10 Best Marvel Legacy Heroes Who Lived Up To Their Predecessor

When The Fantastic Four launched as the first official Marvel Comic in 1961, Marvel also introduced their first legacy hero with Johnny Storm, The Human Torch. Marvel reused the name and power-set of a hero from one of its predecessors, Timely Comics, and began a long-standing tradition of younger Marvel heroes assuming the legacy of heroes past.

With over 75 years of history to draw from, Marvel has often refreshed their roster for new generations of fans, each refresh resulting in at least a few of Marvel’s most popular franchises seeing new faces under the metaphorical mask.

10 Johnny Storm

Marvel’s original legacy hero, Johnny Storm, The Fantastic Four’s Human Torch, is one of the universe’s most popular and well-known characters, but one of their least acknowledged as a legacy. Taking his name from Jim Hammond, Marvel’s WWII era Torch, Johnny subsequently established his own catalog of adventures as a member of Marvel’s first family.

Headstrong and impulsive, Johnny has often been portrayed as the opposite in personality to his predecessor, but his exploits with The Fantastic Four and frequent team-ups with Marvel’s ever-expanding roster have established his place as the most recognizable hero to wield the name.

9 Eric Masterson

When Odin bestowed the power of Thor upon mortal Eric Masterson, he was a single father working a dead-end job and navigating divorce proceedings. There have never been any defined metrics as to what makes one worthy of wielding Mjolnir, but after a short partnership with the original Thor, Eric’s tenacity, humility, and heart made him an obvious replacement when the time arose.

When he eventually conceded ownership of the hammer to the original, Eric was rewarded for his time as Thor with an Odin-enchanted mace, and went on to wield similar powers for years after as the Avenger Thunderstrike.

8 James Rhodes

Lt. James Rhodes became the bodyguard, pilot, and best friend of Tony Stark in the years in which the pressures of being a billionaire celebrity superhero had begun to take a mental toll on the original Iron Man. Stark began a trajectory of increasingly poor decisions, culminating in his retirement. The armor would secretly be passed down to Rhodes, who went on to have a long tenure as the new Iron Man.

After co-founding the West Coast Avengers and saving the world many times over, Rhodes’ identity as a replacement would be revealed. Tony eventually rebounded and resumed the Iron Man role. In recognition of his service when needed, Rhodes would later be gifted the heavily armored War Machine suit.

7 Bucky Barnes

When the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, was assassinated at the end of Marvel’s Civil War event, the immediate question became: Who Will Wield The Shield? Despite the artifact being given to James “Bucky” Barnes by Tony Stark as a peace offering after the war’s conclusion, it was actually The Punisher who was the first to attempt to replace Rogers’ heroic identity.

Only after Castle’s misuse of the role would Bucky recognize the societal importance of Captain America, reluctantly taking it upon himself to attempt to live up to Rogers’ legacy. As Steve’s original sidekick, James was the obvious choice, but his struggles with his past actions as the brainwashed Winter Soldier frequently clouded his best intentions.

6 Kamala Khan

In the Marvel tradition of Spider-Man and The X-Men, Kamala Khan was just a teenager when she became gifted with her abilities. Already a fan of Marvel’s pantheon, Kamala quickly traded her blogging and fan-fiction for real-life participation among the heroes she had long adored.

After adopting Carol Danvers’ recently abandoned role as Ms. Marvel, Kamala became a staple of Marvel’s younger roster of heroes, fighting alongside teams such as The Champions and Young Avengers. As the first Muslim American hero to ever headline a Marvel Comic, Kamala’s inclusion in the universe broke new ground, immediately establishing her as a breakout character for the modern generation.

5 Laura Kinney

Wolverine has long been one of Marvel’s most iconic and irreplaceable heroes, especially when considering his status as a virtually unkillable character. Although he has been cloned, copied, and robotically duplicated in the past, it wasn’t until Laura Kinney, Logan’s genetically engineered “daughter” assumed the mantel of Wolverine that a true successor became obvious.

Laura’s adventures carry less continuity baggage than her predecessor’s but contain the same emotionally charged action as Logan’s. Without the complications of years of retcons and revisions to established canon, Laura has become an arguably more interesting Wolverine than her namesake.

4 Jane Foster

One of Thor’s early supporting cast, Jane Foster always had heroic inclinations, helping save the world in more than a few offbeat adventures. Following 2016’s Original Sin event, Thor became stripped of his hammer, which went on to select its own new host. Gifted with all of the abilities of the original, this new Thor’s identity would be a mystery for months, while her actions caused her predecessor to recognize his own humility as he witnessed a more worthy contender.

When it was eventually revealed that Jane was the face behind the hammer, it was also unveiled that she had been slowly dying in her human guise, a process that was only mitigated by her intermittent stints as the god-empowered entity. In a true hero’s death, Jane eventually returned the mantel to its original owner and made peace with her earthly mortality. Her time wielding Mjolnir would eventually be rewarded when she was resurrected as a champion of Asgard, joining their elite guard, The Valkyrie.

3 Sam Wilson

As Captain America’s long-time friend, The Falcon, Sam Wilson displayed all of the traits that established Steve Rogers as a leader amongst Marvel’s heroes. When the super-soldier serum that granted his vitality was removed from his body, the suddenly elderly Steve retired into a supporting role and passed the title of Captain America to Sam.

As Captain America, Sam represented the same patriotic ideals as his predecessor, with the added element of a lifetime of American minority experience. Refusing to partake in any power-granting enhancements, Sam’s success in the role came from his wit, grit, and resourcefulness. Although given blessing from the original to continue operating as Captain America following Rogers’ return, Sam instead chose to put down the mantel, but continue the fight.

2 Carol Danvers

Long associated with the name, Carol Danvers watched for years as other heroes assumed the identity and fell short of the bar set by the original Captain Marvel. Intimidated by the importance of the legacy, it wasn’t until an off-handed remark by Captain America that Carol realized she was the only woman who could feasibly succeed in such an important role.

With a drastic costume change and a whole new attitude towards her position within the ranks of earth’s mightiest, Carol hit the ground running, shedding her past baggage and re-establishing herself as one of the universe’s most important champions; the instantly recognizable version of Captain Marvel we know today. Through subsequent adventures, Carol has come to own the name and has built a legacy of heroism arguably more impressive than the original before her.

1 Miles Morales

Originating in an alternate reality in which the original died in battle, Miles Morales would similarly become altered by the bite of an irradiated spider, assuming the role as his world’s Spider-Man.

A fresh take for a new era, fans were unexpectedly treated to the tale of another inexperienced teen discovering the nuances of costumed super-heroism, while learning lessons of power and responsibility along the way. Since becoming incorporated into the main Marvel Universe, Miles has become a protege of the original Spider-Man, Peter Parker, and an established Marvel hero in his own right. With the same wide-eyed wonder that made Peter relatable to the generation of fans in which he was first published, Miles’s stories are Spider-Man distilled; a high fantasy coming of age story built around a solid moral center.

About The Author

Drew Beaty
(53 Articles Published)

Drew Beaty is a third-generation superhero fan who was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He began his collection with hand-me-down comic books from a used book store owned by his father and grandfather in the late 1980s. Today, Drew owns and has read over 50,000 individual comics. He was once ranked “Best In The World” in the Marvel Comics category of the mobile trivia game Quiz-Up and still has the screenshots to prove it. When he’s not reading or writing about masks and capes, Drew spends his time with his wife and cats, or rubbing elbows with Portland’s music scene, where he has performed in the hip hop group Bad Habitat since 2008.

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