Captain Future
Close-up portrait cover by Earle K. Bergey, Winter 1941
Publication information
Publisher	Thrilling Publications
First appearance	Captain Future (1940)
Created by	Mort Weisinger Leo Margulies
In-story information
Alter ego	Curtis Newton
Supporting character of	Simon Wright Grag Otho Prof. Simon Wright Joan Randall Marshall Ezra Gurney Ul Quorn

Captain Future is apulpscience fiction hero – a space-traveling scientist and adventurer – originally published in the United States inhis namesake pulp magazine from 1940 to 1944. The character was created by editorsMort Weisinger andLeo Margulies. The majority of the stories were authored byEdmond Hamilton. A number ofadaptations and derivative works followed.

A 1978–79 Japaneseanime (キャプテン・フューチャー) was dubbed into several languages, including Spanish, French, German, Italian and Arabic. Hisfrancophone name isCapitaine Futur,^[1] although he is better known in francophone countries under the nameCapitaine Flam.

Although sometimes mistakenly attributed toscience fiction writerEdmond Hamilton, who indeed authored most of the Captain Future stories, the character was created by Better Publications editorsMort Weisinger andLeo Margulies before^[2][3] the1st World Science Fiction Convention in 1939 and then announced there.^[4][5]

The original character was published byNed Pines'Thrilling/Standard/Better publications company. A differentCaptain Future was published in Pine'sNedor Comics line.

The stories were published in Americanpulp magazines from 1940 to 1951, featuring bright-colored cover illustrations byEarle K. Bergey and two fellow pulp artists. Captain Future's originating adventures appeared inhis namesake magazine, which ran from 1940 to 1944, coinciding with World War II. Bergey painted twelve of the seventeenCaptain Future covers, and all ten subsequentStartling Stories covers under which additional Captain Future novels and novelettes were published. Of note, Bergey's art forCaptain Future, beginning with the third issue, marks the start of his groundbreaking work in the fields of science fiction and fantasy illustration.

While the first four issues of theCaptain Future pulp are subtitled "Wizard of Science", the remaining thirteen issues bear the header, "Man of Tomorrow", shifting focus to the humanity of the titular hero, whose given name isCurtis Newton. A brilliant scientist and adventurer, Newton roams the solar system as Captain Future—solving problems, righting wrongs, and vanquishing futuristicsupervillains. Published by Better Publications, an imprint of the expansive Thrilling Group of pulps,Captain Future gave readers the only explicitly science fiction and fantasy pulp hero in the history of American pulps.

The series makes assumptions about theSolar System which are outlandish by modern standards but which still seemed plausible, at least to most readers, when the stories were written. Every one of the planets of the Solar System, and many of the moons and asteroids, are suitable for life; most are occupied byhumanoidextraterrestrials. The initial adventures take place in the planets of the Solar System. Later installments (after Captain Future invents the "vibration drive") take the hero to other stars, other dimensions and even the distant past and almost to the end of the Universe. As an example, they visit the planet Aar in the Deneb system, which is the origin planet for Earth humans, as well as many other humanoids across the Solar System and beyond.^[6]

Initially, the story was set in 1990. Hamilton quickly avoided exact dates except for past events, such as the voyages of the astronauts who first landed on most of the other planets of the Solar System. In later stories, if the date was asked or revealed, it was done so discreetly.

The series begins when genius scientist Roger Newton, his wife Elaine, and his fellow scientist Simon Wright leave planet Earth to do research in an isolated laboratory on theMoon, and to escape the predations of Victor Corvo (originally: Victor Kaslan^[7]), a criminal politician who wished to use Newton's inventions for his own gain. Simon's body is old and diseased and Roger enables him to continue doing research by transplanting his healthy brain into an artificial case (originally immobile—carried around by Grag—later equipped with lifter units). Working together, the two scientists create an intelligentrobot called Grag, and anandroid with shape-shifting abilities called Otho. One day, Corvo arrives on the Moon and murders the Newtons; but before he can reap the fruits of his atrocity, Corvo and his killers are in turn slain by Grag and Otho.

The deaths of the Newtons leave their son, Curtis, to be raised by the unlikely trio of Otho, Grag, and Simon Wright. Under their tutelage, Curtis grows up to be a brilliant scientist and as strong and fast as any champion athlete. He also grows up with a strong sense of responsibility and hopes to use his scientific skills to help people. With that goal in his mind, he calls himselfCaptain Future; Simon, Otho and Grag are referred to as theFuturemen in subsequent stories. Other recurring characters in the series are the old space marshal Ezra Gurney, the beautiful Planet Patrol agent Joan Randall (who provides alove interest for Curtis), and James Carthew, President of the Solar System whose office is inNew York City and who calls upon Future in extreme need.

Captain Future faces many enemies in his career but hisarchenemy is Ul Quorn, who is the only recurringvillain in the series and appears in two different stories. He is partMartian - therefore called theMagician of Mars - but also the son of Victor Corvo, who murdered the Newtons. Quorn is a scientist whose abilities rival those of Captain Future.

