Here's Marvel's next group....

40. Ultimate Captain America - 161 points (1 first place vote)

Steve Rogers was an American super-soldier during World War II, but was frozen after an explosion until he was thawed out in the 21st Century.

He became the leader of the superhero group, the Ultimates.

He is a lot like the regular Captain America, only he is much more of a soldier-type, and as such he can be a little more gruff than the regular Captain America.

In addition, he is very much a child of the 1930s, as he has fairly antiquated ideas about a lot of things, particularly things like chivalry.

He was created by Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch.

Scott Stafford had Ultimate Cap high on his list, and here are his reasons why:

There are a lot of key elements of Captain America's character that have been lost in the shuffle of decades of 616 continuity. Enter Ultimate Cap. The Ultimate Universe provided the opportunity to reboot Steve Rogers. Suddenly, he is once again a man lost in time. This element defines Rogers more than any other. Ultimate Cap has regained that conflict as he deals with a world that moved on without him.

NOW you can ask, "Who is this man?" Steve Rogers is a man with 1940's values and ideals. He is a veteran of the hardest war in the history of mankind. He has seen, suffered, and dished out major bloodshed because it was necessary. And he is a very, very dangerous SOB. Pluck that man out of the height of the war one day and wake him up sixty years later. This is the man you would be dealing with. Nearly everything he knows is gone. He has nothing left...except his country...and his ability to serve.

Over the years we've seen 616 Cap when he may as well be crying and wearing panties. There is little danger of a similar softening with the Ultimate version. If you need a butt-kicking, you're going to get it. If you stand in his way, he's going to move you. And if you hit your woman, you are most certainly going to regret it. His America is black and white, not a hundred shades of gray. THIS is Steve Rogers.

Thanks, Scott!

39. Human Torch (Johnny Storm) - 163 points

Johnny Storm, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, liked to hang around his big sister. He was even willing to follow her on an unauthorized space mission with her boyfriend.

The end result was that Johnny gained the power to turn his body into flames. He used said power to make himself fly, as well as shoot flames.

Calling himself the Human Torch, Johnny joined the newly formed Fantastic Four, where he has served with ever since, and where he is now today.

38. Princess Powerful/Bruiser (Molly Hayes) - 167 points (1 first place vote)

Molly Hayes is a member of the group, The Runaways (created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona). The group is made up of children of the superpowered crime syndicate, The Pride. When the children discover that their parents are villains, they, well, run away. Molly, at 11 years old, is the youngest member of the group, and is often very amusing, in her sheer exuberance at being a real-life superhero.

Molly is a mutant and has super strength, although too much exertion causes her to fall asleep.

Joe Rice had her #1. Why, Joe?

Out of all the legions of characters in the Marvel universe, why the hell would I choose a little girl created in the past decade? I mean, I loves me some Ben Grimm, some Reed Richards, some Nick Fury, and even some Longshot (Shut up, I was a kid!), so how does Molly Hayes top all of them? Honestly, I'm not sure if I could even tell you. I don't even follow Runaways anymore. There's just something about her.

I suppose she reminds me of some of my favorite people. She's the sort of adorable spitfire I've always been drawn to, either as a friend, as a favored student, or as a character. She's cute, but she's real. Vaughan's characterization of her felt honest even when she was at her most obvious "here's the cute bit from Molly!" None of these, really, are probably enough to put her over some of the other great characters Marvel has. But that gentle honesty, that freedom to be cute while not being cutesy . . .it struck a chord with me. It's the fun missing in so many superheroes after lesser writers misunderstood why people liked DKR or Watchment. Innocent but aware . . .she's seen awful things but hasn't let them turn her awful.

We could all use a bit more of that. Princess Powerful 4-eva!

37. Invisible Woman (Sue Storm/Richards) - 170 points (1 first place vote)

Sue Storm, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee, was a great girlfriend to Reed Richards. She even agreed to go on an unauthorized space mission with him! And as a result, she and her brother were hit by cosmic rays and gained powers.

She joined the newly formed Fantastic Four along with her brother, Reed and Reed's friend, Ben Grimm.

She now had the power to turn invisible, and over time, she developed the ability to make invisible force fields.

She married Reed, and the two now have two children.

After the events of Civil War, where she and Reed were on opposing sides, the two have taken a break from the Fantastic Four to work on their marriage.

36. Rogue - 183 points (2 first place votes)

Rogue's powers developed when she was a young teen and she kissed a boy and her power to absorb people's powers and memories manifested horribly. Scarred by this, Rogue was taken in by her foster mother, the mutant terrorist, Mystique.

She ultimately made Rogue a member of her group, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and set Rogue after Ms. Marvel, where Rogue absorbed Ms. Marvel's memories AND powers, making Rogue very powerful, but now fighting for control of her own mind.

She was forced to turn to the X-Men for help, and Professor X agreed to help her.

She joined the X-Men, and eventually became a valuable member of the team, even currently LEADING a squad of the team.

Luis Hernandez had her #1 on his list. Here is why:

She's my # 1 pick because she's a conflicted character. Not being able to touch someone without killing him/her must be tough to deal with. I think a lot of people feel like that sometimes: "Maybe i'm too fat, too ugly, too tall, skinny, etc... to ever find someone to have contact with"

I think a lot of people can identify with her. She has been portrayed as insecure, but then again she has shown she's a great leader that takes risks. She's humble and always someone you can rely on. Beautiful, smart and does have a lot of layers to her than a lot of other characters. A reformed villain who has always had a tumultous life since she was a child. I just think she's great and has a lot of potential to become more than what she is now. Mike Carey has done a tremendous job with her.

Thanks, Luis! That's it for today!

More on Monday!