The Forgotten & The Forsaken: Awesome characters sadly unremembered or demoted

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Incredible Hulk #233 Mar 1979
"...At the Bottom of the Bay! Guest-starring Marvel Man
With Curtiss Jackson fleeing Alcatraz following the Corporation's failure to destroy Captain America and the Falcon,
the white-collar criminal now has the Hulk following him as he escapes into San Francisco Bay.
When the Hulk attacks Jackson's sub, he ejects out of a smaller craft, making the primary one explode.
On the island of the former prison, SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell is briefed on what happened by Marvel Man when the explosion happens.
Suspecting it's the Hulk, Marvel Man uses his Quantum Bands to fly off and recover him.

Meanwhile, the Hulk recovers from the first explosion and follows after the escaping craft.
Jackson tries torpedos, which fare just as well. The Hulk leaps out of the water this time, knocking Marvel Man into the water as he goes.
The Hulk follows Jackson into a Corporation owned warehouse. Inside, Jackson orders his men to hold the Hulk back while he makes his escape.
Naturally, the two guards are no match for the Hulk, but before the brute can leap off after Jackson he hears a horn honking.
At first he thinks it's the delivery truck in front of him, but then realises that it's coming from the storage area of the truck.
Ripping open the back trailor, he finds his friend Fred Sloan and his van, who have been locked up since they were first captured by the Corporation.

The Hulk begins untying Jackson when Marvel Man arrives and orders the Hulk to surrender to him.
The Hulk refuses and Marvel Man tries to stop him by force. The Hulk merely slaps him away and he and Fred flee in his van.

When Marvel Man lands in the middle of a crowd, a little boy asks him if he is a super-hero.
When Marvel Man tells the boy his name, everyone around him laughs at how lame that sounds.

Meanwhile, Jasper Sitwell reports the news that Senator Stivak worked for the Corporation to the staff at Gamma Base.
This comes as a shock to his colleague Senator Hawk.

The news gets worse when Sitwell also tells Doc Samson that Karla Soften was also Moonstone.
When Samson asks if this ends Senator Hawk's investigation of Gamma Base, Hawk responds that this is just the beginning.
Fed up of having his job questioned, Samson tells Hawk that he is welcome to it and storms out.
Miles away in Mexico City, Glenn Talbot waits at the airport for the arrival of his estranged wife Betty.
Although they are both sorry that things have come to this, the pair agree that what they do next is what must be done.

At that moment, Fred and the Hulk have arrived in Berkley where some of his friends live.
When they arrive, Fred asks the Hulk to wait in the van while he smooths things over.
When he goes out to greet one of his friends, the Hulk grows impatient.
As it turns out, one of the residents of the rooming house is Trish Starr, a past aquaintence of the Hulk.

Story by Roger Stern. Art by Sal Buscema and Chic Stone.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Incredible Hulk #234 Apr 1979
"Battleground: Berkeley!"
Fred Sloan has brought the Hulk to a rooming house in Berkley, California, and is shocked to learn
that one of the tenants -- Trish Starr -- has a past affiliation with the gamma-spawned man-monster.
Trish explains of her very complicated life involving the super-hero community starting with the time that Ant-Man
saved her life from her insane uncle Egghead. How she discovered that her former boyfriend,
Kyle Richmond, as a costumed hero known as Nighthawk, and her association with the Defenders
after she lost her arm in a car bomb explosion set off by her uncle. Lastly, she explains her encounter with the Hulk,
when she was possessed by the mystic known as Shazanna and was saved by the Defenders.
With the explanations out of the way, Trish takes Fred and the Hulk in to
meet the rest of the tenants who are shocked to find the Hulk in their home.

Meanwhile, at Gamma Base, the hero formerly known as Marvel Man recounts his encounter with the Hulk in San Francisco to Clay Quartermain
and Senator Hawk. After finishing his recounting, the hero tells them that after the failure of SHIELD's Super-Agent program he managed to get
a security job at Project PEGASUS. Before leaving, he tells them that his new codename is Quasar.
After Quasar's departure, Senator Hawk asks why Doc Samson wasn't present, but Quartermain isn't sure.
Samson is actually in the room where General Ross is recovering from his mental breakdown.

He wonders what could have triggered said breakdown when General Ross begins to speak.
Ross offers a one word explanation, the name of his daughter: Betty.
At that moment, Betty and her estranged husband Glenn Talbot are having dinner in New Mexico.
The two once more talk about the big decision that they are making.
Glenn has his reservations, but Betty tells him that what they are doing is for the best.
After kissing Glenn on the cheek, Betty retires to her hotel room.

Back in California, the borders that share a home with Trish Starr are unsure how to deal with the arrival of the Hulk in their home.
They are also not happy with the fact that he is eating all of their food.
Fred tries to convince them that the Hulk is not a threat as long as they don't anger him.
However, the Hulk overhears all their talking and begins to lash out. It takes both Trish and Fred to calm the Hulk back down again.
As they bring the Hulk to a room for sleep they remark on how angry the Hulk is
and how a reversion back to Bruce Banner won't be happening anytime soon.
They also remark how their friends are no longer living up the anti-establishment ideals that they all grew up with
and wonder if their generation squandered the decades since they became "free thinkers".
As they talk about this, one of their housemates goes to a nearby payphone.
Seeking to earn some extra money he puts a call in to an informant for the Corporation.

