Marvel heroes are known for their relatability. What makes them really stand out is that you can imagine yourself in their shoes. Many average people at one point imagined themselves being star athletes at some point. Because of that, seeing their favorite heroes achieve that goal can feel truly special.
There are a surprising amount of heroes in the Marvel universe that actually got their start in sports. If not for their powers, many of these heroes would have continued on with their athletic careers. Here are Marvel's 10 best star athletes that went on to become superheroes, ranked.
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10 3-D Man
Also known as Triathalon, Delroy Garrett gained his powers from mysterious alien energy. Formerly the powers of Hal Chandler and his brother Chuck, who would physically combine to become the first 3-D Man, Garrett now held this power and used it to become a member of the Avengers.
At one point in his career, Delroy Garret was a highly successful Olympic track medalist. Ultimately, his career was destroyed when it was eventually revealed that Garrett had taken steroids. Eventually, he would win back his valor by becoming a successful superhero.
9 Shanna The She-Devil
As it turns out, Ka-Zar is not the only Tarzan-like jungle adventurer in the Marvel universe. Another warrior of the Savage Land, Shanna the She-Devil has long been Ka-Zar's greatest ally and deeply trusted romantic partner. Unlike Ka-Zar, Shanna had a long history in the civilized world before beginning her life of living in the Savage Land.
Before becoming stranded on the strange island, Shanna was a competitive Olympic-level athlete who competed in multiple events. Among them were competitive swimming and several different track and field events.
8 Sasquatch
One of the lesser-known superhero teams in Marvel is the Canadian Alpha Flight. Sasquatch is the teams, heavy hitter. Much like the Thing of the Fantastic Four and Hulk from the Avengers, it's Sasquatch who is meant to deal with the biggest/heaviest physical burdens that may impede Alpha Flight.
Long before the man known as Walter Langkowski ever became Sasquatch, he was one of the few Marvel characters featured in the comics to have made it into professional sports. More specifically, Walter played in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers.
7 Northstar
Another member of the Alpha Flight and team member of Sasquatch also had a very successful athletic past. Northstar and his twin sister, Aurora, both decided to join the Alpha Flight team together. Today, they are a pair of the most prominent Canadian superheroes.
Following in line with his arctic theme, Northstar's former athletic history is in a winter sport. As a teenager, Northstar had an incredible gift for skiing and soon became a formidable professional skier. Once his mutant powers manifested themselves, Northstar continued to ski and quickly became one of the best to ever compete in the sport.
6 Beast
Like many of Marvel's tough guys, Hank McCoy, aka Beast of the X-Men, was once a star athlete in college. Hank McCoy is much more well-known for his vast intellect and impressive college degrees in the sciences.
Hank McCoy absolutely dominated the competition in high school. This was so much the case that his fellow student-athletes began to resent Hank for his "unfair" mutant advantage.
5 Dum Dum Dugan
The long-time trusted right-hand man of Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, is one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s most prominent agents. A bit of a tough guy, it comes at no surprise that, at one time in his past, Dum Dum Dugan was an accomplished athlete.
A former circus strongman, Dum Dum always had incredible strength that helped Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos get out of quite a few bad situations. He also competed in boxing for a short while.
4 Spider-Girl
Born the daughter of Spider-Man in the alternate MC2 reality, Mayday Parker followed in her father's footsteps by becoming the hero known as Spider-Girl. Unlike her father, however, Mayday was not a nerdy kid in high school. Instead, she was actually pretty popular and even became a star athlete.
Mayday Parker loved sports, most notably basketball. She was the star player of the team but unfortunately had to quit in order to protect her identity.
3 Ultimate Hawkeye
In mainstream Marvel continuity Clint Barton, also known as Hawkeye, came from very humble beginnings as a member of a circus. In the Ultimate universe, however, he had used his incredible marksmanship abilities to exceed in many athletic endeavors.
Most notably, Ultimate Clint Barton participated in the Olympics and won a gold medal for archery. It's a wonder that his mainstream counterpart never considered doing the same. He would likely be the overwhelming favorite to win every year.
2 Ghost Rider
Plenty of sports are represented by the current and former athletes of Marvel comics. One of the more interesting sports to be included is motorcycle stunt riding. Johnny Blaze worked as a motorcycle stuntman for several years before eventually becoming the hellish hero Marvel's many criminals now quiver at the thought of running into.
Many of these skills that Johnny gained while doing these stunts carried over into his crime-fighting career. Today, Ghost Rider's Hellcycle is known as one of the deadliest vehicles in the Marvel universe.
1 The Thing
Often characterized as the long-time best friend of Reed Richards, Ben Grimm's former life before helping found the Fantastic Four is often not explored. Now holding the role as the FF's strongman, as it turns out, Ben actually had a long history of being a physically empowering force.
Before becoming the Thing, Ben was an amazing football player. Excelling at football in high school, Ben Grimm was offered a full scholarship to play at Empire State University. It was at Empire State that Ben went on to meet his lifelong friend, Reed Richards, along with his lifelong mortal enemy, Victor Von Doom.