Introducing a new character into a comic book universe can be tough. After all, in a universe already populated by plenty of popular heroes and villains, establishing a new character as someone fans should pay attention to can be a monumental task. Often, comic companies will introduce new characters in big events, or sometimes a character will be introduced with ties to an already established character. Sometimes, introducing a new character works out just fine, and this new character goes on to join the ranks of the companies beloved characters. Other times, it doesn't work out quite so well.
No matter how much hype is built up around a character, heroes and villains live and die by fan interest. So even if a new character receives ample advertising and pushes, if fans don't care, the character is as good as dead on arrival. So join CBR as we look back through the years at the characters that were supposed to be household names that ended up falling short. These are 15 characters that were supposed to be the next big thing (that totally fell flat.)
15 DARKHAWK
The Marvel character Darkhawk seemed tailor made to take off in the '90s. With his grimdark name and his striking black costume, Darkhawk was seemingly poised to be Marvel's next big hero. But despite a strong push from the House of Ideas and apart from cult popularity in a stalwart clutch of fans, this character landed with a resounding thud.
You could hardly throw a rock in a '90s comic store without hitting a comic featuring Darkhawk.
Christopher Powell, aka Darkhawk, was a justice-hungry teenager who used a mystical amulet to switch places with a powerful android, which Powell would use to fight crime. Receiving his own solo series in 1991, Darkhawk immediately became a big player in Marvel, teaming up with the likes of Spider-Man, Captain America, and The Punisher. But despite Marvel's strong push for the character, a majority of fans were apathetic, and Darkhawk would slowly fade into the background. Although, his recent resurgence does suggest a possible comeback!
14 BROTHER POWER THE GEEK
Ah, the '60s; a time in which flower power was en vogue and comic companies were eager to cash in. Realizing that DC was sorely lacking in hippie-oriented characters, writer Joe Simon set out to create a hero that would resonate with the free spirited tie-dye wearing youth. The result was the ridiculously lame Brother Power The Geek.
Billed as a hero for the flower child generation, Brother Power The Geek was a mannequin that was given clothes by a hippie couple who would be brought to life when struck by lightning. Imagined as a wandering beatnik philosopher, DC pushed Brother Power as a new kind of hero. Unfortunately, sales of BP's solo series were middling, leading to DC's executives axing the comic after a mere two issues. The once heavily-hyped Brother Power just didn't seem to click with DC's readers, leading to the hero being cast aside.
13 GREEN TEAM/THE MOVEMENT
If there's one thing comic companies love to do, it's to cash in on real world stories. Such was the case with DC's Green Team and The Movement. Spawning out of the controversy concerning the Occupy movement and the "We Are The 99%" political slogan, DC looked to play off America's conversation concerning wealth inequality, creating a team composed of the have's and a team composed of the have not's.
The Green Team: Teen Trillionaires, representing the 1%, followed a team of ultra-wealthy adventurers that would use their cash to aid the world.
In contrast was The Movement, a team that sought to "give voice to the voiceless," composed of socially-minded heroes that fought back against the money-hungry moguls. Despite a strong advertising push from DC, both teams tanked, leading to Green Team being canceled by issue #8, and The Movement following soon after at issue #12.
12 JACKPOT
Ah, the old bait-and-switch. This cop-out is as old as the comic medium, and comic companies have been using it to great success for decades. A more recent example of bait-and-switch comes courtesy of Marvel and the character Jackpot, who was presented as an important, story changing character, but ended up being some nobody.
As you might guess from the fiery red hair and the callback name, Jackpot was teased as a new heroic alter-ego for Peter Parker's longtime flame, Mary Jane Watson. The character continued to cross paths with Spider-Man during the events of the Brand New Day storyline, and fans waited breathlessly for Mary Jane to unmask. Unfortunately, when the grand unveiling finally came, it was revealed that Jackpot was actually not MJ, but a woman named Alana Jobson, and fan interest quickly disappeared, with Jackpot disappearing soon after
11 THUNDERSTRIKE
The '90s were truly a dark time for comics. No character was safe from a '90s X-TREME make-over, including the God of Thunder himself, Thor. While Thor would be suited up in a godawful, truly '90s outfit before the era came to an end, Marvel initially opted to ditch the Asgardian and replace the beloved hero with a character seen as more suited for the rough and tumble '90s.
