Being a superhero means that you automatically win at being the toughest person in the room, on most occasions. In Marvel and DC, being a superhero means that you’re frequently rushing toward world-ending catastrophes. All superheroes are tough, but some are tough all the time, while others tend to hang up their toughness on their time off.
For this article, we’ll look at the heroes who are tough all the time versus those who can be pretty relaxed when not saving the world. We certainly acknowledge that it takes a special kind of character to be a superhero. Needless to say, we’re not implying that those who aren’t tough all the time are wimps. They just, for whatever reason, tend to have human moments like the rest of us.
We’re more than happy to admit that everyone on this list should get mad respect from the audience. For the most part, we’re looking at the heroes as a whole, since almost all of them have appeared in multiple bodies of work. While toughness does vary by incarnation, it usually comes down to the hero as a whole.
So here are 10 Superheroes Who Are Legitimate Tough Guys (And 10 Who Aren’t).
Tough: Falcon (Sam Wilson)
Over the course of his comic’s career, Sam Wilson leads a brief life of crime, leaves said life of crime to partner with Captain America, mentally fuses with his pet falcon Redwing, leads “Super Agents” at S.H.I.E.L.D., becomes Captain America, and fights against racial inequality. Sam Wilson, simply put, is not the kind of person that you’d want to mess with.
Even in his civilian life, Sam refuses to stand down when others are against him.
In the MCU, Sam is an Air Force officer and part of the elite Falcon program. When Natasha and Steve turn up on the run, he offers to help without a second thought. He tries to outrun Captain America and snarks at the King of Wakanda. If that doesn’t tell you about his toughness, then nothing will.
Not Tough: Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green)
They call her unbeatable and she totally is. Doreen Green is a mutant, former member of the X-Men, and former Avenger of the Great Lakes. She’s also the hero known as Squirrel Girl!
With all the powers and proportional strength of a squirrel, Doreen has delighted fans in her solo title. She’s fought against Kraven the Hunter and Brain Drain. She’s even beaten up the entire Marvel Universe with her friends backing her up. The most telling thing is that Wolverine’s greatest relief is that she’s happy to see him.
In her off hours, however, Doreen is a good friend and student. She studies computer science and works as a nanny for Danielle Cage. Just because she’s unbeatable, doesn’t mean that she’s on all the time. She’s more than willing to try to reason with a bad guy before launching into battle.
Tough: Harley Quinn (Harleen Quinzel)
Harley is technically more of an anti-hero than a superhero, but she is one of the toughest characters in the DC Universe. It takes a special kind of tough to admit that you’re in an abusive relationship and leave it. Since leaving the Joker, Harley has painstakingly carved out a life for herself. She’s taken down the Penguin, a corrupt mayor, and ran her own apartment building and vigilante group. She’s been a Gotham City Siren, a member of the Task Force X, and the Suicide Squad.
She was a psychologist at Arkham Asylum - to work there, you need to be tough.
In television and film, Harley’s tactics and gung-ho attitude made her unpredictable in combat. She’s more than happy to run to danger and stare down Batman without blinking.
Not Tough: Starfire (Koriand’r)
A princess of an alien world who escaped enslavement to come to Earth, Koriand’r is a certified badass. She’s been a longtime member of the Teen Titans, the Outsiders, and the Outlaws. She can shoot starbolts from her hands, survive in outer space, and is pretty hard to injure. Currently, she’s the leader of the Teen Titans. Off the clock, however, Koriand’r has a pretty easy-going personality. She’s cheerful, kind-hearted, and worked as a model as her day job.
Her best-known portrayal to the non-comic fan, however, is probably in the animated series Teen Titans and Teen Titans Go! On those shows, Starfire is just as badass and an important member of the team. She also, however, embodies those cheerful and kind-hearted attributes. She’s a terrible cook and is a relentless optimist, happier to hang out with her friends than anything else.
Tough: Robin (Damian Wayne)
Love him or hate him, you have to admit that Damian Wayne is one tough kid. The son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul, Damian has been trained as an assassin since birth and was a member of the League of Assassins. Being in the League as a kid, it’s no surprise he ended up on this list. Damian also shows a ton of promise in comics, wanting to become Batman himself one day.
While Damian has mellowed out in recent years, he’s still on 24/7 to protect himself and the people of Gotham.
Over the years, Damian has faced literally every bad guy in Gotham and his own grandfather, emerging victorious each time. Even though he has adopted his father’s mercy policy, this is still one kid that you don’t want to mess with.
Not Tough: Superboy (Jonathan Kent)
A recent addition to DC Comics, Jonathan Kent is the son of a pre-New 52 Clark and Lois. At first, his parents thought that Kryptonian powers wouldn’t be present in Jonathan, but it may not have been the case as the powers appeared in him over time.
Much like his father, while Jonathan is one of the most powerful heroes in DC, he’s not super tough.
