With movies like Thor: Love and Thunder dominating the box office, it only goes to show that the Silver Age of comics produced some of the most beloved and long-lasting characters of all time. Despite this, some Silver Age superheroes eventually faded away with little fanfare.

From DC characters like Deadman to lesser-known indie heroes like The Fly, even the most fertile era in comic book history produced a few characters that failed to launch. Even though plenty of Silver Age superheroes disappeared, only the best left a lasting impression on readers and are highly sought-after collectibles today.

Jigsaw

Jigsaw uses his long arm to punch a monster

Not to be confused with the Marvel Comics villain of the same name, Harvey Comics' Jigsaw came and went with barely a blip on the radar. When astronaut Gary Jason is killed on a mission in space, his body is reconstructed by aliens which imbues him with the power to stretch his limbs to amazing lengths.

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Though the comics of the Silver Age were filled with stretching men, Jigsaw was unique in that he could also detach his puzzle piece limbs whenever he wanted. It was obvious that the character wouldn't last long unless he was changed, but he never got the chance to evolve and was canceled after only two issues in 1966.

Werewolf

Werewolf grapples with an enemy underwater.

Loosely inspired by some of the scariest Universal Classic Monsters, Werewolf was no lycanthrope but a highly trained government operative. After his plane crashed in the wilderness, Major Wiley Wolf became feral and joined a pack of wolves. After being rescued, his newfound abilities were put to use as a top-secret military operative.

Espionage was the heart and soul of Werewolf's adventures, and he stood out from the usual super-powered heroes of the late '60s. Paving the way for future books like Werewolf by Night, Werewolf subtly introduced horror elements into the superhero genre. Far from a hit for Dell Comics, the book was swiftly canceled after three issues and Werewolf never made any additional appearances anywhere else.

Magnus, Robot Fighter

Magnus fights against a robot from Dell Comics

Most superheroes fight problems in the modern day world, but Magnus was Dell Comics' hero of the distant future. In the year 4000, after humans have become increasingly dependent on their robot leaders, Magnus is trained by his robot guardian to fight the totalitarian rule of evil bots.

Trained to peak physical condition, and with a hand strong enough to punch through metal, Magnus waged war against his robot overlords all throughout the '60s and into the '70s as well. Unfortunately, Magnus fell out of favor as his sales declined, and the demise of Dell Comics led the character to pass from one publisher to the next without finding a permanent home.

The Fly

The Fly pledges an oath from Archie Comics

Though Spider-Man is perhaps the most famous bug-themed superhero to debut during the Silver Age, The Fly was a hit for Archie Comics when he debuted in 1959. Tommy Troy was gifted the powers of The Fly when he acquired a magical ring. The ring granted him a wealth of insect powers which grew as the series progressed.

The Fly was unique for a 1960s hero in that he carried a weapon called the Buzz Gun that dispensed tranquilizers to his enemies. The Fly was canceled and revived several times throughout the Silver Age, and eventually, the character briefly became part of the DC universe in the early '90s. Though he's absent from the comics today, his sidekick Fly-Girl has periodically appeared ever since.

Hawk And Dove

Hawke and Dove jumping into action in the comics

With big publishers like DC that have decades of history, characters rarely go away forever. Instead, they go through long periods of dormancy that leads many readers to forget about them. Playing on the political strife of the late-'60s, Hawk and Dove were a superhero duo that combined to fight crime.

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Hawk represented brute force, while Dove represented peaceful solutions to problems, and one was useless without the other. The characters were very visible throughout the '60s and '70s, but as the Bronze Age drew on, they fell out of favor. DC has revived the pair on numerous occasions but the runs usually only last a few issues before the characters once again fade back into obscurity.

Doctor Solar

Doctor Solar punches a villain from Gold Key comics

Though several atomic-powered heroes made their debut in the Golden Age of comics, the Silver Age was where the trend really took off. While working at a nuclear power plant, Dr. Phillip Solar found himself inundated with radiation when the plant melted down. Discovering he could channel nuclear energy, Doctor Solar set out to catch the man who caused the meltdown in the first place.

As the atomic obsession of the 1950s gave way to the paranoia of nuclear war in the '60s, Doctor Solar was a surprisingly post-modern hero. Pre-dating many of Marvel's atomic superheroes, Solar was the predecessor to the likes of The Hulk, and his skin even turned green when using his tremendous power. As the years wore on, Gold Key comics folded and Doctor Solar eventually faded with them.

Challengers Of The Unknown

Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby

DC Comics' Challengers of the Unknown bared a striking resemblance to The Fantastic Four, though they predated the other team by several years. After surviving a terrible plane crash, a group of four friends dedicate their lives to facing any challenge that is thrown their way, no matter how dangerous.

Co-created by Jack Kirby in 1959, it is believed that Kirby reworked the idea into the FF when he went to Marvel Comics. Regardless, DC's Challengers were a huge hit for the publisher and they ran for years while running across the likes of Doom Patrol, and Swamp Thing. Though they eventually faded away, many fans believe that the underrated heroes should join the DCEU on the big screen.

The Jaguar

Jaguar fights a giant snake from Archie Comics

Archie Comics had a slew of animal-themed heroes in their Silver Age lineup, but The Jaguar was perhaps the best of all. Ralph Hardy was a noted zoologist who discovered a nucleon energy belt in a secret cave which granted him mystical powers of the animal kingdom.

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Not only was Hardy imbued with the powers of a jaguar, but he was also impervious to damage, and could telepathically communicate with animals. Though The Jaguar seemed like a copy of his predecessor The Fly, his personality made him a much more likable character overall. Jaguar's appearances with Archie Comics faded as the years wore on, and DC comics eventually completely reinvented the character with almost no connection to the original source material.

Deadman

Deadman looks on from DC comics

While Deadman is far from completely absent from the pages of DC Comics, he has spent many long years on the shelf since his debut. Boston Brand was a circus performer who was mysteriously murdered during one of his acts. His soul was allowed to possess living beings so that he may exact his revenge.

Deadman is not constrained by the typical strictures of a superhero, and his supernatural abilities gave his stories a horror flavor. Deadman's obscurity has kept him on the back pages of DC's books, and though he appears sporadically, there are large sections of DC's history where he was altogether gone.

Adam Strange

Adam Strange attacks the JLA of the cover of Justice League Of America #138

Adam Strange was very much a product of his time, and his character design is quintessential late-'50s cheesiness. Originally an archeologist from Earth, Adam Strange was suddenly transported to the planet Rann by the mysterious Zeta-Beam. Once there, he dons a jetpack and becomes the full-time defender of the alien planet.

Strange has no superpowers and was instead simply a gifted athlete and fighter. Strange had his own series for many years throughout the '60s, but eventually became a mere background player in other heroes' stories. Strange has made periodic appearances over the decades but has also spent many years away from the spotlight that he once had in the Silver Age.

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