{{Short description|Character from British television series Captain Scarlet}} {{About|the fictional character in ''Captain Scarlet'' media||Captain Black (disambiguation){{!}}Captain Black}} {{Infobox character | name = Captain Black | franchise = ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' | image = Cblack.jpg | caption = Black's appearance changes ''(right)'' as he is taken over by the Mysterons in the first episode | first = "The Mysterons"<br>(29 September 1967) | creator = Gerry and Sylvia Anderson | designer = Christine Glanville (sculptor) | voice = *Jeremy Wilkin :(before Mysteron contact) *Donald Gray :(under Mysteron control) *Gary Martin :(in the ''Captain Scarlet and the Return of the Mysterons'' CGI test film) | full_name = Conrad Turner | occupation = Spectrum officer (formerly) | origin = Manchester, UK }} '''Captain Black''' is the fictional nemesis of Captain Scarlet and the primary, recurring Mysteron agent in the 1960s British Supermarionation television series ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'' and its 2005 animated remake, ''New Captain Scarlet''.
"Black" is a codename; in the original series, the character's real name is never revealed (although in tie-ins he is named as '''Conrad Turner'''),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Upload03/Scarlet02.htm|title=''Captain Scarlet'': ''TV21'', 1968|work=technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk|access-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131208022611/http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Upload03/Scarlet02.htm|archive-date=8 December 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> while in the remake the character's tombstone indicates that his real name is '''Conrad Lefkon'''.<ref>{{Cite episode |title=Instrument of Destruction (Part 1) |series=New Captain Scarlet |series-link=New Captain Scarlet |network=ITV |date=12 February 2005 |season=1 |number=1 |time=13:28 }}</ref> The character's transformation from human to Mysteron agent occurs on Mars in the first episode of each series ("The Mysterons" and "Instrument of Destruction, Part 1").<ref>In the original, the transformation is indicated by the character's face paling while his voice deepens to match that of the Mysterons; in the remake, only his complexion changes.</ref>
==Depiction in ''Captain Scarlet''== ===Development=== The puppet was sculpted by Christine Glanville.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Filmed in Supermarionation|first1=Stephen|last1=La Rivière|author1-link=Stephen La Rivière|year=2014|edition=2nd|orig-year=2009|publisher=Network Distributing|location=London, UK|isbn=978-0-992-9766-0-6|page=247}}</ref> Originally Black was to have been killed off at the end of "The Mysterons", but this idea was abandoned after Glanville altered the puppet to show that the character was under Mysteron control. According to Glanville: "Once I'd painted him up to look gaunt and pallid, Gerry [Anderson] took one look and decided to keep him on as a regular."<ref name="SupermarionationClassics206">''Supermarionation Classics'', p. 206.</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|magazine=Action TV|issue=6|date=Spring 2002|publisher=The Shipley Print Company|location=Leeds, UK|title=Colours of the Spectrum|last1=Jones|first1=Keith|editor1-last=Richardson|editor1-first=Michael|page=30}}</ref>
In a 1986 interview in which he discussed his approach to writing for the series, ''Captain Scarlet'' script editor Tony Barwick drew parallels between the premise and characters of ''Captain Scarlet'' and those of ''Thunderbirds'' – suggesting, for example, that the Spectrum Organisation could be compared to International Rescue and that Black was similar to the Hood, the main recurring villain in ''Thunderbirds''.<ref>Bentley 2001, p. 31.</ref>
Prior to ''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons''{{'}} official premiere in September 1967, Black had been referenced several times by the Century 21 comic ''TV Century 21'' in strips documenting the aftermath of the fateful ''Zero-X'' mission and the structure of the Spectrum Organisation.<ref name="SupermarionationClassics206"/>
===Character biography=== In 2068, Black is seconded to command the ''Zero-X'' spacecraft for a crewed mission to Mars, assigned with investigating anomalous radio signals detected by the Spectrum Organisation. Previously, Earth was aware only of the existence of rock snakes on the planet (as seen in ''Thunderbirds Are Go''); consequently, Black is alarmed to discover a fully-developed alien city on the Martian plains. When the inhabitants – a collective, intangible, artificial intelligence calling itself "the Mysterons" – rotate scanning apparatus towards the Martian Exploration Vehicle (MEV), Black misinterprets the attempt at peaceful first contact as preparations for an attack; believing the Mysterons to be hostile, he orders his subordinates to fire on and destroy the settlement. After using their power of "reversing matter" to reconstruct their city, the Mysterons condemn humanity's unwarranted aggression and declare a retributive "war of nerves" against Earth – the first act of which will be the assassination of the World President. As the aliens go on to state that "one of you will be under our control", Black undergoes a dramatic change of appearance as he sits in the cockpit of the MEV, his expression hardening and his face becoming pale – thus, he is transformed into the primary instrument of the Mysterons' campaign of vengeance. After ''Zero-X'' returns to Earth, Black disappears.