Although Disney+ shows such as Moon Knight and Daredevil have helped many lesser-known Marvel characters make it to screen, one hero seems destined to be forgotten. While Disney+ continues to be invaluable in enhancing and expanding the MCU, some characters are just not a natural fit within the existing content framework. As such, it seems likely that one of the brand's most pioneering and daring creations will remain in obscurity.
Long before glossy small-screen series such as Loki and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier, Marvel TV shows were less concerned with cohesive world-building and more interested in pushing boundaries. Once such example was Once a Hero. Once a Hero was a bizarre and ambitious deconstruction of comic book tropes that came to primetime in the late '80s. The story was that superhero parody, Captain Justice, played by Jeff Lester of Seinfeld fame, finds himself and his world fading away as the comic book he lives in begins to lose relevancy in the real world. Crossing the “forbidden zone” with the aid of his creator and a comic book detective sent to bring him back, Justice attempts to fight real criminals, inspire new comic books, and hopefully save his world from cancellation.
Despite its intriguing premise, Once a Hero and its subsequent Marvel comic were both undeniable flops. The ABC series was axed after just three episodes, while the print run lasted barely two weeks. In spite of its meta-narrative and genre-defying plot, Once a Hero and Captain Justice were so unsuccessful that they seem unlikely to ever receive a Disney+ revival. In a time when Marvel is considered one of the most noted names in modern mythology, it’s hard to think that any of their heroes could fade away as Captain Justice did. Even lesser-known characters such as Madame Web have managed to find a cult following and someone willing to make a movie featuring them. However, Once a Hero burned so briefly that its spectacular failure was barely a footnote in the pages of TV history, sadly ensuring that there is no future for the series at Disney+ and Marvel.
In 1987, Once a Hero aired on ABC and attempted to compete with another series broadcasted at the time, Star Trek: The Next Generation. Despite going beyond the fourth wall, Captain Justice was no match for the popularity of Captain Picard. Even with Marvel involved with the project and an appearance from Spider-Woman, Once a Hero was swiftly binned. In a bid to stave off cancellation, the show even ended with commercials begging people to tune in: “First, they tried to bury Dallas! Then they tried to launch ALF! And they had the nerve to try to kiss off Growing Pains!” Quoting their negative reviews afterward, the show’s creators asked people to rescue Once a Hero. However, the series prematurely concluded with the rest of the show becoming lost media. Ultimately, Captain Justice and the American Broadcasting Company did not prevail over the competition.
Disney and Marvel aren’t strangers to revisiting forgotten heroes, and some have even found second chances. Obscure characters like Condorman made a return in the Toy Story short “Small Fry,” golden age hero the Whizzer was utilized in the MCU multiple times, and even Marvel's Hit Monkey found his way onto Hulu. However, Disney+, even with its extensive catalog of past Marvel projects going as far back as the ‘60s, it’s unlikely the final episodes of Once a Hero will ever air. Additionally, despite the love for bizarre characters, some characters are even too far bygone for Marvel fans to warrant a new project.
In an age when superheroes have soared to new heights, perhaps one about comic book characters trying to find relevancy in a changing world could’ve finally been appreciated. Unfortunately, Captain Justice remains barely even mentioned in Marvel history. Comically campy and reflective of the comic book heroes that inspired it, Once a Hero was a strange case of art imitating life as it too struggled to keep the TV show from being canceled.
