So, who's your pick?

My Marvel-philia started with the Death of Phoenix, ran through Claremont's mutant run, and stopped when the Acolytes ramped up their post-Asteroid M menace. I only has sporadic forays into the rest of the MU: Spidey for awhile, Iron Man during Iron Wars, Avengers during the Masters of Evil Saga and Dr. Druid's betrayal, and some forays into licensed properties: Micronauts, Shogun Warriors, and Transformers.

I'd have to go with Captain America, Spider-Man, and Colossus.

Captain America is a darn good choice there and a hard one to dispute. Kitty Pryde was that center for the X-Men during my favorite period, I don't think she still fills that role. A case might have been made for Ben Grimm before the FF were abandoned by Marvel.

It's probably Squirrel Girl.

I gotta go with Mephisto. Who else in the Marvel Universe could collect all the power of every cosmic entity in the Marvel Universe and selflessly give it up to one-shot the Beyonder AND leave those cosmic entities intact and at full power.

That wasn't morality, that was fear. Mephisto was afraid of the Beyonder, so he took the shot with the powers loaned to him in hopes it would succeed and allow him to continue feeling safe for another day.

I think Squirrel Girl is what Marvel's editorial staff assumes is the collective point of view of the modern comic reader rather than its moral center.

I'd love to say Cap, he's my go-to, but if I had to pick the ultimate moral figure in the Marvel Universe who is the center, I'd go with Norrin Radd, The Silver Surfer.

Thrudjelmer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That wasn't morality, that was fear. Mephisto was
> afraid of the Beyonder, so he took the shot with
> the powers loaned to him in hopes it would succeed
> and allow him to continue feeling safe for another
> day.


Actually, he didn't get to shoot it off. The Thing stopped it from happening and we got the Quesadaverse instead.

Mephisto tried to spare us, y'all.

Thrudjelmer Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> That wasn't morality, that was fear. Mephisto was
> afraid of the Beyonder, so he took the shot with
> the powers loaned to him in hopes it would succeed
> and allow him to continue feeling safe for another
> day.

Someone actually was crazy enough to suggest MEPHISTO as a moral center? IMMORAL maybe, definitely not even remotely near the moral end.

Nightmask Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thrudjelmer Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > That wasn't morality, that was fear. Mephisto
> was
> > afraid of the Beyonder, so he took the shot
> with
> > the powers loaned to him in hopes it would
> succeed
> > and allow him to continue feeling safe for
> another
> > day.
>
> Someone actually was crazy enough to suggest
> MEPHISTO as a moral center? IMMORAL maybe,
> definitely not even remotely near the moral end.

But if his plan to destroy the Beyonder and one-third of the universe had succeeded there would be no old canon for the all new, all different Marvel to mess up. Mephisto tried to help us!

Good call on Silver Surfer

thejackolantern Wrote:
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> I'd love to say Cap, he's my go-to, but if I had
> to pick the ultimate moral figure in the Marvel
> Universe who is the center, I'd go with Norrin
> Radd, The Silver Surfer.

I don't know, early on at least he had a problem of going on rages when he simply couldn't deal with the dark side of humanity after a while and would destroy some things and threaten to kill everyone before regaining control over himself. I don't think Cap's ever done such a thing, the worst he's done is retire as Cap and take up the Nomad identity when disillusioned over the corruption that drove Nixen out of the presidency in the MU but never stopped fighting for people even at his most disillusioned.

I think a case could be made for Janet van Dyne. She's been the heart of the Avengers since they were founded, and I can't recall anything morally questionable she's done.

Clint Barton could have been a contender, too, at one point -- he used to be seriously anti-killing, even quitting the team when one member (his wife!) allowed a man (who'd raped her!) to fall to his death.

Wasn't Wasp sleeping with Magneto during the first Secret Wars to spy on him or something? Seems a little less than moral to me.

Thrudjelmer Wrote:
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> Wasn't Wasp sleeping with Magneto during the first
> Secret Wars to spy on him or something? Seems a
> little less than moral to me.

There weren't any indications she was sleeping with him. He had been flirting with her but she ended up telling him off and taking off (leading to her encounter with the Lizard and subsequent being shot and left apparently dead by some of the villains).

An argument could be made for Kitty Pryde being the moral center of the X-Men.

Dead Sidekick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Nightmask Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Thrudjelmer Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > That wasn't morality, that was fear.
> Mephisto
> > was
> > > afraid of the Beyonder, so he took the shot
> > with
> > > the powers loaned to him in hopes it would
> > succeed
> > > and allow him to continue feeling safe for
> > another
> > > day.
> >
> > Someone actually was crazy enough to suggest
> > MEPHISTO as a moral center? IMMORAL maybe,
> > definitely not even remotely near the moral
> end.
>
> But if his plan to destroy the Beyonder and
> one-third of the universe had succeeded there
> would be no old canon for the all new, all
> different Marvel to mess up. Mephisto tried to
> help us!
>
>


Kronk's Shoulder Angel: No, no. He's got a point.
<\kronk>

J Bone Wrote:
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> Captain America is a darn good choice there and a
> hard one to dispute. Kitty Pryde was that center
> for the X-Men during my favorite period, I don't
> think she still fills that role. A case might have
> been made for Ben Grimm before the FF were
> abandoned by Marvel.

I could see Kitty, though she's more the innocent for our timeframe.

The Thing is one I really thought about, and an argument could be made. He's certainly the conscience of the FF. I left him off because of his rage episodes, and I don't follow the FF that much.