The 40 Best Hero Cards in Magic Ranked

Last updated on September 13, 2025

Captain America, First Avenger | Illustration by Ryan Pancoast

Heroes have always been a big part of Magic’s storytelling, and lately the hero creature type has started to pop up in some surprising ways. From multiverse crossovers to flavorful throwbacks, these cards bring unique mechanics and plenty of power to the table. With a growing number of options out there, we’ve taken the time to rank the very best hero cards in MTG! Let’s see which ones truly rise to the occasion.

What Are Hero Cards in MTG?

Wolverine, Best There Is | Illustration by Victor Adame Minguez

Hero cards in Magic are creatures that bare the type “hero” in their type line. Note that not all physical cards with “hero” in the type line are actually heroes; older sets used “hero” as a creature type, but those cards have almost all received errata to give them the soldier creature type.

The ranked heroes here are considered based on their usefulness in Commander, but watch this space! Many future heroes will be legal in Standard, which means we’ll be able to judge them on those merits.

With the release of Marvel's Spider-Man, heroes have stepped into the spotlight like never before. We’re looking at roughly over 20+ different versions of Spider-Man across the multiverse, each bringing something unique to the table. And you know what that means—it’s time to rank the best ones!

History of Heroes in Magic

Hero was a creature class in early Magic, as early as Alpha’s Benalish Hero. A few others came along, and eventually Magic printed a creature that cared about your other heroes, but wasn’t a hero itself: Aysen Crusader. In 2007 during the Grand Creature Type Update, almost all heroes were converted into soldiers, and Aysen Crusader started to care about soldiers and warriors.

As a creature type, “hero” returned to Magic with Marvel Universes Beyond products. The first batch of these was introduced in 2024’s Secret Lair Drop Series: Marvel Superdrop, which included such iconic Marvel heroes as Iron Man, Captain America, Black Panther, Storm, and Wolverine. The Marvel’s Deadpool drop appeared in early 2025.

“Hero” and “heroic” have both been used in Magic card names, on cards like Hero of Bladehold, Heroes' Podium, Pyre of Heroes, and Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes, to name but a few. Heroic Intervention is a staple green protection spell in Commander, but ironically enough, it doesn’t trigger the heroic mechanic used in Theros block.

“Hero” has also been used in Magic slang to refer to a cycle of flip cards from the original Kamigawa block that flip from nonlegendary creatures into legendary creatures. Audiences love a hero’s journey.

Honorable Mention: Fraction Jackson

It wouldn’t feel right to talk about hero cards without giving a nod to Fraction Jackson from Unhinged. This quirky green creature leans into silver-border humor, bringing back any card with a ½ on it from your graveyard. At 1/1½ power and toughness, it’s both a math joke and a flavorful callback to Un-sets’ love of breaking rules.

#40. SP//dr, Piloted by Peni

SP//dr, Piloted by Peni loves a modified team. When it enters, it hands out a counter, and from then on, any equipped, enchanted, or counter-covered creature that connects draws you cards. It thrives with Sword of Truth and Justice or Rancor, turning every combat step into extra fuel for your strategy.

#39. Spider-Man India

Spider-Man India makes every creature spell you cast boost a friend with a counter and even gives it flying for the turn. Its web-slinging cost makes it cheaper if you bounce a tapped creature, so it plays smoothly in tempo builds. Pair it with Cathars' Crusade or Heroic Intervention to keep the counters flowing and threats in the air.

#38. Spider-UK

Spider-UK leans into teamwork. With its web-slinging cost, it can hit the board cheaper, and if two or more creatures entered under your control that turn, you draw a card and gain 2 life at the end step. That synergy makes it shine in token decks with Raise the Alarm or Lingering Souls, stacking value with every turn.

#37. Silver Sable, Mercenary Leader

When Silver Sable, Mercenary Leader enters, it puts a +1/+1 counter on another creature, immediately spreading power. Every time it attacks, a modified creature you control gains lifelink, letting you swing without fear. It thrives in decks packed with equipment like Sword of Feast and Famine or counter strategies with Hardened Scales.

#36. Sun-Spider, Nimble Webber

During your turn, Sun-Spider, Nimble Webber takes to the skies, making it an evasive attacker. When it enters, you tutor up an equipment or aura, putting the perfect piece right into your hand. Whether it’s Sword of Fire and Ice for value or All That Glitters for raw damage, Sun-Spider ensures your strategy always has the right gear lined up.

