What if you threw out a character's entire backstory, changed the basic premise of their adventures, and didn’t bother to explain why? In modern fandoms, such radical reboots are often met with suspicion, even scorn. But in 1954, such a dramatic move was barely noticed.
While John Carter and Buck Rogers preceded Flash Gordon, the latter became the most famous of the vintage space heroes. George Lucas even wanted to do a Flash Gordon reboot movie in the 1970s, but couldn’t get the rights, forcing him to fall back on some little idea called Star Wars. But the version of Flash Lucas loved had its roots in the 1930s. A completely different version of Flash Gordon launched on October 1, 1954, only to be lost to time.
