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Barney Hiller
7mil-its-wild
Played by Monte Markham
Occupation Racecar Driver, OSI Agent
Affiliation OSI
Family Carla Peterson, wife
Appearances
SMDM The Seven Million Dollar Man
The Bionic Criminal

Barney Hiller is the world's second bionic man. He was a race car driver who lost his arms and legs in a crash. The OSI rebuilt him as a backup for Steve Austin at a cost of seven million dollars.

Barney is seduced by his new abilities and uses excessive force during his first mission. Steve determines that he can't handle being super strong and convinces Oscar Goldman to neutralize his Bionic strength. Oscar agrees. But Barney rebuffs the idea and attacks Steve.

In an effort to remain valuable Barney attempts to destroy all Bionic source material. Steve tries to stop him and a Bionic battle ensues — with Steve the victor. Afterward, Barney's strength is neutralized, and he agrees to try to cope with his condition.

A year later, Oscar and Rudy restore Barney's strength on a temporary basis in order to test the Bionic reactivation process, But soon he displays the same instability that made him a danger before and inadvertently injures a man in a fit of anger. Thinking he's killed him, Barney flees into the mechanations Lester Burstyn, an ex-OSI scientist who wants to use him in a series of thefts.

When Barney discovers that the injured man is alive he severs his ties with Burtsyn and threatens to report him to Oscar. But Burtsyn abducts Barney's wife, Carla and uses her as leverage to make Barney commit another heist. When Steve intercepts Barney he is captured. But together the two Bionic men ultimately overpower Burstyn's gang and save Carla. Eventually Barney is returned to normal strength and he and Carla start a new life — and a new business, Hiller Engineering — designing racecars.

14 years later in 1989 Oscar states that there are only four bionic people in the world; Steve, Jaime Sommers, Michael Austin, and Kate Mason. This may suggest that Barney died prior to 1989 or that his bionics were removed.

Name change[]

In "The Seven Million Dollar Man" Barney's last name was Miller. Two months after the broadcast a police sitcom titled Barney Miller debuted on ABC and proceeded to grow in popularity. Thus, Barney's last name is retconned Hiller in "The Bionic Criminal."

Similarly, it's notable that in the early 1980s the lead character of The Greatest American Hero temporarily had his name changed from Hinkley to Hanley after John Hinckley Jr. made an attempt on the life of then President Ronald Reagan. The name reverted back to Hinkley for that show's second season.

The change of name is referenced in the comic book, The Six Million Dollar Man: Season Six, implying that the Miller name was an error.

Bionics[]

Barney has two Bionic legs and two Bionic arms. As demonstrated in "The Bionic Criminal" Barney's capabilities are comparable to Steve's. But unlike Steve and Jaime, no sensory organs have been replaced. Barney’s first episode introduces the concept that Bionic strength can be reduced to human level. According to Steve, the process of tuning down one's Bionics is irreversible, a statement later proven incorrect, as Barney is reactivated in his next appearance.

Kevin Smith Screenplay[]

Kevin Smith's mid-1990s screenplay for a big-screen version of The Six Million Dollar Man, was never produced but widely circulated through script shops and the Internet. It features Barney Miller (reverting to his original name) as the villain. According to the script, Miller is the original "Six Million Dollar Man" of the title, a prototype cyborg who has gone mad and becomes the nemesis of new-model bionic man Steve Austin. When Dynamite Comics adapted the story to launch its reimagined series The Bionic Man, Hiller was replaced by a new character.

Season Six[]

Hiller is featured in Dynamite's The Six Million Dollar Man Season Six which, unlike The Bionic Man, is based upon the TV continuity. In the storyline, Hiller battles Maskatron who forcibly removes Hiller's four bionic limbs. At the end of the comic, Barney receives a full-body robotic suit by Chester Dolenz.

Gallery[]

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