The Wildest Super-Hero Ever -- Because He Is Real!
Hero published by Marvel Comics. The Human Fly was first published in The Human Fly #1 in 1977 and was created by Bill Mantlo and Archie Goodwin with art by Lee Elias.
The mid-70's were a time in which the United States found itself somewhat adrift. Reeling from the Vietnam War and disillusioned by our leaders after the impeachment and resignation of Richard Nixon, the people of the United States sought for something or someone who would lead them and make them believe that everything would be all right. In this, America's darkest hour, a group of men rose up and took the mantle of leadership upon themselves - men who were brave and did not flinch at the sight of danger, men with nerves of steel and ice water in their veins, men who defined courage by the number of school buses one could jump on a Kawasaki. These daredevils brought honor to the name stuntman.
While the most famous and best loved of all stuntmen was the legendary Evel Knievel, one of the lesser known stuntmen became the star of his own Marvel Comics comic book series: The Human Fly. The stuntman's real name was Rick Rojatt though he was only known as the Human Fly in the comics. His story (with a liberal bit of artistic license thrown in) was told in the first issue of the comic. The Human Fly and his family were involved in a horrendous car wreck in 1971. His family was killed and the Human Fly was not expected to live having broken every bone in his body (a claim often stated by stuntmen of the day).
The man found the inner strength to survive but he had to endure many, many hours of reconstructive surgery, after which he was told he could not expect to ever walk or move again. The man began to push himself in secret to not only stand, but to walk as well. During the late nights in the hospital while he wandered the halls without the medical staff of said hospital knowing (which leads one to ask many questions about the level of care that this hospital gave), the man saw people who had been injured in industrial accidents or in the Vietnam war, who had given up and resigned themselves to a less than full life due to their injuries. When the man was eventually released, he vowed to give those he had seen something to believe in, some symbol of hope with which to cling. The fact that he then devoted his life to performing life threatening stunts in hopes of inspiring others makes one wonder if there was not more than a little brain trauma involved in the man's wreck. Adopting the name the Human Fly, the man began performing stunts and using this platform to give hope to others.
The comic book told the stuntman's tale, giving him a group of friends and helpers and having him sought after by a reporter named Harmony Whyte who hoped to reveal his secret identity. The comics had the hero doing many amazing stunts and even teaming up with some of Marvel's b-string heroes including the White Tiger and Ghost Rider. The entire run was punctuated by reminders that the Human Fly was cool because he was real.
The series ended after nineteen issues.