From A Huge Universe of Forgotten Heroes, Who Would I Like to See Again?
The Same Old Same Old...
I think that part of the reason audiences are suffering from 'superhero fatigue' is that the Marvel Universe has swamped us with movies about the same old combination of 'classic' costumed crusaders over and over (and over) again!
This is why I think Deadpool went down so well, he was left field and NOT one of the clean cut 'usual suspects'.
It's actually rather amazing that we've been subjected to a tiny universe of heroes when there is such a HUGE variety of fictional characters that Hollywood could draw from (not to mention popular characters that we want to see back but haven't got much wated sequels - I'm looking at you Carl Urban and 2012's 'Judge Dredd')!
Even the latest Deadpool movie tipped a nod to this fact by the including a wonderful cameo ensemble of Blade, Electra and Gambit. This derived a very positive response from fans and shows that while the consensus is that there a 'superhero fatigue' it is mainly for the limited collection that we have been subjected to... Moral: Variety is the spice of life!
SO...Who Would I Bring Back
Right off the bat I would have to warn you that I am OLD SCHOOL. I am a 62 year old guy and so MY selection of heroes I would want to see return is probably NOT going to chime with the Gen Z crowd.
But in any case, here they are...
5. Strontium Dog
You can't discuss comic book heroes without recognising the stables that sired them, for America that unquestionably means DC and Marvel, but here in the UK there is one legendary comic that gave birth to heroes which equalled anything that our cousins from across that Atlantic had to offer... And that comic was 2000AD!
There were two British comics that I obsessed about in my teens, one was 'Battle' and the other was 2000AD, the first gave me all the war action that I liked while the later provided me with my sci-fi fix.
However, there was one character that satisfied both of these interests - military action and science fiction - and that was Strontium Dog!
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| Above: Johnny Alpha with his comic book stable-mate, Dredd. |
"The series takes place in an imagined future after the Great Nuclear War of 2150. Due to nuclear fallout of strontium-90, humanity has an increased number of mutant births, most of whom have physical abnormalities but some of whom possess superhuman abilities." Wikipedia
So, Johnny Alpha - The 'Strontium Dog' soldier - has a pretty conventional super hero origin story but the darker and sardonic aspect to his background - considering that at the time we [The West] were still embryoid in the 'Cold War' with the Soviet Union - made the storyline seem all the more rooted in dystopian speculative fiction than American costumed heroes.
There again, 2000AD was always renowned for it's anti-authoritarianism and social commentary into the comic, as a response to the political and economic situation in Britain in the late 1970s. Even the style of the illustrations hinted at a - literally - grittier take on the comic genre.
As talk of 'World War III' is once again being liberally bandied about, I think a irreverent anti-hero like the Strontium Dog would be a ideal antidote to the sugar-coated super hero types that the public - in general - seem to have enough of at the moment.
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| Above: To be honest, it was a coin flip as to whether to feature Strontium Dog OR - my other favourite 2000AD future warrior - 'Rogue Trooper'. Hmmm! |
4. The Phantom
I don't generally have a great liking for the American style of costumed super heroes. The last ones I actually found interesting was the 1960s Adam West 'Batman' and - perhaps - the 'Watchmen' from the 2009 movie (mainly because of the story's dark synoecism).
BUT, I do have a soft spot for the 1930s era American cinema serial heroes - like Flash Gordan and Dick Tracey - and their comic book equivalents. Of this period two characters stand out to me - Doc Savage and The Phantom.
While Doc Savage and his team was somewhat an American equivalent to the 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' (kind of, or was it the other way around), the Phantom was a full on costumed crusader. But - none the less - there was something about the character that attracted me to him.
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| Above: Come on! Pirates and a hero with a Thompson machinegun! What's not to like? The use of the word 'goggle-eyed' only makes it so much better! You couldn't have that these days. |
Some of it - as with Doc Savage (and the later 'Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow' movie) - was my fondness for this period of adventure and daring do, with a dash of appreciation for the Dieselpunk genre. I like this alternative reality of heroes and villains clashing in a simpler and perhaps rather more naïve 'pulp' melodramatic universe. Flash Gordon, Biggles, Bulldog Drummond and other characters from the silver screen and radio dramas seem to encapsulate a sort of optimistic and cut and dried view of 'good and bad' that - like the white hat wearing heroes of the Westerns of the time - began to disappear after America's experiences in World War 2.
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| Above: Wonderfully vintage and, these days, awkwardly unpolitical correct! These were simpler times. |
To be honest, I would be very happy to see a modern reboot of any of the aforesaid interwar heroes, but The Phantom - being the only costumed super hero among them - is my choice for a character I would particularly like to see resurrected. He is - after all - the ONLY American comic book hero that I ever actually bought the comics of, which kinda says something.
3. 'Mina' Harker
I'm one of this sad people who actually enjoys the 2003 movie (flop) 'The League of Extraordinary Gentleman'. Chronically - and criminally - miss-firing it is 'OK' as a piece of entertainment, but in a world where audiences demand exceptional as a base standard we can - apparently - no longer have what we called in the old days 'B movies'.
