While Marvel and DC hold a ton of awesome superheroes for fans to admire, quite a few of them flaunt striking red hair. Whether these powerful icons boast natural ginger locks or flaming reddish streaks, they’re definitely a force to be reckoned with. Stick around to find out about the raddest redheads that Marvel and DC have to offer, and why they’re worth an honorable mention!
20. Elongated Man
Elongated Man has natural ginger hair and has gained quite a lot of fans over the years, especially considering his interesting blend of abilities. He has often compared himself to a combination of Plastic Man and Batman based on his mixture of cognitive and physiological traits.
Although his powers are rather simple, he had proven useful in quite a lot of battles with various enemies. Elongated Man is most well-known for his ability to stretch at will, but he is also a skilled detective.
19. Mera
Mera has been around for quite some time, but interest in this powerful ruler reignited with the hype around modern times’ Aquaman. Mera is Aquaman’s wife, ruling beside him in their underwater wonderland.
She helped Aquaman defend Atlantis against various threats over the years, with the aid of Dr. Fate, his wife Inza, and Solomon Grundy. While there is no clear mention of her in the future, it is known that she gives birth to a son who was next in line for the throne, and later gives birth to a daughter who would serve as a member of the JLU.
18. Tigra
Greer Nelson belongs to the Marvel family and initially worked as the costumed vigilante named The Cat, after which she was enhanced by Dr. Joanne Tumolo. This enhancement gifted her with superhuman cat-like powers, and she later mutated into Tigra – a human/ tiger hybrid.
She has flame ginger hair and was forged through a mystical ritual that linked her to the Cat People – a race of humanoid cats created sometime in the Middle Ages. She was later recruited into the Avengers and became a prominent member of the planet’s mightiest heroes.
Tigra has some highly useful abilities in her mutated form – she has superior qualities and some crazy good vision. She also has special minor healing abilities and a slight connection to the telepathic realm, which makes her somewhat resistant to telepathic attacks in battle.
17. Gambit
Remy Etienne LeBeau is generally depicted with either red or orange-brown hair and is known as the charming thief, Gambit. He is able to count with a mutant ability and charge inanimate objects with energy – causing them to blow up. He was born in the Thieves Guild, and his dark path led him to become a secret agent.
He was invited to the X-Men and granted the chance to redeem himself after befriending Storm. This complex character did have a few clashes with fellow heroes through the years, but his bond with kids and attachment to Rogue enabled him to integrate well into the Marvel superhero family.
Gambit’s most notable superpower is his ability to perform molecular acceleration, enabling him to convert the energy stored in objects (with his favorite objects being his playing cards) into kinetic energy. But, he also has a ton of other useful powers using energy from objects.
16. Hawkgirl
Hawkgirl, previously known as Shayera Hol, belongs to the DC family and flaunts natural ginger waves. She was one of the founding members of the Justice League and is a former member of the Thanagarian military forces.
She played a massive role in the Thanagarian invasion on both sides. While Hawkgirl is infamous for having a wild, fiery attitude and a considerably aggressive personality overall, she is definitely fixed on the side of good and always strives to fight for justice.
Much like all Thanagarians, Hawkgirl has a large pair of feathery wings protruding from her back, which allows her to fly through the atmosphere of planets close to Earth’s gravitational orbit. She’s incredibly tough and smart – in fact, she single-handedly defeated 4 green lantern corps in hand-to-hand combat, and she regularly defeated Batman in chess.
Hawkgirl’s additional powers and abilities include Physical strength, Endurance, and Durability. But, she also flaunts training in strategy military science and combat skills, Martial Arts, and Espionage.
15. Red Sonja
Red Sonja is part of the Prime Marvel Universe and flaunts some bright and bouncy flame-red hair. She is tough as nails, but it’s primarily due to all the trauma and troubles she’s faced from childhood, since her father, mother, and two brother were killed by mercenaries when she was only a teenager.
The goddess Scathach appeared to her after this tragedy, granting her some incredible skills in handling swords and a variety of other weapons – on the condition that she would never allow herself to be loved by another unless they could defeat her in fair combat.
While she does not flaunt any specific superpowers, her supernatural abilities were bestowed by mystical forces. She was one of the most powerful swordsmen in any of the Marvel Universe’s eras, spanning across men and women. She also flaunts peak physical conditions, expert martial arts skills, and the ability to take on supernatural forces.