#35. Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly

Scarlet Spider, Ben Reilly makes the most of its web-slinging cost. Bouncing a tapped creature makes Ben cheaper and stacks +1/+1 counters equal to that creature’s mana value. This means replaying high-cost threats turns Ben Reilly into a massive beater, perfect for aggressive strategies that want to close out games fast.

#34. Black Panther, Wakandan King

It’s very Selesnya () to be messing around with in +1/+1 counters space, and I can see a few different ways to build around Black Panther, Wakandan King. Putting counters on lands means you can use cards that animate lands, while Black Panther itself lets you move counters around and gain life. I also like the idea of using it in support of the many Selesnya and Naya decks () that go wide with tokens, especially with all the token doublers we have these days.

#33. Iron Man, Titan of Innovation

Iron Man, Titan of Innovation would really be a lot slower without haste. It’s a Treasure generator itself, and it lets you sacrifice noncreature artifacts to tutor other artifacts onto the battlefield, like a Birthing Pod effect. Its tutor ability plays well with Captain America, but you can build a deck around Iron Man, too.

Treasure and Clue generators and a Mechanized Production alternate win condition make up more obvious paths to victory, but you can also use Iron Man as an artifact pod commander and aim to win with more impactful artifacts.

If you want to build in Bracket 1, how about an equipment pod deck, where you sacrifice equipment to bring out bigger and better equipment? You can embody Tony Stark by having your commander iterate on its own Iron Man suit.

#32. Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade

Iron Spider, Stark Upgrade is a utility engine for any artifact-heavy build. With vigilance, it can attack and still tap to spread +1/+1 counters across artifact creatures or vehicles. That same investment later turns into card draw, keeping you fueled. It pairs well with cards like Steel Overseer and Smuggler's Copter for a fast, scaling board.

#31. Symbiote Spider-Man

Whenever Symbiote Spider-Man connects in combat, you dig into your deck and sculpt the perfect hand, tossing extras into the graveyard for future plays. Later, it even passes on its powers by exiling itself to buff another creature. This blends smoothly with graveyard-focused cards like Tasigur, the Golden Fang or recursion spells for real value.

#30. Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer

Anti-Venom, Horrifying Healer makes a huge impact when cast, reanimating a creature from your graveyard. On top of that, all damage dealt to it is prevented and turned into +1/+1 counters, making it stronger the more it’s targeted. You basically have to play mono-white to cast it, but it's a huge brick wall against any sort of aggro deck.

#29. Superior Spider-Man

Superior Spider-Man comes with a nasty twist—when it enters, you can copy any creature card in a graveyard while keeping the spider identity intact. That means stealing the best tool from the yard and still swinging as a 4/4. Imagine copying a fallen Consecrated Sphinx or Gray Merchant of Asphodel—the flexibility makes this a dangerous wildcard in any matchup.

#28. Spider-Woman, Stunning Savior

Spider-Woman, Stunning Savior is all about control. With flying, it dodges blockers while its Venom Blast ability forces every artifact and creature your opponents play to enter tapped. That delay buys you time to swing or stabilize, making it especially nasty against token swarms.

#27. Spider-Man 2099

Spider-Man 2099 brings a futuristic punch with double strike and vigilance, though you can’t cast it in the opening turns. Once on the field, it rewards you for sneaky plays by burning any target if you’ve cast a spell or played a land from outside your hand. It pairs beautifully with Escape to the Wilds or foretell cards for repeatable damage.

#26. Silk, Web Weaver

Silk, Web Weaver rewards you for casting creatures by spitting out Human Citizen tokens, perfect for going wide. Later, it can pump your whole team with +2/+2 and vigilance, making those tokens deadly. Web-slinging gives it some great flexibility and even picks up a creature to trigger its ability, and it shines with Cathars' Crusade or Overrun-style finishers.

#25. Araña, Heart of the Spider

Every attack with Araña, Heart of the Spider spreads +1/+1 counters and keeps your team dangerous. Modified creatures bring extra value by letting you exile and play cards off the top of your deck. That synergy makes equipment like Sword of Light and Shadow or cheap auras excellent partners, ensuring you never run out of fuel.

