Being a superhero in the Marvel Universe is not an easy job. It's dangerous, stressful, and downright inconvenient for both the heroes and their loved ones. Nonetheless, some individuals have answered the call to protect New York and the rest of the Marvel Universe against some of the most treacherous and vile villains in existence.
Some have answered the call with full volition, while others have hesitantly stepped into the hero spotlight. These reluctant heroes are all heroes in their own right but would have preferred a different life path if they had the choice or if the circumstances were in their favor.
8 The Thing Owes It To His Family To Be the Best Person He Can Be
No matter how one looks at it. Reed Richards was the cause of the Fantastic Four, and it was all because of his arrogance and selfishness. But the person who had it the absolute worst was most certainly the Thing.
The Thing should have become Reed's worst enemy, but Reed also gave him something that no one else could, a family. The rest of the team cared for him, and they tall took care of each other. Because of this, the Thing sticks around with the others, doing his best to create the most good despite the circumstances.
7 Namor Is Very Protective Of His Atlanteans
One distinguishable trait of Namor is his steadfast dedication to his Atlanteans and, to a lesser extent, his allies during WWII and the mutant populace. Because of his birth status, he is the ruler and protector of Atlantis.
Although he would rather not deal with the surface dwellers, he interacts and sometimes even fights them for the sake of his people. To some, he is a hot-headed, short-sighted, and condescending mutant, but to his fellow Atlanteans, he is a hero. He couldn't care less about surface dwellers and only takes on the call of duty when he or his people are in danger.
6 Gambit Has Close Ties To Some of His Fellow X-Men, Prompting Him to Stay On the Team
Gambit was trained in the art of professional thievery before he was even ten years old. After pickpocketing Jean-Luc LeBeau, the head of the Thieves Guild, he was then adopted and became a part of the Thieves Guild, up until his exile years later. After this time, he became a nomad/mercenary of shorts, using his pickpocketing skills for survival. He then meets a powerless Storm and saves her from the Shadow King.
She eventually introduces him to the X-Men, and he soon meets Rogue. In a short time, Gambit managed to forge some strong ties with his fellow X-Men, particularly Rogue. Rogue is arguably the only reason why he stays with the X-Men. Although he has a good heart, Rogue is his guiding light and pushes him to do the most good.
5 Elektra Does the Most Good When Murdock is in the Picture
Elektra is the typical rich character in comics. She comes from an affluent family, was trained extensively in martial arts, and had an excellent education. But at her core, she really isn't all that invested in doing good, possibly due to some events of her past. She really doesn't care about Hell's Kitchen and is willing to turn a blind eye to things that benefit her. That is unless Matt Murdock/Daredevil is in the picture.
Elektra truly loves Murdock and is willing to do whatever to protect him, even becoming Daredevil herself. Murdock's staunch probity is annoying to her at times, but it's contagious, especially for someone with so much history with him.
4 Uncle Ben's Death Incentivized Peter Parker to Become A Hero
As Spidey fans recall, Peter's first act as Spider-Man was to make money by surviving an exhibition wrestling match with Joseph "Crusher" Hogan. After surviving the three minutes, he becomes a celebrity and soon appears on TV. But then, on one fateful day, he witnesses a burglar evading the police backstage. Instead of stopping him, he says a snarky remark and lets him go.
This burglar would eventually murder Uncle Ben, forcing Peter to take his newfound powers more seriously and responsibly. Peter had no intention of becoming a hero, but the circumstances drove him to become one of the most heroic in the entire Marvel Universe.
3 Magneto Is Sometimes Willing to Compromise His Ideology For the Sake of Mutantkind
Although Magneto is not the genius his friend and archenemy Professor X is, he is not an unintelligent character either. His ultimate goal is to see the mutant race's prosperity, longevity, and superiority. He believes that the predominant path towards this goal is through violence against humans.
He is, however, willing to forgo this ideology (albeit temporarily) if he sees a better path towards mutant equality. Because of this, he is open to revising his way of thinking and using more humane approaches to help the mutants. For example, this could mean teaching at Xavier's school, teaming up with the X-Men against a real existential threat, or acknowledging someone else's leadership.
2 Vanisher Is a Commodity to the X-Men and X-Force
Although a wrongdoer, Vanisher is not the supervillain Thanos is. Likewise, although an X-Force member, he also isn't the hero Captain America is. He is, nonetheless, a valuable member of the X-Men and X-Force, especially during their time on Utopia, since he is one of the few mutants capable of long-range teleportation.
Vanisher despises his work with the X-Men and would rather spend his time and money on drugs and in brothels.
He chooses to stay with the X-Force for two reasons. First, Wolverine and Cyclops force him to, and second because he believes that Elixer, a fellow teammate, can heal his illness due to a brain tumor (readers later learn that his illness is because of stage four Syphilis).
1 Hulk Always Seems To Find Trouble
Although Hulk has been on many superpowered teams over the years, all he truly wants is to be left alone, dealing with life like any other hero. But no matter where Hulk runs off to, people always seem to find him, and there's always trouble right around the corner.
Since Hulk is a part of Bruce Banner and Banner is a good man, he usually does what's right, saving innocent civilians. He doesn't mind being a hero, but he would rather not be if he had the choice.