14. Banshee
The original Banshee, formerly known as Sean Cassidy, was a recurrent member of Marvel’s original X-Men, Generation X, as well as the X Corps. He came from a line of old Irish lineage that predated historical records, and was also a former Interpol agent and a police officer – quite a hefty career!
His main abilities were possessing the mutant ability to generate sonic screams that were capable of harming human auditory systems – and in some cases, even wrecking through steel. He did see a troublesome track record after the death of his wife, but eventually saw the light and became a teacher of next-gen mutants.
It needs to be mentioned here, however, that there is another Banshee in the mix – his daughter, Siryn, formerly known as Theresa Cassidy. Like her father, Siryn has striking ginger locks and is also a mutant. She too went by ‘Banshee’ for a time in honor of her father.
13. Poison Ivy
Formerly known as Dr. Pamela Lillian Isley, Poison Ivey was initially a botanist holding a Botony Ph.D. from Gotham University. She spent her time as an eco-terrorist but had little interest in power or money unless it was needed – unlike most of the other villains and rogues around town.
Instead, she became obsessed with preserving plant life to any extent, while demolishing all who she believed had ever harmed it. Her ruthless methods often landed her in Arkham Asylum. While she is technically a villain in the DC universe, she’s still pretty awesome (in her own strange way, of course) and definitely deserves a mention.
12. The Flash
DC’s The Flash, formerly known as Wally West, was a young and well-loved superhero with natural ginger-blonde locks. He originates from Central City, works as a forensic scientist with the Central City Police Department in his spare time, and is a founding member of the Justice League.
Other than his overwhelming speed, his most notable characteristic is his approachable and loveable personality. Many people within the DC universe believed that the Flash was the heart of the Justice League as a result.
11. Batgirl
Batgirl belongs to the DC family, flaunting some flame-red hair and a bodacious personality. Formally known as Barbara Gordon, Batgirl is the daughter of Gotham City Police Commissioner, James Gordan, and was a student at Gotham State University.
She then became Batman’s partner and protege for many years. Later in her life, she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming the new Commissioner of the Gotham City Police Department.
While she does not have any natural superpowers or mutations like many other superheroes, she does have some exceptional skills – much like Batman himself. She boasts some incredible detective skills that are useful in solving tons of cases, topped with some breath-taking cyber-expertise, academic abilities, gymnastic abilities, and proficiency in martial arts.
10. Guy Gardner
Guy Gardner typically appears in the DC comics revolving around the Green Lantern Corps – an intergalactic police force. He was the second member to be chosen from Earth and was one of the top Green Lantern Corps at the time.
He was also a crucial member of the Justice League International family for quite some time, serving them throughout their various battles and adventures. At one point, Guy Gardner went by the name ‘Warrior’.
Being part of the Green Lantern Corps made Guy Gardner partially alien, gifting him with a range of useful abilities. His most notable powers and abilities include Hybrid Physiology, Transformation, Metamorphosis, Organic Construct Creation, Flight, and Regeneration.
9. Medusa
Technically speaking, Medusa is known as a supervillain in the Prime Marvel universe. Formally known as Medusalith Amaquelin-Boltagon, Medusa identifies as the Queen of the Inhumans, flaunting flowing flame-red hair and a ferocious attitude.
Medusa was the first of two children born into Inhuman nutritionists Quelin and Ambur, and is considered to be a member of the Attilan’s Royal Family. Her parents opted to expose her to the Mutagenic Terrigen Mist when she was just a baby, which sparked the beginning of her transformation.
She holds quite a few traits that make her tough to face in battle, the most prominent of which are inhuman metabolism and Trichokinesis – the ability to control her highly resilient hair like appendages. Her additional powers and abilities include Enhanced Reflexes, Endurance, Speed, and Strength.
8. Firestar
Firestar, formally known as Angelica Jones, originates from the Prime Marvel Universe. While the outcome was a fiery force of power, the series of events that led to her discovering her powers is quite tragic.
Angelica was bullied at school, and her beloved grandmother died when Angelica was only a young teenager. Shortly after these events, she began to discover that she could generate heat.
She went through various stages between villain and hero as forces battled over her powers. While her main power revolves around generating heat, Firestar has also been gifted with Energy Manipulation, Heat Emission, Flight, Psionic Disruption, and much more.
7. Starfire
Starfire – Star, for short – has flown under the radar for quite some time, but this rough and tough princess deserves a mention. Starfire, formally referred to as Koriand’r in her native tongue, belongs to the Teen Titans which was published by DC Comics.