<ref>{{cite web|date=5 June 2021|title=Captain Scarlet – The Mysteron Files|url=https://www.gerryanderson.com/captain-scarlet-the-mysteron-files/|website=Gerry Anderson}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=11 July 2021|title=VIDEO: Captain Scarlet – The Mysteron Files|url=https://www.gerryanderson.com/video-captain-scarlet-the-mysteron-files/|website=Gerry Anderson}}</ref>
The exact nature of Black compared to other Mysteron agents is never explicitly stated in the series. Interpretations differ: Chris Bentley states that Black is killed on Mars and replaced with an indestructible Mysteron doppelganger,<ref>Bentley 2001, p. 47.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Bentley|first1=Chris|title=The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide|publisher=Reynolds & Hearn|location=London, UK|year=2008|orig-year=2001|edition=4th|isbn=978-1-905287-74-1|page=119}}</ref> while according to Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett, the unique manner of his corruption suggests that unlike the Mysterons' other victims, he was not killed and duplicated but remains alive, albeit under Mysteron control.<ref>''Supermarionation Classics'', p. 214.</ref>
Through Black, the Mysterons relay instructions to their reconstructed intermediaries, while compelling him to undertake acts of murder and terrorism through their deep, disembodied voice (in which Black now also speaks). Black's unique position is of clear importance to the Mysteron cause and thus elevates him above any of their other agents. This is evident in the episode "Manhunt"; after becoming a radiation hotspot through accidental exposure, he can then be tracked by Spectrum. Capturing Symphony Angel while evading their ground forces, he deliberately subjects her to radiation inside an atomic centre, but does not kill her and allows her to escape. Spectrum officers give chase to the Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle that they believe contains Black, but is in fact being driven (badly) by Symphony. His ruse a success, Black decontaminates himself and makes his escape. Captain Blue's surprised remark of "So he ''is'' alive!" when he sees security camera footage of Captain Black implies that until then they thought he was dead. In various episodes, like "The Mysterons" and "Point 783", he demonstrates the ability to filter out his voice while speaking so only other Mysteron agents can hear him.
According to text features in the comic ''TV Century 21'' and related publications, Black was born Conrad Turner in Manchester, England (though until his corruption at the start of "The Mysterons", he speaks with a North American accent) and was orphaned at seven months as a result of a brief nuclear war. He was raised by distant relatives who provided little emotional support, causing him to be cold and reclusive during his adolescence. At 15, he entered Manchester Technical Academy (a chapter of the Northern University), and graduated with diplomas in physics, space navigation and international law; he then went into the Northern University and received diplomas in science and technology, all this done in three years. He joined the Royal Air Force and served in the British Civil War at the age of 18. After the country was admitted to the World Government, he achieved renown for his work in the World Army and Air Force, and later as a ''Fireball XL3'' pilot in the World Space Patrol. He was Spectrum's first agent, and oversaw the construction of Cloudbase during the 2060s.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.spectrum-headquarters.com/captain_black.html|title=Cast of Characters: Captain Black|work=spectrum-headquarters.com|access-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131205085810/http://www.spectrum-headquarters.com/captain_black.html|archive-date=5 December 2013|url-status=live}}</ref>
In the episode "Treble Cross", an air force test pilot unexpectedly survives an assassination attempt by the Mysterons and aids Spectrum in another effort to apprehend Black. However, he is not deceived when the human pilot poses as his own Mysteron duplicate and evades Spectrum for a second time; Captain Blue infers that the Mysterons have equipped him with a "sixth sense" to warn him of danger. If under threat of imminent capture, Black is able to teleport away from danger – an action demonstrated in the episodes "The Heart of New York", "Model Spy" and "Inferno".
