With a comic book industry spanning over a hundred years, the United States boasts one of the largest and most diverse crop of superheroes in the world. They began as serialized strips in magazines and newspapers, and often came to reflect the time in which they were published. Superheroes helped make the problems of the world seem a little less dire, and offered a colorful distraction for American citizens. Superheroes offered an escape in response to things like war, economic depression, and governmental control.
The pages of American comic books are as diverse as the country itself, populated by superheroes from countries both real and fictitious. These superheroes offer an insight into the cultural traditions of their nations, and in some case the ideals and moral philosophies inherent to their nation’s traditions are a big part of each one of their superhero identities. Alternatively, a superhero just wants to forget where they came from and start life anew in a different place. Whatever the case, their origin stories often reflect the socio-political climate of their native country, which shapes them into who they are by the time they’re fighting alongside one another on American soil. It’s easy to forget just how diverse they are by the time all these superheroes have forged alliances, made enemies, and formed super teams, Whether these superheroes come from Ancient Egypt, 19th century Canada, or an island hidden in the Bermuda Triangle, they’re some of the most powerful in both the DC and Marvel Universes.
24 BLACK BOX
A technopath with the ability to physically access data from any electronic media, interpret it, and store it, Black Box could have had X-Men potential had it not been for his criminal tendencies. Born Garabed Bashur in India, he sparked the curiosity of Professor Charles Xavier, who taught him how to focus his electronic form of telepathy. Professor X had a difficult relationship with the boy because he often used his powers for selfish reasons.
Black Box has the ability to store infinite amounts of data in his mind, and uses a virus called the Dominus Objective routed through his Black Box armor to created a “file search” capability, allowing him to retrieve information simply by focusing on it.
23 SPIDER-WOMAN
While Peter Parker’s transformation into Spider-Man resulted from being bitten by a radioactive spider, Jessica Drew received her powers from her father. The daughter of a famous British scientist, she was injected with a serum derived from spiders, which her father believed would cure her of uranium poisoning. He locked her in an immunization isolation chamber for years (where her aging slowed due to stasis), until she awoke in her family house with no recollection of what happened.
Jessica Drew has the same super strength, agility, and healing powers of Spider-Man, compounded with her body producing bio-electricity which she channels into “venom blasts”. Her body also produces pheromones which she can use to instill fear or attract someone to her.
22 NIGHTRUNNER
France’s answer to Batman, Nightrunner was specifically recruited by Bruce Wayne and Dick Greyson to represent the Cape and Cowl in Paris, giving him the nickname Le Batman de France. Born Bilal Asselah in Algiers, he often teams up with Batman to deal with issues involving social unrest, political uprisings motivated by shadow villains, and even trafficking rings.
Extremely athletic and a fan of parkour, Nightrunner immediately impressed the Dark Knight when he was in Paris to stop several political assassinations. Providing all the tech, funding, and equipment he’d ever need, how could Nightrunner turn down the Caped Crusader’s offer to be part of Batman Incorporated?
21 WHITE TIGER
With the power of two Jade Tiger amulets, Hector Ayala could transform into the great White Tiger, an animal spirit that granted the protector of the amulets with immense power. White Tiger fought criminal cartels and child trafficking rings in his home country of Puerto Rico, but was also known to team up with Daredevil and Spider-Man when they needed his help.
While the amulets grant their possessor amazing speed, lightning reflexes, and the “strength of a tiger”, they can also corrupt them. Many times Hector had to walk away from his superhero duties, so addicted was he to his powers. There have been four other White Tigers, (the most recent being Hector’s younger sister), one of which could even turn into a white tigress.
20 SHAMROCK
Born Molly Fitzgerald, the daughter of a militant member of the Irish Republican Army, Shamrock was known throughout the Emerald Isle for her commitment to justice and her defense of the common people. This manifested in a strange fashion -- her body became the vessel for lost souls and ghosts displaced by war.
Shamrock’s unique affinity with the spirit world (often given great credence by the Irish) grant her certain abilities, such as “the Luck of the Irish”, in which good fortune buoys any action she does, and bad fortune to those that oppose her. The spirits of war-torn poltergeists will always give Shamrock the advantage, so that their plight may always be remembered.
19 SILVER SABLE
Having the distinction of being a legitimate mercenary with business acumen as well as diplomacy, Silver Sable is the head of Wild Fox and Silver Sable International, the operations of which bolster the economy of the fictitious European state Symkaria. Symkaria borders Latveria, ruled by Doctor Doom, with whom Silver Sable has kept relations between the two neighboring nations amicable.
