The F Means Hope

You know I understand how Batman and Iron Man and Captain America got their costumes, but Spider-Man? Superman? Daredevil? These guys are not rich or backed by the government. Let's just be grateful they didn't go full DIY like today's Z-Lister, The Forbush Man from Marvel Comics.

First appearing in the short-lived satirical series "Snafu" in 1995, Irving Forbush was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby to be the mascot/founder of "Snafu". Kind of like MAD Magazine's Alfred E. Neuman, albeit forty-three years after MAD's conception. In 1967's "Not Brand Echh", Stan and Jack brought Irving back as the all-powerful Forbush Man! This new version of Forbush was a lowly employee of "Marble Comics". He became a superhero after his aunt slammed a pot over his head, the resulting appearance gave him the idea to build his "costume". As stated in a fictional edition of The Daily Bugle, Irving was born on Friday the 13th, and his parents Stan and Jacqueline (I get it) wanted a daughter instead. In Issue #5 of "Not Brand Echh", The Forbush Man accidentally defeats a parody of The Juggernaut. He goes on to apply for The Revengers, The Echhs-Men, and finally S.H.E.E.S.H., but he is rejected by all of them for his track record of winning via dumb luck.

From there Irving was mostly an in-joke over at Marvel. Appearing on random lists and being referenced by guys like Spider-Man. For a while it was unknown as to whether Irving was in his own universe, a work of fiction within Marvel Comic's, or if he was part of the Marvel Universe. Well, the question was finally answered...in 2006. Before that he was featured in many "What If..." stories including his version of "The Death of Superman". That story included a story in which The Forbush Man died fighting Dumsday. Forbush Man was also the mascot of another Marvel magazine called "Marvel Age" for the entirety of it's nine year publication.

Finally in 2006 Forbush Man appeared in the series "Nextwave" as a member of The New Paramounts, a team of characters who premiered in "Not Brand Ecch. While not evil, Forbush Man was misguided and fought members of Nextwave. It was revealed in this appearance that he in fact has one superpower. By removing his helmet, Forbush Man can instill hellish visions into his opponents, making them see and feel exactly what they imagine Hell to be. He even claimed to have used the power to save the entire Earth from God-Level threats, but because the ability works so quickly and can only be perceived by his target nobody would know if he were telling the truth or not. The only time he tries to use the power in this story it fails because his target "lacks a mind" to torture.

His final appearance was during "Captain America: Who Won't Wield The Shield" in 2010. In this one-shot, Forbush Man breaks into Marvel Comics and starts attacking employees and claiming they have made comic books too dark and gritty and killing Captain America was the final straw. Irving is killed by security guards, but reappears at the end of the book as a zombie. Oh, and for all you eagle-eyed Netflix viewers. Keep an eye out for a Police Poster featuring Stan Lee in Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist. While the poster shows Stan Lee as a cop, the name given on the poster to Stan is "Irving Forbush".

Where to start? I compared Forbush to Neuman at the beginning of this post, but I can see where the comparison ends. Because he is a Stan/Jack creation, the rest of Marvel Comics seems to have a real soft spot for this character. Using him as a main character for Marvel self-parodies, making him the mascot of magazines, referencing him, including him in stories for a good laugh. For as obscure as he is Forbush has been part of Marvel for a very long time. Through thick and thin, I might say. I mean, having him be a joke character with an incredibly powerful (and possibly fictional) superpower makes him one of those jokes you can't wipe off the panel so easily. But that last appearance kind of struck me as odd. Attacking Marvel itself for getting morbid, and then becoming a zombie. I guess it's some ironic lesson about how cylindrical and predicable comic books had become, that even a throw-away character like Forbush could fall victim to seriousness and horror. I'm sure this isn't the last of The Forbush Man we will see, especially in an era full of Hydra Captain Americas and gender-bent Thors. If you ask me, the world could use a little Forbush right about now.

Thanks for reading.