This information reports the location of the Hulk back to Curtiss Jackson

who decides to use this news to try and eliminate two thorns in his side: The Hulk and the Machine Man.
That night, agents of the Corporation attack the rooming house.
With one of their number disguised as Machine Man, they manage to kidnap Trish.
Immobilizing the Hulk with paralysis gas, they tell the brute that if he wants Trish back to meet "Machine Man" at an address in Central City.

After the Corporation thugs leave, the effects of the gas wears off, and the Hulk
lashes out, vowing to rescue Trish from the man he believes to be Machine Man.

Story by Roger Stern. Art by Sal Buscema and Jack Abel.

[Mr.Majestic]

I would've liked it if they just made Amadeus Cho the new Doc Samson. Leonard Samson's been dead for quite a while now and I don't think anyone would object to someone taking on that mantle. Better than that whole Brawn rigmarole.

[The One and Only]

I would've liked it if they just made Amadeus Cho the new Doc Samson. Leonard Samson's been dead for quite a while now and I don't think anyone would object to someone taking on that mantle. Better than that whole Brawn rigmarole.

Samson's alive again. Apparently something happened with the end of SECRET WARS that brought him back to the land of the living I guess with all the reality rejiggering . He popped up in the zero issue of CIVIL WAR 2 talking to Captain Marvel.

[Mr.Majestic]

Samson's alive again. Apparently something happened with the end of SECRET WARS that brought him back to the land of the living I guess with all the reality rejiggering . He popped up in the zero issue of CIVIL WAR 2 talking to Captain Marvel.

Criminy. I always liked Doc, an arse-kicking Jewish Psychiatrist, a real mensch. I have to mention this to one of my friends who happens to be a Jewish Psychotherapist and whose 7yr old son is a huge Marvel fan.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Samson's alive again. Apparently something happened with the end of SECRET WARS that brought him back to the land of the living I guess with all the reality rejiggering . He popped up in the zero issue of CIVIL WAR 2 talking to Captain Marvel.

Actually, it's now established that gamma beings have a hard time dying. So not Secret Wars (though it was bad Bendis writing)

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Incredible Hulk #235 May 1979
"The Monster and the Machine!"
The robotic hero known as Machine Man has been framed for the kidnapping of Trish Starr.



Can Machine Man convince the Hulk he's innocent before the Green Behemoth smashes him into spare parts?

Story by Roger Stern. Art by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Incredible Hulk #236 Jun 1979
"Kill or be Killed!"
Curtiss Jackson has tricked the Hulk into attacking Machine Man by convincing the brute that the robot had kidnapped his friend Trish Starr.
Thinking that he destroyed Machine Man, the Hulk makes his way toward the home the robot shares with Dr. Peter Spaulding,
unaware that Machine Man has begun reassembling himself and preparing to attack from behind.
Machine Man manages to get the drop on the Hulk, wrapping one of his expandable arms around the brute's back.

Inside, Peter Spaulding watches the battle from the window while the Hulk's ally, Fred Sloan holds him at gunpoint.
Sloan demands answers and threatens to shoot the psychologist, however, Peter knows that what Fred is holding is merely a model of a gun.
Taking the prop from Fred's hand, Peter demands to know what's going on.
Fred explains how he and the Hulk believe that Machine Man kidnapped their friend with the help of the Corporation.
Spaulding has had his own experience with the Corporation and explains how they were tricked and rushes to a phone to get some help.
Just then, the Hulk and Machine Man come crashing through the wall. As the two combatants come crashing through the house,
Peter decides they need to get out and find Colonel Kragg for help. Both he and Fred hop into a car and drive away.
Seeing his friend leave, the Hulk tries to follow after them, but Machine Man pulls him back into battle.


As the battle rages on, the man the Corporation put in place to watch the battle reports to Curtiss Jackson.
Pleased to hear the news, Jackson gets a pair of special binoculars that will allow him to see the battle from the top of the Corporation's office tower.
His prisoner, Trish Starr, asks him how he can get off on murder. Jackson explains that he doesn't view this as murder,
just business efficiency since both Machine Man and the Hulk have interfered with the progress of the Corporation.
When Trish asks if she will be killed after this, Curtiss tells her that she is resourceful enough that she can have other uses.

As the battle continues, the Machine Man and the Hulk's fight expands from the home shared with Spaulding to the middle of Central City.
At that point Fred and Peter manage to reach Colonel Kragg and tells him how the Hulk was tricked by the Corporation to fight Machine Man.
At the same time, Machine Man also discovers the truth when he picks up the radio broadcast by the man hired to spy on them.
Machine Man pulls the Corporation stooge out of his milk truck and tosses him into a nearby swimming pool.