Although she has no superpowers herself, she is a skilled martial artist, gymnast, and swordswoman. She carries the latest tech on her person, as well as a variety of weapons for whatever mission she’s on for Silver Sable International. Her greatest ally, when she’s feeling virtuous, is Spider-Man.
18 BLACK WIDOW
Born in Stalingrad, Natasha Romanova grew up in a fiery world of mortar shells and impending enemy assault. It was during an attack by enemy forces that she was trapped in a burning building, only to be saved by a Soviet soldier that watched over her until she was drafted into Soviet Intelligence in the '30s.
Following WWII, Natasha was recruited to be a part of the Black Widow Program, in which young female initiates were trained to be elite sleeper agents. She acquired an assortment of physical abilities through government enhancement, including heightened reflexes, speed, and agility. She has proven herself to be one of the world’s most deadly assassins.
17 GOLEM
According to Jewish folklore, a Golem was a being made out of clay that could be controlled by its creator, and had immense strength and agility. The Golem was created by Judah Loew Ben Bezalel in the 16th century, as a protector for the Jewish population being persecuted in Prague, but became a superhero that protects the Jewish people against threats both domestic and abroad.
The Golem was reanimated by Professor Abraham Adamson’s life force upon his death, giving rise to the eight foot tall purple clay being that can acquire enormous strength from the land itself as long as it has contact. It later became a member of S.H.I.E.L.D’s Howling Commandos.
16 HELLFIRE
An Australian Inhuman with a penchant for demolition, J.T. James often went by Hellfire or Scorch, and split his affiliation between Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Watchdogs, depending on his mood. Mistrustful of authority, he often spited the teams that would help him the most by favoring the teams that offered him the most recognition.
J.T. James has the ability to use pyrokinesis, which allows him to set anything on fire even if it’s not originally designed to be. His typical weapon is a flaming chain, which makes sense, given his original character design was that of J.T. Slade, a descendant of the original Ghost Rider.
15 CAPTAIN BRITAIN
Granted mystical powers of strength and resilience by the wizard Merlin himself, Brian Braddock became Captain Britain after suffering a horrific motorcycle accident and getting visited by the mythical figure and his oracular daughter, Roma. They offered Brian the Amulet of Right, which he uses to uphold the laws of Britain.
Among Captain Britain’s arsenal is a staff that he can use to vault over objects with, as well as project force-fields. Merlin later made it into a mace-like staff called the Star Sceptre, which gave him the ability to fly at supersonic speeds. The Amulet of Right grants him super strength and reflexes, and the ability to sense magical beings or things that have been cloaked for purposes of deception.
14 ALEJANDRA JONES
This female incarnation of the Ghost Rider was born the daughter of a human trafficker in Mexico. All too familiar with the sin of mankind and the desire to exact vengeance, Alejandra Jones was granted the Spirit of Vengeance by Johnny Blaze himself.
Like anyone that bears the mantle of the Ghost Rider, Alejandra has superhuman strength, stamina, and durability. She has a regenerative healing ability, and her pyrokinesis allows her to set any object (or person) ablaze at will. She can increase her size, create vortexes through which to teleport, and employ Penance Stare on anyone, whereby they feel all the pain they’ve ever caused anyone for eternity.
13 WHITE FOX
In South Korea, tales abound of the Kumiho, a race of shape-shifting foxes with nine tails that act as guardians and protectors. Ami Han is the last of their kind, her gift for transformation having been passed down to her from her grandmother. Along with being White Fox, she is also a member of South Korea Intelligence.
As White Fox, Ami Han has all the natural abilities of a fox, complete with heightened agility and olfactory senses, as well as the ability to extend and retract claws on her fingers. She can also communicate with the animal kingdom to relay messages of duress or to gain their offensive assistance.
12 PSYLOCKE
The sister of the tea-drinking knock-off of Captain America, Captain Britain, Psylocke had psychic powers, but was never confident enough in her own abilities to be a superhero in her own right. For a brief period of time she was abducted to the Mojoverse, brainwashed, and fitted with bionic eyes. Luckily, she would later become a member of X-Men, and aid them in her telepathic powers.
Her telepathic abilities allow her to channel her telekinesis into her limbs, giving her superhuman strength and reflexes. She can also generate telekinetic weapons at will, such as a katana, and the use of her “psychic knife” ability has proved to be fatal.
