Superheroes come in all forms, shapes, and sizes. However, their colors make them visually memorable to viewers and readers, which is why the writers tend to give the superheroes bright, vibrant colors. Seeing that red is one of the most eye-catching colors, it’s not rare to see superheroes donning red costumes, or be red, for that matter. So, without further ado, here’s the ultimate list of the top 15 superheroes who are or wear red.
15. Red Tornado
Red Tornado is a bit of a forgotten superhero in DC Comics, but one that’s very worthy of a spot on this list. He’s somewhat of a DC Comics version of Vision – a sentient android with incredible powers. Professor T.O. Morrow created the android, which was later inhabited by Ulthoon, an air elemental being – hence, the name Red Tornado.
Red Tornado has amazing abilities and powers related to aerokinesis, including wind-blasts, flight, creation of tornados, etc. Other powers include an android body with a super-computer “brain”, enhanced senses, self-sustenance, and superhuman strength. Red Tornado is incredibly tough but has a fail-safe in his heel that, when struck, shuts him down instantly.
14. Batwoman
The Bat Family is known to wear black outfits. However, the wonderful red details on Batwoman’s suit and cape, paired with lush red hair, certainly grant her a spot on this list. Kate Kane had a similar part as Bruce Wayne, aka Batman, who she joined forces with to protect Gotham City.
Kate is a wealthy heiress and a socialite who has military training, using her wealth and fighting skills to operate as a vigilante at night. She’s also one of the most well-known representers of the LGBTQ community in comics, especially after the new Batwoman TV series with Ruby Rose in the titular role.
13. Deadman
I’m not sure Deadman is quite a hero, an anti-hero, or something in between, but he’s red, and he’s awesome. He was a trapeze artist with incredible body strength and acrobatic skills who was brutally murdered by an unknown killer. Then, a Hindu God named Rama Kushna gave his spirit the ability to possess any living creature on Earth.
When he’s only a ghost, nobody can see or hear Deadman (barring a few sorcerers and mystics). However, when he possesses somebody, he can talk to people surrounding him and do all the stuff he did as a trapeze artist. He’s most powerful in his ghost form, though, when he can pass through objects, levitate, and be invisible.
12. Red Hulk
The Red Hulk was considered the most powerful version of the Hulk for quite some time but is now overshadowed by numerous more powerful Hulks. He’s not Bruce Banner but General Thunderbolt Ross, who was altered by M.O.D.O.K. to become the Red Hulk.
He has nigh-invulnerability and superhuman strength to match his green counterpart – even going above that when he’s incredibly angry. Also, he can change forms from human to Red Hulk at will and keep his wits while doing so. The problem is that he tends to overheat, causing him to get hurt and revert back to his human form.
11. Red She-Hulk
It was a tossup for me between Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk, but one can’t argue the awesomeness of Betty Ross. She’s the daughter of Thunderbolt Ross, who died, but her father couldn’t bear it, so he put her under the same procedure that made him Red Hulk. One might say it worked even better on Betty.
Her strength is so big that she can punch through dimensions – literally. Red She-Hulk can absorb energy and gamma radiation from other similar mutates and all the other stuff that Red Hulk can do – including the overheating. I chose to put her higher on the list because of her time in the Harpy form, which could fly and was even more powerful than her normal Red She-Hulk form.
Whether Betty Ross is a hero or not is up for debate, but she certainly deserves a spot on this list.
10. Plastic Man
This guy gets overlooked quite often, but I enjoyed reading Plastic Man comics so much as a kid that I really don’t know why that’s the case. Sure, he’s a bit silly, and the comics tend to get incredibly goofy, but Plastic Man himself is just epic if you ask me.
Patrick O’Brian was known as Eel, and he was a petty criminal before a theft went wrong, and Eel got shot, falling into an unknown chemical mixture that entered his bloodstream through the gunshot wound. He was then rescued by monks, who treated Patrick and helped him recover.
He went through a sort of epiphany and gained powers of elasticity. He could stretch to virtually unlimited lengths, became practically invulnerable, had rubber organs, and stopped aging. Instead of continuing to live a life of crime, the monks affected O’Brian, and he became Plastic Man, the superhero.
9. Hellboy
I know we’re all familiar with the movies, but Hellboy comics are at least ten times better. And, yes, despite being the spawn of Satan, Hellboy is actually a superhero. Born to a demon and a witch in Hell, Hellboy was summoned to Earth to do the Devil’s bidding. However, he started helping people instead, working as a paranormal investigator who fights evil at every step.
His half-demon physiology grants Hellboy superhuman strength, durability, and a fist that can plow through just about anything and anyone. When he goes full-on demon mode, Hellboy is at his strongest, summoning Hellfire powerful enough to take down buildings. However, it corrupts his brain a bit if he’s in the form for too long. Overall, avoid the movies; read the comics. Trust me.
8. Deadpool
You knew this list couldn’t be completed without our fan-favorite Merc with a Mouth. Deadpool is one of the most brutal yet funniest comic book characters ever created. Wade Wilson had terminal cancer, so he underwent rigorous experiments that gave him awesome superpowers – most notably, a super-powerful healing factor that constantly kills his cancer cells, switching them with new ones.
His healing factor is so powerful that if even one particle of his body is left, he will recover completely. Deadpool is one of the Earth’s best mercenaries, prolific with all kinds of weaponry, but most notably, his awesome swords. The guy is brutal, funny, and never shuts up; hence, the moniker Merc with a Mouth.
7. Daredevil
If this were a list of my favorite red characters, Daredevil would be right on the top. Matt Murdock is an epic character in every aspect, from his personality to the superpowers he has. Daredevil is a blind vigilante with outstanding superhuman senses, allowing him to fight even in pitch darkness, and identify people by their heartbeat, footsteps, smell, etc.
