The nickname “the Human Fly” has been used for several stunt performers, but the one most people mean today is Canadian daredevil Rick Rojatt , a 1970s stuntman who inspired a Marvel Comics character of the same name.

Quick Scoop: Who was “the Human Fly”?

  • Rick Rojatt was a Canadian stunt performer who gained brief fame in the mid‑1970s under the masked persona “The Human Fly.”
  • He became known for extreme publicity stunts, including standing on top of a flying DC‑8 jet over the Mojave Desert at around 250–300 mph.
  • Marvel licensed the Human Fly gimmick and turned him into a short‑lived comic‑book superhero, marketed as “the wildest superhero ever, because he’s real.”
  • One of his most infamous attempts was a rocket‑powered motorcycle jump over 27 buses at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium in 1977, intended to beat Evel Knievel’s record; the stunt went badly wrong and badly injured him.
  • Rojatt largely disappeared from public view afterward, which has helped keep the Human Fly surrounded by mystery and “where did he go?” forum discussions.

Other people called “the Human Fly”

Before Rojatt, “human fly” was a generic nickname given to building‑climbing daredevils like Harry Gardiner and other early 20th‑century stunt climbers, but none are as tied to the modern pop‑culture question “who was the Human Fly?” as Rick Rojatt.

TL;DR: When people ask “who was the Human Fly,” they almost always mean Rick Rojatt, the masked Canadian stuntman whose real‑life persona was turned into a Marvel comic and who vanished from the spotlight after a series of dangerous 1970s stunts.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.