186 Epiloguethe subsequent rise of the Yogi mystic, the Yogi became an embodiment of uni-
versal human potential based on a complex metaphysical synthesis. From Nikola
Tesla’s short treatise on the implications of Vivekananda’s metaphysics to Alan
Moore’s posthuman Doctor Manhattan with his suggestive blue hue and fore-
head markings, the twentieth century saw Indian referents consistently co- opted
to construct Western models of the superhuman. The use of scientific language by
pioneers of yoga in the West created an ideal context in which occult adepts could
be made intelligible as scientifically perfected supermen.
In this context, the ostensibly magical powers of the Yogi transition from the
realm of fantasy to something very much like science fiction. However, rather
than rely on micro- elements of cognitive estrangement in the form of technolo-
gies or the new worlds they render accessible— though, as we saw, Yogananda’s
Autobiography offers something very much along these lines— the Yogi’s meta-
physics is a kind of macro “theory of everything” that expands the notion
of the human individual into identity with the basic fabric of the universe.^19
Consequently, Joseph Alter has argued, “where the cyborg blurs natural boundar-
ies and confuses categories, the yogi blurs the boundaries between biolog y, cos-
molog y, and consciousness.”^20
In short, within the realm of twentieth- century American pop culture, the
universalization (or de- Orientalization) and scientization of the Yogi figure cre-
ate a space of slippage between the occult- spiritual (or fantastic) and the science
fictional. Yogis give us a language to address the superhuman as a natural exten-
sion of scientific and evolutionary transhumanism. In this context, it seems like
no coincidence that in the popular television serial Heroes (2006– 1010), wherein
a group of ordinary individuals suddenly discover that a genetic mutation has
endowed them with a variety of superpowers, the doctor who originally posits the
possibility of such an evolutionary outcome is Indian.^21
The plot point seems random until one examines the pattern of such origin
stories. Take, for instance, the central figure of the “Chandu the Magician” fran-
chise, which ran as a popular radio show between 1931 and 1935, before being
revived in 1948– 50. The character was also featured in a motion- picture film and
subsequent serial, Chandu the Magician (1932) and The Return of Chandu (1934),
both starring the legendary Bela Lugosi, first as Chandu’s arch nemesis Roxor and
returning as Chandu himself. Unlike most early depictions of the Yogi, however,
Chandu is distinguished by being a Westerner. Chandu, whose original name
is Frank Chandler, is an American who travels to Tibet to learn Eastern magics
from a Yogi master and returns endowed with superpowers that aid him through
a myriad of mysteries and adventures.
Despite being an American, Chandu is depicted as the typical turbaned Yogi
gazing into his crystal ball. The chief action of the first film notably revolves around