If I don't count anyone from ONE PUNCH MAN or MY HERO ACADEMIA... I love superheroes in general, so I have an affection for many, but as I've gotten older, Batman has taken the lead. I still enjoy classic Superman for his overall "goodness", and for most of my life, the #1 spot was probably Spider-Man's (still a big fan). I think Batman gradually took the lead as I got older because while he may be an impossibly gifted billionaire ninja detective scientist, in the end, he's still "just a man", often operating alone, getting by on grit, willpower and a refusal to quit. It's inspiring. We can't be Batman, but we kinda can, by taking that next step, doing that next thing, refusing to quit, on those occasions when life gets rough. Lots of heroes deal with challenges - it's part of what makes them heroes! - but for me, Batman exemplifies that aspect of it.
As an adult I've been too jaded to have a favorite anything, so I'll try to remember a time when I was young and the world was new. Out of the options in the poll, I always liked The Flash. Being an impulsive, hyper, skinny kid who used speed to avoid getting killed on the football field, I always had an affinity for superspeedsters. His rogues gallery isn't the greatest, but it's good; it's fairly quirky, and his relationship with them is pretty unique in the superhero world. I was biggest on The X-Men as a kid. If I had to pick my favorite, it would have been Nightcrawler. A really fun, swashbuckling character with sympathetic development.
Mom will always be my superhero...but for a character I love even more every time he flies back into my heart and imagination, it’s Gatchaman < a.k.a. Ken Washio the Eagle, G-1>. I immediately fell for Ken < Known as Mark in Battle of the Planets, the original English edit of Gatchaman > I thought he was so cool: A long haired teenager who protects the Earth using bird style ninjitsu. Just typing that makes me smile so hard my jaw hurts. As I’ve come to discover: he was not the instant perfect leader or always calm, makes me love him even more. His father issues also hit home. I still think he is so cool. No matter how often Tatsunoko try to update him, that bellbottom wearing, 18-year-old kid flying in his Cessna, G-1 jet, or his white, birdstyle wings will always be my favorite incarnation. He gives me so much joy and hope. While Moon Knight, Green Arrow, The Warlord, Doctor Strange and Winter Soldier all make me squee with delight, I defer to this Earth loving hippie in and out of his super heroic attire.
Remember how we spoke about Battle of the Planets the other day? When we were kids I would always be Jason, my pal was always Mark.
Soon I hope, I know it has been filmed. Did you enjoy it? I thought S1 was great. The superhero characters have no redeeming qualities whatsoever do they? lol
Even before the MCU it was always Iron Man. The MCU has only made me appreciate him even more. Funny thing is though I only really love the first Iron Man film but his other numerous appearances more than make up for his last two not so stellar solo outings.