Heroes: 10 to 1

This is it kids. The best of the best. Every one of these guys gets their own pic.


10. Magneto (X Men): What? Magnus, the principal adversary of the X Men? Yes. He makes the heroes list. Magneto has always been a half and half guy; sometimes good, sometimes bad. But whether you like it or not, even his evil acts--attempting to eradicate homo sapiens in order to protect the mutant species--were not the evil actions prompted by greed, powerlust, or personal gain. In the end, when Marvel and DC combined to do their ultimate Good v. Evil showdown comic, Magneto was sided with the good guys--and that's good enough for me.
Magneto is Erik Magnus Lehnsherr, a Holocaust survivor who eventually grew to become the most powerful mutant on Earth. Magneto can shape and manipulate magnetic fields, either artificial or naturally occurring. Any form of energy that is in any way related to magnetism is his control, and he can manipulate the entire electromagnetic spectrum. He also has minor psychic abilities. Magneto is a born leader who tries to do the right thing, but in the end strives for one thing: mutant safety through mutant domination.

9. Gandalf the Grey (Lord of the Rings): Mithrandir, the White Rider, the one who would eventually become Gandalf the White. Gandalf was the ultimate wizard: wise, powerful in his magics, subtle, and stern. But he was also so much greater than most wizards: he cared for the world around him, he was devoted to good (a rarity amongst wizards), he was a great warrior and an adept swordsman, and never resided in one place for an extended period of time. He was powerful, just, and used his power to make the world a better place. Gandalf Greyhame was the ultimate mix of warrior and wizard. The Enemy of Sauron, one of the greatest evils ever, and the world was fortunate that it had one of the greatest heroes to counter him.

8. The Shrike (Hyperion Series, by Dan Simmons): Another "is he a hero" candidate, The Shrike has been many things to many people: hero, demon, avatar, Lord, and pain. The Lord of Pain, as his cultist followers call him, is really a construct from the distant future when God--our God, the God of humans--wars against the machine's Ultimate Intelligence, their own self created god. The Shrike can move in "Fast Time", meaning he can slow down time to move at whatever rate he wishes it to travel (for instance, he can slow time to where he is moving at normal speed, but it would take a human a week to complete a blink). Four armed, over three meters tall with ruby faceted eyes, The Shrike's skin is black caraspace completely covered in spikes. He is truly terrifying to behold.
The Shrike has been sent back in time both to destroy humanity and to protect it. As a guardian, he is second to none. He is a warrior without peer, and has only been bested in single combat ones: by Colonel Fedhman Kassad, the very warrior whose essence was used to create The Shrike in the future.

7. Sub-Zero the Younger (Mortal Kombat): Not to be confused with his older brother of the same name (who would eventually become the evil Noob Saibot), Sub-Zero is one of the Earth realms greatest defenders. As you can guess, Sub-Zero commands ice; he can create and shoot balls of ice from his hands, freezing his enemies, and can also make an ice statue of himself that will freeze his enemies if they touch it. He can also create a very powerful ice sword from ice.
Sub-Zero's older brother was killed by Scorpion in the original Mortal Kombat. Sub-Zero then took his brother's title and place amongst the cadre of ninja assassins known as the Lin Kuei. At one point he left the Lin Kuei, was scared on the right side of his face, and marked for death. He eventually took over as leader of the Clan and has since been using it to fight for good and the safety of Earth Realm. While Johnny Cage and Liu Kang have earned more glory for the exploits in defending Earth, Sub-Zero has always been one of the stalwart defenders, and arguably the most important.

6. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Star Wars): The venerable Jedi Guardian Obi-Wan Kenobi is one of the greatest Jedi to have ever lived. It was he who defeated both Darth Maul and Anakin Skywalker, and set Luke Skywalker on the path to saving the galaxy from the Empire established by the evil Dark Lord of the Sith, Darth Sidious.
Unfortunately, it was his perceived failing that most people--and he himself--probably remember. Obi-Wan become the Master of Anakin Skywalker after the death of Qui-Gon Jinn, and blamed himself for his apprentice's fall to the Dark Side. He also did not kill Anakin after their duel, thus leading to the emergence of the powerful Sith Lord, Darth Vader.
Obi-Wan was a powerful Jedi and a skilled warrior. His skill with a lightsabre ranked him amongst the greats, and The Force was strong with him. He was also a kind soul who cared about doing the right thing and helping those in need around. He was strong in the Light.