#24. Spider-Man, Brooklyn Visionary

Ramping into action, Spider-Man, Brooklyn Visionary fetches a basic land when it enters, helping you hit key mana. Its web-slinging ability keeps it flexible and tempo-friendly, bouncing another creature to cast it cheaper. This spider works neatly alongside landfall cards like Rampaging Baloths or Avenger of Zendikar to quickly overwhelm the board.

#23. Spinneret and Spiderling

Scaling fast, Spinneret and Spiderling grows with +1/+1 counters when you attack with multiple spiders. Once it hits for 4 or more damage, you exile the top card of your deck and get a chance to play it. That mix of pressure and card advantage shines alongside Wrenn's Resolve or other aggressive draw engines.

#22. Spider-Man, Peter Parker

Flying makes Spider-Man, Peter Parker a reliable attacker in the skies. Whenever you gain life, it spreads a +1/+1 counter and temporary indestructibility to one of your creatures, giving both power and protection. Lifegain decks with Soul Warden or Ajani's Pridemate love the synergy, snowballing value every turn.

#21. Gwen Stacy / Ghost-Spider

When Gwen Stacy enters, you get to exile and play cards off the top of your deck. Transforming into Ghost-Spider gives you flying, vigilance, and haste, along with steady counter growth whenever you play from exile. Pair it with Light Up the Stage or Laelia, the Blade Reforged to keep the engine rolling.

#20. Spider-Man Noir

Moody and tactical, Spider-Man Noir thrives on solo strikes. Whenever one of your creatures attacks alone, it grows with counters and lets you surveil, sculpting your draws or fueling the graveyard. This plays beautifully with Unearth or other recursion strategies, turning each attack into both power and card selection.

#19. Gwenom, Remorseless

Gwenom, Remorseless mixes lifelink and deathtouch with a wild top-deck casting ability. By paying life instead of mana, you can cheat out big spells straight from the library. It synergizes best with lifegain haste enablers to make sure you get that attack in quickly, and other sources of lifegain to ensure you rattle off a bunch of spells when you do.

#18. Eddie Brock / Venom, Lethal Protector

Eddie Brock reanimates a small creature, setting up early value. Once transformed into or cast as Venom, Lethal Protector, the card becomes a menace-fueled finisher. Sacrificing a creature draws cards and drops permanents straight onto the battlefield. It snowballs into chaos with token-makers like Endrek Sahr, Master Breeder.

#17. Agent Venom

With flash and menace, Agent Venom plays like a surprise weapon. Every time another nontoken creature you control dies, it draws you a card at the cost of 1 life, keeping the engine running. Pair it with sacrifice outlets like Viscera Seer or fodder like Bloodghast to make sure your hand stays full and your threats keep coming.

#16. Spider-Byte, Web Warden

Bouncing trouble back to hand is what Spider-Byte, Web Warden does best. When it enters, you can return any nonland permanent to its owner’s hand, whether it’s an opponent’s problem card or one of your own for value. This makes it a flexible tempo tool that pairs well with enter-the-battlefield effects from cards like Mulldrifter or Reflector Mage.

#15. Spectacular Spider-Man

Reactive and protective, Spectacular Spider-Man comes with flash and can gain flying on demand. Sacrificing it shields your entire board with hexproof and indestructible for the turn, making it a lifesaver against sweepers. It’s an ideal inclusion in aggressive decks, especially when backed by recursion spells like Unearth to keep the shield online.

#14. Peter Parker / Amazing Spider-Man

Early on, Peter Parker makes a 2/1 spider with reach, giving you defense. Once transformed into Amazing Spider-Man, your non-colorless legendary spells gain web-slinging, letting you cheat them out for less by bouncing a tapped creature. It pairs perfectly with legends like Niv-Mizzet Reborn or Jin-Gitaxias, Progress Tyrant for explosive tempo.

#13. Arachne, Psionic Weaver

Arachne, Psionic Weaver excels at locking down strategies. Its web-slinging cost makes it cheap to cast, and on entry you get a peek at an opponent’s hand before taxing one type of noncreature spell. Choosing wisely can stall out control decks. Pair it with Thalia, Guardian of Thraben for stacked disruption that slows the game to your pace.

