This reality show with Stan Lee opened a new world of superheroes

If you are a comic book fan or have watched a superhero movie and/or TV show, you have probably thought about what you could do if you had the hero’s powers. Who wouldn’t want Spider-Man’s spider sense, Superman’s invulnerability or Green Lantern’s power ring? A reality show aimed to make someone’s dream of being a superhero come true – Who wants to be a superhero? True to its title, the show presented a group of participants who have developed their own heroic alter egoand forces that reflected their real lives. A great example is Chris Wattersa DJ from California who became “Major Victory,” a hero who could manipulate sound waves.

Who wants to be a superhero? is probably best known as a presenter, the late, great Stan Leewho helped create most of Marvel’s iconic superheroes, including Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four, and has also appeared in numerous cameos in Marvel films. Lee brought his typical market crier energy to the role of hostone of many possibilities Who wants to be a superhero? stands out in the world of reality programs.

“Who wants to be a superhero?” has taken on new challenges

Who wants to be a superhero? is full of challenges that test the superheroes’ abilities, including standard reality TV fare like a race in the first episode. But in a twist worthy of a comic book, The challenges were also character tests. Again, the season 1 premiere is an example of this: The contestants run past a girl who is close to tears, but Cell Phone Girl (who, true to her name, had powers that allowed her access to cell phone waves) turned around and went to comfort her. Lee later revealed that this was the real goal, because being a hero means helping people. While other reality shows use backstabbing as a staple of their competitions, Who wants to be a superhero? was refreshing how the focus was instead on helping others.

According to producer/co-creator Bruce NashLee was instrumental in directing Who wants to be a superhero? and his presence convinced the SyFy Channel to greenlight the series. “We started by finding out what qualities it takes to be a superhero – bravery, courage, selflessness, and then we created our challenges around those qualities to see if they had what it takes… We had so much fun. He just had that spark,” Nash said diversity after Lee’s death. He was also quick to point out how kind Lee was, which helped Who wants to be a superhero? OOne of the candidates, Iron Enforcer, was told by Lee that he would probably be a great supervillain rather than a great superhero and was allowed to return to the show as a supervillain called the Dark Executioner!

The winners of “Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” have their own films (so to speak)

Season 1 of Who wants to be a superhero? The game bucked tradition not only in its challenges, but also in its prizes. The winner received their own one-shot comic, courtesy of Dark Horse Comics, as well as their own action figure. and an appearance in a SyFy Channel Original Movie. Matthew Aterton, who chose the electronically powered alter ego “Feedback,” won the first season and got his own comic book written by Lee! Feedback would also appear in a SyFy movie, but not in the way viewers expected. During the finale of Mega SnakeFeedback hosts an event where the giant snake Unetaka attacks. He manages to fend off Unetaka and get the people to safety. Winner of the second season Jarrett Crippenwho took the superhero code name “Defuser”, also appears in a SyFy film. This time it was Lightning strikeswhich features a monster that uses thunderstorms to hide its presence. Crippen appears briefly, not as a bomb disposal expert, but as a deputy colleague to Sheriff Bradley (Kevin Sorbo), which is odd since Feedback fully emerged in his heroic alter ego.

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“Who Wants to Be a Superhero?” was the beginning of one of Stan Lee’s creative phases

Who wants to be a superhero? was just the beginning of a creative streak that Lee started with his company POW! Entertainment. POW! was behind a series of projects with superhero themes, with Lee usually providing the concept (and one of his typical cameos). These projects included Superhero Kindergarten with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the animated film The Condor with Wilmer Valderrama the voice of the title hero and Stan Lee’s mighty 7where Lee had to convince seven alien convicts to become superheroes. These projects allowed Lee to work with a wide range of creative talent in Hollywood and the comic book industry, although it was not without controversy. Lee almost sued POW! in 2018 for selling the rights to his name under false pretenses, while his daughter JC filed two separate lawsuits against POW! for the same reasons.

Despite this, Who wants to be a superhero? is still a unique reality show thanks to Lee’s involvement. Not only did he bring the same creative flair that helped launch the Marvel Universe, but he also showed that a good reality show doesn’t have to resort to contrived drama or constant intrigue to have a good premise. Apparently others thought so too, when Britain created its own version of Who wants to be a superhero? in 2009. This time, the contestants were a group of children who created their own superhero personas, and even though Lee was unable to be on the set of the British version, he still seemed to coach the young heroes through their various challenges. The current state of the superhero genre is the subject of much debate, but Who wants to be a superhero? is proof that there are still unique concepts in it.

Who wants to be a superhero? can be streamed in the USA on NBC

Watch on NBC