9. Conan The Barbarian
Robert E Howard's classic character, Conan the Barbarian, has been around since 1932 when he appeared in Weird Tales magazine. The definitive barbarian character in fiction, Conan's adventures have taken him across mythical lands as he faced down monsters, witches, and other magical and demonic creatures, making him one of fiction's most persistent vehicles for fantasy stories. Conan is legendarily tough with a high level of endurance but he's also highly intelligent in an understated way. He's able to understand various languages and has a firm grasp of military tactics. He's also skilled in numerous fighting styles and this, coupled with his strength, has made him a formidable opponent for many adversaries. Conan's adventures have successfully been adapted for the screen with the first Schwarzenegger movie being the best Conan film, though his stories continue to be made into movies like in 2011's poorly received Jason Momoa picture. Despite being over 80 years old at this point, Conan's adventures still continue in the popular Dark Horse comics series and Robert E Howard's books remain in print for new generations to enjoy this great character's timeless exploits.