The Nerdy Dozen: Comics Greatest Leaders
Brian Eison;)
Ask twelve different people what makes a great leader and you could certainly get a dozen different answers. Part of the equation is of course what kind of follower you might be and therefore what type of leader you need. But personal needs or taste aside, I think a few ways to look or in this case rank leaders are by their longevity, the reaction they get from others, the situations they have been presented with and of course their results. With these points in mind, here is my Nerdy Dozen of the greatest leaders in comic book history.
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art by Jim Sterank12) Nick Fury
Politics and espionage are dirty businesses so Nick Fury is far from a squeaky clean leader in anyone’s eyes. But still for decades there he was in charge of soldiers and superheroes alike in trying to save the world on a daily basis. Eventually his “ends justify the means” way of doing business caught up to him, but he had a tremendously long run as a powerful leader in the Marvel Universe.
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art by Joe Jusko11) Professor Xavier
Like a lot of well known leaders and comic book heroes, Charles Xavier has had huge successes and huge failures. And while I think it is easy to remember his mistakes, he is still the founder of both a school and a superhero team that did immeasurable good for not only mutants but the entire world.
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art by Cliff Rathburn10) Rick Grimes
Rick is a textbook example of someone who is more capable than most but would prefer not to carry the burden of leadership. However when he is forced to lead he doesn’t take the path of least resistance, he does the best he can despite the difficult choices and personal sacrifices to himself. His choices are far from perfect but anyone reading The Walking Dead has got to marvel at Rick’s ability to keep living at this point much less continuing to try to help others.
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art by Tim Sale9) Commissioner Gordon
I know this seems like an odd choice given the others on this list but I think Jim Gordon doesn’t get nearly the credit he deserves. Yes he needs Batman and his allies to help police Gotham City but a less capable leader of that city’s police forces would not have the long tenure that Gordon does. But when Bats and his sidekicks are out of town, who else is left to keep order and fight off all of the crazies? And let’s face it, between his various team commitments, deaths and other interests Batman is out of Gotham a lot. Honestly a lesser person would have quit long ago in that town. But Gordon isn’t built that way he wants the best for his city and its people.
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art by Adi Granov8) Iron Man
Sometimes you’ve got to give credit to a guy that you’d rather not. In this case that guy is Tony Stark. Time and time again he is either called upon or chooses to take a leadership role in the Marvel Universe and each time he gives it his all. Be it in business or the Avengers or situations on a much grander scale he is there check book and martini in hand ready for both the intellectual and physical battle. Of course because he is larger than life, so are his failures but that has yet to stop him from getting right back in that shiny suit of armor to try again.
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art by Ed McGuinness7) Superman
Some men are born to lead while others are born for people to tell them they should lead. The latter better describes the Last Son of Krypton better than the first. People in the DCU look up to Supes as an example to follow and a figure head for the superhero community. The problem is while he lives up to their expectations in the great deeds he commits he really doesn’t when it comes to wearing the mantle of leadership. I suppose it isn’t really his fault, he’s not comfortable with doing anything other than leading by example. The problem is no one but him can live up to that example and it takes more than just showing the way to be a great leader.
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art by John Cassaday6) Cyclops
All of the mutants in the world and nine times out of ten who ends up leading their biggest superhero team? Scott Summers. And I honestly don’t really know why. Other than the experience of doing it his entire adult life I’m not sure what qualifies him to be the leader of the X-Men. And other than the fact that he always is their leader I can’t tell you that I think he’s doing that good of a job. But for longevity alone, as well as the odd cast of characters he is always in charge of, Cyke makes his way on this list.
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art by Scott McDaniel5) Dick Grayson
It might seem funny that the most famous sidekick of all-time would make a leadership list, but it makes perfect sense if you really think about it. In so many ways the former “boy wonder” was raised by his mentor not to be another Dark Knight but to be better hero and person than he was capable of. And as it turns out, being on par with Batman skill-wise while shouldering none of his personality defects, has created a respected and well liked leader of not only the Titans but also the Outsiders and JLA.
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art by David Peterson4) Kermit the Frog
No one on this list has a bigger cast of misfits and morons to deal with than Kermit and yet somehow he finds a way to direct this group of yahoos to their goals. These goals can be as simple as the completion of another stage show or as grand as one of their big adventures reenacting great tales of history. But the bottom line is they always manage to succeed and for him to get even the simplest of victories out of that group is a miracle in every episode.
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art by Jim Lee3) Batman
The mark of a great leader is often how many people look to them when trouble arises and they need guidance. When the Justice League needs a plan of action who do they expect to figure something out? Another aspect of leadership is being a mentor to others. Who has more sidekicks and colleagues under his cape than Batman? To be honest Bats has the skills and experience to be number one on this list by a wide margin. His downfall is he often lacks the people skills to adjust his leadership style away from anything but a “my way or the highway” mentality and just like every NFL head coach that style eventually wears thin with some people.
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art by Tim Doyle2) Optimus Prime
How many Transformers stories go like this: Optimus comes up with a plan, his fellow Autobots fail to hold up their end of things and he has to almost single handedly save the day? I’m not sure but I think maybe all of them. We are incredibly fortunate to have Optimus Prime around to lead the Autobots because the rest of them are clueless and we’d all be slaves to Megatron by now if it wasn’t for him. Ask people to name an Autobot and who will they say? Ask them to name a Transformer and who will they say? Optimus Prime is not only the best leader but the best entity that entire species has to offer.
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art by Travis Charest1) Captain America
In the vast majority of the memorable and not so memorable big events and crossovers in the Marvel Universe one man has lead the heroes to victory. I’m not sure a greater reference can be made than when the god of thunder himself considers it an honor not only to fight beside a man but also defers leadership to him. Mutants, scientists, businessmen, aliens, lawyers, androids, gods and soldiers would all follow him to hell and back and never question the path or his commands.
Reader Comments (6)
Kermit the Frog. haHAhahahahahahahaha.................
Cyclops should have been waaaay lower on the list. Loved the inclusion of Kermit the Frog though.
This list is totally bogus because Buffy's not on it.
Saved the world multiple times, killed thousands of vampires, still managed to have a social life and graduated high school and attended college.
That bitch is bad.
Yeah, but if we learned anything from that crappy last tv season she is a terrible leader.
I don't get all the Cyclops hate that fans have. He's the only one that Charles trusts to lead the team, and he has to deal with that annoying, crusty old fuck Logan trying to take his WIFE and ignoring his orders all the time.
Cyclops is basically the mutant version of Captain America. I dig him.
Cyclops does the most whining, moping, eeore-like guy I have ever seen as a leader. How great of a leader can he be if he can't even get his life in order? I'd have dropped Cyclops and put Storm on that list.