Who is Samaritan? Possible origin explored as Sylvester Stallone portrays retired superhero in Amazon Prime Studios' upcoming movie

Samaritan, played by veteran actor Sylvester Stallone, is the newest and possibly one of the eldest heavy hitters on the superhero circuit. The Golden Age champion has portrayed many action roles, from gun-slinging Rambo, steadfast Rocky Balboa, to the action-packed John Spartan in Demolition Man. The 76-year-old actor is still going strong, doing what he loves the most.

With superhero films being the talk of the town, Stallone's tremendous love for action has led him to star in a minor role in James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. He also voiced the character of King Shark in Gunn’s DC soft reboot of The Suicide Squad.

Amazon Prime recently gave a sneak peek of Samaritan in which Stallone plays the role of a retired superhero. While the trailer looks fabulous, pop culture fans are scouring the internet about the character’s comic book origins.

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Samaritan is adapted from comic book of the same title published by Mythos Comics

Stallone’s superhero film shares the name with the protagonist of Mythos Comics' published graphic novel. Written by Bragi Schut, who is also the screenwriter of the film, it tells the story of a superhero who has given up his action-packed life of world-saving and has been retired for the past two decades. Released in July 2015, the comic has a grim take on the superhero genre as readers tackle the philosophy of the extent of human goodwill.

While superhero Samaritan is known to have been killed by a villain called Nemesis, in reality, the superhero has retired and gone into hiding, working as a garbage man to make ends meet. After two decades, the beacon of hope is a myth as the city of Acropolis is riddled with crime. While the whole world makes do with the hand that is dealt, a young boy still believes in Samaritan.

The story is told through the perspective of young Sam Clearly, who finds out that his neighbor is in fact Samaritan as he talks with the aged superhero to take up the mantle again. Sylvester Stallone's character has been shown to have superhuman strength and durability similar to Superman. When a car hits Stallone's character, he is shown fixing his broken bones and wounds, suggesting super regeneration powers just like Deadpool.

Sylvester Stallone was also seen in a metal armor of some sort. This could be his superhero suit from yesteryear, which he will probably don in the climax of the film. While he cannot fly like other heroes, he is shown wielding a jackhammer powered by a golden orange magical stone.

The action and set pieces of the film look fantastic as Stallone rampages through the horde of an enemy with sheer strength. He flips a police car with just one hand and protects Sam from an explosion. He will face-off against a villain named Cyrus who doesn't seem to have any superpowers in the trailer but is a formidable foe.

Samaritan will stream on Amazon Prime on August 26, 2022. The superhero movie will feature Sylvester Stallone as Stanley Kominski in the titular role along with Euphoria and The Umbrella Academy star Javon Walton as Sam Cleary. Game of Thrones fame Pilou Asbæk will play the role of the antagonist while other actors like Natacha Karam, Moises Arias, Dascha Polanco, and Martin Starr will also appear.