The character is seen to wear his Spectrum uniform only in the pilot episode and in the secondary opening sequence for all episodes thereafter (in which he is shown to be standing symbolically in a moonlit graveyard). On all other occasions, he is wearing civilian clothing – typically black trousers, a black zip-up jacket and an orange sweater. This is presumably so the other Spectrum personnel cannot contact him therefore making him more inconspicuous, harder to pinpoint and aid in his elusiveness. However, he is shown wearing his uniform in various comic stories where there is no immediate demand for secrecy or when his mission would benefit from it, such as when the Mysterons took control of a robot production facility or when Black tried to manipulate an amnesic Scarlet into helping in an attack on a major conference being held to justify Spectrum's funding.
==Depiction in ''New Captain Scarlet''== {{Infobox character | name = Captain Black | franchise = ''New Captain Scarlet'' | first = "Instrument of Destruction, Part{{nbsp}}1" ({{Start date|2005|2|12|df=yes}}) | voice = Nigel Plaskitt | full_name = Conrad Lefkon | occupation = Spectrum officer (formerly) | origin = Brooklyn, New York | significant_other = Destiny Angel<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Billen |first1=Andrew |author1-link=Andrew Billen |title=Red-Hot Hero |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/200502210044 |journal=New Statesman |publisher=Neal, Spencer |location=London, UK |issn=1364-7431 |oclc=35012871 |date=21 February 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070613161551/http://www.newstatesman.com/200502210044 |archive-date=13 June 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> }} In the first episode of the remake series, Black's encounter with the Mysterons on Mars kills him outright. After being buried on Earth, he is resurrected by the Mysterons, breaking out of his grave and thereafter acting as their agent.
There are several differences between the original Black and the version seen in the remake. For example, his surname is Lefkon (as shown on his gravestone in the first episode, "Instrument of Destruction, Part 1"). The voice of the new Black is the same as before Mysteronisation, save when the Mysterons assume direct control over his body. Before Mysteronisation, he is portrayed as a sympathetic character, and was in a relationship with Destiny Angel. Unlike his rash and entirely unprovoked attack on the Mysteron city in the original series, here it is given some justification by the fact that scanning equipment on board the MEV explicitly identifies the Mysteron probe as a weapon. By contrast, after his Mysteronisation he is an almost stereotypical villain, taking pleasure in the acts of murder that he commits; in one episode, he leaves Captain Scarlet chained up next to a doomsday device, complete with digital countdown. However, on some occasions (for example, in the episode "Best of Enemies") Scarlet is able to educe Black's original personality, nearly to the point of breaking the Mysterons' conditioning.
In "Dominion", the series finale, Black is knocked unconscious while attempting to destroy a nuclear facility. On recovering, he claims to have been liberated from Mysteron control, and asks Scarlet to return with him to Mars to launch an attack on the Mysteron city. Although the attack is successful, the Mysterons re-assert control over Black. The final image of the series is of Black watching Scarlet's departing spacecraft, then turning about and walking into the distance; two green rings envelop him, and Black vanishes.
According to promotional materials, Conrad Lefkon was born in Brooklyn, New York and was the son of a local crime lord, and joined the army to escape from the "family business". However, in the series he speaks in an English accent, the inverse of the original show.
