10 Popular Superheroes Who Are Older Than Baby Boomers
Getting old is an involuntary process. However, growing up is a voluntary one. This is a mindset that befits adult comic books. It is also a quote that can be applied to some of the most popular superheroes ever created.
Thor was over a thousand years old when Odin stripped him of his powers. Captain America, Wolverine, and Magneto are all very elderly men, even if they don’t look it. If you are a grown adult who loves comic books don’t be ashamed. Some of your favorite superheroes make Baby Boomers look like teenagers. Here are ten of them.
1. Magneto
Max Eisenhardt was born in 1922 to a German-Jewish family. He survived Nazi Germany, incarceration in a concentration camp, and a near public lynching as his mutant power, the control of magnetic fields, manifested. Eisenhardt later changed his name to, “Erik Lensherr,” and began operating under the codename Magneto. Magneto, one of the most popular superheroes ever, is 100 years old.
2. Winter Soldier
Bucky Barnes was Captain America’s child sidekick. He was aged up in the comics later on. At the end of WII, Steve Rogers was frozen in a block of ice. Barnes was kidnapped, tortured, and brainwashed by Russian scientists. Barnes was transformed into the Winter Soldier and spent months or years in suspended animation between missions. This process slowed Barnes’ aging, but the character is well over 100 now. Bucky was never popular but the Winter Soldier is one of Marvel’s most popular superheroes.
3. Captain America
Steve Rogers was born in 1922 in the Marvel Comics continuity. Rogers was in his early 20s when he took the Super Soldier serum to become Captain America, one of the most popular superheroes. Rogers was frozen in suspended animation for almost 70 years after WWII. Rogers is in his mid-30s in Marvel Comics. So, he is well over 100 years old now.
4. Nick Fury
The Nick Fury of the Marvel comic books was born in the 1900s or 1910s. He became an acclaimed soldier in WWII and later a high-ranking super spy. Fury became severely injured twice during the war. For several decades, he began drinking an annual “Infinity Formula,” serum. The serum healed Fury and slowed his aging. Fury is probably 105 years old. In the current Marvel Comics canon, Fury became a cosmic being and is now immortal.
5. Wolverine
Wolverine had the most shrouded origin in comics until 2006’s Origin. James Howlett was born to rich landowners, John and Elizabeth Howlett, in Alberta, Canada sometime in the late 1800s. James is really the secret lovechild of a gruff groundskeeper, Thomas Logan. After a conflict, Thomas kills John. A preteen James pops bone claws out of his forearms and unwittingly kills his father, Thomas.
James would adopt the name Logan, become a mercenary, and have his mind scrambled in the Weapon X project years later. Wolverine is anywhere from 120 to 150 years old. His healing factor slows his aging. Wolverine is one of the most popular superheroes in Marvel history.
6. Graymalkin
Graymalikin is a relatively new X-Men character who debuted in 2008’s Young X-Men #1. Jonas Graymalin was 16 years old in the early 1800s when his father found out he was homosexual. Enraged, Jonas’ father beat him and buried him alive. Jonas’ mutant power of hypersensitivity to extreme darkness, invulnerability, and super strength. was activated. He went into suspended animation for 200 years while buried alive before he was freed. Charles Xavier’s school for mutants, located at 1407 Graymalkin Lane, was unwittingly built over Graymalkin’s living tomb.
7. The Ancient One
The Ancient One is the mentor of Dr. Strange. He is depicted as an elderly Asian man in Marvel Comics. The Ancient One was a young farmer in Kamar Taj, a secret city located in the Himalayas. He began feuding with a peer after they discovered mystical powers. The Ancient One won the conflict at great cost and lost his immortality. Still, the Ancient One ages slowly. He is probably over 500 years old.
8. Thor
Thor was originally born to Odin and a goddess named Gaea. Thor was later raised by Odin and his Asgardian wife, Frigga. Since Thor is a god of Norse mythology, he is immortal. No one knows exactly how old Thor is. Thor could be 1,500 years old or even 1 million years old. Thor and the Norse Gods are some of the most popular superheroes at Marvel.
9. Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman’s origins have changed multiple times since her debut in 1941’s All-Star Comics #8. She was originally a member of a female warrior race called the Amazons which existed on an island called Themyscira. Her origin was changed in the 1980s so that she was formed from clay by her “mother,” Hippolyta, and blessed with power by Greek gods. Wonder Woman, one of DC Comics most popular superheroes, is anywhere between 2,600 and 5,000 years old. She could also be much older.
10. Superman
Superman is either 111 years old or millions of years old depending on which comic book-based science you believe. Superman was in his late 20s in 1938 when he debuted in Action Comics #1. So, he is 111 by that standard, give or take a few years. Still, it may have taken baby Kal-El over 1.2 million years to get from Krypton to Earth in a tiny rocket ship. Superman could be millions of years old when accounting for time dilation and other factors.
The Most Popular Superheroes Are Young at Heart
Comic books used to be considered children’s entertainment. This was probably a societal projection that was probably never true. Over 25% of comic book readers in the United States in 2023 were Baby Boomers. Stan Lee, creator of some of Marvel’s most popular superheroes, once said, “Comic books to me are fairy tales for grown-ups.”
You are never too old to get into comic books, even if you’re a Baby Boomer. After all, some of the most popular superheroes you read about will be much older than you.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen is an advocate of best personal financial practices including saving and investing in your own small business.
