Captain Scarlet (character)
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Captain Scarlet | |
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Captain Scarlet character | |
National Media Museum | |
First appearance | "The Mysterons" (29 September 1967) |
Created by | Gerry & Sylvia Anderson |
Designed by | Mary Turner (puppet sculptor, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons)[1] |
Voiced by | Francis Matthews (Captain Scarlet) Wayne Forester (New Captain Scarlet) |
In-universe information | |
Full name | Paul Metcalfe |
Species | Mysteron reconstruction (no longer under Mysteron control); originally human |
Occupation | Spectrum officer |
Family | Tom Metcalfe & Ann Brightman (parents) (New Captain Scarlet) |
Significant other | Destiny Angel (New Captain Scarlet)[2] |
Nationality | British (Captain Scarlet) British-American (New Captain Scarlet) |
Captain Scarlet is the fictional main character in Gerry Anderson's British Supermarionation science-fiction television series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons and its computer-animated remake, New Captain Scarlet.
Depiction in Captain Scarlet
Well-trusted by the commander-in-chief of Spectrum, Colonel White, Captain Scarlet is the primary agent of the organisation and is assigned the most dangerous and crucial missions.
He is a close friend of
Death and resurrection
Captain Scarlet was killed in the first episode of the series, in a car crash brought about by the Mysterons, which also resulted in the death of fellow officer Captain Brown. Both men were reconstructed by the aliens, who assigned their exact likenesses of both men to assassinate the World President. The Captain Brown likeness was turned into a walking bomb for this purpose. When this attempt in New York failed, the Captain Scarlet likeness kidnapped the President from Cloudbase and flew him to England, taking him to the top of the London Car-Vu, a large car park tower. Cornered while holding the President at gunpoint over the city below, the Captain Scarlet likeness was shot by Captain Blue and fell 800 feet to his apparent destruction. However, at the end of the episode it was revealed that Captain Scarlet was returning to life and had become almost incapable of dying permanently, a power called "retro-metabolism", due to the powers of "reversal of matter" that the Mysterons possess, although the fall had broken the Mysteron programming and returned him to his original personality. This extraordinary ability heals Captain Scarlet of physical injuries--and even resurrects him from death--within hours, making him virtually indestructible.
Captain Scarlet's Mysteronised body, like those of all Mysteron likenesses, is still vulnerable to high voltages of electricity and impervious to X-rays. He also has a "sixth sense" when in the presence of a strong Mysteron influence – he becomes nauseated, sweats, and suffers a severe headache – but this sense sometimes does not indicate all Mysteron presences in an area. Though Captain Scarlet "dies" several times in the course of the series – usually quite violently – he always returns to life. In "Attack on Cloudbase", Captain Scarlet is declared finally and permanently dead during the course of the battle for Cloudbase; however, this is later revealed to be Symphony Angel's hallucination as she is stranded in a desert, waiting for Spectrum to rescue her following a plane crash.
Personality
Captain Scarlet, as the main protagonist, is one of the most developed characters in the series. His real name is Paul Metcalfe. He has black hair and blue eyes, speaks with a
Captain Scarlet is a competent pilot and can drive almost any vehicle; but in this last, he is only moderately skilled, as he tends to crash Spectrum Pursuit Vehicles (SPVs), the heavy-duty modified tanks that Spectrum employs. (However, this may be attributed to the fact that his virtual indestructibility "permits" him to push the vehicles harder than others might as he knows he will survive whatever happens on the drive.) He is also a qualified astronaut. He is a somewhat stereotypical hero in that he is dependable and always gets the job done although he is not always successful. He does, however, have a lighter side. He also has a rather dry wit and sarcastic sense of humour, often using this in dialogue with other Spectrum agents.
He can turn his hand to a variety of weapons from guns to electric cables. Captain Scarlet is not shown to have any love interests during the series although previous attractions are indicated at some points, and a popular speculation among the fan community of the series is that he has a soft spot for, if not a relationship with, compatriot Rhapsody Angel.