He’s a preteen, raised by two loving parents, who enjoys heroic acts and helping others. He actually provides an interesting balance to Damian Wayne, who is definitely more ruthless. Jonathan definitely plays a pretty big part in softening up Damian Wayne since DC Rebirth teamed them up in the recently canceled Super Sons.
Tough: Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan)
Kamala is still a relatively young hero compared to everyone else. While she does share Doreen’s excitable nature, she’s also always on duty. After all, to paraphrase Kamala, good is not something that you are, it’s something that you do. Nothing is harder than trying to do good in a world that seems stacked against you at every turn.
How about standing up to your idol, or walking away from your dream because you want to do more for the world?
Kamala does all of these things over the course of several books. She stands up to Carol Danvers, her idol. She walks away from the Avengers because she doesn’t believe they’re doing enough. Those are hard things to do. It takes a special kind of tough to look at the world and demand it to be better.
Not Tough: Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Peter Parker is one of those who feels much more confident when his mask is firmly on. Outside of Spidey related activities, Peter was a bullied kid, unable to stand up for himself. Eventually, he goes through a slew of careers: teacher, CEO, and photographer. Peter’s fighting style remains sneaky, distracting his opponents by running his mouth, and then swinging in for the strike. It’s definitely effective, but also shows that Parker’s not the most well-trained fighter.
In the films, this is doubly true. Tobey Maguire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland have all portrayed Peter as awkward in his real life and confident as Spider-Man. Holland, especially, highlights Peter’s naiveté of the world. Spider-Man also works hard to make sure that he’s keeping those closest to him safe.
Tough: Batman (Bruce Wayne)
As if Bruce Wayne wasn’t going to make an appearance here. Batman is one of the toughest characters in comics. He’s trained his body to the peak of what humans are capable of. He’s gone up against the toughest bad guys in the DC Universe with only his wits to help him.
He regularly outmaneuvers such villains as the Joker, the Penguin, and Scarecrow.
That’s not to mention his many incarnations in television, video games, and film - each one also a level of tough that takes years of single-minded dedication to achieve. With a combination of brain and brawn, Bruce Wayne proves that you don’t need superpowers to be a hero. You just need a lot of money and a clear purpose. A disregard for your personal safety does come in handy, though, when fighting a psychotic man-crocodile.
Not Tough: Nightwing (Dick Grayson)
Dick is on the edge of being tough 24/7, but only when in Robin/Nightwing persona. Trained by Batman, Dick’s been fighting against the forces of evil since he was a kid. He’s clever, can hold his own, and has lead a variety of different teams over the course of his life. He’s worked in Blüdhaven, which is even more crime-ridden than Gotham.
When he’s off the clock, Dick doesn’t need to put on a mask like Bruce to interact with the world. He’s a fun guy to be around with a cheerful and light-hearted personality. More importantly, he knows when to walk away and when to reach a hand out for help. Dick is tough when he needs to be, but not because he has to be. It’s a good distinction to make.
Tough: Daredevil (Matt Murdock)
Matt Murdock has the kind of life that makes you tough: he was blinded at a young age, orphaned, and trained to be a ninja. Throughout his hero career, Murdock has battled his inner demons, the Kingpin, the Hand, and dreaded Stilt-Man. He survives his secret identity being revealed and a cross-country move. Through it all, he maintains a successful legal practice as his day job, trying to protect the innocent at all times.
Murdock’s the kind of hero who never really takes a break and is constantly strong for others.
On the Netflix series, Murdock has done some of the best fight scenes in the entire MCU. The hallway fights in seasons one and two alone get him on the list. Need we say more?
Not Tough: Hawkeye (Clint Barton)
Clint Barton’s the hottest of messes in comics. When he’s fighting against the bad guys, Hawkeye is someone that heroes want on their side. Outside of the fight, however? He drinks coffee from the pot, he tries not to anger his exes, and he’s only a half-decent landlord. Plus, it’s hard to deal with some of his past costume choices - sometimes being tough boils down to the look.
In Tales of Suspense 101, Clint and Bucky have a talk about why they’re tough guys. Bucky details his time as a soldier, brainwashed mercenary, and how the world moved on while he stayed young. When he asks Clint why he is a tough guy, the archer responds that he does it mostly for attention. That pretty much tells us all we need to know.
Tough: Green Lantern (John Stewart)
The man is a retired Marine - that alone qualifies him for this list. In addition to his military service, John Stewart has been an asset to the Lanterns. He fought against the Parallax possessed Hal Jordan, participated in the Sinestro Corp Wars, and battled against the Black Lanterns. While he had a reputation as a destroyer of worlds, he doesn’t let the fact entirely break him.
He continues on, even when the rest of the universe seems to hate him - that’s definitely a strength few possess.
