Time for a Captain Britain film/tv series ?

[Batmannerism]

Dear Marvel fans,

Generally, I'm more of a DC fan, but there are some Marvel characters who I've always thought were terrific, and one of them was Captain Britain. He's had a very cool costume since 1980, and has been written and drawn by some of the best in the business.

Somehow he's been relegated to a supporting role in books like Excalibur (which I haven't read in quite some time) but his classic storylines ( like Alan Moore's "Jaspers Warp" or Jamie Delano's time on his book, are examples of the superhero genre at its best.
Cap himself is a bit of a buffoon, and far from perfect - kind of a clumsy version of Superman but with a very stiff upper lip, and although he's unfailingly polite he's a bit pompous and lacking in people skills.

In fact, its his flaws that made him such a likeable character. Often he'd charge in, get his ass kicked but come out on top in the end just from sheer bloody-mindedness.

As well as all the stuff I've mentioned he also comes with a rich history, a great supporting cast of characters.

Hell, he's a trend setter, he died and came back to life a decade before Superman did it - and the way in which Cap was killed -resurrected and played like a pawn in the hands of godlike beings was part of a terrific story.

Plus, Cap's stories have given us one of Marvel's scariest, unstoppable villains, the Fury.

There's a lot of potential for great stories there, with laughs, science, sorcery, a bit of horror, science, sorcery and multiverse-hopping, and even a interdimensional police force (a little like the Green Lanterns).

So, does Cap deserve his own film / tv series - could be animated or live action ?

 

[SirStrangefolk]

Would he be with FOX or Marvel?

 

[Mike Murdock]

That's my question. I suspect Captain Britain is Marvel, but Excalibur is Fox, which means the whole thing is too segmented to be effectively used (which would be a shame). Then again, I think Alpha Flight is with Marvel, which is unexpected.

 

[Orba]

Marvel are using the character Lance Hunter in AoS and in CAWS they used the name S.T.R.I.K.E., and as far as I can see both of those would fall under the Captain Britain rights. S.T.R.I.K.E. were in Captain Britain Weekly as the British equivalent of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Lance Hunter the head of the organisation. Their use outside of Captain Britain Weekly has been very limited so I find it hard to believe that they would under any rights other that Captain Britain. The other factor to consider is that while he is most well known for Excalibur he existed independently from any Mutant book for 10 years, and of course he is not a Mutant (which is how characters like Sabertooth are with Fox even though he also did not make an appearance in a Mutant book until 10 years after his first appearance).

So stuff from Excalibur is probably with Fox but Captain Britain Weekly characters are with Marvel. It actually raises a question over if Psylocke could be used by Marvel (although it could probably only be in her original English blonde form).

 

[Mike Murdock]

And probably not with the name Psylocke since that first appeared in X-Men (completely out of nowhere too, Chris Claremont apparently just decided that's what she should be called).

 

[Eddie]

I don't know Captain Britain very well. I haven't read any of his solo stuff, but he did show up in some Avenger stuff I read (Secret Avengers, I think). That said, I actually had a dream about Marvel doing a Captain Britain movie several months ago. I remember it clearly, because the next day I was trying to figure out why I'd had a dream about a Captain Britain movie when I barely know the character. Anyway, I was walking up to a theater, and the marquee read:

MARVEL'S
CAPTAIN BRITAIN​

STARRING TOM HARDY​

FEAT. PETER CAPALDI AS MERLYN​

 

[Orba]

And probably not with the name Psylocke since that first appeared in X-Men (completely out of nowhere too, Chris Claremont apparently just decided that's what she should be called).

Yeah it would probably just be as Elizabeth, I also wonder about her powers, I think she was just a normal psychic (without any given source for the powers) for 10 years before she got the Mutant label. And anyway I have always found it hard to class her as a Mutant considering that Mutant powers are genetic in origin and she isn't even in her own body. If Marvel were to decide to use the character I think it would be easy enough for them to do without worrying about stepping on Fox's toes, the original Psylocke is very different from the ninja version.

I don't know Captain Britain very well. I haven't read any of his solo stuff, but he did show up in some Avenger stuff I read (Secret Avengers, I think).

The past few years Marvel have had him show up in most of their events, and yeah if I remember he was a member of the first group of Secret Avengers.

 

[Mike Murdock]

I hadn't ever thought of the idea of her not being a mutant. But she did appear right around the same time as Longshot, who isn't a mutant.

That being said, since her powers are mental in origin, it's not hard for me to buy that they can transfer bodies. Unless the Shadow King isn't a mutant either.

 

[Batmannerism]

I don't know Captain Britain very well. I haven't read any of his solo stuff, but he did show up in some Avenger stuff I read (Secret Avengers, I think). That said, I actually had a dream about Marvel doing a Captain Britain movie several months ago. I remember it clearly, because the next day I was trying to figure out why I'd had a dream about a Captain Britain movie when I barely know the character. Anyway, I was walking up to a theater, and the marquee read:

MARVEL'S
CAPTAIN BRITAIN​

STARRING TOM HARDY​

FEAT. PETER CAPALDI AS MERLYN​

Dude, do yourself a favour and find the collected editions of Captain Britain (one by Alan Moore, the other by Jamie Delano) they were written before Cap became part of Excalibur, and sadly turned mostly into comic relief. The 80's were a real golden age of storytelling in comics, and the Cap stories are pretty good examples of Moore's best work in mainstream comics (Delano is no slouch either ! ).

