Talk:M.A.N.T.I.S.

This article is lacking any sort of introduction, and needs a structural rewrite and copyediting. There are also several sentences that editorialize on the subject. Canonblack 17:57, 2 November 2005 (UTC)

Should we mention that this was a black superhero? RJFJR 15:16, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
 * I'll say. Black hero scientist/entrepreneur's in a wheelchair because some white politicians and cops had him sniped during what looked like the LA riots, and the initial story arc's about bringing them down.  To an Australian observer at the time, it looked fairly political, the pilot more so than the series.

Are we sure the finale was never aired in the US? I thought I saw it. RJFJR 15:17, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
 * Yeah, I can't remember clearly, either. I found this reference and this one, though. johnpseudo 16:59, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Miles didn't fight a dinosaur; he fought the devil. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 208.49.95.11 (talk) 00:07, 11 February 2009 (UTC)

Consider revising "mild mannered" scientist line. Hawkins was (at least in the pilot) a self made, unapologetic conservative and only adopted the mild mannered affect after the shooting and subsequent adoption of the superpowered vigilante alter ego. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.250.2.10 (talk) 11:38, 28 December 2008 (UTC)

The main article page is not quite correct. MANTIS started out as a 2-hour tv movie, and the cast and tone were considerably different from the actual series. Frankly they should have kept it as it was. The movie was strong enough to inspire the series and "retooled" is not the right word to use. Possibly some producer felt the show needed to have more "mainstream" (i.e. white) actors (Bruce Zybel stated Fox wanted to go in a "different direction" than Sam Raimi and Sam Hamm) because they did away with Hawkins' African assistants (scientists who also helped him in the field when he was out superheroing-and provided some great comic relief), removed his physical therapist (a black actress who, by the way, played Lumbly's wife in the show ALIAS), and abandoned the romantic interest/lab tech (played by Gina Torres). They also jettisoned the self-absorbed reporter, a romantic foil for Torres, who was also black (Gina Torres was also the arch rival of Sydney Bristow on ALIAS). When the show became a series Hawkins now had a white scientist partner (Roger Rees) and a white "street smart" side kick. These changes undoubtedly weakened and ultimately, doomed the series.

Original broadcast
Was this actually aired on FOX? Oh Hulu, at least, the first few episodes have NBC's logo on it. -The Bushranger (talk) 07:10, 21 March 2010 (UTC)

It was aired on FOX. Not sure what affiliation NBC had with the show but it definitely aired on FOX.~ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 143.250.2.10 (talk) 16:43, 16 July 2010 (UTC)

Plot summary, last paragraph - doesn't really make sense?
Maybe I just don't understand it, but why would his fate be ambigous, just because there is a 32 second interval where he didn't return to his present? Is the assumption that this created a split timeline? If so, why? There is no reason to believe time works that way in this universe. (Granted, considering the second half of the series, there is no reason to assume anything about this universe...)--91.119.94.91 (talk) 11:27, 23 March 2018 (UTC)

Nightjohn
That trivia bit about the production being delayed for three years because Carl Lumbly was filming Nightjohn is confusing. The book Nightjohn came out in 1992, the year before. MANTIS came out in 1994. The movie based on the book came out in 1996. How could he have been filming the movie a year before the book came out. And why was the movie released two years after MANTIS? Mauricem (talk) 15:05, 17 June 2021 (UTC)