Disguising his voice, Machine Man begins reporting in, posing as the Corporation's man.
Meanwhile, the Hulk pulls himself out of a crater made by his fall.
Spotting some internal power lines he remembers how they were once used against him and decides to do the same to Machine Man.
However, he is unaware that the battle has also unearthed a gas main, and that it has also has a leak.
The Hulk then ambushes Machine Man, ramming the live wires into the robot, causing a huge power surge.
This combined with the gas leak causes a massive explosion that engulfs both combatants.

Story by Roger Stern. Art by Sal Buscema and Mike Esposito.

[Electricmastro]

I think Silverclaw still has a lot of unfulfilled potential. Would be nice to see her come back.

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

To me, the silver look from head-to-toe of the character is terrific!

[BlackClaw]

Should we add any nuhuman that’s not Kamala or Moon Girl?

[616MarvelYear is LeapYear]

Incredible Hulk #237 Jul 1979
"When a City Dies!"
The battle between the Hulk and Machine Man in Central City has triggered a gas line explosion,
turning the north side of the city into a blazing inferno. Fire crews work tirelessly to put out the blaze.
From downtown, Curtiss Jackson of the Corporation and his prisoner Trish Starr watch the holocaust that
has been unleashed. Although Jackson believes his two foes have destroyed each other, Machine Man actually
saved both of their lives thanks to his ability to cancel gravity and using it to pull them out of the blast.
The Hulk, however, was knocked out by the blast.

Taking the Hulk to a secluded area, Machine Man uses his internal mechanisms to probe the Hulk's mind
and learns that the Hulk was tricked into thinking that Machine Man had kidnapped his friend Trish Starr.
Probing the Hulk's mind further, Machine Man learns of the brute's origins and the often tragic life the man-monster has lived,
one filled with hurt and loss. Machine Man realizes that he and the Hulk have more in common than he would have thought.
Remembering that he managed to lock into a Corporation transmission frequency, the Machine Man tracks it to Mid-State Tower,
the head office for the Corporation. Machine Man's mind probe puts the image of Trish in the clutches of Curtiss Jackson in the Hulk's mind.
The Hulk wakes in a rage and when Machine Man tries to get the Hulk to work with him, he is swatted aside.

Speeding after the Hulk, Machine Man puts in a call to Colonel Kragg to warn him that the Hulk is coming back to Central City.
Meanwhile, Colonel Kragg has contacted Gamma Base and Clay Quartermain tells him that Hulkbuster jets are being deployed to their location.
That's when Machine Man's warning comes in via the radio.

Meanwhile, the Hulk ends up smashing into Zimmerman Square Mall where a security guard foolishly tries to put him under arrest.
Unphased by this, the Hulk grabs the man's gun and crushes it to powder, warning the man to stay out of his way.
The Hulk then leaps onward, causing structural damage to the shopping mall.
When Machine Man arrives on the scene he has to give up his pursuit of the Hulk in order to prevent the roof from collapsing on the people inside.
The Hulk continues on his destructive path to the Mid-State Building as the military begins an immediate evacuation of the area.
When Jackson sees that the Hulk is coming, one of his guards panics and Curtiss shoots him dead.
He then takes Trish up to the roof so they can escape in a helicopter.
However before they can enter the craft, the Hulk smashes into it, destroying it.
Jackson pulls a gun and threatens to shoot Trish if the Hulk comes a step further.

However, Machine Man arrives on the scene and crushes the gun in his hand.
When the robot recovers Trish and tries to calm the Hulk, the monster still craves revenge
and begins pounding his fists on the roof of the building causing it to buckle.

This causes Curtiss Jackson to fall off the edge of the building. Machine Man saves Curtiss' life and pulls both Jackson and Trish off the building.
Mere moments later the Hulk's pounding causes the Corporation's headquarters to topple.
After Jackson is turned over to the authorities, Machine Man goes looking for the Hulk in the rubble.
Seeing that the man-monster is still in a rage, Machine Man calms him with a mesmer effect.
Machine Man then uses his anti-gravity device to send the Hulk flying away from the area.
With the Hulk now out of Central City, the robot collapses.
When Spaulding comments how Machine Man saved them all, Fred watches as the Hulk speeds across the sky and wonders if that's true.

Story by Roger Stern. Art by Sal Buscema and Jack Abel.

[The Cool Thatguy]

Should we add any nuhuman that’s not Kamala or Moon Girl?

If they're still alive, sure.

God, I can't think of anything dumber than butchering characters because their franchise failed expectations. That'll really help the next guys who try to make it!

[J. D. Guy]

Should we add any nuhuman that’s not Kamala or Moon Girl?

Yes.

Add in a few non-Nu Inhumans introduced during that timespan, too, like Reader.

[Digifiend]

Wasn't Reader used in Daredevil fairly recently?

If they're still alive, sure.

God, I can't think of anything dumber than butchering characters because their franchise failed expectations. That'll really help the next guys who try to make it!

Inferno is a member of Marvel Rising, so he's still around. Not as successful as Moon Girl or Ms. Marvel, but not forgotten. The rest though have been reduced to occasional cameos (Iso was in Rising's just finished second comic volume too, but only because Morgan le Fay attacked New Attilan).

And what's with those Hulk scans? Machine Man guesting? He's hardly forgotten, he's currently being used in Iron Man!