If you want to start an instant debate with a fellow comic book or super hero fan, just ask them for their list of the greatest super heroes of all time. It doesn’t matter how many, as even a top five or top 10 is bound to spark some friendly disagreements.

We know because we’ve done it ourselves. Sifting through the immense number of great super heroes created over the last 75 years or so is an immense task — one that’s too big for a single person. So we tackled it by committee, asking each of the writers and editors here at Bam Smack Pow, the editors of FanSided’s Batman and Spider-Man sites and one special guest to help craft a consensus of sorts.

The process was simple: list the top 30 greatest super heroes of all time in your personal order. Each person was allowed to be the final judge on what criteria were to be used, but they were asked to consider things like longevity, relevance at the time of their creation and today, influence on other heroes and impact in other forms of media. Then we assigned each vote a point value in inverse order to its place on that person’s list (30 points for 1st, 29 points for 2nd, etc.) and tallied up all the points to create the top 50 list you’re about to read.

(Read More -> 50 Greatest Super Villains in Comic Book History)

We also wanted staffers to write about heroes they felt passionate about in defense of their places on the list — or in some cases, arguments for why they should be higher! The result is something that we hope will give you something to debate with us and among yourselves, because there’s no right answer to this particular question. Only an answer that you might feel is more right than someone else’s.

With that in mind, please enjoy Bam Smack Pow’s list of the 50 Greatest Super Heroes in Comic Book History.