12 Days Of Marvel: Best Additions Of 2016

2016 was a year full of ups and down, but Marvel made sure to give us more highs than lows.

From new characters and titles such as Gwenpool to Netflix series like Luke Cage, Marvel expanded its horizons far and wide this year. As high as they’ve raised the bar already, we can only expect even better from them in 2017. Here’s a look back at some of The Marvel Report’s favorite new additions of 2016.

Brittany Rivera (Senior Staff Writer/Events)

Jennifer Redelle Carey (Event Staff/Editor)

Ana Jarvis, Mr. Jarvis’s wife from Agent Carter, while mentioned throughout season one, did not make her screen debut until season two — and what a splash that debut was! On first meeting, Peggy finds herself being instantly hugged by this red haired, colorfully printed, vivacious Hungarian woman. Peggy remarks that Ana was not what she expected, to which Ana suggests if she expected someone like “Mr. Jarvis in a girdle.”

Ana is charming, pragmatic, supportive, and loving. Lotte Verbeek does an exceptional job of bringing a character to life whom we had only heard about from Mr. Jarvis himself. The Jarvis’s relationship is iron-clad; here are two people who are deeply in love and devoted to one another and are willing to move heaven and earth for the other. And I believe that they could do just that.

Kathryn Calamia (Comics EiC/Video Reviewer)

Gabby became a supporting character in All-New Wolverine this year, and is a great addition to the title. Gabby’s upbeat charm is a great contrast to Laura’s more intense personality. Laura has become more of a big sister to Gabby, allowing Laura to open up more as a person.

Tatiana Hullender (Staff Writer)

There have been a great number of female characters introduced into the Marvel Universe this year, and several of them have pushed the envelope in terms of Marvel’s commitment to diversity. Riri Williams is one of the most notable examples of this, and she’s been much talked about and already well-loved since her first Invincible Iron Man appearance. As tragic as her backstory is, her personality and future are full of hope and optimism – which is what Marvel excels at.

The way Riri Williams has been handled thus far gives me hope for the America title coming out next year. As a Latina and avid consumer of comics, I’ve been patiently waiting for America Chavez to headline her own story. You can already bet that – if all goes well – her title will be my favorite addition of 2017.

Also I’m a huge Grant Ward fan. He’s probably my favorite character, I’m super biased about him, and I deeply enjoyed Brett Dalton’s tenure in the MCU. To have Ward join 616 canon was a surprise and a blessing. He was still a traitor, but by the end of it Elektra (who had betrayed Matt Murdock) helped convince SHIELD and Coulson that Ward deserved a second chance. While we don’t know what he’ll do with it, the final panel of the Agents of SHIELD comic books shows him as a member of the team with his own spin on things – a jet pack! Instead of stealing iron man suits or harassing other characters, he found his own identity – with a jet pack! If there’s one incentive to read comics for me personally it’s so I can come back and see them doing something super cool with my favorite character. For now however I’m VERY content with him existing in 616 canon!

Andy Behbakt (Founder)