Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Top 36 Heroes - Part 5

I'm almost there, folks. I start today's post with a shocking omission. I didn't even realize I left this person out until yesterday.

12. Sherlock Holmes
You know, I thought I had this list ready when I wrote it a few days ago. Then, I remembered a certain detective. Sorry, Aang. Anyway, the famous Sherlock Holmes is a personal favorite of mine. I haven’t read many of the books, but I plan to one day. The guy’s a freaking genius in figuring out different mysteries and crimes. He’s also a master of disguise and is supposed to be a good fighter. While his digging and prodding can be annoying to people, Holmes is cool in my book.

When it comes to TV and movies, there are a few I like. Recently, there’s been Benedict Cumberbatch’s version of the character. If you haven’t seen the show Sherlock, what are you waiting for? It rocks! There are also the recent movies with Robert Downey Jr. as the character which bring a different look at the character. I’ve only seen the first movie and I enjoyed it. Lastly, there’s Basil Rathbone’s portrayal of the character. Yeah, I’m going old-school on this. It’s probably the definitive version of the character in general.

11. The Doctor from Doctor Who
Next up is the one and only: The Doctor. With no real name (which we still don’t know!), The Doctor is a Time Lord from the planet Gallafrey. He began his journey through all time and space when he stole a TARDIS (Time and Relative Dimension in Space) and left his homeworld. Over the years, The Doctor has had a lot of companions and has saved countless lives. I like the fact that he’s an overly smart, old alien with a preference for the unknown.  Whether he’s the first, fourth, ninth, or eleventh Doctor, that fact stays the same even when the Doctor himself doesn’t. My favorite Doctors are Tom Baker, Matt Smith, John Pertwee, and Dave Tenant.

10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Yes, I decided to include all of the turtles on here. I decided to include them all on here because it wouldn’t feel right. Yes, I do have a favorite Turtle (Leonardo), but I like the others about as much too. All of the Turtles bring something different to the table. Leonardo brings discipline, Donatello brings the brains, Raphael brings the fierceness, and Michelangelo brings the pizza… or the fun. All have a role on the team and make it awesome. While they all have different personalities, they all have the single goal in protecting people. They may be looked upon as freaks by others, but that doesn’t stop them in helping people. I can actually say that about a lot of heroes on this list. As for my favorite versions of them in movies and TV, it’s really a toss-up between the first movie, the fourth movie (TMNT) from 2007, and the 2003 series on FOX.

9.  Rocky Balboa
Number 9 is the Italian Stallion himself: Rocky Balboa. He’s the quintessential underdog with a good heart. I’ve seen all of the Rocky movies except for the sixth one. I still need to see it because I’ve heard it’s actually good. He’s an underdog in the first two movies, a champion in the third, a superhero in the fourth (well, he was! He was fighting the evil Russian!), a fallen celebrity in the fifth, and an old guy in the sixth. So what makes Rocky a cool protagonist? I like that he’s just an ordinary guy. He has to struggle to get where he needs to be whether it’s a fight or if it’s with his relationships. I also like that he’s not a completely perfect person. He does make mistakes but he learns from them. Rocky Balboa is probably Sylvester Stallone’s best role.

8. Spider-Man
Spider-Man is one of those characters that you know is going to show up on a list like this. One day, teenager Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider. Instead of killing him (radiation’s weird in the Marvel universe), it gave him superhuman abilities. After he was indirectly responsible for his uncle’s death, Peter decides that he will use his powers responsibly.  To some, he’s seen as a menace because of the media. To everyone else, he’s seen as a hero.  While I like the character, I’m not much of a fan of his comics. That could be because they constantly change him, I don’t know. I’m actually more of a fan of some of the cartoons and movies but I still haven’t seen Amazing Spider-Man.

So, what makes Peter Parker such a loved superhero? Is it the powers? Yes, it’s some of that but I think most of it has to do with the fact that Peter is such a normal guy. He’s a guy who struggles to make ends meet. He really has to lead a double life in the mask and out of the mask. I think he has it harder than most superheroes at balancing both lives. When it comes to TV and movies, the second Spidey movie and Spectacular Spider-Man (R.I.P.) are the best. I’ll also throw in the 90’s cartoon as well.

7. Luke Skywalker
Next up is Luke Skywalker, the son of Anakin Skywalker and Padme Amadala. I thought about using this “Star Wars” spot for Han, but I decided against it. Besides, Harrison Ford’s already on the list somewhere. Luke started out as a simple farm boy who got swept into a bigger world when two droids showed up. That world involved death, dismemberment, lightsabers, kissing your own sister (?), spaceships, and saving the galaxy from tyranny. Throughout the trilogy, Luke became an integral part of the Rebel Alliance. He also became a decent Jedi Knight in that time as well.

So, what is there to like about Luke? I highly doubt it’s some of his whining that he does in the first two movies. At least we now know where he got it from. Luke’s just a good guy. He’s a guy who willing to do all he can in helping people. Also, he’s got the Force on his side. You gotta admit that being a wielder of the Force is cool. He’s also a guy who’s willing to stick by his family. Even when Obi-wan and Yoda were telling him to kill Vader, Luke believed that his father still had some good left in him. Outside of the Joker from Batman: TAS, it’s Mark Hamill’s best remembered role.

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Well, I got one more post in me on this. Who's in my top six spots? Find out tomorrow!

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