The first round of Marvel Snap Most Wanted in 2026 is finished, and so I present to you a fresh batch of new characters, rising heroes and fading stars in this Most Wanted January wrap-up.
You can’t keep a good demon down. Mephisto’s return to the top was foretold, and in the last week of polling a surge of voters ushered him back to the top of the list. It’s as clear now as it ever was, the people want Mephisto. When he’s finally datamined to arrive, you will know by the sound of fireworks and sight of dancing in the streets. It will be a great day when Mephisto’s realm descends upon Marvel Snap.
But what about the rest? Gargantos’ new lease on life, with the reminder that he was formerly called Shuma Gorath, really did give Mephisto a run for his money. But after last week’s article, a significant number of votes against Gargantos came up and dropped him all the way down to number 7. Gargantos is certainly no slouch, and I expect him to stick around towards the very top of the list until he one day graduates.
Gargantos isn’t the only newcomer on the list this month, though. With Fin Fang Foom’s graduation, a dragon-sized hole is left on the list, and filling it this month are Archangel and Eternity. I expect Archangel’s is most likely attributed to his appearance in recent datamines as Archangel, Horseman of Death. This raises the question - should this card be released into the game, does that count as a graduation, or should he remain on, in the sense that players may want a pure Archangel card? (Similarly, Caliban, Horseman of Pestilence raises a similar issue. I’m more inclined to keep Caliban on the list because Angel at least serves Archangel. It’s going to be tricky to find a consistent solution that makes everyone happy.)
Also returning to the list for the first time in months is one of my favorites - Hyperion. A Squadron Supreme season would be super exciting, and Hyperion makes the most sense as a season pass card for that team.
Here are some other interesting facts from this month’s poll:
Of all the newcomers added to the poll this month, Miss Minutes placed the highest at 109! Not bad!
Two of the newcomers, Shamrock and Ken the Septapus are immediately leaving the list. Both were added because of their picks in the Character Prediction League. Good luck, HARRYPerry and Scosco, who selected them, respectively.
The two second chance characters from December, Shathra and Dogpool, came in at 219 and 222, which should keep them safe for some time.
The only characters in the Top 20 that look to be graduating relatively soon are Archangel and, potentially, Rachel Summers. The naming and presentation of the datamined Mother Askani card could lead to Rachel remaining on the list.
To view the full ranking of characters, click here!
The Bottom
With three datamined characters graduating from the list in February (barring any Dragon Man shenanigans), the seven lowest characters will be removed from the list this season.
They include:
- Crescent & Io
- Shamrock
- Charlie-27
- Martinex
- Terror
- Shiklah
- Ken the Septapus
I’m especially torn to see Martinex and Charlie-27 leave the list, as I was hoping to include them in character spotlights next month. Along with Aleta Ogord last month, it seems there is very little love or familiarity with classic Guardians of the Galaxy characters. I expected them all to appear higher, with high-profile cameos in the two most recent Guardians movies. Alas, I’ll have to look to the cosmos for my Character Spotlight inspiration next month.
This group, however, is a fun mix of characters, so I’ll do them the honor of coming up with potential mini-card ideas.
Crescent & Io - First appearing in the mobile game Marvel Future Fight, Dan Bi and her half-moon Bear spirit have since entered the comic universe as members of Agents of Atlas. I would want to tie this card into White Tiger, with a summoned spirit that is stronger than the Tiger Spirit, but slightly more difficult to summon.
Shamrock - With the power of probability manipulation based on innocent victims of war, Shamrock would gain an unpredictable amount of power, based on the number of cards destroyed. (Think 1-3 power per card?)
Charlie-27 - Charlie-27’s immense muscle mass would push away all of your cards in his location to random other locations. (Self-Juggernaut?) He would be expensive and fairly low-powered.
Martinex - With genetically enhanced skin, Martinex would be a low-power card that turns negative affliction into positive power. A card you want to hit with Yellowjacket or Selene, and then keep on your side.
Terror - Terror would randomly lose a body part when played, and reward the player for reuniting him with the limb. (Each limb would reward something different. Lin Lie with high risk and high reward.)
Shiklah - Deadpool’s bride, an Ongoing Succubus, would draw 1 cost cards towards her, and slightly boost their power. Good with Deadpool, also great in bounce.
Ken the Septapus - Jeff the Baby Land Shark’s misfit friend, Ken would be a 1/0 that moves freely, and as often as you want. Great for filling locations and reaching hard-to-access places, but it doesn’t provide any power, unless you find a way to buff him.
Character Prediction League
The character prediction league has just over 50 entries! I will begin keeping track of points as soon as cards that were guessed start to release, which will happen as soon as the April season. Look forward to more on this in the future!
Wrap Up
That brings us to the end of the January Most Wanted list! Overall, this is one of my favorite Top 20 groups, featuring a diverse group of characters that offer a lot of future potential for the game. With Second Dinner recently lifting the curtain and allowing a peek at the 2026 seasons, that likely means there will be a minimum of 120 new cards this year. While I don’t expect (and know for a fact) that they won’t all come from the list, I’m going to predict that at least one third of them could. What’s the over/under on 40 graduates this year?
I have season passes to give away! There’s only a week left, so act fast! Pick a character who is ranked somewhere between 21 and 50 and tell me why you think they deserve to be in the Top 20! Make sure to leave your Discord handle, and have your notifications on! (You can check out the full list of characters here.)