In another thread, a poster said how much he hated such-and-such a character and that she was easily his least favorite character in Marvel Comics. JB has discussed in the past why he does not love the Legion. We all have our favorites (and again, to keep things light, please feel free to discuss those here as well, and maybe how they contrast with your least favorites), but there are also those for whom we have no real affection whatsoever, either because of their personality, the role they've played in a given storyline, or some creative decision made in their essential creation. We are all defined by our dislikes as well as our likes.

I'm not looking for hateful screeds against the work done by various creators, personal attacks, nor am I looking for a ton of "I never read so-and-so, so I guess I never liked them" responses. I don't think I've ever read a story with Night Thrasher in it, but I wouldn't say I actively dislike him either.

Lobo, on the other hand, I have seen multiple times in multiple issues, and I seriously do not like the character. His brawling, boozing, bullying demeanor doesn't resonate with me, his power level is at full fanwank-levels, and his tender-hearted affinity for space dolphins reads as a false attempt to give this fan-character-come-to-life some element of depth he clearly does not deserve.

What would I do differently with the character? I must admit I'm not sure. Maybe give him a biker gang or a family he's left behind in the past and to whom he now has to reconcile himself. Give him some sense of responsibility. I'd also take him out of Superman's power level or use him to show why it's a bad idea for that kind of power to fall into the wrong hands. I get the feeling that whatever I'd do, however, it wouldn't set well with his "Haw! Haw! You mad, bro?" personality.

There are others I cross the comic-book aisle to avoid whenever I can; Red Hulk, Gambit, and others, but who are yours? Is there anyone who really just gets your hackles up?

Again, let's try to keep this upbeat and offer suggestions which might help our wayward brothers and sisters in the four-color world. What could that heroine over in the other thread do to redeem herself in the eyes of the guy who said he didn't like her? Red Hulk already did something which improved his role in comics considerably from my perspective. He went away. I like the character a whole lot more in the rear view mirror. :-)

(Why do I have this sudden feeling that Matter-Eater Lad and Bouncing Boy are really going to take it on the chin in this thread...? I'm also very worried about my old friend Adam Strange for some reason.)

But I do agree he, and all the other Hulks that spawned a few years ago were a disaster for me. So yes, Red Hulk, A-Bomb and all that ilk are characters that I wish did not exist.

I wish Doctor Doom's Iron Man did not exist - this showed an utter mis-understanding about that character by that writer (along with calling Ms Marvel a bitch, but this is not the thread for that).

There are also radical interpretations of characters that end up being the character in name only - those I also wish would go away. Am I allowed to include those in this list because if I am, then Cyclops from Grant Morrison onwards would be first in the queue followed closely by Charles Xavier by Ed Bruebaker onwards. 

Gambit for me, too. There's a Wolverine reprint title here in the UK (published since 1996!). At one point, Gambit was the back-up strip so I did read it. But nothing about him appealed to me in any way, shape or form.

And then there's USAgent, who just seems like a bad Judge Dredd clone.

Robbie & Andrew, I definitely agree that substitute versions of mainstay characters carry with them a certain unpleasant aspect from the get-go. Most are so clearly not what they're pretending to be that it's hard to root for them. The one exception I'd have to that is Beta Ray Bill if only because he did not replace Thor for a significant period of time and he was presented as a likeable, worthy custodian of Mjolnir in his first appearance. All of the others you've mentioned here leave me rather cold. 

Actually, I will admit to having a soft spot for Spider-Man 2099 at the start. I really enjoyed Rick Leonardi's art and his design for the character. And I liked that his sense of humor was markedly different from Peter Parker's. Now that he's become just another face in a crowd of Spideys, the character has far less appeal for me. 

Richard, "Diet Darkseid" may be my favorite character nickname ever. Thanks for that one.

Olav, I want to thank you for that eloquent, imaginative defense of Bouncing Boy and his powers. I love the fact that you say he brings a smile. I think that's very much what the character is supposed to do. 

I have never heard of Scrambler. Or Honey Badger for that matter. Clearly, they're after my time. Do these characters have their own books or are they just the latest in the ongoing avalanche of X-Men? 

Your point and James' that characters like Johnny Blaze and Cyclops can go from being favorites to least favorites is well made. Change for its own sake is rarely change for the better, and in the case of Cyclops, it's almost as if character assassination became standard procedure in writing the X-Men. As for Professor X, the "sneaky bastard in a wheelchair" trope is so ingrained in the comics medium now that I expect any day to read that Oracle killed Huntress's parents, dropped Aquarius on Larry Lance, and hid all of Lady Blackhawk's pants where she can never find them again.

I did not know that the Red Hulk was back either. Rats. 

He has a/an (accent) accent and he throws (plural noun) charged with (color) energy. 

If we put different descriptors into those blank spaces, would the results be viable as characters on their own? "He has a (Brooklyn) accent and he throws (rolled-up newspapers) charged with (black and white and red all over) energy." Could the attorneys track that back to having once been Gambit? I wonder...