide a bit of comic relief. The stress of each mission can only be relieved through the sometimes annoying but always distracting banter of a humorous hero.
For the Heroes for Hire team, that's Spider-Man's role. The wise-cracking Peter Parker is an icon for Marvel Comics, having saved the world several times, but his true heroism comes from defending the streets of New York. This made him the perfect hero to join this street-level team.
4 Hercules
After the events of Onslaught and Heroes Reborn, Iron Fist and Jim Hammond started a new version of the original Heroes for Hire that Iron Fist and Luke Cage had formed years earlier. Bringing Luke back into the fold within the team's leadership, the team featured a rotating cast of heroes, including the demigod and Avenger Hercules.
Originally appearing in the ’60s after the villain Immortus pulled him out of the past, Hercules fought alongside Thor. Herc became a staple in the Marvel Universe, and he joined the team on several missions alongside other heroes like She-Hulk and Scott Lang.
3 She-Hulk
One hero who was perfect for the team and was able to serve as legal counsel if need be was Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk. The powerful hero is the cousin of original Hulk, Bruce Banner, who gave her a life-saving blood transfusion, leading to her transformation into She-Hulk.
Retaining her own mind and personality and becoming a permanent Hulk, Jennifer utilized both her brute strength and invulnerability in battle. She also is a brilliant legal scholar and selfless hero and has joined teams like the Avengers and of course the Heroes for Hire. There she has fought alongside heroes like Black Knight and White Tiger.
2 Iron Fist
The top two heroes on the team are of the heroes who founded the organization. The second most powerful hero on this team is none other than Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist. A young man who inherited a major corporation after his parents passing was trained for years by the monks of K’un L’un, slaying the dragon Shou-Lao and becoming the Immortal Iron Fist.
Channeling his own chi, Iron Fist has a powerful and explosive punch that glows like hot iron in a fire and he is a master martial artist, making him a dangerous opponent to face.
1 Luke Cage
The most powerful and memorable hero of the team is hands down Luke Cage. The man with unbreakable skin and super strength is a true icon of the team. Originally a means of earning money using his skills, the team became a true fighting force, solidifying his partnership with Danny Rand.
This also led to Luke joining teams like the Mighty Avengers and the Defenders, which he joined alongside Danny Rand, his wife Jessica Jones, and Matt Murdock. Yet it was the Heroes for Hire who first brought Luke into the expanding world of superhero stories, making him a household name for true Marvel fans.