M.A.N.T.I.S.

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M.A.N.T.I.S. is a TV series that aired for one season on the FOX Network between August 1994 and March 1995. The original two-hour TV pilot was produced by Sam Raimi and developed by Sam Hamm. It starred actor Carl Lumbly. The show was unique, inasmuch as it depicted an African-American superhero.

Lumbly's character, Dr. Miles Hawkins, was a wealthy, mild-mannered doctor who was shot in the spine by a criminal. Paralyzed from the waist down, he uses his company's resources to invent a powered exoskeleton that not only enables him to walk but gives him superhuman abilities. He utilizes a vast array of technology, including a large underwater lab and a hovercraft called the Crysalid to fly around the city. With his newfound power, he vows to fight crime and assumes the hidden identity of the vigilante "M.A.N.T.I.S." (Mechanically Automated NeuroTransmitter Interactive System).

The bulk of the series' run depicted the M.A.N.T.I.S. operating in a vigilante role, frequently pursued by police, and battling industrialist Solomon Box. Poor ratings led to an extensive retooling of the concept. Minor characters were jettisoned, and the premise incorporated more fantasy adventure elements, including parallel universes, super-villains, and monsters. In the series' final installment Miles Hawkins meets his death disposing of an invisible, prehistoric dinosaur.

The series was released on Amazon's Digital Download service Unbox on April 2, 2008. A DVD release of the series is scheduled for November 4, 2008.

[edit] Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The pilot was the final role of actor, Steve James of the American Ninja movies. James died of cancer shortly after completing filming.
• Lumbly later went on to provide the voice of another superhero, J'onn J'onzz, the Martian Manhunter, in the animated television shows Justice League and Justice League Unlimited.
• Raimi later went on to direct the Spider-Man film series.

[edit] External links

• M.A.N.T.I.S. at the Internet Movie Database

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