This character was Thunderstrike, and boy did he fall flat.
Erik Masterson, aka Thunderstrike, first appeared as an ancillary character in Thor, palling around with the God of Thunder. Masterson would briefly wield Mjolnir as Thor, but Masterson would eventually receive a mace crafted by Odin dubbed Thunderstrike, starting a heavily hyped hero career of his own. Problem was, fans didn't really care for Thunderstrike, and Marvel would kill the character off to little fanfare years later.
10 FIRST BORN
Listen, let's face facts: Wonder Woman's rogues gallery is not great. Despite being one of DC's biggest heroes, Wondy is sorely lacking in memorable villains. This made First Born all the more interesting, as the new villain posed a major threat to Diana. But despite a critically acclaimed arc that saw First Born almost destroy all of creation, this majorly hyped villain has fallen off the map.
Debuting in Wonder Woman vol. 4 #13, First Born was the long lost first son of Zeus and Hera. First Born would seek his revenge against Olympus, leading to a struggle between the slighted son and Wonder Woman, with everything at stake. But once the New 52 was ditched in favor of Rebirth, First Son disappeared, causing this once-promising new villain to fade into the background. If anything, First Son didn't flop; DC's handling of First Son flopped.
9 NOMAD
As Captain America, Steve Rogers has cemented himself as one of the most preeminent characters in the Marvel U. So when Rogers ditched the Captain America title and took the name Nomad, people paid attention. But when Rogers was reinstated as Captain America, he didn't want to let the Nomad name die out, and thus passed the title on.
As a successor to Steve Rogers, the character was heavily promoted as the next big player in Marvel. Except Nomad was anything but.
Jack Munroe would assume the mantle of Nomad, becoming a sunglasses-wearing, gun-slinging vigilante. Nomad was given a solo title, and the character would regularly rub shoulders with the likes of The Punisher and Daredevil. Problem was, fans weren't receptive to this Punisher wannabe, and despite receiving two solo series, sales were lackluster, and Nomad's series would be punished, leaving the character to turn evil and eventually die.
8 MOSAIC
When an entire event is built around a new character, fans expect big things from said new character. Oftentimes, a character introduced in an event will go on to become a bonafide fan favorite. This was not the case with Mosaic, Marvel's Inhuman hero misfire.
Morris Sackett, a basketball player turned Inhuman with the ability to possess others, would play a crucial role in the Inhumans vs X-Men crossover event. Spinning out of this event, Marvel would release a solo series for the character, backing the new book with heavy advertising. Unfortunately, much like the Inhumans TV show, fans just didn't care, and Mosaic landed with a thud, ultimately being canceled after just 8 issues. Since his solo series was axed, Mosaic has pretty much disappeared, making this Inhuman one big flop.
7 FATE
Poor Dr. Fate. When the '90s came roaring in, the helmeted hero was promptly labeled "not x-treme enough," and planning began to ditch the beloved character and replace him with a new-and-improved hero bearing the Fate name. Unfortunately, this new character proved to be such a flop that he was murdered off panel and promptly forgotten about.
The newly dubbed Fate was a grim-and-gritty hero for a grim-and-gritty generation.
With a prominent Ankh tattoo, heavy 5 o'clock shadow, and a penchant for knives, Fate was a far cry from the Dr. Fate fans had grown to love. Fate was promptly pushed as a bold new hero, and received a solo series of his own. But fans just weren't interested, and DC's plans for Fate were axed, leading to the character being stabbed in the back off-panel by the villainous Mordru in an issue of JSA.
6 TOXIN
Once upon a time, Venom was the only symbiote-based character hounding Spider-Man. But when Marvel saw the rousing success of the character, more symbiotes followed, including the psychotic Carnage. Despite both relying upon the goopy symbiotes, Venom and Carnage are vastly different characters. But what if you were to combine these characters? The result would be the anti-hero Toxin.
Taking the anti-hero traits of Venom and the psychotic nature of Carnage, Toxin was a symbiote spawned from Carnage that would unite with police officer Pat Mulligan. Fighting against his insane lineage, the newly formed Toxin would embark on a journey to clean up the streets of New York. Despite being pushed by Marvel as the next big symbiote, Toxin fizzled out, and Mulligan was beaten to death off camera by Blackheart, leading to the symbiote being passed around between multiple hosts.