I'm going to take a thought from your tag-line and say WHO SHOULD BE CAST AS CAPTAIN B ?

Personally, I'm not sure Tom Hardy is the right guy, he's more an anti-hero type ( I think he would be a terrific James Bond).

Chris Hemsworth has the physique and the look, but I'm not too sure about his accent, (the look is important, as you'd need someone tall and imposing ) If Aaron Taylor-Johnson really beefed up, he could probably do it ! To be honest, Henry Cavill (with blond hair) has the perfect look for
Cap - but I prefer him as Superman.

Cheers, hope you get a chance to look at those stories - you won't be disappointed.

 

[MbJ]

I wouldn't really be interested in a solo film, but I would like to see him appearing in another movie. I'd like to see more international heroes in the MCU.

I'm still hoping Civil War or Infinity War at least have cameos from various heroes around the world.

 

[Batmannerism]

I wouldn't really be interested in a solo film, but I would like to see him appearing in another movie. I'd like to see more international heroes in the MCU.

I'm still hoping Civil War or Infinity War at least have cameos from various heroes around the world.

Dude, if you read the older Cap B stuff, you'll see he's worthy of adventures in his own right. Besides Marvel has succeeded in making B-list characters into major heroes ( personally I always considered Iron Man an A- character, not B list, but not in the same sphere as Spidey, Cap A, Hulk and Wolverine).

Just IMO of course.

 

[Dasher10]

Captain Britain should get his own film leading into Excalibur.

I believe that Alpha Flight is at Fox since Guardian and Vindicator appeared in XMO. Marel can just say Department K since that lacks a trademark but they can't mention Alpha Flight. It's the same thing where Marvel mentioned Ammagordo in CATFA but I'm pretty sure that Marvel can't use Juggernaut or Xavier in the MCU.

Fox had some pretty big stumbles with their franchises considering how bad the AvP films were that they needed to retcon them into being completely non-canon with Prometheus and had to restart the X-Men with First Class and then get DOFP to erase X-Men 3 and XMO from existence. The Planet of the Apes reboot is also doing well enough that it washed away the memories of the 1970s films caused.

Their attempt to fix the Fantastic Four franchise backfired and they should sell those rights back to avoid further embarrassment but that's the exception. I don't want to see Fox rush out Captain Britain or Excalibur. Deadpool, Gambit, X-Force and New Mutants are enough for right now and X-Factor and Alpha Flight would be nice if Fox could get TV rights. It's the same reason why I don't want to see Cable, Nightcrawler, Bishop or Rogue films yet even though they've all had their own solo adventures. Fox should invest their time and money getting the fundamentals rights and then give us the more obscure characters.

It's what Marvel's done so far and they've done a great job of it. They put the most iconic Avengers on screen first (sans Spider-Man for legal reasons) then moved on to the deep cuts. With there being talk of Ghost Rider and Black Widow being put on TV, all that remains for the MCU on the big screen are Eternals, Black Knight and Wonder Man. Pushing Excaibur out right off the bat would be like if Marvel Studios decided that Wonder Man was more important that Iron Man or Thor. X-Men, New Mutants and X-Force first, please.

 

[Eddie]

Um... Marvel probably has Captain Britain. And they didn't have to come up with some "Department K" nonsense to get around referencing Alpha Flight. They name dropped Department H on AoS.

 

[Rowsdower!]

How about Union Jack? They already introduced him (sort of) in Captain America. It seems like if they were going to go this route, they'd probably use him (though a recast would be likely) instead of Captain Britain.

 

[Eddie]

Union Jack would be easy to do, actually. There's a legacy character version. If they wanted to do something with him (maybe Baron Blood/work in a Blade cameo?) they could easily go modern day with a young British actor. JJ Feild could pop up in a flashback that establishes his post-war career.

 

[Orba]

Union Jack would be easy to do, actually. There's a legacy character version. If they wanted to do something with him (maybe Baron Blood/work in a Blade cameo?) they could easily go modern day with a young British actor. JJ Feild could pop up in a flashback that establishes his post-war career.

They could also have him appear in Agent Carter. As for Captain Britain there is also a rumour that he has a solo comic book series coming.

 

[PЯOVOSҬ]

If they could convey the character right,a movie would be great!

 

[starscream22]

Would he be with FOX or Marvel?

Does he have a choice?

 

[Dark Raven]

Dear Marvel fans,

Generally, I'm more of a DC fan, but there are some Marvel characters who I've always thought were terrific, and one of them was Captain Britain. He's had a very cool costume since 1980, and has been written and drawn by some of the best in the business.

