Marvel Comics has thousands of characters in its universe, each with their own extensive backstories and personalities. It is surprising to see that quite a few Marvel heroes and allies have chosen to practice law as a career. As a lawyer, a superhero could bring criminals and villains to justice in more ways than one.
Making sure criminals get locked away without a key is a great way to make the heroic deeds of groups like the Avengers and X-Men last. From cousins with super strength to blind vigilantes, here's a look at some of the best lawyers seen throughout Marvel's history.
5 Everett Ross
Everett Ross was a little-known character in Marvel Comics introduced in the 1990s. He is an American who works for the US State Department, specifically when it comes to helping foreign diplomats on US soil. Everett has a law degree from Oxford University but chooses not to practice law. His job as an escort for foreign diplomats resulted in him having a long history with Black Panther and Wakanda.
Ross is most known for his portrayal in the Marvel Cinematic Universe where he is played by Martin Freeman. In the MCU, Ross' profession is the same, and he helps in the conflict between Black Panther and Bucky Barnes featured in Captain America: Civil War. He makes a return in Black Panther's solo film where he learns of Wakanda's deep history and incredible technology. Everett Ross is an example of how Marvel can make a minor character memorable even if they don't have any superpowers.
4 Franklin "Foggy" Nelson
Franklin "Foggy" Nelson is a lawyer best known for his relationship with another famous Marvel lawyer, Matt Murdock, AKA Daredevil. Foggy was born and raised in New York City where he earned his degree in law and became best friends with Murdock. After graduating from Columbia Law School, the two friends created their own law firm called Nelson and Murdock. Foggy was unaware of Matt's vigilante alter ego for quite some time but eventually learned the truth.
He has remained a good friend who not only helps Daredevil with his day job but also his personal life and life as a crime fighter. In the MCU, Foggy is portrayed by Elden Henson where his character is mostly the same as the source material. Foggy Nelson is a great friend and lawyer who helps keep Hell's Kitchen safe in his own unique way.
3 Multiple Man/James Mardox
James Mardox is one of the most interesting and tragic characters in Marvel Comics. Mardox is an anti-hero referred to often as Multiple Man due to his abilities. Multiple Man produces copies of himself upon physical impact to his body. Originally thought to be a mutant, it turned out James is actually a changeling (genetic predecessor to mutants) due to his powers being in him since birth. Once Mardox is struck, a duplicate is created with its own independent thought and personality (often with traits found in Mardox's subconscious).
James has no control of his duplication, but he can "reabsorb" a duplicate and receive their memories. His powers, unfortunately, cause extreme mental anguish to Mardox due to him slowly not being able to distinguish his memories from his duplicates, and he was briefly considered mentally insane. Throughout his life, Multiple Man has created dozens of duplicates, each with their own unique life experiences. One of these was a lawyer who chose to go by Matt Rocks. Mardox was going to reabsorb Matt after discovering him but chose not to as long as he received some of Matt's earnings as a lawyer.
2 She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters
With decades of history in Marvel Comics, She-Hulk has solidified herself as one of the most inspiring heroes they've created. Jennifer Walters is the cousin of Bruce Banner, more commonly known as The Incredible Hulk. While working as a successful lawyer, Jennifer was shot and left for dead by a local crime boss. Lucky for her, Bruce happened to be nearby and saved her life with a blood transfusion. What they didn't know was that Bruce's blood being corrupted by gamma radiation caused Jennifer to inherit the abilities of the Hulk (green skin, strength, and size included).
Initially, she only transformed into She-Hulk while angry just like Bruce, but her strong mind eventually led to her being in control. Since then, she has embraced her other half, unlike her cousin, and chose to continue practicing law while also fighting evil as She-Hulk. She-Hulk has done so much for super-powered people by defending them in court and working alongside teams like The Avengers and The Fantastic Four. She reminds Hulk and other heroes that it's possible to master brains and brawn.
1 Daredevil/Matt Murdock
It's no surprise that Matt Murdock is the most well-known and successful Marvel lawyer. After surviving an accident as a young boy that left him without eyesight, Matt gained incredible abilities from his other senses. His almost superhuman hearing allows him to use sonar to "see." After the death of his father, Matt developed a sense of justice and a goal to fix the legal system that failed his family.
He decided to study law while also learning martial arts from an ancient master known as Stick. After graduating, Matt created his law firm alongside the previously mentioned Foggy Nelson. Matt has worked as an extremely successful prosecutor and defender of the law. No one in the Marvel universe has mastered the legal system quite as well as Daredevil. Daredevil was portrayed by Charlie Cox in the critically acclaimed Daredevil series, which showed just how well the character balances lawyer life with vigilante justice.