AudioShocker

9. Nighthawk – There’s a reason this list starts with Kyle Richmond: he’s stepped up (during and) since Civil War, but not enough to be a rising star. Simply put, Nighthawk is more important in the Marvel Universe now than he was previous to Civil War. Not by a lot, mind you. Just more than before. I thought that his starring role in Last Defenders was a trippy superhero hoot, and I hope that writers continue to push his story further in the direction that Joe Casey kindly put him on.

8. Iron Man – I would be remiss to not include the Iron Avenger in my countdown. Plain and simple, Tony Stark has become the new Wolverine. Now that he has a breakout Hollywood blockbuster under his belt, his street cred is only going up. For readers of Marvel Comics since Civil War, Tony’s star status is a no-brainer. In fact, he’s bordering on overexposure lately, and that’s why he’s so low on this list. The fact remains that Iron Man is more integral to the Marvel Universe now than ever, and it’s safe to say that things will be staying like that for quite some time to come.

7. Hercules – The Lion of Olympus is now the proud owner of his own critically acclaimed solo series (shamelessly stolen from Hulk), and from the looks of things, he’s going to be in Mighty Avengers after Secret Invasion. After smashing the shit out of Clor in the final issue of Civil War, Herc has been on the fast-track to fandom. He’s been the star of some of the best event tie-in stories of the past few years, and if things keep going the way they are right now, Hercules will be one of Marvel’s biggest stars in the upcoming decade.

6. Luke Cage – Carl Lucas was the breakout star of New Avengers following Avengers Disassembled. But following Civil War, Luke took leadership of the team and became this top selling title’s lead character. Luke is now a bonafide staple of the Marvel Universe after languishing on the sidelines for decades. Need proof? Cage gets name-checked by Q-Tip in his new album Renaissance on the track “Dance On Glass,” where Q-Tip calls himself the “Luke Cage of the loose leaf page.”

5. Iron Fist – So things were a little weird for Iron Fist during Civil War. First, he was pretending to be Daredevil over in DD’s solo title, and then he was “officially” wearing the duds of Daredevil in Civil War (but never named as such during the mini series). However, the post-Civil War landscape has been kind to Danny Rand, granting him New Avengers status and a wonderful solo series. A much-needed costume redesign and a newly invented Iron Fist legacy have granted this son of K’un-Lun a fresh lease on life (if he can survive his 33rd birthday, that is…).

4. War Machine – In the Marvel Universe, Jim Rhodes was pretty much MIA for the first half of this decade (save for The Crew, but even then Rhodey was trying to pawn his War Machine helmet instead of wearing it). Following Civil War, Dan Slott saved Rhodey from obscurity by placing him in charge of the Initiative’s Camp Hammond. Since then, War Machine has been slowly heating up. Now, with Secret Invasion nearing its end, he’s ready to boil. War Machine has taken over Iron Man: Director of SHIELD, and he’s spinning off into his own series post-SI that looks to be a real knockout.

3. Ms. Marvel – Carol Danvers was doing pretty well pre-Civil War, but it was nothing compared to her star status since Captain America surrendered. Ms. Marvel rose to leadership of the government-sanctioned New York state Initiative team in Mighty Avengers, while steering her own solo series into interesting territory. My guess is that Carol won’t be the leader of the Mighty Avengers following Secret Invasion, but she’s still going big places in the Marvel Universe.

2. American Eagle – Okay, maybe it’s a bit of a cheat putting Jason Strongbow so high up on this list. But high his short guest spot in Thunderbolts gave new meaning to stealing the spotlight. He fought off the insane Colorado Initiative team, paralyzing Bullseye in the process. Marvel.com has just launched a digital-only American Eagle comic this past Wednesday, featuring the work of Jason Aaron and Richard Isanove. That alone is enough to make me purchase a subscription to Marvel’s Digital Comics Unlimited.

1. 3-D Man – The hero formerly known as Triathlon has been redefined in the page of Avengers: The Initiative since Civil War, currently taking the lead during the Secret Invasion tie-in issues. Delroy Garrett, Jr.’s superhero legacy has always been connected to 3-D Man, but he officially assumed the title following his Initiative graduation. Now, with shape changing Skrulls covering Earth, Delroy can see them for what they are thanks to his goggles (a special gift from Chuck and Hal Chandler, who together formed the original 3-D Man). It’s unclear what the future holds for 3-D Man, but his upcoming Skrull Kill Krew mini series stands to be a great read if it’s anything like the past story arc of Avengers: The Initiative.

Next: There is no way I can keep filling in “Next” for this column!!! Consider this your last “Next”!

Why the Top 9? Because 10 is too many and 9 is better. 3 X 3 = Awesome. Now that’s what I call math.