==Reception== With reference to the original ''Captain Scarlet'', Morgan Jeffery of website Digital Spy refers to Captain Black as being one of the series' "most memorable elements", adding that the character's Mysteronised appearance and voice "were absolutely terrifying as a child. His presence, plus the high level of on-screen violence, made ''Captain Scarlet'' a heady cocktail for a young, petrified viewer."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/tubetalk/a351455/captain-scarlet-and-the-mysterons-tube-talk-gold.html|title=''Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons'': Tube Talk Gold|author=Jeffery, Morgan|date=19 November 2011|work=Digital Spy|publisher=Hearst Magazines|access-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111120073531/http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/tubetalk/a351455/captain-scarlet-and-the-mysterons-tube-talk-gold.html|archive-date=20 November 2011|url-status=live}}</ref> Eamonn McCusker of website The Digital Fix states that Black's vengefulness "knew no limits", noting that in one episode ("The Heart of New York") the character kills a gang of human bank robbers posing as Mysteron reconstructions because their "impersonation [...] had aroused his ire."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thedigitalfix.com/film/dvd-video-review/gerry-andersons-new-captain-scarlet-series-1/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214001319/https://www.thedigitalfix.com/film/dvd-video-review/gerry-andersons-new-captain-scarlet-series-1/|archive-date=14 February 2020|url-status=live|year=2005|title=''New Captain Scarlet'' Series 1 Review|first1=Eamonn|last1=McCusker|work=thedigitalfix.com|publisher=Poisonous Monkey|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref> In contrast, Geoff Willmetts of Sfcrowsnest writes that some of Black's actions seem "humane and even against his orders", pointing out that in the episode "Manhunt" he abducts Symphony Angel only to spare her life and release her: "Considering how easily Captain Black murdered other people to reach his masters' aims, this would seem out of character."<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews/newsc0102.htm |title=The Mysteron Menace |date=January 2002 |last1=Willmetts |first1=Geoff |work=Sfcrowsnest |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022231953/http://www.sfcrowsnest.com/sfnews/newsc0102.htm |archive-date=22 October 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
The character's name has also drawn comment for its colour symbolism. In a 1976 essay titled "Racism in the English Language", Robert B. Moore cited ''Captain Scarlet'' as an example of black-and-white dualism, pointing out that while the character who leads the heroic Spectrum Organisation has the codename "Colonel ''White''", the malevolent Mysterons use an agent called "Captain ''Black''". Moore presented this as an example of how "symbolism of white as positive and black as negative is pervasive in our culture."<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Production of Reality: Essays and Readings on Social Interaction|chapter=Racism in the English Language|editor1-last=O'Brien|editor1-first=Jodi|last1=Moore|first1=Robert B.|year=2006|edition=4th|orig-year=2001|publisher=Pine Forge Press|location=Thousand Oaks, California|isbn=978-1-412915-19-9|page=121}}</ref> Daniel O'Brien, author of ''SF:UK: How British Science Fiction Changed the World'', states that Black's characterisation as a villain is "to no one's great surprise".<ref>{{Cite book|title=SF:UK: How British Science Fiction Changed the World|author=O'Brien, Daniel|year=2000|publisher=Reynolds & Hearn|location=London, UK|isbn=978-1-903111-16-1|page=84}}</ref> When the series was repeated on BBC2 in the early 1990s, some commentators interpreted this colour opposition as having racist undertones.<ref name="Bentley, 122">Bentley 2001, p. 122.</ref><ref name="La Rivière">{{Cite book|last1=La Rivière|first1=Stephen|title=Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future|year=2009|publisher=Hermes Press|location=Neshannock, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-1-932563-23-8|pages=160–161}}</ref> Gerry Anderson rejected this argument and pointed out that the series features heroic non-white characters in the form of Lieutenant Green, Melody Angel and Harmony Angel.<ref name="Bentley, 122"/> Around this time, various newspapers reported that the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) had filed a complaint against the BBC over the alleged racism of the names; the story was repetition of a baseless rumour started by a freelance reporter and was rejected by the CRE in its annual report.