Believe It Or Not: The Greatest American HERoine

Believe It Or Not is a fan-fiction series inspired by The Greatest American Hero, written as an unofficial spin-off of The Greatest American Heroine. It directly continues from the final episode involving Holly Hathaway, expanding the universe beyond its original conclusion.

I created Believe It Or Not because I was genuinely interested in the world that was left behind—especially Holly’s unresolved conflicts, moral dilemmas, and the strange, half-hidden supernatural edge of the series. Rather than retelling what already existed, I wanted to build forward. The project is still under construction and introduces entirely new heroes and villains, each meant to reflect different aspects of America that the original series only brushed against.

The series is structured as a collection of interconnected stories, each focusing on a different character or concept.

One of the earliest stories, “Believe It Or Not | Serpent Girl,” introduces Waaseyaa-Acoma, a Native American child born as a biological snake with a human spirit and soul. Cursed before birth by a witch, she is the daughter of a Pueblo mother and an Ojibwa father. Her existence draws on Indigenous symbolism: in Pueblo tradition, snakes represent fertility; in Ojibwa culture, healing and rebirth. Waaseyaa-Acoma is a grass snake—harmless by nature, yet capable of aggression when threatened. The story hints that she is not alone, introducing other serpent beings, including a dangerous Navajo viper associated with speed, lightning, and violence.

Another entry, “Believe It Or Not | Orphan Black,” centers on Douma, an Italian-American girl sent to an orphanage. Though she appears human, she possesses terrifying cosmic abilities tied to death, cold, the moon, and the sea. At the orphanage, she befriends Elyon, a Catholic prophet who believes prophecy belongs only to God. Douma insists she can prophesy too—and she is right. Watched over by her guardian angel, Zaphiel, her innocence quickly gives way to conflict, setting the stage for future rivalry between prophet and prophetess.

“Believe It Or Not | The Ghost Child” follows Miselda Badger, a Roma child murdered in Europe because of her race. Her spirit is transported to the United States inside a forbidden wooden doll and enrolled in a school for the dead. There, silent AI androids educate deceased children on how to exist among the living without terrifying them. Miselda’s playful humanity—her desire to move, explore, and live—proves she is not merely a doll, but a genuine human soul living with the rules imposed on the dead.

The series also introduces new antagonists, most notably The Great American Nightmare, also known as Diana Schwartz. To white Americans, she is called American Dream; to those who know the truth, she is her opposite. A German neo-Nazi with supernatural power, she selectively rescues white women while harming people of color, embodying racial double standards. Though she occasionally works alongside Holly Hathaway to help white people, Holly never trusts her because she often fights her due to Diana Schwartz's horrid racism. Diana exists as a living symbol of racist double standards, forcing Holly to confront the ugly double standard of racism in America.

Together, these stories form Believe It Or Not: a continuation, a critique, and an expansion of The Greatest American Hero universe. It explores race, faith, death, identity, and power through strange children, and unsettling villains.