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From failed legacy heroes to forgotten villains, these are the characters that have helped shape the Marvel Universe into what it is today, even if their contributions are no longer remembered.
10) Lucifer
One of the most recognizable attributes of Charles Xavier, aka Professor X, is his reliance on a wheelchair. However, most people are unaware of how he lost the use of his legs in the first place. The villain responsible was the alien Lucifer, who has tried on multiple occasions to take over the Earth. Lucifer met Charles long before he assembled the X-Men. He used a machine to brainwash a Tibetan village, but Charles used his telepathic powers to free the villagers and incite a rebellion. Furious that his plan was foiled, Lucifer hurled a boulder at Charles, which left the mutant permanently paralyzed. Despite his impact on the Professor X’s life, Lucifer has rarely been seen and is mostly forgotten.
9) New Warriors
The New Warriors are a team of superpowered teenagers. Their original roster was Night Thrasher, Nova, Speedball, Namorita, Firestar, and Justice. In many different incarnations over the years, the team hasfought numerous villains and saved the world on countless occasions. Possibly their most significant impact on the Marvel Universe was also their lowest moment. When the team, at the time consisting of Night Thrasher, Namorita, Speedball, and Microbe, attempted to apprehend the villain Nitro, the explosive mutant released a massive burst of energy. The explosion killed most of the members, as well as 600 civilians and 60 children in a nearby school. This disaster motivated the US Government to enact the Super-Human Registration Act, which directly led to the events of Civil War. Since then, several other versions of the original adolescent team have emerged, hoping to fix the group’s tarnished legacy.
8) Sleepwalker
In the Marvel Universe, many heroes protect the Earth and the galaxy, but there is only one hero who defends the world of dreams. Rick Sheridan, a college student, was experimented on by the villain Cobweb. The experiment caused Rick to be bonded with an astral entity called Sleepwalker. Now, when Rick falls asleep, Sleepwalker takes control of his body and fights crime in New York and the Mindscape. The Mindscape is the dimension that borders the line between dreams and reality. Sleepwalker fights monsters that try to escape into the real world or corrupt the minds of humanity. Although most people haven’t heard of him, the Marvel Universe can rest easy thanks to the Sleepwalker.
7) Thunderstrike
Eric Materson was an architect who was caught in the crossfire of a battle between Thor and the villain Mongoose. To save his life, Thor merged with the mortal, and the two shared a body, with Eric as Thor’s human alter ego. However, when Thor killed Loki, Odin punished his son by separating Thor and Eric and transferring the god’s powers to Eric. As the new Thor, Eric partook in one of Marvel’s most significant story arcs ever, “The Infinity Gauntlet,” which inspired the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Infinity Saga. When Thor got Mjolnir and his powers back, Odin gave Eric an enchanted mace with similar power. Taking on the name Thunderstrike, Eric continued his life as a superhero until he tragically died fighting the evil god, Seth.
6) Grand Director
After Steve Rogers was frozen in ice in the 1940s, another Captain America took his place. Bill Burnside grew up obsessed with the exploits of Captain America. When Steve was presumed dead, Bill became the next Captain America. Bill underwent plastic surgery to resemble his hero and legally changed his name to Steve Rogers. He also took an untested replica of Captain America’s super soldier serum. Bill was Captain America during the 1950s until the serum drove him insane. The US government put Bill in suspended animation to contain him. While he was asleep, the original Captain America returned. When Bill escaped his imprisonment, the effects of the serum drove him to become a right-wing Neo-Nazi supervillain called the Grand Director. He tried to kill his former hero several times. Bill was created by Marvel writers to retroactively explain why there were Captain America stories during the 1950s, the time he was supposedly frozen in ice.
5) ForgetMeNot
Xabi, aka ForgetMeNot, is a member of the X-Men whose mutant power is to be a forgettable person. The moment Xabi exits anyone’s line of sight, they instantly forget he ever existed. He can use this power to influence people’s behavior through subliminal messaging. As a member of the X-Men for six years, Xabi saved his teammates dozens of times from threats like the Brood and the Sentinels by working behind the scenes to sabotage their dastardly operations – and yet, none of the X-Men remember him. In fact, he died sacrificing his life to save the mutant nation of Krakoa from the villain Nimrod. Although his fellow mutants forgot him, Xabi was eventually brought back to life by a group of X-Men called the Five, who used their combined power to resurrect numerous deceased mutants. Sadly, even after being resurrected, Xabi’s powers are still in effect, so no one celebrated his return.
