Savage Dragon has a unique distinction at Image Comics. Creator Erik Larsen has been the only writer and artist on the book since it debuted in 1992. In this time, he has introduced hundreds of characters. Sometimes, they are there once and never come back. Sometimes they have a lasting impact on the comic.
Here is the list of the ten best characters in Savage Dragon. There are so many great characters, some have failed to make the list. This doesn't mean that they aren't worthy of mentioning. Making the honorable mentions are Horridus, Rapture, Mr. Glum, Superpatriot, and Powerhouse. There are so many good characters in Savage Dragon. For a more complete list of characters, the Savage Dragon wiki and official website are good resources.
10 Captain Tootsie
This may seem strange, given that Captain Tootsie was one of the worst public domain characters Erik Larsen pulled into his series. However, Erik Larsen has taken the character and made him a well-developed and layered character. His introduction had a few readers scratching their heads, but his worth was quickly realized.
He's not been in the book a long time, but he's proven to be worthy of conversation, and may just be the role model Malcolm needs. Of course, just like most of the Golden Age characters that Erik Larsen brought into the book, he could vanish from the series quickly.
9 Brainiape
Initially, Brainiape was just a gorilla with an exposed brain in a jar. Then Erik Larsen gave us a shocking discovery that instantly catapulted him to the top tier of evil villains. His was the brain of Adolf Hitler, surviving the war to start the seeds of a new Nazi Party. When an attack by U.S. Government representatives left his body mostly destroyed, scientists saved his brain, eventually putting it in a jar on the head of a vicious gorilla.
Of course, there have seen some silly moments, such as Hitler's brain holding a gun. Brainiape gave a good variety of stories before meeting his end in a new robotic body. He met his final end when Solar Man targeted the villain on his berserk crusade against criminals.
8 Thunder-Head
Thunder-Head is the son of Skullface and Rapture. That makes him Malcolm Dragon's half-brother, via alternate dimensions. This gave the character a path to redemption. Along the way, he tried to follow his father's footsteps into a life of crime with the Vicious Circle, despite Skullface telling him not to as he was growing up. Malcolm gave him a chance to reform, which was apparently a wise choice.
Since he debuted, Thunder-Head has further ingratiated himself into the Dragon family tree. He moves to Canada to be with them after he's fired from his job for a crime his duplicate from an alternate dimension committed. He's begun a relationship with Maxine's mother. He even fathered Maxine's half-sister.
7 Daredevil
Daredevil was another public domain character that Erik Larsen added to the comic. Daredevil became an operating hero in Chicago. There he finally began a relationship with Angel Murphy, aka Battle Girl. This followed a flirtation that had lasted years.
The relationship was problematic. Angel was very young, and there was always the issue of distance. The real issue was residual feelings she had for her stepbrother Malcolm. Daredevil hasn't been seen much since.
6 Dart II
The first Dart was a great ally and teammate to Dragon. Her niece Allison Summers took on the identity after she arranged for Mako to kill her aunt. She also framed a hero, Horridus for the crime. She operated as an ally of Dragon long enough to murder her grandfather and steal his God Sword, which can kill anyone.
She joined the Vicious Circle and has been the killer of numerous people since. She's taken over the criminal organization and is currently plotting to kill Malcolm Dragon.
5 Alex Wilde
Alex Wilde is the only supporting character on this list that was in Savage Dragon from the very beginning. She was one of Dragon's fellow officers on the Chicago police force. She was one of his closest friends. It quickly became obvious that Alex was the romantic relationship that Dragon should have had all along. Unfortunately, it was never to be for them, despite several tries. She even takes an extended, dangerous trip to Dimension X to try and find another version of him.
Alex was a normal person and kept Dragon grounded. Dragon's character evolved and the two grew apart but shared an emotional bond. Unfortunately, Alex never could get over him and it kept her from developing stable relationships. Her trip to Dimension X was really cathartic and was one of the most original uses of a romantic supporting character done in comics.
4 Dragon
The original Dragon endured more than most characters have had to. He died multiple times, changed time, and helped get civilization rebuilt. Oh, he also reverted to his original personality of an evil, conquering alien warlord.
The crimes he committed as Emperor Kurr put him in prison without his powers. Unfortunately, he was needed again and used a transfusion of Malcolm's blood to get his powers back. This ended tragically as Dragon exploded like everyone does that takes Malcolm's blood.
3 Battle Girl
Angel Murphy was essentially the stepdaughter of Dragon. She was raised with his son Malcolm. That made it very awkward when she acted on feelings for him. It got in the way of her relationships with Malcolm's friend Frank, Jr., and Daredevil.
Malcolm's wife Maxine invited Angel into their bedroom. One of these resulted in Angel pregnant. An abortion failed due to the healing ability the child inherited from Malcolm. Angel remains a fixture in their lives, occasionally babysitting for them.
2 Maxine Dragon
Malcolm's wife Maxine has become one of the most interesting characters in the book. Erik Larsen took her hyperactive libido and turned into a character trait that she actively copes with. She's also had to deal with the struggles of celebrity, motherhood, and returning from the dead.
Maxine has also developed a story that can almost only exist in comics. She's making the choice to preserve her youth indefinitely. Just when readers think they have Maxine pinned down, Erik Larsen throws them a curveball.
1 Malcolm Dragon
The original Savage Dragon's son is now the star of the title. His troubles include having an overly libidinous wife, four kids by three different mothers, and a number of super-powered foes, despite relocating to Canada. The biggest problem that he seems to have is deciding what type of man he's going to be.
Because the series follows real-time, readers have seen Malcolm from the moment that he was born. In the past few years, they've seen him go from an awkward teenager to a hero in his own right, making tough decisions. In the way he portrays Malcolm, Erik Larsen is showing himself as a creator worthy of another quarter-century if he wants it.