Superhero franchises have been on a roll in recent years. Movies and TV series starring superheroes are a hit with American viewers. Superhero comic books continue to sell big and all sorts of superhero-inspired merchandise and experiences remain in demand in the United States. But have you ever wondered who is the most popular superhero in the country?
The most popular superhero by state
In honor of Batman Day last September 17th, the data team at Wise Voter ― a bipartisan educational platform that analyzes Americans’ opinions, likes, and dislikes ― conducted a study to find out the country’s favorite comic book superheroes.
The results of the study revealed that Spider-Man is the most popular superhero in the United States, winning the hearts of 25 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Washington.
America’s second most popular superhero is Batman, which won in the following 10 states: Hawaii, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Taking the third position by coming out on top in four states is Superman. The Man of Steel is the most popular superhero in Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, and Wyoming.
Aquaman (Iowa and North Dakota), Captain Marvel (Delaware and Rhode Island), Wolverine (Alabama and Montana), and Wonder Woman (Maine and Vermont) are all tied in fourth place. Each of these superheroes won in two states.
Sharing the fifth spot are Black Panther (Oregon), Captain America (Alaska), and Iron Man (New Mexico). Each one of them won in one state.
Marvel vs DC – Which comic book franchise is more popular in the U.S.?
Comic books started to see a rise in sales in 2020 when the world shut down during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, as comic book companies pivoted into the digital space, the market size grew by over 60% from 2020 to 2021.
According to Wise Voter, Marvel recorded a market share of 31.7% in 2021, while DC wasn’t far behind with 27.1% of the market share. These figures confirm that Marvel is currently the most popular comic book franchise in America.
The world’s most popular superhero
In 2021, British electrical retailer Currys conducted a study that looked at online search volumes and Instagram posts to discover the world’s most popular superheroes and villains.
With a global monthly search volume of 10.2 million, Joker topped last year’s ranking of the most-searched-for superheroes and villains in the world. The iconic DC villain was followed by Marvel’s Spider-Man (7.2 million), Black Panther (4.4 million), Wonder Woman (3.8 million), and Iron Man (3.4 million).
Batman, meanwhile, is 2021’s king of Instagram. The Dark Knight secured the top spot in that year’s ranking of superheroes and villains with the greatest number of social media posts with their names on them. The Caped Crusader had 28.2 million social media posts hashtagged with his name. He was followed by Marvel superheroes Spider-Man (20.5 million) and Iron Man (13.7 million), and then by his fellow DC characters Joker (13.7 million) and Superman (13.3 million).