The Dream Team

Ever since I was a kid, I have been in a constant struggle with my brother and myself in deciding what would be the perfect team. That’s not to say that the Avengers or the X-Men aren’t perfect teams, but they aren’t my kind of perfect.

After 20+ years of deliberating, I finally put the pen to the paper (or the fingers to the keyboard) and hammered out what I think would be the perfect team.

As you are aware, a team contains vastly different heroes/villains that are there to provide different services:

• The Brute – This member is mainly there to kick ass when it is needed
• The Leader – I don’t think I need to explain this one
• The Stealth/Spy – This member excels in espionage and is able to get into places undetected
• The Outsider – This member is the ‘Lone Wolf’ of the group, preferring to act, well, alone
• The Questionable Choice – This member will make the general public wonder why they are even there.
• The Feel Good Story – Finally, this member is there because someone feels bad for them.

The team has to be able to, from the mouth of Coach Frank Couzo, “Eat, Sleep and Shit” whatever it is they must do. In no particular order, here we go.

To start things off, I would choose Wolverine as my Outsider. Look, this might be an obvious choice for those of you who follow comics and rightfully so. Being Canadian I have to have a Canadian on my team and what better Canadian than the man known as Logan.

He is as formidable as they come, can kick ass when it is needed and as time has gone on, has become one of the most reliable characters in the Marvel Universe. He is adept at tracking, fighting, has been around the block, and is as tough as nails.

It helps that he can heal from practically any wound. There isn’t too much that can stop him.

His drawback as a teammate?

He has this tendency to lose his cool every now and then. I think they call it a ‘Bezerker Rage.’

Not the point, though.

The character has captivated the Marvel fan base for 40 years and shows no sign of slowing down.

There wasn’t too many that thought he would make it all these years as an X-Men. I know Scott Summers would have preferred he not make it, but alas, he is still here…and leading a team at that!

He has ZERO problem venturing out on his own (as he has done time and time again), which makes him a perfect pick for my Outsider.

My Leader?

Isn’t it obvious?

When I think of leaders there is only one person that comes to mind.

He has led the Army, the Avengers, and a life like no other.

I refer to Captain America, Steve Rogers.

Just like Wolverine, the amount of experience that Captain America possesses is second to none. The ‘Man out of Time’ has been around since the early 1900’s and aside from being frozen in the ice for a number of those years, has seen so much and adapted to so much.

As you are aware, Captain America possesses Superhuman Strength, Agility, and many other Super traits.

Captain America fights for the common man. Captain America fights for what is right and Captain America fights for justice. He is the reason the Marvel Universe is a better place. He is the embodiment of the America Hero.

Captain America has countless years of experience as a leader, already leading numerous incarnations of the Avengers, as well as the Defenders and Invaders.

For all the above reasons, Captain America is my choice for leader.

My Espionage character choice goes to Daredevil.

Of all the characters that would fit the Espionage role, (I look to Black Widow, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Mockingbird, and Maria Hill) Daredevil stands out as the obvious choice.

Gifted Fighter

Uber Intelligent Attorney

Skilled in Ninjitsu

Daredevil can kick ass if needed, but knows when to be quiet to take the enemy by surprise. Again, I am a little biased because he is my favourite character, but there is no better at what it is he does.

If you haven’t watched the Netflix series of the same name, you need to.

You need to stop reading this, turn on the T.V. and watch it.

Actually, you need to either finish reading this or Bookmark it for later, then go and watch the show.

My brother is not a Daredevil fan by any means, but I will let you know, he is slowly turning over because of that show (especially the Frank Miller version of Daredevil).

He is ruthless in his quest to bring justice to criminals.

He is captivating as a character.

He is the guy that everybody can root for.

Daredevil lurks in the shadows and uses stealth to subdue his enemies and does it better than any. For these reasons, he is my Espionage choice.

My Brute goes to the character known as the She-Hulk, Jennifer Walters.

You are probably thinking, “Finally, this chauvinist picks a female character,” and you would be right.

I surveyed a few people and most think of Brute Strength in Marvel Comics as The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Thanos, Galactus, Hercules or the Sentry. Not one came up with the She-Hulk. This is why I chose her. She would catch my opponents off guard as she approached.

Not only is she incredibly strong; she is smart, seductive and a wise choice.

She-Hulk can go toe-to-toe with the likes of Thor, The Thing, and Hercules and not even bat an eyelash.

Her upside?

Unlike The Incredible Hulk, she doesn’t go bat-shit crazy when she is green. She is able to keep her cool, intellect, and calm demeanor when things go crazy.

According to Wizard Magazine, She-Hulk is stronger than Supergirl, Wonder Woman, Rogue and many others.

Literally, she is unrivalled.

Oh and she is proportionately strong to her Jennifer Walters form and can be found in the gym.

Can you say, “Admirable?”

Ok, so we have covered the Brute, Outsider, Leader and Espionage characters.

On to the Questionable Choice.

For this category, the character had to have a past that is less than ‘Good-Guy Good’ or been a pick based on Experience.

My pick for the Questionable Choice goes to Bucky Barnes, The Winter Soldier.

Aside from being one of my brother’s two favourite characters, The Winter Soldier is the walking definition of questionable.

Around since the dawn of time, trained to do the jobs that Captain America couldn’t during the war, capable of killing when needed, and living a life on both sides of an argument, The Winter Soldier has proven that he belongs as a questionable choice.

Bucky spent years under Russian control unaware of what he was doing. For years, the man known as Bucky Barnes would be called upon by the Russian Government to carry out assassinations and tasks that needed to fly under the radar.

Eventually, his pal, Captain America uses the Cosmic Cube to set him straight.

Even when he took up the mantle of Captain America, his problem lies in the fact that the American Public could not trust him to serve their country. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that he fought against them.

Look, Bucky is a fighter, knows and fights for what is right, is highly intelligent and the undoubtedly top choice for my Questionable character.

If Captain America can trust him, so can I.

Finally, my choice for the Feel Good character.

The parameters for this character are simple. This character has to be chosen because others feel bad for them. This is the character that everybody roots for, but can be seen as a loser.

My choice is Spider-Man.

Now, before you persecute me, hear me out.

Spider-Man is the living and breathing epitome of a loser, or at least Peter Parker is.

Nothing in his life has gone right for him. He has lost his girlfriend (Gwen Stacy), his Uncle (Ben) and just about everything you can lose.

This is the reason I choose Spider-Man. Based on the parameters set out for this choice, he fits the bill perfectly. It is only a nice bonus that he can take care of himself, knows how to beat just about any opponent in the Marvel Universe, has been a staple of comics for nearly 60 years, and is one of the most intelligent characters in comics (which actually seems to make me intelligent just by picking such a character).

Spider-Man can deal with things that others cannot. He literally carries the weight of the world on his shoulders every day and knows how to handle pressure.

Spider-Man has been on the Avengers time and time again and because of this, knows how to be a part of a team, knows how to take orders and knows his role.

To recap:

1. Leader – Captain America
2. Brute – She-Hulk
3. Outsider – Wolverine
4. Espionage – Daredevil
5. Questionable – Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes
6. Feel Good – Spider-Man

I would love to hear what you think and while you are at it, let me know who your ‘dream’ team would be in the comments below.

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