MacGyver -The Greatest Superhero Ever?

MacGyver is an American adventure television series, produced in Canada, about a laid-back, extremely resourceful secret agent played by Richard Dean Anderson. It ran for seven seasons from September 1985 to May 1992 on the ABC network and was primarily filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. There were 139 one-hour episodes in all.

MacGyver's main asset is his practical application of scientific knowledge and inventive use of common items—along with his ever-present Swiss Army Knife and duct tape and the usual coincidence of being locked up in a room full of useful materials. The clever solutions MacGyver implemented to seemingly intractable problems—often in life-or-death situations requiring him to improvise complex devices in a matter of minutes—were a major attraction of the show, which was praised for generating interest in engineering as well as providing entertaining storylines. All of MacGyver's exploits on the show were ostensibly vetted to be based on real scientific principles (even though, the creators acknowledged, in real life one would have to be extraordinarily lucky for most of MacGyver's ideas to succeed). In the few cases where MacGyver used household chemicals to create poisons, explosives, or other things deemed too dangerous to be accurately described on television, details were intentionally altered or vague.

The use of ordinary household items to jury rig devices shows an influence from The "A" Team, (though MacGyver disliked firearms). The idea has entered U.S popular culture and such constructions are referred to as "MacGyverisms."

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Angus MacGyver (who insists on going exclusively by his last name) is a highly intelligent, optimistic action hero who prefers non-violent conflict resolution wherever possible. He refuses to carry or use a gun due to a childhood accident with a revolver that resulted in the death of a friend. The character is portrayed as an outspoken advocate of gun control. Even in cases where his improvised devices are used to attack hostile opponents, he is always doing so in self-defense and, if possible, subduing or disabling rather than killing. He is often suspicious of militaristic attitudes within the government; he sees his Phoenix Foundation employer as an alternative to the more conventional (and violent) means of law enforcement.