Benton's Significant Seven +Plus Two

Batman. Captain America. Captain Marvel. Plastic Man. Spider-Man. Superman. Wonder Woman.

Besides these seven superheroes Mike Benton lists, I would add the Hulk and Robin. The Hulk I included because, unlike a lot of superheroes, Bruce Banner’s powers are traumatic to him. He does not like the fact that he turns into a bulging green giant and many times loses control of himself to the Hulk. Like the Thing from the Fantastic Four, his altered form is often regarded with fear and disgust, by himself and others. I think that the trauma surrounding Bruce Banner’s powers makes him stand out among other superheroes, and the reason why I would pick the Hulk over the Thing is because Banner’s transformation lies in his anger. The Thing is always the Thing; he does not change back into his human form like Banner, and his identity remains intact as Ben Grimm. In contrast, Banner struggles not to lose himself when he becomes the Hulk (often losing) and has to work on anger issues. This makes him far more relatable to people who have ever struggled with the heat of their anger, which is everyone at some point or time. 

The other superhero I would add is Robin. He is the first sidekick in the comic universe, so he is very important to the genre’s history. Also, many different people have been Robin over the years: Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. Even a few women have shortly stepped into the role of The Boy Wonder, which is interesting because very few traditionally male superheroes have been replaced, however brief, by a woman. This variety is significant because the previous Robins often become other heroes in the comic universe. Grayson becomes Nightwing, Todd becomes Red Hood, and Tim Drake becomes Red Robin. Robin is a sidekick that gets to grow and be mentored by Batman before moving on to other things. 
          Therefore, he actually changes in the comics more than many superheroes because he is not one person. Whoever takes on the mantle of Robin, whether that’s Grayson, Todd, Drake, or Wayne, etc., also slightly ends up changing the reputation and personality of Robin and makes it his or her own. Bruce Wayne will always be Bruce Wayne. Clark Kent will always be Clark Kent. Their values and personalities stay relatively the same. It is true that characters have replaced the roles of other superheroes, such as The Flash or Green Lantern; however, none have done so who are also a sidekick and who are also as popular and as important to the comics as Robin. Additionally, Robin represents a younger superhero who is closer in age to kid readers, and therefore an easier hero to relate to than other heroes who have reached adulthood.