5 Obscure Superheroes Who Deserve More Appreciation
- Eve Andrews
- May 31, 2022
- 3 min read
Since its rise to mainstream popularity in the 1930s, the Superhero trope has become increasingly vast in the near century that’s followed. In such an overly saturated genre, there will inevitably be some characters that have fallen off the bandwagon over the years or that never got a place at all despite being more than deserving. So, wanting to honour some of our underrated faves, here’s a handful of less appreciated heroes that we think deserve some love.
The greatest secret agent not just in London but in the world, Danger Mouse and his nervous sidekick, Penfold, are at constant loggerheads with the evil Baron Greenback, fighting to foil his constant flow of nefarious plans. When it was released in 1981, Danger Mouse was a hit and looked as if it was well on its way to becoming a classic. Despite having a reboot series released in 2015, no one seems to talk about it anymore. While he remains one hell of a nostalgia hit for a lot of 80s kids, I think it's about time Danger Mouse got the universal appreciation he deserves.
When thinking about the creation of Marvel’s Dazzler, the phrase “let your imagination run wild” immediately springs to mind. A criminally underrated member of the X-Men, she’s almost reminiscent of a female Elton John with her zany dress sense, flamboyant, chaotic energy! On top of this, she has the unique ability to turn sound into light. It sounds pretty simple, but Marvel has expanded on this power in a range of creative ways that you wouldn’t even imagine. First appearing in Uncanny X-Men #130 in early 1980, this funky mutant rocker gained a huge cult following among comic readers. Personally, I think she deserves a comeback story.
The majority of people I know read The Dandy when they were kids, yet when I bring up Banana Man, I’m mostly met with blank faces. A seemingly ordinary boy named Eric is rigged with a direct line from the police, who ring whenever trouble is brewing. All Eric has to do is eat a banana to activate his power, and BOOM - Banana Man comes to the rescue! A crazy adventure for the kids that can likewise get a laugh out of adults with its slapstick humour and daft puns, Banana Man was a fun dose of cape-wearing silliness amid The Dandy panels. While he did star in his own animated series back in 1983, I think it's time for a reboot!
The fact that Doctor Fate has yet to make an appearance on the silver screen is, quite frankly, shocking! A badass, cape-clad necromancer with a compelling backstory and a wide range of magical abilities, such as flight, dimensional travel and teleportation (just to name a few!), Doctor Fate is beloved among avid comic readers. However, we bring good news with this one because Doctor Fate might actually be about to get his long-awaited live-action debut in the upcoming Black Adam movie, set to release in October 2022. How do we know this? Because in the latest teaser trailer, we actually catch a very quick glimpse of him. It's about time, that’s all I can say. Check it out and see if you can spot him!
Okay, so the whole point of the story was that this canine hero wasn’t actually a hero; I get it. But from persistence alone, I think he’s earned himself a place on the list. A little Krypto wannabe, Bolt was deluded into thinking he was a Superdog, all for the sake of human entertainment. Determined to use his ‘powers’ to protect his owner, things take a turn when he finds himself stuck in the real world, a place where his powers don’t seem to work. Bolt was pretty popular when it was first released in 2008 but hasn’t received much attention since. An adorable tale of self-discovery and identity, I definitely wouldn’t mind Bolt making a comeback.
Are any of these guys familiar to you? Perhaps there are some entries on here that you adore and are happy to finally see getting mentioned? Or maybe you’d like to give a shoutout to one of your favourite underdogs (we know we’ve missed a ton - there are so many!)? Be sure to drop us a comment to let us know your thoughts!
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