Heroes of the Lost Age: M.A.N.T.I.S

 Hi, everyone.

Welcome to the first of my blog segment called Heroes of the Lost Age! Here I will explore forgotten heroes of days past that have been on TV and other media. First up is Sam Raimi's M.A.N.T.I.S.

M.A.N.T.I.S was a TV series which aired from 1994-1995, starring Carl Lumbly as Dr. Miles Hawkins/M.A.N.T.I.S, created by Sam Raimi and Sam Hamm.

The story behind M.A.N.T.I.S is Dr. Hawkins was shot in the spine by a police sniper during a riot, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Filing a lawsuit against the cop he held responsible and lost, Miles discovers a conspiracy that's launched against the colored community which he directs his focus on by pouring his resources into creating an exoskeleton and a black bulletproof body armor that endows him with super strength and the ability to walk. And thus M.A.N.T.I.S was born. The acronym means Mechanically Augumented Neuro Transmitter Interception System. In the series it was renamed Mechanically Augumented Neuro Transmitter Interactive System.

M.A.N.T.I.S powers and weapons are reminiscent of Batman in regards to being smart and wealthy. For instance, he has no powers. Only his exoskeleton which is armed with non-lethal paralyzing darts and super strength. His hidden underwater lab underneath his seaside mansion is called the Seapod and his vehicle of choice is a flying car/submarine which is dubbed the Chrysalis.

In the TV movie pilot, there were strong roles for African American actors including Bobby Hosea, Steve James, and future Firefly alumn Gina Torres. When the M.A.N.T.I.S series premiered, recasts were done except for Lumbly's character. The series casted the late Roger Rees as John Stonebrake, a british scientist who helped Hawkins create the exoskeleton, Christopher Gartin as the mouthy-street wise Taylor Savage/Savidge, and Galyn Gorg as Lt. Leora Maxwell.

There were a few changes to the character and the series such as the location of the show. Production of the pilot was set in Los Angeles as the series was set in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The changes in the M.A.N.T.I.S himself were such as him wearing a stylish suit and trench coat over his exoskeleton minus a skull cap and leaving little metal praying mantises as his calling card.

Though the concept was an entertaining one at that, but unfortunately poor ratings and constant retooling of the show was its downfall. One thing is for sure Sam Raimi's creation of TV's first prime time superhero of color had paved the way for Luke Cage and Black Lightning.

And that's the first part of Heroes of the Lost Age. Be there as we explore more forgotten heroes, chaps!