The Champion of the Universe

Few cosmic figures in the Marvel Universe carry quite the swagger of The Champion of the Universe, who burst onto the scene in Silver Surfer #19 in 1989, courtesy of Steve Englehart and Ron Lim right in the thick of Marvel's Copper Age cosmic renaissance. Over a remarkable 35-year stretch running all the way to 2024, this larger-than-life powerhouse has kept genuinely elite company — sharing pages with the likes of Thor, Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Gamora — while turning up in wildly varied corners of the Marvel catalog, from Deadpool to Rocket Raccoon to the Immortal Thor Annual. That eclectic résumé speaks to a character with real staying power and a knack for showing up wherever the stakes — or the competition — are highest. If you're drawn to Marvel's grand cosmic tradition and love a figure who can hold their own alongside both street-level legends and universe-shaking heavyweights, The Champion of the Universe is absolutely worth tracking down.