Buzz
The Marvel Cinematic Universe's triumph has sparked a renewed interest in superheroes across both film and television. Iconic characters such as Green Arrow, Supergirl, the Flash, and the agents of SHIELD dominate network TV, while Daredevil and Jessica Jones rank among Netflix's most popular series. With a slew of upcoming DC and Marvel comic adaptations, this superhero wave shows no signs of slowing down.
Although less impactful, the 1970s also saw a modest revival of superheroes on TV. This era began with the widely acclaimed Six Million Dollar Man (1974–1978), chronicling the adventures of Steve Austin, an astronaut and test pilot who received bionic enhancements to his legs, arm, and eye, granting him extraordinary abilities.
This period introduced several comic book characters to television, including The Amazing Spider-Man (1977–1979), Wonder Woman (1975–1979), and The Incredible Hulk (1977–1982). Other attempts, such as Captain America (1979), Dr. Strange (1978), and The Punisher (1989), were made but failed to develop into full series.
Additionally, numerous original superhero concepts were pitched during this time. While most never progressed beyond pilot episodes, a few unique and intriguing characters emerged from these endeavors, though their screen time was often short-lived.
Our focus will be on characters exclusively crafted for television, including those with only a pilot or a handful of episodes, rather than those derived from comics or other sources.
10. The Questor Tapes
The Questor Tapes, a 1974 TV pilot, follows Questor, an android portrayed by Robert Foxworth, whose memory tapes are corrupted. Tasked with uncovering his creator and purpose, Questor must evade government agents seeking to capture him. With superhuman strength, speed, and intellect due to his robotic design, he also possesses an endearing innocence that helps him forge alliances with humans.
In time, Questor learns he is the newest in a lineage of androids sent to Earth by benevolent aliens eons ago. His mission is revealed: “We protect, but we do not interfere. Humanity must forge its own path. We guide them—always without their awareness.”
The TV movie was conceived by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who envisioned it as the foundation for a long-running series. Questor was intended to journey across the world, aiding humanity in avoiding conflict, combating prejudice, and addressing societal issues. While the series never materialized, the film gained a dedicated fanbase, and D.C. Fontana adapted it into a novel.
9. Exo-Man
Long before Iron Man hit the big screen in 2008, a similar concept emerged in 1977 with Exo-Man. This hero donned a mechanized suit reminiscent of Tony Stark’s, though less advanced in design.
Dr. Nicholas Conrad, portrayed by David Ackroyd, was a gifted college professor developing a revolutionary memory plastic capable of altering its shape with electric currents. After witnessing a Mafia murder, Nicholas became a target, leading to an assassination attempt that left him paralyzed below the waist.
The innovative plastic offered a dual solution, addressing both his paralysis and the local crime problem. Nicholas crafted a bulletproof exoskeleton from the material, granting him enhanced strength and protection. The suit could endure car collisions and even allowed him to break through concrete walls. However, its sluggish speed was a drawback—villains on crutches could have easily escaped. Yet, the criminals never considered fleeing, instead wasting their efforts on futile attacks against the armored hero.
Exo-Man was penned by Martin Caidin, a renowned techno-thriller author who also created The Six Million Dollar Man. His narrative made the exosuit appear far more plausible than the limited special effects of the 1970s could depict. Despite Caidin’s reputation, Exo-Man faded into obscurity. Although the pilot garnered respectable ratings, it failed to secure a full series.
8. The Man With The Power
The 1977 TV movie The Man With the Power introduces Eric Smith (played by Bob Neill), a young man whose late father was a government agent. Agent Walter Bloom (Tim O’Connor), a former colleague of his father, visits Eric with startling news: his father was an alien, and Eric has inherited psychic abilities from him.
Bloom enlists Eric as an agent, training him to harness his telekinetic powers. Eric’s first mission involves safeguarding a Bengali princess from adversaries aiming to overthrow her father’s regime. Using his extraordinary abilities, Eric triumphs and earns Princess Siri’s affection. However, his powers weren’t enough to secure a regular TV series.
The Man With the Power remains largely forgotten, though it shares a link with one of the most iconic sci-fi franchises. Persis Khambatta, who portrayed Princess Siri, and John de Lancie, in a minor role, both later starred in Star Trek. Khambatta played Lieutenant Ilia in Star Trek: The Motion Picture, while de Lancie became famous as the omnipotent Q in Star Trek: The Next Generation and later series.
7. Samurai
Samurai (1979) tells the tale of a hero akin to Batman, devoid of superpowers but armed with extraordinary combat skills that allow him to effortlessly defeat armed criminals.
Lee Cantrell (Joe Penny), a lawyer in the San Francisco prosecutor’s office, grows frustrated with criminals who evade the law. Fortunately, his childhood martial arts mentor, Takeo Chisato (James Shigeta), has trained him in the ways of the samurai, granting him exceptional prowess.