Stewart, meanwhile, was the main Green Lantern in the excellent Justice League and Justice League Unlimited. Over the course of that series, John battled against White Martians, helped the New Gods, dealt with the Injustice League, and fought in World War II to stop Vandal Savage from taking over the world. He also was a great straight-laced man to the Wally West version of the Flash on that show.
Not Tough: The Flash (Barry Allen)
Barry Allen is a good man and hero - he’s just not the fastest man in the world. When he was first introduced in the ’50s, his introductory scene had him drinking milk while reading comics, which simply doesn’t strike fear into the heart of men. Over the course of his tenure, Barry has battled the Rogues and various threats - he even passed away to save the world. He remains a gentle man who only wants to help people, even if they don’t want his help. He also doesn’t have a ton of combat training.
In live-action media, the CW and the film versions of the Flash are not tough guys.
They both prefer using their brains over brawn, outthinking their opponents rather than strong-arming them. In fact, when faced with a genuine fight, the film version of the Flash states that he usually pushes people and runs away.
Tough: Wolverine (Logan Howlett)
It’s not that surprising that Logan ends up on this list - he’s infamous for his toughness. Over the course of his long life, Logan has fought in multiple wars, withstood prejudice, was tortured, and experimented on. He’s one of the wildest and most proficient fighters in the Marvel Universe. No one really wants to go up against Logan; his toughness has been assured.
Hugh Jackman has played Logan for over a decade. For the dedicated fan, it has only expanded the mythology of Wolverine’s toughness. This is a man who refuses to back down. He traveled back in time and ended the life of the woman he loved to save the world. Somehow, he finds it in himself to fight for the world when it goes awry. The movie Logan alone is a testament to all of this.
Not Tough: Hellcat (Patsy Walker)
Patsy Walker has had a weird history in comics. She started of as a romance comic heroine before turning into a vigilante/superhero. She even had a brief career as a villain, during which she lived in Hell. While she is certainly trained to tackle any bad situation, her day to day life is usually a lot more relaxed. She lived in a storage locker and started a business hiring people with powers for odd jobs.
Her biggest issue in her excellent yet short-lived solo series was getting her rival to stop publishing romance comics.
In Jessica Jones, Trish Walker certainly tries to take care of herself. She usually doesn’t succeed. Her drive to be tough or special just isn’t productive. When she lashes out at Jessica at the end of season two, she proves that she’s not as tough as she thinks.
Tough: Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)
Over her storied career, Diana’s fought against ancient gods, world ending catastrophes, many villains, and served in World War II.
In other media - films, TV shows, and animation - Diana proves herself as a warrior, perhaps the strongest warrior, in the Justice League. Her walk through No Man’s Land in the 2017 Wonder Woman movie? That alone gets her on this list. It remains one of the most amazing moments in superhero history.
Not Tough: Superman (Clark Kent)
Superman may be invulnerable and can push planets out of orbits, but Clark Kent is a sweetheart. When outside of costume, he’s the last person anyone would associate with tough. The original mild-mannered reporter, Kent uses words as his weapons over anything else.
He prefers a kinder approach to those around him, a gentle touch.
In other portrayals, Clark is often played as sweet, shy, and awkward - the exact opposite of a fighter. At times, depending on the incarnation, he falls back on his ingenuity when he loses his powers, rather than any fight training to help him out. Kryptonians would probably prefer him to be a legitimate tough guy, but that’s not the boy that Ma and Pa Kent raised.
Tough: Captain America (Steve Rogers)
Captain America actually punched Hitler - winning all the tough points for such an act of heroism. In addition, Steve possesses the right kind of temperament for the serum to work correctly. Rogers also served with distinction throughout World War II - he was the quintessential superhero to come out of the era. Since then, he’s survived losing everyone he’s ever loved, rebuilt his life from the ground up, and led several incarnations of the Avengers.
Steve Rogers is the most respected man within the Marvel Universe.
Even the Punisher won’t raise a hand against him. If even Frank Castle won’t fight you, you’re tough. Looking to the MCU, Steve Rogers routinely gets his butt handed to him. Yet he continuously sticks up for the little guy, refusing to compromise his principles for a second. Maybe he had something to prove, but he certainly proved that no one can take down Cap.
Not Tough: Luke Cage
Luke Cage has dealt with a lot in his time, from prison experimentations to leading the Avengers. He has made it very clear, however, that he only gets tough when he’s on the clock. His whole business, Heroes for Hire, is based upon this very concept. Off hours, Luke is a dedicated and loving family man who is utterly owned by his wife and child. He caters to them both and, at times, even to his best friend Danny Rand. He’s the embodiment of the adage, “speak softly but carry a big stick.” He probably has the best work-life balance and most stable relationship in Marvel Comics.
Mike Colter’s version of Luke Cage is also very reluctant to fight for the sake of fighting. He prefers to try to help others through other means than his bulletproof skin and super strength. That’s why he doesn’t even need the label.
Which superhero tough guy should’ve made the cut? Let us know in the comments!