Somehow he's been relegated to a supporting role in books like Excalibur (which I haven't read in quite some time) but his classic storylines ( like Alan Moore's "Jaspers Warp" or Jamie Delano's time on his book, are examples of the superhero genre at its best.
Cap himself is a bit of a buffoon, and far from perfect - kind of a clumsy version of Superman but with a very stiff upper lip, and although he's unfailingly polite he's a bit pompous and lacking in people skills.

In fact, its his flaws that made him such a likeable character. Often he'd charge in, get his ass kicked but come out on top in the end just from sheer bloody-mindedness.

As well as all the stuff I've mentioned he also comes with a rich history, a great supporting cast of characters.

Hell, he's a trend setter, he died and came back to life a decade before Superman did it - and the way in which Cap was killed -resurrected and played like a pawn in the hands of godlike beings was part of a terrific story.

Plus, Cap's stories have given us one of Marvel's scariest, unstoppable villains, the Fury.

There's a lot of potential for great stories there, with laughs, science, sorcery, a bit of horror, science, sorcery and multiverse-hopping, and even a interdimensional police force (a little like the Green Lanterns).

So, does Cap deserve his own film / tv series - could be animated or live action ?

He had a cool costume before 1980. I loved his original red lionheart costume with the sceptre he carried.

If Fox owns most of the Excalibur-related characters but Marvel owned Captain Britain, then they could easily put him in a movie with Black Knight (Dane Whitman) as he originally featured in his early stories. Both of them seemed to be time displaced in Camelot somewhere, which is where Captain Britain was originally killed by the White Rider.

Marvel could even do what they've done with Agent Carter or the First Avenger and have certain characters relocated to different time periods. We could get the likes of Morgan Le Fay showing up (who was a frequent Avengers villain in later years).

What I'd like to see though if Marvel ever got the FF back is an Iron Man vs Dr Doom movie set in Camelot (like Iron Man #150). They could have Morgan Le Fay (she featured in it originally), and maybe even some cameos from Brian Braddock and Dane Whitman (if those two were relocated). If Shellhead teamed up with them, it could be a medieval Avengers.

 

[Jason Kane]

I don't know Captain Britain very well. I haven't read any of his solo stuff, but he did show up in some Avenger stuff I read (Secret Avengers, I think). That said, I actually had a dream about Marvel doing a Captain Britain movie several months ago. I remember it clearly, because the next day I was trying to figure out why I'd had a dream about a Captain Britain movie when I barely know the character. Anyway, I was walking up to a theater, and the marquee read:

MARVEL'S
CAPTAIN BRITAIN​

STARRING TOM HARDY​

FEAT. PETER CAPALDI AS MERLYN​

Shut up and take mah money!

 

[ralphuniverse]

Hi, personally I would much rather they did Union Jack instead, the Joseph Chapman version. Contrast him with the aristocratic Spitfire.

Ralph

 

[Lamashtar]

I don't think they could do Captain Britain straight. The contrast between the absurdity of costumed hero and modern UK is too great. It would have to be very comedic.

 

[Batmannerism]

I don't think they could do Captain Britain straight. The contrast between the absurdity of costumed hero and modern UK is too great. It would have to be very comedic.

There has been a lot of humour in Captain Britain. Alan Moore wrote him as pretty much a self-parody of stiff-upper lip heroics.

Delano took a less comedic approach, but Cap stories were pretty lighthearted - and as part of Excalibur often Cap was comic relief.

It's not that he's funny as a character, but the stories usually show utter seriousness is to be very silly, given the situations he's put in, and made to look ridiculous. It's that he's so straight he's a bit of a joke.

Sometimes I think they went a bit far with that, but I don't think any on of Cap onscreen would be devoid of humour.

I preferred Delano of all the writers, because he managed a contrast of light and dark moments - but also prevented Cap from being a side-character in his own stories.

 

[fixxxer]

I think it would be a good idea to test the "outsourcing" model with a character like Captain Britain.

Line up a talented creative team of Brit writers/producers/etc. (utterly abundant), give them an outline, a decent budget and one primary mandate: don't do anything that would contradict the MCU. Then give them free reign. Air on BBC (or whatever), and a day or so later in US (TV or Netflix or whatever).

If it doesn't work out as well as the Marvel/Disney big wigs would've liked, consider it a worthwhile one-and-done experiment. If it proves to be a resounding success, you have an excellent model for showcasing international superheroes.

 

[SirStrangefolk]

I think it would be a good idea to test the "outsourcing" model with a character like Captain Britain.

Line up a talented creative team of Brit writers/producers/etc. (utterly abundant), give them an outline, a decent budget and one primary mandate: don't do anything that would contradict the MCU. Then give them free reign. Air on BBC (or whatever), and a day or so later in US (TV or Netflix or whatever).

If it doesn't work out as well as the Marvel/Disney big wigs would've liked, consider it a worthwhile one-and-done experiment. If it proves to be a resounding success, you have an excellent model for showcasing international superheroes.

I've had this idea before. May I ask where you got it from? Is it a common idea that many people have? What characters are usually named? I myself often think about Captain Britain and White Fox (for South-Korea)