He also has a version of echolocation, using sonar waves that bounce off objects, giving him an outline of his surroundings. Despite fighting bad guys for justice, Daredevil has a strict no-kill policy. Instead, he literally takes criminals to justice – as Matt Murdock is a prolific lawyer by day.
6. Vision
Just like Red Tornado earlier on this list, Vision is an artificial intelligence with a conscious purpose to fight for what is right. He is ever-evolving, up to the point where he comprehends and develops human feelings. That being said, one might say that Vision is a more perfected version of an android, seeing that he’s artificial intelligence, created by artificial intelligence – Ultron.
Vision is also the more popular character due to the MCU. He’s also more powerful, especially when donning the Mind Stone on his forehead. Vision is a supercomputer. He can phase-shift and has phenomenal superhuman strength.
5. Shazam
Shazam is the name donner by numerous people throughout history, but the most well-known is Billy Batson. Billy was just a kid when the Wizard Shazam imbued him with the powers of Shazam, aka Captain Marvel. Basically, he can do almost everything Superman does, including outstanding invulnerability.
Shazam is actually an anagram: Wisdom of Solomon, Strength of Hercules, Stamina of Atlas, Power of Zeus, Courage of Achilles, and Speed of Mercury. All those powers give Batson incredible intelligence, knowledge, and memory, superhuman strength, stamina, endurance, speed, agility, and reflexes.
Shazam is also infinitely courageous and has unfathomable mental resilience, regenerative healing, magical abilities, electricity generation, and manipulation… The list goes on and on.
The thing is, anybody who the wizard imbues with the powers of Shazam can also imbue others with the powers. We’ve had numerous versions of the character over the years, including Black Adam, an anti-hero who is getting his own stand-alone movie soon with Dwayne Johnson as the lead role.
4. Scarlet Witch
We all know so much about Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch, due to Elizabeth Olsen’s awesome portrayal of the character in the MCU. However, in the comics, Scarlet Witch is even more powerful – and even more unstable.
When Wanda and her brother Pietro were kids, they both had mutant abilities. Then they were experimented on using the Mind Stone, making their abilities unfathomably more powerful. Scarlet Witch became one of the most powerful beings, not just on Earth but in the entire Marvel universe.
Her reality-warping abilities are unmatched. She can make anything happen just by wishing it – as we’ve seen in WandaVision, where she created an entire town and manipulated the minds of all the people in it to simulate a life she always wanted with her beloved Vision.
That being said, it’s important to note that Wanda isn’t always mentally stable, and when she falls off the deep end, she can turn into a villain in no time. I read a brutal joke the other day I just have to share with you right now. Do you know what the difference between Wanda Maximoff and Matt Murdock is? One can actually cope without vision!
3. Iron Man
Iron Man is more of a red-and-gold superhero, but he certainly fits the bill for this list. And, of course, as on any other list where Iron man appears, he belongs right near the top. Tony Stark is a billionaire playboy owner of Stark Industries, which developed the highest technology in military weaponry. However, his priorities changed after being kidnapped and held captive in a cave.
That’s where he created the first Iron suit, literally out of scrap metal. Over the years, the Iron Suit technology just progressed to the point where Iron Man became such a powerful superhero that he could go against gods like Thor. Despite his troubled past, Tony always did the right thing and probably cared more than most other heroes.
Apart from the brilliant technology, of course, Stark has a brilliant mind that developed it. He’s one of the most intelligent people on Earth and one of the leaders of the Avengers. Robert Downey Jr.’s portrayal of Tony Stark in the MCU will go down in history as one of the most beloved characters ever in movies.
2. Flash
You can rank the top three on the list how you want, and you won’t be wrong in any case. The Flash is a brilliant DC Comics superhero whose powers are based on unfathomable speed. The most well-known Flash is Barry Allen, but others have taken the mantle after him as well – most notably, Wally West.
The Flash is connected to the Speed Force, an omnipotent cosmic entity that allows him to reach speeds dozens of times the speed of light. In fact, Flash is so quick that he can literally time travel simply by running fast. The best part is that he doesn’t get hurt doing so, making him a living projectile with the strength nearly matching Superman.
I also loved the DC Extended Universe version of the character. However, seeing all the scandals recently happening with Ezra Miller, the actor portraying Flash in DCEU, it’s unclear what the future holds for the character on the big screen, despite a new Flash movie announced to be coming soon.
1. Spider-Man
Spider-Man might not be the most powerful superhero on this list, but he is definitely the best. That’s why he quickly became the face of Marvel Comics when Peter Parker first arrived.
As the story goes, Peter was bitten by a radioactive spider, giving him amazing superhuman abilities, such as wall-climbing, superhuman speed, strength, reflexes, agility, balance, and additional senses. His Spider-Sense allows Peter to sense incoming danger and react instinctively, allowing Spidey to avoid bullets from point-blank range.
Many don’t know that Parker actually holds back almost every time he’s in a fight because he’s scared that the punches would kill the other person if he unleashes his full strength. When Spidey is unleashed, he’s easily around the 50-ton lifting range. To add to it, Peter is incredibly intelligent, over the genius level.
However, what makes Spidey such a beloved character is Peter Parker’s personality. He’s kind, friendly, morally pure, and loving. He always stands up for what he believes in, and does everything in his power to protect innocent people, especially those he loves. Spider-Man is the best red superhero in history, regardless of which version of the character you take into account.
If you’ve enjoyed our list of red superheroes make sure to check out our list of green superheroes too!