Lee dons a black leather karate gi with a red belt and headband, wielding a razor-sharp katana. However, due to 1970s TV restrictions on violence, Lee’s sword is used to cut through doors or power cords, never to harm anyone. While the show implies no connection between the samurai and the prosecutor, Lee’s lack of a mask raises questions about how he maintains his secret identity.
Samurai never became a series, and Joe Penny later gained recognition as Jake in the detective show Jake and the Fatman.
6. The Last Ninja
Similar to Samurai but with richer storytelling, The Last Ninja (1983) demonstrates a deeper appreciation for Japanese martial arts. Kenjiro “Ken” Sakura (Michael Beck) is an unlikely hero, a Westerner raised by martial arts master Aitaro Sakura (Mako) and trained in ninjutsu. Ken prefers a peaceful life as an art dealer, avoiding conflict whenever possible.
Ken’s quiet life is disrupted when a government agent seeks his help. Intelligence officials are aware of his ninja training and require his expertise. Terrorists have seized a group of scientists, holding them in a heavily fortified building. While the police have surrounded the structure, they lack the skills to infiltrate, neutralize the terrorists, and rescue the hostages—unless Ken agrees to assist.
Ken dons the classic ninja attire, all in black, without the leather or red headband. Though it’s hard to imagine ninja techniques and shuriken rivaling modern gadgets like night vision and silenced firearms, the film convincingly portrays their effectiveness. Ken’s approach emphasizes stealth, strategy, and deception over brute force, setting him apart from typical martial arts protagonists.
Despite its potential for a compelling series, The Last Ninja was never developed further and faded into obscurity, much like the stealthy warriors it depicted.
5. The Ultimate Impostor
The Ultimate Impostor featured two episodes... well, sort of.
Initially, the concept debuted as an episode of The Six Million Dollar Man in 1977, named “The Ultimate Impostor.” In this storyline, Rudy Wells, the scientist behind Steve Austin’s bionic enhancements, unveiled a groundbreaking invention. He developed a method to transfer computer data directly into a human brain. This technology was used to equip government agent Joe Patton (Stephen Macht) with skills like speaking Arabic, playing the violin, and mastering kung fu. However, these abilities faded after 72 hours, adding urgency to Joe’s missions.
The concept was innovative, and its connection to the shared universe of The Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman opened doors for exciting crossovers. Despite this potential, a spin-off series never materialized. Instead, in 1979, the creators reimagined the idea into a pilot movie, also called The Ultimate Impostor, with a new cast and no ties to the original series.
In the 1979 version, Frank Monahan (Joseph Hacker) was an American spy captured in China. After being interrogated, he was returned with his memory erased. This blank slate made Frank’s mind uniquely adaptable to computer downloads. While his abilities mirrored Joe Patton’s, his lack of memory posed a challenge. His handlers had to ensure he was programmed with even basic skills, like driving, or he’d be unable to perform them.
4. The Phoenix
The Phoenix (1981–1982) fared better than many shows, as it progressed beyond the pilot stage. The series was greenlit, and five episodes aired before its cancellation.
The story centers on Bennu of the Golden Light (Judson Scott), discovered in a state of suspended animation within an Incan tomb in Peru. Upon awakening, Bennu discloses his origins as an alien from Eldebran, placed in hibernation centuries ago. His mission is to reunite with his mate, Mira, and confront his dark adversary, Yago.
Though Bennu appears human, he possesses extraordinary strength and psychic abilities, including clairvoyance, telepathy, and the power to levitate during meditation. His golden phoenix amulet enhances his abilities when necessary. Bennu embodies a blend of innocence and wisdom, with the potential to guide humanity into an enlightened era once Mira is revived. Along his journey, he aids those he encounters while evading government agent Justin Preminger (Richard Lynch), who remains skeptical of his existence.
The name “Bennu” is derived from the Egyptian term for the mythical phoenix, and the concept of ancient alien visitors pays homage to the theories of Erich von Daniken.
Judson Scott gained further recognition in science fiction as Joachim, Khan's top henchman in the film Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982). Richard Lynch, who played one of the abducted scientists in The Last Ninja, became a familiar face among TV and movie antagonists. Despite his efforts, he never managed to capture Bennu. Maybe he should have sought assistance from another government agent, such as the Man With the Power or the Six Million Dollar Man.
3. The Invisible Man
A year before Sam Casey’s incident, another nearly invisible spy emerged on screen. In The Invisible Man (1975–1976), scientist Daniel Westin (David McCallum) was actively researching methods to render objects invisible. This version offered slightly more scientific plausibility, as Westin employed lasers to bend light around solid objects. While he successfully made small items, like a fountain pen, disappear, his government sponsors were unimpressed. Fearing the loss of funding, Westin tested the process on himself, only to realize he couldn’t reverse it.
