Captain Geographic

Can you guess which nation he's from?^[1]

I don't know that I'd necessarily go out and buy a comic called "Captain Belgium".

—Paul Cornell, on US-based Marvel Comics' decision to cancel "Captain Britain", Comic-Con 2010.

Superheroes that are obvious about which country they live in, usually by name, Patriotic Fervor, or costume. The latter often overlaps with Wearing a Flag on Your Head.

If they love their countries, this overlaps with Captain Patriotic.

If they also have powers and other aspects related to their countries, then this overlaps with Captain Ethnic.

Compare For Great Justice, Captain Superhero.

Do not confuse Star-Spangled Spandex for being a sign of this trope.

Examples of Captain Geographic include:

• Captain America, the Patriot, the Spirit of '76, the Defender, Superpatriot, the Bold Urban Commandos, Nuke, Jack Flagg, Miss America, Free Spirit, and USAgent of Marvel Comics with America.
  • Odd mini-reference from the "Marvel Zombies: Volume 3": "Captain Mexica," an alternate-universe version of Captain America (duh) from Earth-1519 "Aztec Empire never fell." Aztec-themed costume, little stylized "thingies" on his ears instead of wings, speaks in (presumably) Aztec heiroglyphics.
  • The costume of the current Captain America (Bucky/Winter Soldier) actually resembles the flag of Puerto Rico. Obviously a case of Did Not Do the Research (at least it is a territory of the US).
    • No more a case of Did Not Do the Research than the original Captain America costume - since that only has one star, it actually more closely resembles the flags of Liberia, Chile and Texas than the Stars and Stripes.
• Captain Britain of Excalibur, and various counterparts like Union Jack and Albion.
• Paul Cornell's Wisdom and Captain Britain run featured Captain Midlands.
• Paul Cornell's Knight and Squire features various British heroes and villains including Captain Cornwall (and his sidekick, Cornwall Boy), The Professional Scotsman, a cricket based crime gang called The Eleven, a neo-nazi Morris dancer called Morris Major, and a group of West Country cyborgs known as the Cydermen.
• Major Glory from Dexter's Laboratory. Gets a Lampshade in one cartoon where a villain beats up Glory and holds him by the legs in imitation of a flag.
• American Maid of The Tick (animation)
  • The live action version used Captain Liberty, who has a torch and tiara like the Statue of Liberty.
  • Also from animated version, Blitzen and Eclair (whose names are the Dutch and French words for "lightning"), the superheroes of Belgium, emphasizing the Dutch/German mix of the country.
• Wonder Woman, for the US, despite not canonically being born there. Her costume was eventually explained to be modeled in honor of a female American pilot who crashed on Themyscira.
  • Presumably the same for Wonder Wabbit from the Just'a Lotta Animals of Earth-C-Minus, who even lampshades her costume choice when Yankee Poodle compliments her on how patriotic it looks.
• Statesman, his daughter Miss Liberty and her daughter Ms Liberty from City of Heroes.
  • The robust costume creator also allows one to make his or her own Captain Geographic.
• Captain Nazi from Captain Marvel was this when he was first written during World War II. Not that he isn't an example by default.
  • And let's not forget virtually every Nazi or Axis-allied character from the Golden Age. Both Killer Sharks also proudly wore the Swastika, for instance, as did Baron Blitzkrieg.
• Arguably Guardian and Vanguard from Alpha Flight, but later versions included Major Maple Leaf.
  • "Major Maple Leaf" started out as Wolverine's mocking nickname for Vindicator years earlier, being a lampshading of this trope.
  • In the 90s, the entire team's uniforms had the same maple leaf motif and only differed from one another in color scheme
• The 80's indy superhero series Northguard, published by Matrix Comics. A serious series which nevertheless lampshaded many Captain Geographic clichés.
• The Shield from Archie Comics, who has recently been integrated into The DCU along with his other MLJ/Archie/Red Circle pals. Of note is the fact that he also happens to be one of the earliest patriotic heroes, and the design similarities between his costume and Captain America's original shield forced Marvel to change the shape of the latter.
  • Archie's collection of some of the Shield's first comics proudly proclaims that he was the very first superhero to wear the Stars and Stripes. Which makes him the Trope Maker, at least in America.
• Sabra from the Marvel Universe.
• Every member of Battle Fever J has a shield on his or her chest bearing their nation's flag. This is mainly because the show was a loose attempt to adapt Captain America (comics) as a Toku series.
• In one Powerpuff Girls episode Blossom briefly remodels herself as "Liberty Belle" with a stars-and-stripes motif. Funnily enough, there actually is a patriotic heroine in DC called Liberty Belle...
  • And most of the guest characters in the Dexter's Laboratory crossover "Members Only".
• Marvel: Major Mapleleaf, Red Guardian (Soviet Union, basically a recolored Captain America (comics) costume; later changed to Steel Guardian), the Guardian (who wears a maple leaf on his costume).
