Beginning in the 1990s, Image Comics quickly became the largest independent comic book company in the entire industry. Although it doesn’t have the same type of shared universe as DC or Marvel, Image Comics has still created many beloved and iconic superheroes, such as Spawn and Invincible. However, not every Image superhero stood the test of time. For over 30 years, Image Comics made numerous superheroes, but most were left behind to collect dust on the shelf. Many of these heroes almost had their chance to shine in Invincible Season 3, Episode 7, as they were featured in the “Invincible War” story arc the episode was based on. Unfortunately, most of them couldn’t be used due to legal issues. Others did not sell well or were discarded when their creators moved on to other projects.
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These forgotten Image Comics superheroes, from vicious anti-heroes to comedic crime fighters, helped shape the company and deserve to be remembered.
1) Cyberforce
Introduced in 1992, the Cyberforce was a cyberpunk version of the X-Men. The team consisted of mutants who were all forced to undergo torturous cybernetic enhancement procedures by an evil corporation called Cyberdata. They managed to escape Cyberdata and banded together to become the superhero team Cyberforce. The team’s members included Ripclaw, Cyblade, Heatwave, Velocity, and more. While there were several attempts to revitalize the franchise after the 90s, they never lasted long, and the team of cyborg mutants was mostly forgotten.
2) Firebreather
Duncan, aka Firebreather, was a half-human, half-dragon hybrid. His father was a 300-foot-tall dragon, also the king of monsters —a title Duncan didn’t want to inherit. As a dragon/human hybrid, he had orange skin, claws, and a pair of small wings on his back that let him fly. Duncan was an outcast in both human and monster societies due to his mixed heritage, yet he still protected the innocent as a hero. In 2010, Cartoon Network made a direct-to-TV movie about the character, but sadly, he hasn’t been used since.
3) Glory
Glory was the daughter of an Amazonian goddess and the king of the Underworld. As an Amazon/Demon hybrid, Glory was incredibly strong, proficient in all manner of weaponry, and could even take on a more monstrous form to get stronger. She battled all manner of monsters and even teamed up with other Image heroes like Supreme and Youngblood. While Glory underwent a reboot in 2012 that was incredibly popular, she has not reappeared in comics in over a decade since.
4) Shadowhawk
A darker and edgier knockoff of Batman, Shadowhawk was an immensely popular character during the 90s for his cool costume and violent tendencies. The Shadowhawk mantle is a spirit of justice that looks to latch onto worthy hosts. There have been hundreds of Shadowhawks dating back to Ancient Egypt, each fighting crime under the cover of night. The Shadowhawk line, however, eventually faded when the character was put on an indefinite hiatus.
5) Dynamo 5
Despite their story being all about legacy, the Dynamo 5 have mostly been forgotten by Image Comics. The team consisted of the five illegitimate children of the deceased hero, Captain Dynamo. Each member inherited one of their father’s five powers: flight, shapeshifting, super-strength, and telepathy. The teens would come together as the Dynamo 5 and continue their father’s legacy as heroes. Their members included Supervision, Smasher, Ramjet, Wraith, and Menagerie. Unfortunately, they haven’t been seen or heard from since 2009, with no indication that they will ever return.
6) Fortress
Fortress was doomed as a character from the beginning, as he was introduced as part of an Image Comics shared universe that fell apart after only three issues. Debuting in Image United #1, Fortress possessed a suit that gave him super strength and the ability to fire energy beams. He had horrible visions of a world destroyed by a corrupted Spawn, where only he and a few other heroes could stop this dreadful future. While the character and story had a lot of potential, the comic run was cut short without a resolution, and there are no plans to revisit it in the future.
7) Jack Staff
A more comedic superhero, Jack Staff, aka John Smith, was Britain’s greatest superhero. While his exact origin is unknown, he had been alive since Victorian times and began to fight the Nazis as a masked hero during World War II. In the modern day, Jack Staff continues to fight crime with the help of his trusty stick. Unlike other heroes on this list, Jack Staff wasn’t the most successful crime fighter, but he still did his best to protect the people of Castletown. Due to low sales, Britain’s greatest hero was left on the cutting room floor and hasn’t been used since 2010.
8) Pitt
Pitt is what happens when you mix the Hulk with pure nightmare fuel. A massive and ferocious anti-hero, Pitt was a human-alien hybrid created through alien experimentation. After breaking free, he would become Earth’s defender against alien invasions. On top of his incredible strength and razor-sharp claws, Pitt could establish telepathic links with his enemies, so even if they ran, he could still track them down and tear them to pieces. He would make many appearances in comics for a little over a decade before fading into obscurity.
9) Supreme
When he was introduced, Supreme was a more violent and arrogant version of Superman. After being exposed to a radioactive material called Superium, Ethan Crane would become one of the world’s most powerful superheroes. He possessed all the powers of Superman but had no qualms about killing villains. While his original writers portrayed him as an unethical protector with a god-complex, comic book legend Alan Moore would later retool the character into a more loving tribute to the Silver Age Superman. Moore’s run was incredibly popular, but unfortunately, Supreme hasn’t been seen in many years.
10) Youngblood
In 1992, Image Comics made its debut in the comic book world with the publication of Youngblood #1. Featuring a wide array of members, including Shaft, Die-Hard, Vogue, and Badrock, the government-sponsored superhero team was considered a staple of the 1990s. This was in part due to how the characters helped codify many 90s anti-hero tropes, including dark and edgy names, overly muscular builds, and morally gray heroes. While it was initially a huge hit, the clichés eventually grew old. Despite multiple attempts to reboot the franchise, Image eventually gave up on the team that had started it all.
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Image Courtesy of The WB Television Network -
Image Courtesy of DC Studios.
