The Winged Avenger

Episode aired Feb 17, 1967
TV-GTV-G
51m

7.7/10

S5.E6

Several businessmen have been killed, the murderer having apparently clawed them to death so that the initial suspect is an author who owns a bird of prey and had a grudge against a victim w... Read allSeveral businessmen have been killed, the murderer having apparently clawed them to death so that the initial suspect is an author who owns a bird of prey and had a grudge against a victim who ran a publishing house. However, the discovery of a comic called 'The Winged Avenger' f... Read allSeveral businessmen have been killed, the murderer having apparently clawed them to death so that the initial suspect is an author who owns a bird of prey and had a grudge against a victim who ran a publishing house. However, the discovery of a comic called 'The Winged Avenger' featuring a super-hero is found by the latest victim. And could the invention of Professor ... Read all

7.7/10

273

Directors
- Peter Duffell
- Gordon Flemyng
Writer
- Richard Harris(teleplay)
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Several businessmen have been killed, the murderer having apparently clawed them to death so that the initial suspect is an author who owns a bird of prey and had a grudge against a victim who ran a publishing house. However, the discovery of a comic called 'The Winged Avenger' featuring a super-hero is found by the latest victim. And could the invention of Professor Poole, boots that allow the wearer to climb walls and scale ceilings, be involved? —don @ minifie-1

classic episode sexual tension climbing eagle boots 4 more

Trivia
The climactic fight scene concludes with an homage to the Batman (1966) TV series, with music similar to that used in the credits and "sound effects" written in the same style - quite in keeping with the comic book theme of this episode.

Goofs
The Winged Avenger climbs various different buildings to get at his victims, but the outside of each building is exactly the same set.

Quotes
John Steed: Now someone, or something got from here to there without being detected. Now there must be an explanation and I intend finding it!
Emma Peel: With a shoebox?
John Steed: They laughed at Edison.
Emma Peel: Only when he was serious...

Connections
Featured in It Was Alright in the 70s: The Brave New World of the 60s (2015)

Top review

6/10

The Avengers hunt the 'avenger'!

I know this episode is popular among some fans, but I've always found it to be another one of the somewhat tamer stories from the early part of the Rigg color season. It starts off well - with a bizarre attack by a clawed assassin who has literally scaled a tower-block to murder his chosen victim, with a well-paced climbing scene (where we only really see the attacker's clawed hands) emphasizing the point.

Steed and Emma are called in - but the killings continue, and soon a link to the 'Winged Avenger' comic-book character is established and, from there, they gradually close in on the culprit.

This is a suitably daft story - much in the mold of 'The See-Through Man', and is played more for the comedy factor than any real tension or suspense. Having said that, it's high on ingenious gimmicks - what with an upside-down room, comic-book stills, and gravity-defying shoes. But, despite the fun, it seems to run out of steam - and ultimately feels more like an affectionate send-up than a serious story.

Definitely an oddity, and a bit low on location filming - but a nice way of getting the word 'avenger' into an episode of The Avengers and trying to do something just a little bit different with the usual format.

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