There are few fictional dreamscapes that hold within them such an expansive breadth of settings and characters as the combined (or individual) DC and Marvel Universes.

From sprawling contemporary cities like Chicago to floating resplendent utopias set in heavenly ether to primordial lands akin to the Earth’s Mesozoic Era imaginative minds have a vast variety places to explore. While these places (and times) are extremely fascinating and important, it is the characters that make up each universe that is the focus here. There are so many players on these two massive stages - each with unique combinations of traits and powers - that a reader can easily find one that they can naturally fuse their own emotions with. This is why nerds, geeks, dweebs or whatever one would coin them are so entrenched in the comic culture.

That said, with so many potential characters to identify with, only dressing up as the popular super heroes or super villains like Iron Man, Hulk, Wonder Woman or Loki, one could be selling their imaginations short. DC Universe aside (Marvel rules), here is a short-ish diverse list of Marvel super heroes and villains - separated by gender - to reference in the quest to find not only an awesome, unique costume, but a character whose soul reflects one’s own.

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Male

Cyber – Soldier who fought beside Wolverine in WWI and was later armored with adamantium skin.

Forge – Member of the Cheyenne tribe, mystic and has a supernatural prowess for all things mechanical.

Korvus – Member of the Shi’ar alien race and an outlaw armed with the Blade of the Phoenix.

Longshot – Boasting superhuman speed and psychic ability he finds work on Earth as a stuntman.

Mister Sinister – Evil scientist and Nazi sympathizer who used genetic material from other mutants to obtain their powers himself.

Omega Red – Result of a KGB super-solider project armed with carbonadium coils which help him channel the deadly pheromones his body secretes.

Sunfire – Was given his fire-throwing and infrared sight abilities from exposure to the atomic bomb blast at Hiroshima during WWII.

Female

Wolfsbane – An orphan from the UK who received her ability to grow wolf-like features from during an exorcism.

Psylocke – Former charter pilot with a male twin and armed with a telekinetic katana.

Nocturne – Daughter of Nightcrawler and Scarlet Witch with the ability to possess others for up to 12 hours.

Mercury – A former member of the Xavier Institute’s Hellions with the ability to shape-shift.

Magma – This daughter of a senator can move Earth’s tectonic plates and spontaneously combust.

Lorelei – An artist at heart and a stripper with the mutation of prehensile hair.

Domino – Product of US weapon program she can manipulate luck and has superhuman agility.

This is merely the tip of the iceberg. Utilize this list as list as a springboard into the ocean of intrigue that is the Marvel (and DC) Universe. – Nick Durcholz

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