With Marvel Studios continuing to expand and diversify the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), through shows such as Moon Knight and She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, as well as movies like Thor: Love and Thunder and Doctor Strange: In the Multiverse of Madness, it is no surprise that almost everyone on the planet is a fan of the MCU. The films and shows in this cinematic wonderland offer great characters, plenty of humour, and lots of spectacle, and thanks to audiences the world over, they have been a huge hit and have broken numerous box office and streaming records.
This week there is a chance more records will be broken (or at the very least shaken up) with the release of yet another new instalment in the Marvel saga – the big blockbuster feature film, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. The new movie – directed by Ryan Coogler – sees the MCU return to the fictional African nation of Wakanda for more action and adventure, as well as the introduction of new characters, including Namor!
To celebrate the release of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, entertainment and pop culture specialists Zavvi have been zeroing in on the MCU, to identify which Marvel icons are the most popular heroes across the world. Using information taken from Google search data, the Zavvi team have looked at all of the countries in the world, to find the MCU’s biggest stars!
And to make things easy to digest, they have then whittled down this information to produce a hero for six of the seven continents (sorry Antarctica).
Want to know which heroes top the Google searches around the world? Then let’s take a look!
First up on the list is Africa, where Doctor Strange ranks as the most popular MCU hero, with 36% of Marvel Google searches focused on this character. The character also reigns supreme in Asia, where Doctor Strange is the most-searched-for MCU hero in 27 countries on this continent, beating out any other Avenger.
And this trend continues in both North America and South America too! According to Google search data, Doctor Strange is the most popular Marvel superhero in North America, accounting for 48% of searches on the continent, while in South America he accounts for 75% of the searches.
So, why is Strange so popular? Well, it could be because of all the movies he has appeared in – two solo films, two Avengers movies, one Thor film, and one Spider-Man film – or it could just be because he’s pretty cool.
However, the likelihood is that he is doing so well on Google right now because he starred in a new movie this year, as well as the hugely successful Spider-Man: No Way Home last year. These films have placed him in the spotlight in recent months, and no doubt this has inspired a few online searches.
Moving over to Europe now, and it is a different story over here, as Doctor Strange no longer tops the list, and instead Iron Man takes the top spot. Twenty-six of the countries in Europe favour ol’ shell-head over his nearest rivals, making Tony Stark the continent’s de facto numero uno!
You will recall that Iron Man was the first hero to appear in the MCU, with Robert Downey Jr. taking on the part. He then reprised the role for two sequels, in addition to four Avengers movies and a Spider-Man film.
But what about Australia? Does Iron Man take the top spot there too, or is it back to Doctor Strange for this final continent?
Well, according to the data, the most-searched-for superhero in Australia is not Iron Man, nor Doctor Strange, but is instead the Hulk. The green goliath, aka Dr. Bruce Banner, is the hero who is most popular amongst Aussies right now, and he ranks the highest.
Now, taking all of the above information into account, if we were to narrow this down further, it would appear that with four out of six continents producing the same results, it is Doctor Strange who is the number one MCU hero in the world right now. He beats both Iron Man and the Hulk to the crown, and stops the likes of Spidey, Captain America, and Black Widow from getting a look-in!
But would Doctor Strange maintain that crown in a year’s time? Maybe. Maybe not.
With Black Panther: Wakanda Forever only days away, and more Marvel movies and TV shows on the horizon, things could change in the fullness of time, so I guess we will have to wait and see. However, for now, and according to the study conducted by Zavvi, Doctor Strange is the biggest MCU character, so let’s all bow down to this super hero supreme!
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Thanks for stopping by It’s A Stampede! to read this post. For more MCU-content, be sure to check out the recommended reads below.
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