Captain Scarlet has a close friendship with Captain Blue, who acts as Captain Scarlet's "field partner". Captain Blue cares about his friend and Captain Scarlet trusts him implicitly, although he is professional enough to use deadly force against him as necessary when Captain Scarlet was controlled by the Mysterons. In the episode "Special Assignment", Captain Blue tries to stop Captain Scarlet's apparent spiral of self-destruction, showing the bond between them. (It was later revealed that this development was part of a plan to infiltrate a Mysteron attack, the plan being kept secret from Captain Blue so that his reaction to Captain Scarlet's apparent dismissal would be natural.) In the episode "Renegade Rocket", both men are prepared to stay in a missile base targeted by the Mysterons and die in a last-ditch attempt to stop its destruction. Captain Scarlet is also friends with Lieutenant Green, as demonstrated when he accompanies Captain Scarlet and Captain Blue on certain missions. However, Captain Scarlet is friendly with all other Cloudbase personnel, and he has no particular enemies among those with whom he is closely associated.
Depiction in New Captain Scarlet
Born in Winchester, England, Scarlet's mother was Ann Brightman, a British
Scarlet later became Spectrum's special weapon in its "war of nerves" with the Mysterons; a weapon created by the Mysterons themselves when they killed Scarlet during a mission on Mars along with Captain Black. After they had discovered the Mysterons' city, Black fired a destructive shot against it, believing they were under attack. The two men watched in astonishment as the city rebuilt itself and tried to flee, only to be killed. The Mysterons then rebuilt Scarlet as an invincible human replica to infiltrate Earth and lead their war against the planet. While under the control of the Mysterons, Scarlet tried to destroy Skybase, but was stopped in his efforts by
Scarlet is a dedicated Spectrum officer. First and foremost, he is a soldier on the front line of Earth's defenses. However, he is also tormented by what he has become not fully human. Utterly fearless and dedicated to saving the human race, for all Scarlet's heroism there is one thing that makes him very uneasy – his growing feelings for Destiny Angel,[2] the girlfriend of his late friend, Black.
Abilities
Through his power of "retrometabolism", Scarlet can survive and heal from any injury, no matter how serious, though his recovery is never instantaneous. Further, in a few episodes, it is stated that he can feel a Mysteron's presence by feeling nauseated and unwell. In the pilot story ("Instrument of Destruction", Parts 1 and 2), it is also stated that Scarlet shared a kind of telepathic link with Captain Black, which Colonel White considers to be an advantage in the war against the Mysterons that he cannot dismiss.
During the episode "Rat Trap", the Mysterons were able to contact Scarlet and to talk to him, while nobody else could hear them. It is not clear if this phenomenon was because he was on the Mysterons' home planet, or if he would hear them, wherever he might be, if they chose to contact him again. In "Chiller", it was revealed that, when particularly badly wounded, Scarlet's body has the capability to separate his emotional and physical selves so that the latter can heal quicker, leaving the former as a ghostlike apparition, detectable only by its coldness.