#12. Sensational Spider-Man

Maybe I’ve been looking at Magic cards too long, but I’m not that surprised that Sensational Spider-Man is an Azorius card (). When you think about Spider-Man’s combat style, it’s about zipping around the battlefield, using webs to slow down opponents, and applying a flurry of smaller, well-placed blows to stun them or knock them out. Red and blue costume and Spidey-branding aside, that sounds like a monk to me.

#11. Spider-Man, Miles Morales

With vigilance and trample, Spider-Man, Miles Morales is already hard to stop. Every time it enters or attacks, all your other creatures gain counters and trample for the turn. That turns even small tokens into real threats. It fits beautifully into go-wide decks with Parallel Lives or March of the Multitudes.

#10. Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy

Ghost-Spider, Gwen Stacy pushes aggression with menace and a scaling burn effect. Every time it attacks, it deals damage equal to the number of attacking creatures, punishing opponents for letting you go wide. It fits best in swarm builds alongside cards like Tempt with Vengeance or Spectral Procession, turning every swing into a fiery strike.

#9. Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O’Hara

When Spider-Man 2099, Miguel O'Hara hits the field, it can bounce a creature to clear the way or reset your own ETB effects. From then on, it rewards combat damage by drawing you cards, keeping your hand full. Combined with evasion tools like Rogue's Passage or Whispersilk Cloak, this card becomes a steady advantage engine.

#8. Cosmic Spider-Man

Cosmic Spider-Man is a powerhouse that brings the full package—flying, first strike, trample, lifelink, and haste. Better yet, at the start of combat it shares those abilities with all your other spiders, turning your board into an unstoppable swarm. Combine it with token-makers like Arachnogenesis or Spider Spawning for a game-ending aerial assault.

#7. Spider-Punk

Nothing says rebellion like Spider-Punk. It brings riot, giving each spider haste or an extra counter. On top of that, it makes sure spells can’t be countered and damage can’t be prevented. That means it laughs at control decks. This hero makes every card stick, even your opponents'.

#6. Miles Morales / Ultimate Spider-Man

Starting small, Miles Morales distributes counters when it enters, but once transformed into Ultimate Spider-Man, the card doubles all counters on spiders and legends every attack. It also protects itself with hexproof tricks. With cards like Doubling Season or The Ozolith, this commander snowballs incredibly fast.

#5. Deadpool, Trading Card

The merc with the mouth gets a mercenary creature card. Very fitting. I just hate that I read that flavor text in Ryan Reynolds’s voice.

Deadpool, Trading Card has a text-changing ability that you’d normally see on an Un-set card, but there’s no acorn or silver border on this fella. It brings a whole new layer to legal chaos cards, which is both powerful enough to earn points and annoying enough to dock points. You can build a deck around Deadpool that relies on clones, usually abilities that create token copies. Doesn’t matter if they don’t cheat on the legend rule; the Deadpool clones will exchange text boxes as they enter, before they get legend ruled away.

#4. Wolverine, Best There Is

Nice flavor here, especially with the regenerate ability.

Wolverine, Best There Is plays well with +1/+1 counter doublers, as well as a full suite of bite and punch spells. Deathtouch and double strike aren’t a bad idea, and you can use red damage doublers and extra combats to seal the deal.

#3. Spider-Ham, Peter Porker

Fun and quirky, Spider-Ham, Peter Porker creates a Food token when it enters and buffs an entire zoo of creature types, from boars to frogs. This makes it a natural tribal bridge for changeling cards like Universal Automaton or Masked Vandal. Its anthem effect makes even the strangest menagerie of creatures into a cohesive, pumped-up army.

#2. Storm, Force of Nature

Spellslinging and spell copying in Temur colors () is the whole game here. You’re in good colors for enablers and payoffs, including magecraft cards.

Storm, Force of Natures’s flying ability is good since it wants to deal combat damage, but you can use combat tricks to increase your storm count.

#1. Captain America, First Avenger

Tossing and catching equipment is exactly what you’d expect from our first Captain America card. We don’t even need to wait for a Thor or Avengers themed set to equip this hero with a Mjölnir thanks to Assassin’s Creed (though Mjölnir, Storm Hammer fits better with Spider-Man, mechanically speaking).

