7) The Shadow
If Doc Savage is one of the big influences on modern superheroes, then The Shadow is another. Actually wealthy socialite Kent Allard (though he often goes by Lamont Cranston), The Shadow was trained by Tibetan monks to the peak of physical and mental health – and also in the ability to hypnotize and manipulate minds.
Though he has been a star of pulp novels and comic books since, The Shadow originated from a 1930s radio show where he was voiced by Orson Welles. There was also 1994’s The Shadow starring Alec Baldwin. Sadly, it did not meet expectations and a potential movie franchise for the character was nixed.
More recently, Spider-Man’s Sam Raimi has been trying to get a reboot off the grounds, but with no success. Let’s hope he does pull through eventually though, as there’s a lot of potential for The Shadow to be a great big screen superhero, one who fans will surely get a kick out of.