Background and reception
Commentators consider the original Captain Scarlet's appearance to be based on either
In 1995, Matthews expressed surprise at being so well remembered for voicing a puppet character to the exclusion of his other roles, writing: "I think I have spoken many times about how unimportant Captain Scarlet was in my working life 28 years ago, and I can't give the impression that Scarlet has been a big thing in my life since ... [T]o be left with a piece of wood as one's main epitaph is becoming a bit galling!"[12]
Writing for
Criticism
Jim Sangster and Paul Condon, authors of Collins Telly Guide (2005), argue that the character's "indestructibility" reduces his credibility as a hero: "He'll survive no matter what they throw at him, which should mean that there's zero tension in anything he takes on."[19] Daniel O'Brien offers a similar assessment, identifying this ability as a "possible miscalculation" on the part of the series creators. In support of his argument, he points to a scene in the episode "Attack on Cloudbase" in which Lieutenant Green scoffs, "Anyone can be brave if they're indestructible."[7] Commenting on the 2000s remake, Andrew Billen noted that the new version of the character was referred to as being "virtually indestructible", arguing that the use of a qualifier made the premise more exciting and "fixed every child's main objection" to the original series.[2]
John Peel believes Captain Scarlet's self-healing power to be a major weakness of the original series. He also suggests that the character served as a poor role model to the "impressionable children" who made up most of the audience: "Parents didn't like their children watching a show that appeared to be encouraging them to hero-worship someone who was indestructible." He cites Batman as another 1960s TV series whose young viewers "sometimes tried to copy their heroes, often with nasty or lethal results." Peel believes that the incitement to act dangerously is sustained by the series's lyrical closing theme music, which includes the lines "They crash him, and his body may burn" and "They smash him, but they know he'll return ... to live again."[20] These lyrics led production company Century 21 to make an alternative set of opening titles featuring a disclaimer, in the form of a voice-over by Donald Gray in character as Colonel White, warning: "Captain Scarlet is indestructible. You are NOT. Remember this. Do not try to imitate him!"
Religious allegory
Captain Scarlet has also been interpreted as part of a supposed religious allegory in the series. Various sources have commented on the idea that the character's self-healing ability makes him an analogue of the resurrected Jesus.[19][21][22][23][24] Actor Cy Grant, who voiced the original Lieutenant Green, made several observations on the series's alleged religious symbolism. He believed that Colonel White and Captain Scarlet symbolised God and the Son of God, while Captain Scarlet's nemesis, Captain Black, represented the Devil.[25] La Rivière and others note that like the ascended Christ, Captain Scarlet lives in the sky with Angels – on Spectrum's airborne headquarters Cloudbase, which is defended by a fighter squadron codenamed "the Angels".[21][24] But Gerry Anderson always denied that any of this symbolism was intentional.[22]
Adaptation
In the
In music
Captain Scarlet is referred to by The Kinks in the song "Daylight", on their album Preservation Act 1.
References
- ^ La Rivière 2014, p. 246.
- ^ OCLC 35012871. Archived from the originalon 13 June 2007.
- S2CID 142878042.
- ^ a b Wickes, Simon (2 January 2004). "FAQ – Voices and Likenesses". tvcentury21.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2009.
- ISBN 978-0-00-638247-8.
- ^ "Captain Scarlet voice actor Francis Matthews dies". BBC News Online. 15 June 2014.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-903111-16-1.
- ^ Newmark, Russell (1 October 1993). "Outside Edge: Mysterons Beware". The Independent. London, UK. Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Retrieved 13 January 2021.
- ISBN 978-0-85112-628-9.
- ISBN 978-1-84222-405-2.
- ISBN 978-0-141024-24-0.
- ^ a b Bentley, Chris, ed. (1995). The Century 21 Script Book. Bradford, UK: Fanderson. p. 2.
- ISBN 978-0-563-53481-5.
- ^ nerdist.com. Legendary Entertainment. Archivedfrom the original on 14 February 2020. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- OCLC 438949600.
- ^ La Rivière 2014, p. 240.
- ^ Mount, Paul. Royce, Jordan M. (ed.). "The FAB World of Gerry Anderson". Starburst. No. 385. Manchester, UK: Starburst Magazine Ltd. p. 9.
- ISBN 978-0-7864-4621-6.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-007190-99-7.
- ISBN 978-0-86369-728-9.
- ^ a b La Rivière 2014, p. 258.
- ^ OCLC 877789732.
- Wales Online. Archivedfrom the original on 31 December 2019. Retrieved 29 February 2020.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-932563-82-5.
- ^ Grant, Cy (2007). "Lieutenant Green and De Anderson CODE – Spectrums, Subconscious Connections & Synchronicities". Archived from the original on 23 January 2008. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
Works cited
- ISBN 978-0-992-9766-0-6.
- First published as: La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: ISBN 978-1-932563-23-8.
- First published as: La Rivière, Stephen (2009). Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future. Neshannock, Pennsylvania: