Captain Midlands

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Captain Midlands

Art by Manuel Garcia
Publication information
Publisher Marvel Comics
First appearance Wisdom #1
(January 2007)
Created by Paul Cornell
Trevor Hairsine
In story information
Alter ego Sid Ridley
Species Enhanced human
Team affiliations MI-13
British Army
Abilities Physical attributes enhanced to peak of human potential
Expert martial artist and hand-to-hand combatant
All terrain acrobatics
Master tactician and field commander
Circular shield with anti-magic gloss

Captain Midlands, real name "Rambling" Sid Ridley[1], is a fictional comic book character within Marvel Comics' shared universe the Marvel Universe. Captain Midlands was created by writer Paul Cornell and first penciled by Trevor Hairsine and first appeared in Wisdom #1 (January 2007).

Captain Midlands is a patriotic British war veteran and a right-wing analogue of Captain America. An eighty year old superhero, Captain Midlands is often portrayed as a grumpy old git. While his real name, "Rambling" Sid Ridley, is is a combination of Kenneth Williams' Round the Horne character ‘Rambling Sid Rumpo’ and Arnold Ridley who played Private Godfrey in the sitcom Dad's Army[2]


Contents

[edit] Fictional character biography

 Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (May 2008)

As part of the 1940's British Super-Soldier program[3], Sid Ridley is transformed into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning then sent off to be part of the British Army's war effort.

After serving as Captain Midlands in World War Two, Ridley somehow ended up in British Intelligence and eventually MI-13[1]. Ridley also suggested that he had "knocked a girl up" and married her before she died in 1963.[4]

Captain Midlands served alongside other British heroes, including Captain Britain and Pete Wisdom in MI-13, fighting supernatural threats such as fairies[1], Y Ddraig Goch[4], alternate reality Jack the Rippers and Martians. He is also reported to be fighting the Skrull invasion of Britain.[5]

[edit] Abilities and equipment

Captain Midlands has no superhuman powers, although as a result of the 1940's British Super-Soldier program Sid Ridley was transformed into a "perfect" specimen of human development and conditioning. Captain Midlands' strength, endurance, agility, speed, reflexes, and durability are at the highest limits of natural human potential, and despite being an eighty year old man he still has a body of a superhero.[3]

Captain Midlands wears full DPM military fatigues and helmet with a cowl mask (similar to the WWII Ultimate Captain America outfit) and wields a golden circular shield in the design of the traditional lion symbol of Britain and coated in an Anti-Magic nanominium gloss.[1]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ a b c d  Paul Cornell (w),  Trevor Hairsine (p),  Paul Neary, Trevor Hairsine (i). "The Rudiments of Wisdom. Part 1: The Day The Fairies Came Out" Wisdom  #1 (January 2007)  Marvel Comics
  2. ^ Wisdom Issue One Commentary. By Paul Cornell. fractalmatter.com (1st December 2006). Retrieved on 2008-06-03. “‘Rambling Sid Rumpo’ was Kenneth Williams’ folk singer character in the radio show Round the Horne, a man very much out of his time, and Arnold Ridley was the very old soldier Private Godfrey in the sitcom Dad’s Army.”
  3. ^ a b Paul Cornell Shares His "Wisdom". By Dave Richards. Comic Book Resources (1st November 2006). Retrieved on 2008-05-19. “There's Captain Midlands, the survivor of Britain's 1940s Super Soldier program, who is an eighty year old man with a body of a superhero. He has got the opinions and a personality of an eighty year old man but the abilities and strength of Captain America. He's a bit of a tragic figure in many ways.”
  4. ^ a b  Paul Cornell (w),  Manuel Garcia (p),  Mark Farmer (i). "The Rudiments of Wisdom. Part 3: Enter With Drag On" Wisdom  #3 (April 2007)  Marvel Comics
  5. ^  Paul Cornell (w),  Leonard Kirk (p),  Jesse Delperdang (i). "The Guns Of Avalon" Captain Britain and MI: 13  #1 (July 2008)  Marvel Comics

[edit] References

[edit] External links