The Forgotten Heroes are a fictional

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

team in the

DC Comics DC Comics (originally DC Comics, Inc., and also known simply as DC) is an American comic book publisher owned by DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery. DC is an initialism for "Detective Comics", an American comic book seri ...

universe. The group is composed of originally unrelated superheroes introduced in DC publications in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. Having faded from appearances in DC publications,

Marv Wolfman Marvin Arthur Wolfman (born May 13, 1946) is an American comic book and novelization writer. He worked on Marvel Comics's ''The Tomb of Dracula'', for which he and artist Gene Colan created the vampire-slayer Blade (character), Blade, and DC Comi ...

and

Gil Kane Gil Kane (; born Eli Katz , ; April 6, 1926 – January 31, 2000) was a Latvian-born American comics artist whose career spanned the 1940s to the 1990s and virtually every major comics company and character. Kane co-created the modern-day vers ...

brought them together in ''

Action Comics ''Action Comics'' is an American comic book/Comic anthology, magazine series that introduced Superman, one of the first major superhero characters. The publisher was originally known as Detective Comics Inc., which later merged into National ...

'' #545 (July 1983) as a team that had simply faded from the limelight of their world.

Fictional team history

Pre-Crisis

In their original adventures prior to the ''

Crisis on Infinite Earths ''Crisis on Infinite Earths'' is a 1985 to 1986 American comic book fictional crossover, crossover series published by DC Comics. Written by Marv Wolfman and penciller, pencilled by George Pérez, it was first released as a 12-issue limited ser ...

'', the Forgotten Heroes are all superheroes who, at one point in their career, had discovered a mysterious golden pyramid. When they attempt to report the discovery, they find themselves censored by the US Government. The members of the team are brought together by Immortal Man, who reveals to them that the pyramids are the work of his eons-old foe,

Vandal Savage Vandal Savage (Vandar Adg) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. He is said to be a Cro-Magnon warrior who gained immortality and advanced healing abilities after encountering a strange meteorite during prehis ...

. With the aid of

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

, the Forgotten Heroes destroy the golden pyramids and save the Earth. In ''

'' #10, Animal Man, Dolphin and Rip Hunter again team up, along with

Adam Strange Adam Strange is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by editor Julius Schwartz and designed by Murphy Anderson, he first appeared in '' Showcase'' #17 (November 1958). Adam Strange made his live-action de ...

Captain Comet Captain Comet (Adam Blake) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, created by editor Julius Schwartz, writer John Broome (writer), John Broome, and artist Carmine Infantino. Once a minor character in the DC Comics ...

and the Atomic Knight. This assemblage has been referred to as "the Forgotten Heroes" in retrospect, but was never called that in the ''Crisis'' series itself. The original Forgotten Heroes were opposed by a team of evil counterparts known as the Forgotten Villains. Members of the Forgotten Villains include Atom-Master, Enchantress,

Faceless Hunter The Faceless Hunters are a race of alien supervillains in the DC Comics universe that first appeared in ''Strange Adventures'' #124 (January 1961). They were created by Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky. The Faceless Hunters hail from Klaramar (the wo ...

, Kraklow, Mr. Poseidon, Ultivac, and Yggardis the Living Planet.

Post-Crisis

A new version of the Forgotten Heroes is formed in ''Resurrection Man'' #24 (March 1999), when some of the original members mistake Mitch Shelley for a reincarnated Immortal Man.

Membership

Original team

Animal Man Animal Man (Bernhard "Buddy" Baker) is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. As a result of being in proximity to an exploding extraterrestrial spaceship, Buddy Baker acquires the ability to temporarily "borrow" t ...

(Bernhard "Buddy" Baker) * Calvin "Cave" Carson * Congo Bill/Congorilla (William Glenmorgan) *

Dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal in the cetacean clade Odontoceti (toothed whale). Dolphins belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontopori ...

* Dane Dorrance * Rick Flag, Jr. *

Rip Hunter Rip Hunter (Michael Jon Carter Jr.) is a time-traveling superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Jack Miller and artist Ruben Moreira, the character first appeared in ''Showcase (comics), Showcase'' #20 ...

* Immortal Man (Klarn)

Later team

* Animal Man *

Ballistic Ballistics may refer to: Science * Ballistics, the science that deals with the motion, behavior, and effects of projectiles ** Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes ** Internal ballistics, the study of the proce ...

(Kelvin Mao) * Cave Carson * Fetish (Thula) * The Ray (Ray Terrill) * Resurrection Man (Mitch Shelley) *

Vigilante Vigilantism () is the act of preventing, investigating, and punishing perceived offenses and crimes without legal authority. A vigilante is a person who practices or partakes in vigilantism, or undertakes public safety and retributive justice ...

(Pat Trayce)

References

{{reflist

External links

Cosmic Teams: The Forgotten Heroes and Forgotten VillainsDCU Guide: Forgotten HeroesComicVine: Forgotten Heroes
DC Comics superhero teams