They’ve all already been mentioned. The six are (IMO in this order, yours may vary):
Superman
Batman
Spider-Man
The Hulk
Wonder Woman
Captain America
Any other comic character will have varying levels of recognition, but these six are universal. Limiting this thread to these six would also make for a very boring discussion. Which is why I threw up Blade, Wolverine and Iron Man for the second tier.
Who said they were only six? There could be others if we think hard enough before needing second division characters…
It’s my opinion there are only six universal comic book characters.
The three I listed after are not “second division” characters, but characters in my personal second tier of recognizability. I guess if you expand it to include villains the first tier would also have to include Lex Luthor and The Joker as well with Doctor Octopus pretty squarely in the second tier.
If we have to think really hard to come up with them, then the other folks probably aren’t all that universally-recognized.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? First published in 1984. Pretty darned popular for a while.
SANDMAN had a bigger readership among non-comics fans than any other American or British comic I can think of, with the possible exception of something like ARCHIE or JUDGE DREDD.
IIRC Transformers were also started as a comic book around the same time.
In both cases their popularity is probably pretty skewed towards people who were kids during the late 80’s though, they don’t have the cross-generational appeal of some of the earlier comic-book characters.
Maybe, but Sandman is still pretty niche, even if that niche doesn’t line up with regular comic book readers. I don’t think he has anywhere close to the name recognition of most of the other characters mentioned in this thread.
Superman and Batman are the only clear choices.
Wonder Woman, maybe, though people probably know her name and nothing else.
Spider-Man is the only Marvel hero who might have universal recognition (i.e., if you asked the average person on the street about him, they might identify him), but even that is iffy. AsI pointed out elsewhere, my wife and daughter knew nothing about him when they saw the first movie.
Captain America might get some flashes, but not likely.
Tarzan, Donald Duck, and Mickey Mouse appeared in comic books, and they’re better known than even Superman and Batman.
So, if we answer the OP, it would seem to be Spider-Man, though he’s hardly universally known.
No one else is well known outside of comic book readers.
Superman and Popeye.
What about Hellboy? His first appearance in a comic book was 1993. And he’s had two movies which gives the character a decent level of recognition.
I would vote for Wolverine. I know nothing of Sandman, The Punisher or Blade. I only know that Iron Man is a movie starring Robert Downey Jr. But I can picture Wolverine and I bet my mom could too.
When thinking about superhero Q ratings, sports are a decent analogy. Think of your Comic Book Guy friends and whether they know who Tom Brady or Pudge Rodriguez are. They’re roughly equivalent to knowing the “big six” superheroes and lower tier heroes (like Punisher or Hellboy) respectively.
Knowing superhero powers would be equivalent to knowing athletes’ sport, position, and the team they’re most commonly associated with. The origin story would be analogous to knowing when and by whom the athlete was drafted, who they replaced, and what teams they played for during their career.
I can’t believe that there isn’t any “universally known” character created after the 1930’s (when both Superman and Batman were created). Spider-Man is better. Wolverine is definitely a lot better. As for after 1974 (Wolverine’s “birth year”), that’s tougher.
I would think Catwoman is pretty well known - a lot of people who know Batman would probably know her as one of his opponents.
That was the first character that came to my mind.
Actually, the answer should have been obvious: Fables. I guarantee that everyone has heard of their individual members, even if they don’t know about the context. The book dates from 2002.
I don’t know how far you’re taking the word “universal,” but the average American on the street DOES know Wolverine. If you or your kid didn’t read comics from 1974-present, then you or your kid probably watched the incredibly popular Fox X-Men cartoon in the '90s, or saw, or saw the trailer for, or heard of one of the 4 huge movies he’s starred in over the last decade. Everybody gets a pass on all the video games he’s been in since people who reached adulthood before the age of video games tend to pay zero attention to them-- but they’ve sold very well.
The answer is Wolverine.
First character to come to mind is Garfield. The OP didn’t say it had to be a superhero. I bet Garfield comes pretty close to being universally known.
How well known is Optimus Prime? Would the Marvel comics (starting in the same month as the cartoon, and the same year as the toys) mean he counts?
Pikachu – first published in 1996, and probably more universally recognised than most American superheroes.