Sharon Carter

Few characters in Marvel's Silver Age lineup have proven as enduringly vital as Sharon Carter, who burst onto the scene in Tales of Suspense #85 in 1967, courtesy of the legendary creative duo of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Over nearly six decades of publication, she has remained a fixture in some of Marvel's most consequential stories, racking up 219 catalog appearances and nine key issues that collectors prize — a testament to how deeply she's woven into the fabric of the Marvel Universe. Her world is populated by the heaviest hitters in the Captain America corner of Marvel — Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, James Buchanan Barnes, and the ever-menacing Red Skull among them — and her longest runs in Captain America, Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty, and Secret Avengers speak to a character who doesn't orbit greatness so much as stand squarely within it. If you're serious about Marvel's spy-tinged, action-packed storytelling tradition, Sharon Carter is absolutely essential reading.