Captain Future

Tall, athletic and handsome, with red hair, Captain Future was born on the Moon as Curtis Newton. After the death of his parents, he was trained by Professor Simon, Otho and Grag in all scientific and athletic pursuits necessary to fight crime and injustice across the Solar System.

Prof. Simon Wright

A human brainliving in a transparent, nuclear-powered life support case, with tentacle-mounted optics. He is Captain Future's mentor and chief consultant in scientific matters.

Grag and Otho

Grag is a seven-foot-tall metallic robot. Otho is a white-skinned android. Both were created by Roger Newton withartificial intelligence and human emotions to be friends and helpers to mankind. Grag and Otho have a friendly rivalry. Grag is big and strong, but not very bright, while Otho is quick-witted, agile, and (with the aid of a special chemical) able to alter his physical appearance.

Eek and Oog

Grag and Otho's pets, respectively. Eek is a "moonpup", a canine creature which does not need air to survive and consumes soft metals for food. Oog is an amorphous being called a mimic, an artificially created pet that can change its shape as Otho does. Both are telepathic, and are attached to their respective master.

Joan Randall

A beautiful female agent of the Planetary Police on Earth. She has brunette hair (blonde in the anime adaptation). She shares a mutual romantic attraction with Curtis, but their respective duties prevent them from taking their relationship further.

Marshall Ezra Gurney

A high-ranking veteran officer in the Planetary Police.

Ul Quorn

Son of Victor Corvo, the man who murdered Captain Future's parents. A scientific genius, he has chosen to use his intellect for evil purposes.

Johnny Kirk

An orphan boy and a dedicated fan of the Futuremen. During his debut appearance in "The Magician of Mars", he impresses Captain Future with his determination to become one of his crew, and is later entrusted to Joan and the Planetary Police to be trained as a future crew-member. He has an expanded role and different name (Ken Scott) in the anime.

Captain Future's spaceship, named theComet, has been designed by himself and is superior to all other spaceships in the Solar System. A research ship, theComet has a compact on-board laboratory. It is also equipped with a camouflage device giving it the appearance of an actual comet, and armed with "proton cannons". She only receives faster-than-light propulsion late in the series of novels. In the animated series, she has ahyperspace drive (in the Japanese version referred to asWarp Engine^[8]) and also a small auxiliary shuttlecraft called theCosmoliner.

Captain Future
Screenshot from the anime series
キャプテン・フューチャー (Kyaputen Fyūchā)
Genre	Adventure,science fiction
Anime television series
Directed by	Tomoharu Katsumata
Written by	Masaki Tsuji
Music by	Yuji Ohno
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	US:ZIV International,Harmony Gold
Original network	NHK General TV
Original run	November 7, 1978 – December 18, 1979
Episodes	53

In 1978, one year after Hamilton's death, Japanese companyToei Animation produced aCaptain Future (キャプテン・フューチャー,Kyaputen Fyūchā)anime television series of 53 episodes, based on 13 of the stories. Despite the differences in cultural references and medium, the animated series was true to the original in many ways,^[9][10] from the didactic scientific explanations to the emphasis on the usefulness of brains as opposed to brawn.

The series was translated in several languages and distributed globally. The four episodes comprising the series' second story arc were dubbed into English and released on video byZIV International in the early 1980s asThe Adventures of Captain Future. In the late 1980s,Harmony Gold dubbed the series' initial four-part story as an edited "TV movie" simply entitledCaptain Future, but with alterations regarding some character names^[11] (different from those in Hamilton's stories - whether for licensing law or other reasons, remains a broad field for speculation). A Blu-ray Box in Japanese only was released in September, 2016 (Box 1) and November, 2016 (Box 2).^[12] A German "Limited Collectors Edition" Blu-ray Box was released in December 2016, featuring not only the remastered Japanese uncut version (with German subtitles) but also the heavily cut German version.^[13]

While only eight episodes in total were dubbed into English, the series met huge success particularly inJapan,France, where the title and lead character's name were changed to "Capitaine Flam", in Italy with the translated title of "Capitan Futuro", inLatin America andSpain with the title "Capitán Futuro", inTaiwan with the title "太空突擊隊" ("Space Commando"). The Arabic-language version has the title of فارس الفضاء (Faris al-Fadha'a, or "The Knight of Space") and was broadcast many times during the 1980s.

The series was also broadcast inGermany, where it appeared under its original title. However, this version was cut by about a quarter of the original length, which mainly affected violent scenes or those considered "expendable" for the storylines.

The original incidental music was composed byYuji Ohno, while the English-dubbed version had a newsoundtrack composed byMark Mercury. Mercury's work survived on the Latin American version, but a new opening was added for it, composed byShuki Levy and sung by Chilean performerJuan Guillermo Aguirre (a.k.a. "Capitán Memo").^[14]

For theGerman version, a completely new soundtrack was created by German composerChristian Bruhn. To this day, the futuristic synth disco funk soundtrack is considered cult for giving the series the right feeling. A soundtrack CD was released in 1995. A remix of the themeFeinde greifen an ("enemies attack") by German DJPhil Fuldner, called "The Final", entered the top ten of theGerman andAustrian single charts in 1998.^[15]

"The Death of Captain Future" (Asimov's Science Fiction, October 1995) is anovella by American writerAllen Steele set in Steele's "Near Space" realistic near future setting of expansion into the Solar System. Here, Steele contrasts the more gritty setting with the naïvety of the titular character. In story, a man named Bo McKinnon collects "ancient pulp magazines" and acts out a fantasy life based on the Captain Future stories. The novella won the 1996Hugo Award for Best Novella. Anaudio drama version of the story appeared as a play produced bySeeing Ear Theater. "The Exile of Evening Star" (Asimov's Science Fiction, January 1999) continues and concludes the story. It includes many quotes from the original magazines.