<ref>{{Cite book|title=European Television: Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities|series=European Media Research Series|editor1-last=Frachon|editor1-first=Claire|editor2-last=Vargaftig|editor2-first=Marion|year=1995|publisher=University of Luton Press|isbn=978-0-861964-60-4|page=42}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Annual Report of the Commission for Racial Equality|year=1992|publisher=Her Majesty's Stationery Office|page=3}}</ref> On black-and-white dualism, Guyanese actor Cy Grant, who voiced Lieutenant Green and praised the series for its multiculturalism, commented that "the 'darkness' of the Mysterons is most easily seen as the psychological rift — the struggle of 'good' and 'evil' — of the Western world as personified by Colonel White and his team. Dark and light are but aspects of each other. Incidentally, green is the colour of nature that can heal that rift."<ref name="La Rivière"/><ref name="Grant">{{Cite web|last=Grant|first=Cy|author-link=Cy Grant|title=Lieutenant Green and De Anderson CODE – Spectrums, Subconscious Connections & Synchronicities|url=http://nestene1.users.btopenworld.com/cygrant/green.htmlyear=2007|access-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123195856/http://nestene1.users.btopenworld.com/cygrant/green.html|archive-date=23 January 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
Black has also been interpreted as part of a supposed religious allegory in the series. Grant and other commentators have compared Cloudbase (Spectrum's airborne headquarters, protected by a fighter squadron codenamed "the Angels") to Heaven,<ref name="Grant"/><ref name="Taylor and Trim">{{Cite book|last1=Taylor|first1=Anthony|last2=Trim|first2=Mike|author2-link=Mike Trim|title=The Future Was FAB: The Art of Mike Trim|year=2006|publisher=Hermes Press|location=Neshannock, Pennsylvania|isbn=978-1-932563-82-5|page=29}}</ref><ref name="Turner">{{Cite web|url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/we-love-captain-scarlet-2415955|title=We Love ... ''Captain Scarlet''|date=31 March 2013|first1=Robin|last1=Turner|work=Wales Online|access-date=11 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191231235104/https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/local-news/we-love-captain-scarlet-2415955|archive-date=31 December 2019|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Jenkins">{{Cite magazine|magazine=Total DVD|date=October 2001|issue=30|editor1-first=Chris|editor1-last=Jenkins|title=Scarlet Is the New Black|first1=Chris|last1=Jenkins|pages=16–18|publisher=WV Publications|location=London, UK|issn=1464-889X|oclc=877789732}}</ref> Colonel White (the head of Spectrum) to God,<ref name="Grant"/><ref name="Jenkins"/> and the resurrected Captain Scarlet (White's top agent) to the Son of God;<ref name="La Rivière"/><ref name="Grant"/><ref name="Taylor and Trim"/><ref name="Turner"/><ref name="Jenkins"/> Black, a Spectrum officer-turned-Mysteron agent, is viewed as either an analogue of the Devil (a fallen angel)<ref name="La Rivière"/><ref name="Grant"/> or a Judas figure in league with the "satanic" Mysterons of the planet Mars<ref name="Turner"/><ref name="Jenkins"/> (which Grant likens to Hades).<ref name="Grant"/> Anderson denied that any of this symbolism was intentional.<ref name="Jenkins"/>
==Footnotes== {{Reflist}}
===Works cited=== *{{Cite book|last1=Bentley|first1=Chris|title=The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet|year=2001|publisher=Carlton Books|location=London, UK|isbn=978-1-84222-405-2}} *{{Cite book | last1 = Rogers | first1 = Dave | last2 = Marriott | first2 = John | last3 = Drake | first3 = Chris | last4 = Bassett | first4 = Graeme | title = Supermarionation Classics: Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons | year = 1993 | publisher = Boxtree | location = London, UK | isbn = 978-1-85283-900-0}}
{{Captain Scarlet}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Captain}} Category:American male characters in television Category:American supervillains Category:Captain Scarlet (franchise) characters Category:English male characters in television Category:Fictional astronauts Category:Fictional characters from Brooklyn Category:Fictional characters who can teleport Category:Fictional mass murderers Category:Fictional military captains Category:Fictional people from Manchester Category:Fictional resurrected characters Category:Fictional Royal Air Force personnel Category:Fictional telepaths Category:Fictional war veterans Category:Male characters in animated television series Category:Male supervillains Category:Orphan characters in television Category:Television supervillains Category:Television characters introduced in 1967