I've always liked Nightcrawler (the X-man, not the worm... not that I have anything against worms, mind you), especially what was done with him in the early days of Excalibur.

He's a funny colour and a funny shape, he has yellow eyes, pointy ears and a pointy tail. Best of all, he appears and disappears with the smell of brimstone; you really can't blame people for thinking he's satanic.

Yet he only wanted to be a hero, just like in the movies. So he loved the circus, where his freakish nature added to his fame rather then detract from it. He loves the adoration of the crowd, but was still never really accepted by them. Then the meets the X-men, a bunch of comic book stuff ensues, he realizes what it really means to be a hero, and joins the X-men to be a hero in practice as well as name.

Is he suddenly accepted and loved by his fellow men? No, they still look at him as a satanic freak, and a mutant now to boot. When the X-men die (or so he thinks), he begins to realize being a hero is harder then he thought. Yet he doesn't give up (aside from a brief self-destructive binge), forms a new team, and a lot more comic book stuff happens.

Standard Marvel fare, yes, but I'm a sucker for this sort of character. Most people with Nightcrawler's background would have been tempted to turn villainous (though he is kinda villous... sorry, bad botony joke); constantly ostracized and hunted by humanity, they would finally turn on their tormentors (and who can really blame them?). Yet Nightcrawler is one of the good guys, simply because Nightcrawler really wants to be one of the good guys. He's determined to be a hero, even if the people he saves won't look him in the eye afterwards (and might come after him with pitchforks and torches, given the chance). Best of all, he's usually pretty cheerful about it, ready with a witty comeback when insulted or degraded.