Challengers of the Unknown
Entry updated 2 November 2024. Tagged: Character, Comics, Publication.
A team of DC Comics Superheroes, created by Jack Kirby in 1957, with possible co-creators Joe Simon or Dave Wood; after appearances in Showcase, they were given their own title, which lasted from 1958 to 1971. Though lacking Superpowers, they are four unusually talented men: pilot Ace Morgan, Scientist Walter Haley, daredevil Red Ryan, and boxer Rocky Davis. Brought together to be on a radio programme, their plane experiences a catastrophic crash landing that they all miraculously survive; feeling that they are now living "on borrowed time", they resolve to devote the rest of their lives to benefiting humanity. However, their assistance is almost exclusively limited to battling against such sf staples as Supervillains, Robots, Aliens, and Monsters, with occasional ventures involving Space Flight, Time Travel, and journeys into other Dimensions; they also faced some supernatural adversaries. They don matching jumpsuits, establish a headquarters, Challenger Mountain, and are sometimes accompanied by one of two women, Computer scientist June Robbins and Corinna Stark, who possesses mystical powers. As is DC's habit in recent decades, they have undergone a series of reinventions, including returns of the original characters and the assembling of new teams of Challengers, but none of these new versions have proved popular. They have also made a few appearances in animated films and Videogames.
The Challengers are perhaps most significant as an influence on other groups of superheroes. Many have noted the likenesses between the Challengers and another group Kirby later co-created with Stan Lee, the Fantastic Four, including similar origin stories (four people survive a crash and decide to become a team of heroes) and the characters of scientist Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and the rough-hewn Ben Grimm (The Thing), respectively recalling Haley and Davis. They also served as a template for other DC groups of heroes who had particular specialities, such as the teams headed by Rip Hunter, Time Master and Cave Carson, as well as the Sea Devils. [GW]
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