Steele'sAvengers of the Moon: A Captain Future Novel (Tor Books 2017) is acontinuity reboot which gently updates the narrative (including the science) to fit with a more modern sensibility. It was authorized by Hamilton's estate. The novel features the main characters from the original stories and presents a neworigin story for itsprotagonist.^[16]The Return of Ul Quorn, a quartet novella series published by the revivedAmazing Stories magazine, followed as the sequel ofAvengers of the Moon; the first entitledCaptain Future in Love (2019), the second entitledThe Guns of Pluto (2020), the third entitled1,500 Light Years from Home (2021), and the fourth entitledThe Horror at Jupiter (2021).The Guns of Pluto included a reprint of Hamilton's story "The Harpers of Titan" and1,500 Light Years from Home included a long-lost musical parody.

In the 1980s, German publisherBastei-Verlag released aCaptain Future comic series based on the anime series, with original adventures.

In February 2025, French comic artist Alexis Tallone and author Sylvian Runberg obtained permission from Toei Animation to release a Captain Future comic based on the first story,Captain Future and the Space Emperor. While the anime design of the characters is largely retained, several changes were made to reflect their pulp fiction origins and actual technological advances since the stories were first penned.^[17] Also, several plot elements were altered, including the main villain's true identity, the personal dynamic between Future and Joan, and the addressing of racism and social injustice.^[18]

In March 2010, German directorChristian Alvart (Pandorum,Case 39) secured the film rights for Captain Future and is working on a live-action adaptation in 3D.^[19]

In 2015, a shorttrailer of a CGI version ofCaptain Future byProphecy FX was leaked.^[20] The trailer was said to be a study for a yet-undisclosed project. In March 2016, Chris Alvart confirmed in an interview on a RocketBeansTV podcast to have acquired the design rights from TOEI Animation so that the movie will have the look and feel of the animated series.^[21]

• The Japanese TV seriesCaptain Ultra, a placeholder series between two actualUltraman series, was more or less a live-action adaptation of theCaptain Future series (which has remained popular in Japan as well). The characters were all present, even if the names were changed.
• In the GermanNetflix seriesDark,Mikkel Nielsen is given aCaptain Future magazine to occupy himself while he recuperates in hospital from injuries while cave exploring. When he tells the nurse looking after him he is from the future, his claims are simply dismissed as having anoveractive imagination inspired by the magazine.
• In the TV seriesThe Big Bang Theory, a Captain Future magazine cover is featured as a wall poster beside the entrance door inLeonard's andSheldon's apartment.
• InCat Planet Cuties, Episode 9 features a well known song from the anime television series of Captain Future.^[22]
• In thePre-CrisisDC Comics, a character named Edmond Hamilton was featured as aminor adversary ofSuperman. This character, as a result of his homonymy with thescience fiction author and his most famous work, took up the identity of Colonel Future and ended up battling Superman despite having heroic intentions.^[23] This character is a homage to the real Edmond Hamilton and his work in DC Comics.
• The Listeners byMaggie Stiefvater includesThe Triumph of Captain Future in a list of reading material banned from the hotel.

In the story "Calling Captain Future", three (then undiscovered) moons of Pluto are named Charon, Styx, and Cerberus after mythological characters associated with the Greek god Pluto. Three ofPluto's five moons were ultimately given the namesCharon,Styx, andKerberos (the Greek spelling of Cerberus).

• Captain Comet

• The Site of Captain Future (in French)
• Haffner Press, publisher ofThe Collected Captain Future hardcover books
• Edmond Hamilton on Captain Future(Archived)
• Robert Weinberg's Captain Future page
• Futuremania, The Captain Future Fan Site (in German)
• Captain Future bibliography at theInternet Speculative Fiction Database
• Captain Future (anime) atAnime News Network's encyclopedia
• Captain Future Convention 2010 (20th Birthday event of Curtis Newton Captain Future)
• Danger Planet public domain audiobook atLibriVox

• 1978 anime television series debuts
• Characters created by Mort Weisinger
• Comics characters introduced in 1940
• Fictional military captains
• Fictional orphans
• NHK original programming
• Science fiction anime and manga
• Science fiction characters
• Fiction about the Solar System
• Animated space adventure television series
• Space opera
• 1979 Japanese television series endings
• Japanese science fiction television series
• Toei Animation television
• American novels adapted into television shows
• Anime and manga based on novels
• Television shows based on American novels
• Fiction set in 1990

• CS1 German-language sources (de)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Converting comics character infoboxes
• Articles containing French-language text
• Articles containing Japanese-language text
• Articles with LibriVox links