Top 10 Greatest Street-Level Heroes in Marvel History

Marvel is famous for its street-level heroes - low-power crime-fighters who patrol the streets, bringing down threats to everyday people. But who are the greatest of all time? That's the question we're here to answer.

10 Iron Fist, aka Danny Rand

Created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane

A martial artist so skilled he managed to kill a dragon, Iron Fist can wield spiritual chi energy, gaining immense superstrength and the ability to harden his fist "like unto a thing of iron."

Bringing kung fu battles to the rooftops of New York, Danny Rand is all about skillful, cinematic combat, with just enough of a superpower to make him a capable underdog against full-blown supervillains.

Despite his incredible discipline, Danny is one of Marvel's most affable and charming heroes, using his fortune to do good on the New York streets, including running the charitable Thunder Dojo. Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja and Travel Foreman's Immortal Iron Fist is the essential street-level story about Danny Rand.

9 Hawkeye and Hawkeye, aka Clint Barton and Kate Bishop

Created by Stan Lee and Don Heck | Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

Clint Barton is mostly known as an Avenger, however in solo stories, he definitely fits the bill as a street hero, protecting the innocent with just a bow and arrow. Even more true to the title is Kate Bishop, who fights crime on the streets of New York and LA.

The iconic Hawkeye Volume 4 from Matt Fraction and David Aja combined the two, seeing them fight to protect the residents of a single tenement building from organized crime in one of Marvel's best comics of all time.

Kate and Clint are the definition of street heroes in one other way - they rarely save the day without being beaten to hell and breaking multiple bones.

8 Moon Knight, aka Marc Spector, aka Steven Grant, aka Jake Lockley

Created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin

Moon Knight is the head priest of the moon god Khonshu, sworn to protect all those who travel by night. That makes New York's streets his natural stomping grounds, and he recently set up the Midnight Mission - a center where everyday people can stop in with their problems and get vigilante assistance.

In the past, Moon Knight has been so brutal in his vigilantism that he's become Marvel's most feared street-level hero - even more than the Punisher. After all, Frank Castle might kill you, but he won't break your legs then cut off your face like Moon Knight did to perennial nemesis Raoul Bushman.

While he's more stable today, Marc Spector deliberately plays into this perception, stating he wears white so his enemies can see him coming.

A former mercenary, Moon Knight is an expert at urban combat. For Moon Knight's definitive street fight, see the jaw-dropping Moon Knight Volume 7 #5, from Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey.

In the comic, the hero fights his way up through an abandoned hotel to save a young child, exhausting every weapon and gadget he has on the way. Pure, gritty street fighting.

7 Jessica Jones, aka Power Woman

Created by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos

An investigator with superpowers she can't quite rely on, Jessica Jones is a superhero in the classic Noir mold. Busting down doors, chasing killers through traffic and interrogating criminals in dive bars, Jess is 95% hard-drinking private eye and 5% superhero.

For great street-level Jessica Jones stories, see any Alias story published under Marvel's MAX imprint, but especially 'The Underneath', which sees Jess expose the seedy side of superheroism in NYC.

6 Luke Cage, aka Power Man

Created by Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas and John Romita Sr.

The bulletproof Luke Cage is the Hero of Harlem, not just crime-fighting but caring for his community day in and day out. Luke founded Heroes for Hire to make superheroes available to the public and has since become the mayor of New York in order to negate the Kingpin's control over the city.

To see Luke in action, check out Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu's New Avengers #22, where Iron Man comes to arrest Power Man for flouting the Superhuman Registration Act and gets more than he bargained for.

5 The Punisher, aka Frank Castle

Created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru

Punisher is built on one of the most compelling aspects of a street-level hero - a solo operative who has absolutely nowhere to turn. The authorites would lock Punisher up if they got the chance, and even groups like the Avengers would rather take him down than back him up.

For all he's been misused and misunderstood in the real world, Punisher has some fantastic comic stories, starring a hero who is always outgunned, always outmanned, and still unwilling to give a single inch.

Check out Garth Ennis' Punisher MAX run for his best stories - especially 'The Slavers', where Frank uses every tool at his disposal to bring down a slavery ring operating out of New York.

4 Ms. Marvel, aka Kamala Khan

Created by Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona and Jamie McKelvie

The hero of Jersey City, Ms. Marvel burst onto the scene in 2013. While she has more extreme powers than most street-level heroes, Ms. Marvel was such a success partly because her series was so self-contained.

While Kamala met other heroes out in the world, she was a street-level hero learning as she went, bumping into trouble as she tried to help regular people. While Marvel is currently trying to merge Ms. Marvel into X-Men lore, nothing has beaten her original debut series from G. Willow Wilson​​​​​​​ and Adrian Alphona.

3 Blade, aka Eric Brooks

Created by Marv Wolfman and Gene Colan

Like the Punisher, Blade is defined by being overwhelmed. But while Frank Castle is dealing with organized crime, Blade has dedicated his life to wiping the world clean of vampires.

Blade stalks the streets - the sole hero of a world too dark for traditional superheroes. Check out 1998's Blade: Crescent City Blues - from Christopher Golden and Gene Colan - for Blade taking on the vampire underworld of New Orleans.

2 Daredevil, aka Matt Murdock

Created by Stan Lee and Bill Everett

Matt Murdock has arguably the perfect power set for a street hero. His 360-degree radar sense is just enough of an advantage that he can keep fighting when he's surrounded by gangsters, while his advanced senses make him an ideal detective, scouring the city for sounds and smells linked to the latest case.

Like any good street hero, Daredevil's average adventure sees him being beaten to a pulp, and he often wins the day because of how well he knows his city, and how much he'll sacrifice to save it.

The iconic Born Again from Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli is the ultimate street-level Daredevil tale, full of smoky bars and neon streets.

1 Spider-Man, aka Peter Parker

Created by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko

Over the years, Spider-Man has become a little strong for a street hero, and yet the status is built into his DNA. Spider-Man swinging between New York's skyscrapers is an iconic image, while his agility and Spider-Sense allow him to survive taking on much more powerful foes.

While movie adaptations lean more into large-scale supervillain battles, there are just as many comics where Spidey is a sleuth, investigating New York's sewers and skyscrapers to bring down serial killers and gangsters.

As with DC's Batman, there are a lot of different 'types' of Spider-Man stories, and his street-level adventures are some of his best. The iconic Kraven's Last Hunt - from J. M. DeMatteis, Mike Zeck and Bob McLeod - is an awesome street-level Spider-Man story, seeing him face off against all-too-human enemy Kraven and monstrous urban predator Vermin.

Those are Marvel's ten most iconic street-level heroes - let us know below whether you agree with our rankings, and what other characters should appear on this list.