5. Wolverine (X Men): Probably Marvel Comics most visible character, Wolverine is one of the most popular comic heroes of all time. A mutant possessing an incredibly healing ability (Wolverine is probably immortal) and three bone claws that can be extended from just above his knuckles in each hand, Wolverine's bones were bonded with the unbreakable metal Adamantium by the Canadian government as part of the Weapon X project. His unbreakable bones, healing factor, and his bone claws now covered in Adamantium that can cut through anything except Adamantium make him a truly formidable warrior.
Unfortunately, another part of the Weapon X project was the wiping of Wolverine's mind. He doesn't know of his Origins, any family, or what his past holds. Those few memories he does have are suspect at best; some could have been placed in his mind as part of the Weapon X training. He has been with the X Men for many years, fighting to make the world a better place.

4. Ryu (Street Fighter video game series): Ryu is the Japanese warrior trained in the martial art Ansatsuken, and is famous for his two most powerful moves: the Hadoken, or Dragon Ball, and Shoryuken, or Dragon Punch. Ryu is the winner of the original Street Fighter Tournament, and gave Sagat the scar he bears on his chest during the final battle of the tournament (courtesy of his Dragon Punch). Ryu is on a quest for purity through battle, but still fights to keep the world safe from evil men like M. Bison and Akuma.

3. Colossus (X Men): Piotr Nikolaievitch Rasputin is the quiet, loving artist who can turn his skin into metal with a thought and become one of the strongest beings in the universe, Colossus. Colossus has been an X Men as long as Wolverine has, but longs for the simple life on the Russian farm he grew up on. However, he realizes that with great power comes great responsibility, and uses his incredible strength and fighting skills to fight for peace and justice in the world. He is devoted to his friends on the X Men, but most especially is devoted to his little sister, Illiana, who is the mutant known as Magick. The great warrior with the heart of a poet, Colossus is one of the greatest and most admirable heroes of all time.

2. Snake Eyes (GI Joe): Snake Eyes, or the Silent Master as many of his students call him, is one of the greatest heroes who ever lived. Snake Eyes is a ninja master who is also trained in modern warfare--one of my favorite Snake Eyes comics is one where Cobra Commander creates a room that is designed to specifically disrupt the minds and fighting styles of ninjas. He defeats Snake Eyes' clan brother, Storm Shadow, in the room, as Storm Shadow is only trained in ninjitsu. When Snake Eyes goes to rescue him, he also enters the room and listens to Cobra Commander arrogantly explain how his ninja skills are useless in here, and how he will defeat him. Snake Eyes then blows up the room--with Cobra Commander in it--with a rocket launcher. :-)
I digress. Snake Eyes dresses in all black, and wears a mask to cover his face, which was disfigured in an accident. His vocal cords were injured in the same accident, leading to his silence. He is one of the original recruits to GI Joe, and learned ninjitsu along side his best friend, Storm Shadow. He has been romantically linked to Scarlet on again off again for years. He has faithfully sided with GI Joe and fought to keep the world safe from COBRA since its inception.

And now, without question, the greatest hero ever is...


1. Optimus Prime (Transformers): The leader of the Autobots, and the greatest hero that ever existed, in any universe, ever. Making this list was hard, but choosing number 1 was not. Optimus Prime combines the greatest traits of all heroes: love of the defenseless, compassion of all living things, a desire for justice and peace, and unerringly stays on the side of right. He strives always for the best of things, for all. He is also a brilliant strategist, a charismatic leader, and a formidable warrior. He's also willing to go all the way: once you've crossed the line, and refused to turn from the side of evil, Optimus Prime is going to kick your ass. And not feel bad about.
That's the thing that I think I admire most about Optimus Prime. No hero I've ever seen has managed to walk that fine line so well. In both our fiction worlds and the real world, we always seem to struggle with when to use might in order to enforce the right. Optimus Prime has never had that problem. There are few more caring, compassionate heroes than he; however, when faced with true evil, Optimus is ready to put it down, and will not feel bad about it at all. They--Megatron, Shockwave, Starscream, Unicron--all have made their choice, and will now have to live with the consequences of their decisions and actions. It's as simple as that, and that's the way it should be.
Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots, a benevolent group of Transformers--mechanical beings from the planet Cybertron. They fight against the Decepticons, a group of evil Transformers bent on conquering Cybertron and the rest of the galaxy. Optimus can transform into a Mack truck, and has a variety of different weapons, including his Ion Canon and Laser Axe. Optimus carries the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which grants the Leader of the Autobots exceptional powers.