Unable to regain visibility, Westin had to conceal himself with clothing, a mask, and gloves made from a remarkably lifelike material called Dermoplex. Since only his body became invisible, he had to remove his clothes to utilize his powers. Thankfully, the series concluded before he faced the challenge of an Arctic mission.
In exchange for funding to find a cure, Westin and his wife Kate agreed to serve as special agents for the government. An invisible spy could achieve feats beyond the reach of ordinary agents. The series ended after 13 episodes, leaving Westin without a cure and no opportunity to collaborate with the Six Million Dollar Man or the Man With the Power to locate the Phoenix.
2. Gemini Man
Gemini Man (1976) was a 12-episode series following the exploits of an invisible spy. Sam Casey (Ben Murphy), a relaxed, 1970s-style protagonist, worked as a government agent often thrust into perilous scenarios. During a mission to retrieve a crashed Soviet satellite from the ocean, the device exploded. Sam survived, but the radiation altered his DNA, rendering him invisible. Government scientists saved his life by creating an electronic bracelet that stabilized his DNA and restored his visibility.
By deactivating the bracelet, Sam could turn invisible, but only for 15 minutes. Exceeding this limit would make the invisibility permanent and fatal. Interestingly, his clothing also turned invisible with him, possibly due to residual radiation affecting its DNA—or perhaps the writers prioritized thrilling adventures over scientific accuracy.
1. Future Cop
Slightly more successful than The Phoenix, Future Cop began with a pilot movie in 1976, followed by a series running from 1977 to 1978. It lasted six episodes before being canceled. Similar to The Questor Tapes, this show centered on a highly realistic android as its main character.
Officer John Haven (Michael Shannon) is an advanced humanoid machine created to replace human police officers in the field. Essentially, he was a precursor to Robocop, minus the intimidating armor. Haven is paired with veteran officers Joe Cleaver (Ernest Borgnine) and Bill Bundy (John Amos) to test his effectiveness. The twist is that only Joe knows Haven is an android, as the truth is kept secret from the rest of the precinct.
Haven possesses superhuman strength and excels in precise observations and actions. While he has an encyclopedic knowledge of laws and regulations, his literal-minded nature makes it difficult for him to grasp human subtleties, a flaw Joe works hard to address. Had the series continued, Haven would likely have grown more adept at understanding humanity, but it was cut short before that could happen.
This marked the second attempt at a cop-and-robot-partner series. During the 1976–1977 TV season, Holmes and Yoyo attempted a comedic take on the concept but was canceled after 13 episodes. Audiences at the time weren’t quite ready to embrace the future of law enforcement.
+ The Man From Atlantis
The Man From Atlantis enjoyed relatively greater success, airing 17 episodes between 1977 and 1978. It also holds the distinction of being adapted into a Marvel comic book series, which ran for eight issues.
A man with gills and webbed fingers is discovered unconscious in the Pacific by an oceanographic research team. Their computer deduces he is the last survivor of the fabled sunken civilization of Atlantis. Although Atlantis is traditionally located in the Atlantic, the computer’s conclusion is accepted as logical. With no memory of his identity or origins, the man is invited to stay with the team and is named Mark Harris. He assists them with their research—and occasional government missions—while they help him recover his memory and find his home.
Mark (Patrick Duffy) boasts an impressive set of abilities: he can live underwater indefinitely, dive to extreme depths, see in the darkest ocean depths, communicate with marine life, and swim faster than a bottlenose dolphin. He also has superhuman strength, though its intensity fluctuates between episodes. Like other aquatic heroes such as Aquaman or the Sub-Mariner, Mark grows weaker the longer he stays out of water.
Ironically, due to budget constraints, most of Mark’s adventures took place on land. He faced off against the eccentric mad scientist Mr. Schubert (Victor Buono) in six of the 17 episodes. Other storylines included traveling through underwater time portals to the Old West, where he encountered his evil twin, and Renaissance Verona, where he met Romeo and Juliet. After the series ended, Patrick Duffy gained fame as Bobby on the soap opera Dallas. He remains fond of the show and has started writing a series of novels to explore Mark Harris’ origins and continue his adventures.
Since Mark occasionally worked for the government, he could have teamed up with the Six Million Dollar Man, the Man With the Power, and the Invisible Man to locate the Phoenix—though this might not have happened. He shared more similarities with Bennu than the others. Alternatively, Oscar Goldman could have assembled a team of these TV superheroes, introducing them to the Avengers Initiative. Goldman already oversaw the Six Million Dollar Man, the Bionic Woman, and the Ultimate Impostor, giving him access to agents like The Man With the Power, the Invisible Man, and the Man From Atlantis. Together, they could have formed a formidable team, but the idea never materialized.
Where was Nick Fury when we needed him?