Captain America, First Avenger benefits from artifact cost reducers, artifact tutors, and extra combats alike, and it’s a 3-mana 4/4 with all this value. No combat keywords, but come on, you’re equipping Cap all game long.

Do Non-Universes Beyond Cards Use the Hero Creature Type?

Yes—non-Universes Beyond cards use the hero creature type, but only in digital Magic. Through the Omenpaths is a digital version of the Marvel’s Spider-Man Universes Beyond set for MTG Arena and MTG Online. These cards keep the hero type exactly the same as their paper versions, even though they’re reimagined for digital platforms.

Some examples are Rhilex the Accursed / Agent Venom and Scions of the Ur-Spider / Cosmic Spider-Man.

What Are the Hero’s Path Cards?

Hero’s Path cards are supplemental cards that use hero as a card type rather than a creature type. Hero’s Path was part of the Theros block promotional events. Players who attended Theros, Born of the Gods, and Journey into Nyx prereleases got to “choose their path,” receiving a prerelease pack of their chosen color with a hero card and a prerelease promo card. Additional hero cards were earned by solving visual puzzles at Friday Night Magic events during release weekend. During each set’s Game Day, you could play against a special Challenger Deck, using your hero cards as support. Beating the Game Day’s Challenger Deck earned you another hero card.

Hero cards from Hero’s Path aren’t used in any current Magic format, but you could use them if you manage to find those Challenger decks. You could probably also use them in some kind of custom Archenemy format, but that’s getting deep into homebrew territory.

Best Hero Support Cards

Not every hero stands alone—some of the best cards in Magic act as sidekicks or support pieces that make hero strategies shine. Cid, Timeless Artificer is a direct payoff, buffing all your heroes and artifact creatures based on your artificer count, making it a perfect partner for decks heavy on legends and artifacts.

Another great support card is Radioactive Spider. On its own, it’s just a small body with reach and deathtouch, but its real power comes from tutoring up any spider hero in your deck when sacrificed. That consistency is huge if you want to build around a specific hero commander.

There are also token-makers like Aerith Rescue Mission, G'raha Tia, Scion Reborn, and Tellah, Great Sage, which create hero tokens themselves. These cards help you go wide and make sure your hero synergies always have fuel, proving that sometimes the best heroes are the friends who back them up.

Bonus: Best Cards with Hero in the Name

There are some cards with “Hero” in their name that, funnily enough, don’t actually have hero as their type. Still, these cards are powerful in their own right and show up across formats. Let’s take a look at a few of the best ones that carry the Hero title in name only.

Plaza of Heroes proves just how valuable the hero name can be. This land fixes mana for legendary spells and even protects your best threat by granting hexproof and indestructible. It’s a Commander staple for decks that lean hard on legends, from powerhouse commanders to flavorful tribal builds that want an extra layer of safety.

Among creatures, Adeline, Resplendent Cathar shines as the “Hero of Light,” (from the Final Fantasy: Through the Ages bonus sheet) creating tokens every time you swing to keep the board full. Kytheon, Hero of Akros brings early pressure, then flips into Gideon, Battle-Forged for a mix of protection and planeswalker utility. Both cards show how the hero name often comes with powerful abilities that push games forward.

Rounding things out, Frodo, Determined Hero keeps equipment decks humming by auto-attaching gear, while Thrasios, Triton Hero is a Commander staple that draws cards or ramps lands with ease. And of course, Minsc & Boo, Timeless Heroes deliver both power and flavor, throwing around +1/+1 counters and hamster-fueled chaos. Each of these cards proves that “Hero” in the name is more than just flavor—it’s often tied to game-defining strength.

Wrap Up

Storm, Force of Nature | Illustration by Magali Villeneuve

The hero creature type has been on its own odyssey through the course of Magic’s history, and Marvel sets are bound to do some really interesting things with the creature type. Marvel's Spider-Man already gave us a taste of what a hero-dense set might look like, and there's plenty more Marvel on the way.

Let me know in the comments or over on the Draftsim Discord if you’d like a “hero flavor” article that covers cards like Heroic Intervention, Orthion, Hero of Lavabrink, and all the others. And let me know your favorite of the hero cards we have so far, and which heroes you want to see in future sets!

Until next time, stay safe, and leave the hero work to the professionals.