Forgotten Heroes

The Forgotten Heroes are a fictional superhero team in the DC Comics 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 and Gil Kane brought them together in Action Comics #545 (July 1983) as a team that had simply faded from the limelight of their world.

Forgotten Heroes
The Forgotten Heroes from Action Comics #553, artist Gil Kane.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	Action Comics #545 (July 1983)
Created by	Marv Wolfman (writer) Gil Kane (artist)
In-story information
Member(s)	Animal Man Ballistic Cave Carson Fetish The Ray Resurrection Man Vigilante (Pat Trayce)

Fictional team history

Pre-Crisis

In their original adventures prior to the Crisis on Infinite Earths, 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.^[1] 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. With the aid of Superman, the Forgotten Heroes destroy the golden pyramids and save the Earth.

In Crisis on Infinite Earths #10, Animal Man, Dolphin and Rip Hunter again team up, along with Adam Strange, Captain Comet and the Atomic Knight. This assemblage has been referred to as "the Forgotten Heroes" in retrospect,^[2] 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, Kraklow, Mr. Poseidon, Ultivac, and Yggardis the Living Planet.^[3][4]

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 (Bernhard "Buddy" Baker)
• Calvin "Cave" Carson
• Congo Bill/Congorilla (William Glenmorgan)
• Dolphin
• Dane Dorrance
• Rick Flag, Jr.
• Rip Hunter
• Immortal Man (Klarn)

Later team

• Animal Man
• Ballistic (Kelvin Mao)
• Cave Carson
• Fetish (Thula)
• The Ray (Ray Terrill)
• Resurrection Man (Mitch Shelley)
• Vigilante (Pat Trayce)

References

1. As seen in Action Comics #552 (February 1984).
2. As seen in Animal Man #1 (September 1988).
3. As seen in DC Comics Presents #77 (January 1985).
4. Forgotten Heroes (pre-Crisis) at the Comic Book DB (archived from the original)

External links

• Cosmic Teams: The Forgotten Heroes and Forgotten Villains
• DCU Guide: Forgotten Heroes
• Unofficial Forgotten Heroes web site
• ComicVine: Forgotten Heroes