• DC: Liberty Belle, Uncle Sam (a personification of the US), Steel I and III (US), KGBeast, NKVDemon (yeah, DC was stretching it), Red Star (Soviet Union)
  • The entire People's Heroes team, even. Molotov, Hammer, Sickle, Bolshoi, and Pravda all proudly wore the red star on their uniforms.
  • Also from DC's Russia, the Rocket Red Brigade, who all have the red star on the chestplates of their armor.
• Other: Captain Canada/ Captain Newfoundland (from the obscure Geoff Sterling comic Atlantis), Captain Canada (the cartoon one), Captain Canuck, Johnny Canuck (all Canada); Captain Euro and Europa (European Union. Yes.).
• "Freedom Force"
  • Heroic Minuteman is a Captain Ersatz version of Captain America taken to the extreme with the American Revolution era three pointed hat and scepter topped with the American bald eagle as well as a red white and blue costume.
  • His arch nemesis Nuclear Winter wears the fuzzy hat and dresses much like a cold war era Soviet officer, only with more red like their flag. He's probably meant as an Ersatz of the 60s Red Skull, a Soviet-allied villain who impersonated the original Skull for effect.
  • The sequel's Blitzkreig wears a reddish Nazi uniform and carries a staff with a Reichsadler stuck to the top, while the Red Suns all wear rising sun facemasks.
• The Marvel universe used to have a Soviet superhero named Vanguard whose weapons were a hammer and a sickle.
  • And of course there's still the villainous Omega Red.
  • Would (also villainous) Crimson Dynamo count?
    • Probably not as red is more of a symbol of an international ideology than a nation here. Neither Omega Red's costume nor that of the Crimson Dynamo includes a national symbol of the Soviet Union (hammer and sickle, red five-pointed star) or Russia (double eagle).
• DC Comics had a team of America-themed super villains: The Force Of July, enemies of Batman and the Outsiders. They considered themselves heroes, but were too extremist (and manipulated by a rich superpatriot type.)
• Played for laughs in the Whateley Universe with the character CAPTAIN CANADA! Cerebrex. He's a student at Whateley Academy whose powers work best if he gets properly psyched up first, and waxing over-the-top patriotic about the Great White North is his method of choice. Oh, and he can't actually officially call himself 'Captain Canada' because, possible copyright issues aside, school rules don't allow students to use ranks or titles they're not actually holding in their 'real' identity in their code names...
• Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew has Yankee Poodle, whose name and costume were inspired by the (United Species of) America's flag and her powers (being able to project electromagnetic stars with one hand and stripes with another). Fellow teammate American Eagle, while having no powers, also has a patriotic theme to his costume and superheroic identity, though thanks to his personality and career in his alter-ego as a conservative radio talk show host, it's carried to a much further degree than Yankee Poodle's.
• The Superhero Squad Show episode, O Captain, My Captain featured Captain America leading a squad composed entirely of Captain Geographic—Captain Canada (really Wolverine in a different outfit), Captain Australia, Captain Brazil, and Captain Liechtenstein, all wearing their respective flag-themed spandex outfits.
• While he never had his own series, the Marvel Universe version of Germany has Hauptmann Deutschland (translation: Captain Germany) as its national hero.
• The novel Save The Day plays with several superhero-related tropes. One of the characters, Titan Tomcat, the hero of Toronto, proudly wears the colors of Canada on his costume. In a world where all other Canadian superbeings are criminals or villains though, it's perfectly understandable that he'd want to show an heroic version of Canada to the world...
• The Global Guardians PBEM Universe features: Captain Texas (premiere hero of the Lone Star State); Captain Australia; Ultra-Man (from the United States); Jean d'Arc (France); Rodina (Russia), and Captain Barbados. Britain is represented by both Union Jack and John Bull. Doctor Tomorrowland Is a special case, in that he is named after one of Disney World's "lands" (which is appropriate, since he is a corporate hero working for the Disney corporation).
• Done intentionally in Astro City to allow for a strong sense of place when outside of the city boundaries.
  • Las Vegas' big hero is the neon-themed Mirage.
  • New York is defended by Skyscraper.
  • Boston has the Silversmith (after Bostonian silversmith Paul Revere).
  • Austin, Texas has Lonestar.
  • Australia's most notable heroes include Kookaburra, Barrier, Bullroarer, and the Colonial.
  • British crime lords include The Red Queen, Clever Dick, the Toff and the Headmaster of Crime, while its heroes include The Lion and the Unicorn.
    • For those who don't get it, go and look at the royal crest.
  • India has a team of super-powered street urchins called The Unclean.
  • Brazilian heroes mentioned are the Birds of Paradise, a trio of flying, scantily-clad women.
• Freedom Force gives us Minuteman and Liberty Lad.

1. ↑ Liberia? Cuba? Chile? Australia? The Confederate States of America? I give up.