She is an alien with flowing red hair, orange skin, and bright green eyes, hailing from a faraway planet named Tamaran. She has some really awesome superpowers that come in hand on most of the Teen Titans’ missions, many of which are classics. But, she does flaunt some extraterrestrial abilities as well, and her notable qualities include Flight, Interstellar Travel, Starbolts, and strength.
6. Hope Summers
Hope Summers is undoubtedly one of the most well-loved underdogs in the Marvel universe, flaunting some natural red-ginger waves and a badass attitude to match. She was the first mutant born after M-Day and was raised and trained by her adoptive father, Cable, in the far future until she was ready to return to the present.
She activated 5 new mutants after her powers manifested, and activated countless new mutants all around the world after she was augmented by the Phoenix Force. Hope, who also goes by the White Phoenix, became part of The Five – a team of mutants asked to resurrect every dead mutant at the time.
While her character is already amazing, her powers make her truly special compared to any other mutant and superhero to date. She is most known for her ability to Mimicry, which enables her to copy the powers of any nearby mutants in the area. But, unlike heroes with similar powers, such as Rogue, Hope does not need to make any physical contact with them to mimic their powers, and those who are mimicked suffer no negative side effects.
5. Daredevil
Matthew Murdock, also known as Daredevil, has been a classic fan-favorite within the Marvel family for many years. This hero grew up in poverty under immense academic pressure from his father. As a boy, a tragic accident led him to be blinded by a toxic spill – but, his other senses became amplified as a result.
Although he was a lawyer by day, Murdock trained with the help of his master, Stick, and spent nights scouring the streets to protect civilians from evil-doers and criminals. He may not have mutant abilities, but his attitude toward life and his kickass combat skills really make him a special and honorable hero.
4. Black Widow
Natalia Romanova, known as Black Widow, is a veteran within the Marvel family, being one of the key members of the legendary Avengers. She was a former Russian KGB agent, trained by the Red Room to be the ultimate Super Spy.
She defected from the Soviet Union and joined S.H.I.E.L.D in the USA. Very few know about her past, but what we do know is that she is a force to be reckoned with – with the mystery around her skills being one of the greatest threats.
However, she was enhanced through a biochemical process within the Black Widow Ops Program and received the Red Room’s version of the Super-Spy Serum. As a result, she has peak human features and capabilities that cover her speed, stamina, strength, reflexes, immune system, and much more – in addition to her existing combat, assassin, driving, weaponry, and super-spy skills.
3. Scarlet Witch
Wanda Maximoff, known as Scarlet Witch, is a Romani Transian sorceress and is the twin sister of Quicksilver. These twins were once believed to be mutant children of Magneto, but are actually orphans enhanced by the High Evolutionary at Mount Wundagore.
Scarlet Witch became a conduit of chaos magic, trained by Agatha Harkness, which allows her to shift probabilities and warp reality around her in the form of ‘hexes’. Scarlet Witch holds an extremely long list of awesome extra abilities as well, ranging from chaotic magic, telekinesis, teleportation, and telepathy to portal creation and much more.
2. Mystique
Raven Darkhölme, who goes by Mystique, is quite possibly one of the most epic redheads in the superhero world. This blue-skinned, yellow-eyed being was initially referred to as a mutant terrorist, but she followed a winding path with various Marvel characters that were in need of her rare skillset.
While she is not overtly powerful compared to some other superheroes, what makes her so loved is her attitude and finesse – she boasts some shapeshifting and combat skills that make her near impossible to pin down. Very little is known about her past, but Mystique has proven herself as an ally to the Marvel heroes over time.
1. Dark Phoenix
Making it to the top of the list is Jean Grey, known as the Dark Phoenix in modern times. Jean Grey had been seen as an underdog for quite a long time, being overshadowed by her allies and friends in passing.
But, newer installations have revealed just how powerful – and deadly – she truly is, flaunting a force that no other hero or villain has been able to match. Very little is known about her true power, and the only one who seems to know more about her potential is the leader of the X-Men himself.
While Jean Grey may have be seen as a sidekick in many of the releases, the Phoenix that lies within her will keep fans and allies on their toes for years to come. With the Dark Phoenix unleashed, it really feels like Jean Grey can do whatever she wants – from disintegrating others with a single glance to absorbing explosions and strolling on thin air.
That’s all of the top Marvel and DC redhead superheroes, with images thanks to Comic Vine, Marvel Database, and DC Database. While quite a few of these heroes’ placements may be up for debate, they’re all certainly worth mentioning – that’s the beauty of the superhero world, there’s a perfect hero for just about any fiction-loving fan.