Kong

Few characters capture the authentic chaos of high school life quite like Kong, who stepped onto the scene in the landmark debut issue of Ultimate Spider-Man in 2001, courtesy of the powerhouse creative team of Brian Michael Bendis, Bill Jemas, and Mark Bagley. A product of Marvel's bold Modern Age reimagining, Kong populated the halls of that universe's high school alongside the likes of Peter Parker, Mary Jane Watson, and Flash Thompson, grounding the series' world in recognizable teenage reality. Over the course of a run stretching through the 2000s, he racked up nearly 50 appearances — a testament to how essential he was to the texture and life of Ultimate Spider-Man. If you love that era's fresh, street-level storytelling, Kong is exactly the kind of character who reminds you that great comics are built as much from the supporting cast as from the hero.