5 ALPHA
Sometimes, a hero can be improved with the addition of a kid sidekick. It worked for Batman, it worked for Captain America, and its worked for countless heroes over the years. But adding a snot-nosed kid to an established hero isn't always a recipe for success, no matter how hyped this new kid sidekick is. Case in point: Spider-Man's short-lived sidekick, Alpha.
Debuting in The Amazing Spider-Man #692, Alpha was a brash new hero that had gained powers after being bathed in Parker Particles during a demonstration at Horizon Labs. Spidey would take Alpha under his wing, but Alpha's brash, headstrong ways clashed with his mentor, and Parker would be forced to de-power Alpha after the hero-in-training misused his powers during a mission with the Avengers. Alpha would reemerge later to be re-powered by the Doctor Octopus-controlled Superior Spider-Man, but the young hero would promptly drop off the face of the Earth, a victim of fan disinterest.
4 THE NEW UNIVERSE
It isn't uncommon for a new comic company to spring up, make boisterous claims about how its new comic universe is going to change the face of the industry, flood the market with ads promoting this game-changing new universe, and promptly disappear, a victim of poor sales and no fan interest. But to have such a fate befall a Marvel property was unheard of, which made the New Universe all the more shocking.
Spearheaded by then-Marvel CEO Jim Shooter, the New Universe promised to shake things up, bringing readers a brand new world, separate from the main Marvel Universe, which was more grounded in reality. Eight titles were launched, introducing fans to the heroes and villains of the New Universe, but sales were lackluster, and the line would be retooled, removing the more fantastical elements and embracing a gritty, realistic tone. Despite a veritable avalanche of advertising and promotion, the New Universe failed to catch on, and the plug would be pulled on the line after a few years.
3 PANDORA
There are spectacular misfires, and then there is DC's Pandora. Once presented as the linchpin for DC's major New 52 reboot, the mysterious gun-toting hero known as Pandora would go from a major player in the DCU to a murdered nobody in no time flat.
Introduced in Flashpoint as the individual responsible for pushing The Flash to merge timelines, thus creating the New 52 universe, Pandora lurked throughout the New 52 titles, popping up to hint at a cryptic bigger picture. Given a solo series that revealed that Pandora was an immortal that ran with the likes of the Phantom Stranger and the Council of Eternity, DC pushed the character as the next big DCU character. But Pandora's series would last only a scant 14 issues before the character was unceremoniously killed in the lead-up to Rebirth, putting an end to this once heavily-hyped but now largely forgotten hero.
2 JUSTICE LEAGUE DETROIT
Justice League Detroit is like if the New York Yankees decided to retire, and the team was subsequently replaced by the Cleveland Browns. This was a definitive case of a team taking a major step backwards, but DC was sure this new collection of heroes was poised to become a major force in the DCU.
But the ill-fated JLD didn't make quite the splash DC was hoping for.
A new iteration of the Justice League headed by veteran member Aquaman, Justice League Detroit looked to bring in a collection of fresh faces to the team's roster. Composed primarily of young, upstart heroes, this retooled Justice League set up shop in Detroit and set about protecting the planet. Unfortunately, a team composed primarily of unknown new heroes wasn't appealing to fans, and this iteration of the Justice League would fall apart, becoming an embarrassing stain on the history of DC's biggest super team.
1 BEN REILLY
Now for a controversial hero to round this list off. While erstwhile clone Ben Reilly has amassed a legion of fans through the years, this hero's debut was marred in controversy. After all, no amount of advertising and industry hype could have saved a character designed to replace Peter Parker.
Spinning out of the mess that was the Clone Saga, Ben Reilly assumed the mantle of Spider-Man, allowing Peter to retire from the role to raise his unborn child.
Sporting a brand new Spidey costume, Reilly set out to make the Spider-Man name his own. But Spider-Man fans were vehemently against the change, and a strong push from Marvel wasn't enough to dissuade readers. Eventually, Marvel threw in the towel on Reilly, allowing Parker to resume being Spider-Man. While Reilly has since returned and staked out his own place in the Marvel U, there's no denying that Reilly's initial outing as Spidey was a monumental flop.