11 COLOSSUS
The strongest member of the X-Men team is Colossus, a mutant man with the power to transform his entire body into metal. Born Piotr Nikolayevich Rasputin in Russia, he embodies the titanium reserve, stoicism, and dignity of his nation. At 6’7”, he is a physically imposing figure that has a gentle heart, who can be compassionate and virtuous, and is a surprisingly good artist.
Reluctant to use his powers in combat, Colossus nevertheless proves an invaluable member of the X-Men team with his immense brawn as well as his virtuous spirit. In his metal form, he doesn’t require water, food, or oxygen. He is susceptible to vibranium attacks however, and must shift back to his human form in such cases.
10 BLACK PANTHER
With a fortune to rival Tony Stark and tech to rival Batman, Black Panther epitomizes the archetypes of the most successful superheroes. King of the fictitious kingdom of Wakanda, a nation in Africa, he sits on its throne as a wise leader that puts the demands of his subjects before himself. He finds a balance between keeping the ancient traditions of his people alive, and providing a bridge between their technological achievements and the outside world.
King T’Challa gets his powers from the Black Panther, a powerful spirit which every Wakandan king invokes before they are crowned. It grants him super speed, strength, and agility, all of which are augmented by a special super suit made with vibranium, the strongest alloy known to man.
9 HERCULES
Like the famous Heracles of Greek mythology, Hercules was a superhero celebrate for his strength and his virtuous spirit. He was drawn into battle with the God of Thunder by the evil Immortus. Realizing they have more in common as friends than as enemies, Hercules quickly joins Thor and the Avengers in their defense of Earth and its people.
Being the most powerful of all the Olympian gods, Hercules possesses the strength, fortitude, and agility of Zeus or Ares, as well as being able to heal quickly and withstand the impact of modern bullets. He’s purported to have single-handedly dragged the island of Manhattan, though he is also known to boast.
8 WOLVERINE
One of Marvel’s most well-known superheroes is also Canadian. Born James Howlett in Alberta, Canada, during the 1880s, his life would be filled with tragedy -- discovering his father was in fact the groundskeeper of his family home, accidentally killing his childhood companion with his latent mutant abilities, and watching friends pass on while he lived the endless life of an immortal.
Wolverine served in the Canadian military during both world wars, even teaming up with Captain America. After he was kidnapped by the Weapon X program to create the ultimate super soldier, the skeletal structure of his body was fused with adamantium, giving him his famous claws. Professor Charles Xavier recruits him for the mutant team X-Men, and he becomes one of their leading members.
7 VIXEN
Born in the fictional African nation of Zambesi, Mari Jiwe McCabe became one of a long line of descendants of the warrior Tantu to possess the Tantu Totem, a totem given to him by Anansi the Spider in Ancient Ghana to protect the innocent. Mari took the totem from her uncle, General Maksai, after he killed her father for its powers. She then became the superhero Vixen and gained her superhuman abilities.
The Tantu Totem grants its possessor all of the powers of the animal kingdom by connecting with the Earth’s morphogenetic field, sometimes called the “Red”. Once tapped into the Red, Vixen can invoke the strength of a bear, the speed of a cheetah, or with great concentration several animals at once.
6 AQUAMAN
Though his origins have changed slightly over the several decades he’s been a superhero, Aquaman has always been the king of Atlantis and hailed from beneath the ocean’s waves. Originally conceived as the offspring of a human oceanic explorer and a beautiful maiden of Atlantis, Arthur Curry often struggles with his devotion to his people under the sea and those above it (including his superhero allies).
Aquaman has always had the ability to commune telepathically with marine life, though he can also control the movements of the ocean around him. Given that he can adapt to living in the harshest of environments, he has superhuman stamina, strength, and lung capacity. He can easily withstand machine gunfire.
5 STORM
The daughter of a tribal Kenyan princess and an American photojournalist, Ororo Monroe became an orphan when her parents were both killed in Cairo during an Arab-Israeli conflict. After living as a thief on the streets, she eventually wanders into the Serengeti where she is worshipped as a goddess when her mutant powers reveal themselves. It’s at this time that she’s recruited for the X-Men by Professor Charles Xavier.
One of the most powerful of the X-Men, her ability to control the weather includes both ecosystems found on Earth and in outer space. She can control rainfall, wind currents, and climate temperature. When it suits her, she can summon hurricanes, typhoons, and meteor showers.