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| Above: The League of Extraordinary Gentleman... And Lady! |
Rant aside, one of the most engaging characters in this movie was undoubtedly the vampire mistress Wilhelmina "Mina" Harker. A spin-off character from the novel 'Dracula' she was - as played by the wonderful Peta Wilson - a deliciously hard-ass heroine that deserves another movie or TV series outing.
I would like to see a 'League [ofEG]' get a reboot itself, but would love to see a stand alone Mina Harker story, perhaps once again crossing swords with Dracula and his minions (although that might draw too many comparisons to the 2004 movie 'Van Helsing', where Kate Beckinsale character of Anna Valerious, had a similar female gothic super heroine vibe). Maybe, instead, a nice cross-over story with Captain Chronos? Which leads us to...
2. Captain Kronos
I will always be grateful that I grew up just in time to catch the tail end of the British Hammer Studios popularity. Really, the studios heyday had already passed but luckily the reruns of their most notable movies still got regular late night showings on British television... And were hokey enough for liberal parents like mine to think that there was no harm in allowing young fans like me to watch them!
While Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee were the biggest stars in the Hammer universe of gothic horror movies, my personal favourite was a hero who was played by a actor whom is little known of and who - after his single starring role - faded into obscurity...
German actor Horst Janson played the titular character 'Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter' in the 1974 Hammer 'horror' (😜), which also starred the dazzling Caroline Munro (whom chaps from the 1970s will always remember as the 'Lamb's Navy Rum girl')!
...Ah hem, but I digress!
Anyway, Captain Kronos was an excellent bit of a swash buckling vampire hunting adventure that - in a way - paved the way for the likes of 'Blade'. The choice of a - relatively - unknown foreign actor to play the lead was - I think - a touch of genius on Hammer's part as it lent Captain Kronos an exotic and somewhat mysterious persona that only enhanced character's heroic credentials.
On top of this, I have to mention the wonderful John Cater as Professor Hieronymus Grost - Krono's assistant - who complemented and completed the delightful duo and who put me somewhat in mind - and I do wonder whether they inspired - the characters of Gabriel Van Helsing and Carl in the 2004 movie 'Van Helsing'?
I enjoyed Captain Kronos immensely, it had that magical mix of Hammer kitchness and Gothic revival coupled with a slightly farcical storyline and signature Hammer beauty - Munro - that made the British film studio king of the B movies!
It was a real shame that Hammer never followed this film up with a sequel and for this reason I think it well deserves a modern reboot.
1. The Champions
This ITC television series is rather perplexingly described by Wikipedia as being 'espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction'! Though despite this jumbled attempt at pigeon holing of the show, it is - actually - rather accurate.
If I had to describe the nature of The Champions to a modern audience I might be tempted to say it was loosely akin to the likes of 'The Misfits' or 'The Umbrella Academy', but - on the other hand - looking back I could almost see how it was an evolution of 'The Avengers' (the British Avengers, not the American Avengers) or perhaps a precursor to the later - and underappreciated - 'Sapphire & Steel'.
I liked the low key, non-costumed and covert theme to these super heroes. It was like a super natural take on the other popular TV series of the time, 'Mission Impossible'. Here, instead of cunning makeup and gadgets the super trio of The Champions used telekinesis and super strength to thwart the villains.
"In the pilot episode, the team is escaping by air from a spying mission in China. Their stolen plane, damaged by gunfire during the getaway, crashes in the Himalayas. They are rescued by the residents of Shangri-La, an advanced civilization living secretly in the mountains of Tibet, who save their lives, granting them enhanced abilities, including extrasensory powers to communicate with one another over distances (telepathy) and to foresee events (precognition), enhanced versions of the ordinary five senses, and intellectual and physical abilities reaching the fullest extent of human capabilities." Wkipedia
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| Above: Exotic locations from around the world. ...As long as they could be fudged together in the studios at Elstree, England! |
It's shouldn't be a surprise that I sort of migrated to The Champions from my earlier love of Gerry Anderson's 'Joe 90', as both shows featured the ability of a character with a special power that would allow them to mysteriously overcome convectional bad guys. Often leaving the subject of their cappers incredulous and bewildered as to how they managed to best them. But WE secretly knew! [I should probably mention 'Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)' here, as another 1960s/70s TV series that likewise used the covert super powers - this time of a ghost - to flummox the show's antagonist or solve a mystery.]
Of special note, was an early boyhood crush on the gorgeous female member of the super trio, Alexandra Bastedo. Along with the snazzily dressed, Italian suited agents Craig Stirling (Stuart Damon) and Richard Barrett (William Gaunt), Sharron Macready (Bastedo) added a glamourous figure that gave the show a sort of 'Bond-esque' style of jet-setting espionage.
I could see this format working very well as an Amazon series, though the Shangi-La origin might be a little passé for modern audiences. 😏
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