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 it 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 it 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 it 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.
