Captain Metropolis

Superherobox|

caption=Captain Metropolis (bottom left, in the red outfit) along with other characters of Watchmen
comic_color=background:#8080ff
character_name=Captain Metropolis
real_name=Nelson Gardner
publisher=DC Comics
debut="Watchmen" #1 (1986)
creators=Alan Moore (story), Dave Gibbons (art)
alliance_color=background:#ffc0c0
status=Deceased
alliances=
previous_alliances=The Minutemen, Crimebusters
aliases=
relatives=
powers=Military prowess, skilled hand-to-hand combatant|

Captain Metropolis (Born 1920, Died 1974) is a fictional character appearing in the "Watchmen" comic book limited series published by DC Comics in 1986. Unlike other characters in the story, he does not appear to be based on any of the pre-established characters of Charlton Comics.

Fictional character history

As a child, Nelson Gardner (named for E. Nelson Bridwell and Gardner Fox) was sickly and asthmatic, but years of training allowed him to get past his condition and eventually played football in college before joining the U.S. Marines. He later adopted the Captain Metropolis persona, and, using the skills he acquired in the military, attempted to eradicate organized crime in urban areas. In the Fall of 1940, he founded a superhero team called the Minutemen which was composed of Silk Spectre, Hooded Justice, The Silhouette, Nite Owl, The Comedian, Mothman and Dollar Bill.

In "Watchmen" #9, it is implied that he had a relationship with fellow gay teammate Hooded Justice, yet this information was unknown to the public. Though a soldier and the de facto leader of the Minutemen, Metropolis often appeared timid and weak willed, easily flustered.

Unhappy with the way the team was more concerned about social appearances than actual crime fighting, the Minutemen were eventually disbanded by Captain Metropolis himself in 1949. Later he attempted to form another team, The Crimebusters, to which he invited Rorschach, Nite Owl II, Silk Spectre II, Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias (Adrian Veidt) and The Comedian, but his plans never fully came to fruition. When he spoke at the meeting of tackling the "social ills" of America, the Comedian mocked him for wanting to "dress up" and play "cowboys and Indians", and further accused the older hero of trying to form the Crimebusters as a means of seeking personal glory, which Metropolis insisted wasn't true; as the would-be members filed out, Metropolis begged them not to leave, telling them that someone had to "save the world." The crime display that he worked so hard on was burned and destroyed by The Comedian. Also, about this time, he was making various racist statements about Hispanics and African Americans, which contributed to the public's already growing distaste for superheroes. He was decapitated in an automobile accident in 1974.

Film

Initially, it was unknown if Metropolis would appear in the Zack Snyder 2009 "Watchmen" adaptation as a speaking character or simply in pictures in a flashback. The David Hayter draft eliminated him entirely from the plot, and Dan Dreiberg was used as a replacement for the Crimebusters meeting scene, so as to make him more of a leader.However, in a recently released picture from Zack Snyder that re-creates the photo taken during a meeting of the Minutemen (featuring all of the original members in costume), Captain Metropolis does appear, indicating he would have a role in the film as well. Footage shown at the San Diego Comic-Con 2008 confirmed that Captain Metropolis will appear as a character in the film, albeit as a minor character.

External links

* [http://www.capnwacky.com/rj/watchmen/noncomic.html The Annotated "Watchmen"]
* [http://www.gayleague.com/gay/characters/display.php?id=22 Gay League Profile]