Captain Barbell

Captain Barbell is a fictional Filipino superhero created by writer Mars Ravelo and artist Jim Fernandez. He first appeared in Pinoy Komiks #5 (1963).

Character history

The original version of Captain Barbell depicted him as shirtless because during the more whimsical comics age in the Philippines that occurred in the 1960s, (Silver Age), Mars Ravelo based the good Captain's look on circus strongmen, but with the addition of a mask. Since the original Enteng's look was a really thin guy in a tank top (emphasizing his bony features), it was decided that Captain Barbell's "shirtless circus strongman" look could provide a much more dramatic contrast to his mortal persona. Recent comics depicted him wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt instead of being shirtless. Captain Barbel is, obviously, created after the DC character, Captain Marvel (Shazam).

In other media

• Early film versions of Captain Barbell made several excursions onto the big screen. Bob Soler apparently was the first to portray the Captain. Then, according to 'Bembot', Dolphy also starred in the role in another Captain Barbell movie in the early sixties, filmed in black-and-white. His alter ego was called Ting-ting because he was so thin. Ting-ting is the rib of a coconut leaf which is used to make brooms.

• In 1986, Edu Manzano played the title character in Captain Barbell (commonly misspelled as Captain Barbel), made by Viva Films. It was notable because it was the only movie that showed a crossover team-up between Captain Barbell and Darna. The alter ego was portrayed by Herbert Bautista, while Sharon Cuneta portrayed Darna in the film. This film was a major hit among Filipino kids back in 1986; it was shown a few months after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.

• Bong Revilla played the title character in the 2003 film Captain Barbell, making him the first actor to have played both Barbell and Panday. In the movie, the alter-ego of Capt. Barbell is named Enteng (played by Ogie Alcasid).

• Richard Gutierrez portrayed a different, modern version of Captain Barbell (whose human identity is Teng), in the 2006 TV series Captain Barbell. It is the first series in which both the alter ego and the superhero are portrayed by the same actor, making Richard the second actor to do so after comedy king Dolphy. The TV series was remade in 2011 with Richard being the same Captain Barbell, not as a young boy but rather as a man. His wife, Leah (Rhian Ramos) died and the main plot involves the sudden appearance of the superhero (the five-year time gap between the two series suggests a disappearance of Captain Barbell, probably to attend to his new wife back then).

Plot

In every version of the story, major changes in the story plot are applied, but the core story remains the same. Enteng, a poor, wimpy and skinny but kindhearted boy always gets bullied by other people because he is undersized and easy to pick on. He tries to practice weight training and exercise to improve his physique, but his poor status prevents him to do it properly. He ends up buying (or finding in other versions) an old, secondhand and rusty barbell for him to practice on. He later discovers that the Barbell contains hidden powers, when he lifts it in one hand and shouts the name "Captain Barbell", he transforms to Captain Barbell, a superhero possessing invulnerability, super strength, x-ray vision, incredible speed and the power of flight. With his newfound powers, he fights evil forces and protects the weak and helpless.

in the 2006 TV series, Captain Barbell is shown to have a weakness: Exposure to the element Askobar.

External links

• http://internationalhero.co.uk/k/kapbarbl.htm - International Hero entry on Captain Barbell