7. Lt. Dan Milton Prescott - First Man Into Space (1959)
Years before Stan Lee came up with the idea that some of our first astronauts would encounter cosmic radiation that bequeathed super powers, Dan Prescott headed into space and encountered extra-atmospheric conditions that mutated his body. In the underrated film First Man Into Space, Dan Prescott is an American Navy pilot testing an experimental aircraft when he defies orders and flies outside the atmosphere. When the ship malfunctions, he is forced to eject. A nearby batch of meteor dust coats Prescott's body, effectively protecting him from the dangers of reentry and free-fall. But unlike those lucky mutated astronauts that make up the Fantastic Four, Prescott is mutated for the worse. He is now invulnerable to physical dangers, but he is apparently incapable of extracting oxygen from Earth's atmosphere and must now drink oxygenated blood in order to survive. Ultimately Prescott is captured and dies, but not before leaving behind a string of bodies and the memorable final words of "I just had to be the first man into space." A horrendous film with the same premise entitled The Incredible Melting Man appeared in 1977. It featured an astronaut named Steve West who was exposed to radiation on his way to Saturn. The radiation slowly melts his flesh, which for some reason causes him to kill and eat humans. It's a pretty bad movie, but astronaut Steve West is definitely awesome for his sacrifice (but not for his cannibalistic tendencies, of course).
Why He's Great: Dan Prescott, much like our real life astronauts, definitely has that sense of curiosity and desire to go where no man has gone before. Despite orders to the contrary, he sought to expand the realm of mankind with little regard for his own safety. Now that's an astronaut! Plus, he becomes a blood-drinking monster!