Captain Barbell is a Filipino superhero created by writer, Mars Ravelo and artist Jim Fernandez. His characteristics are similar to American fictional superheroes Superman, DC Comics' Captain Marvel or Shazam, and Thor but Ravelo based his backstory on Captain America. He first appeared in Pinoy Komiks #1 on May 23, 1963. He also appeared in Kampeon Komiks.
Character history
The original version of Captain Barbell depicted him as shirtless. Recent comics depicted him wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt instead of being shirtless.
Origin
There have actually been more than one person to assume the hero's identity throughout the years.
Captain Barbell's alter ego
Tenteng
Dario
Gomer
Enteng
Digmaan
The Barbell
A young boy named Enteng would lift the magical barbell to become Captain Barbell.
In previous Captain Barbell films, the Barbell which was given to Teng by an old man is the literal barbell that we know. However, in the TV series, the Barbell looks like a medallion with "CB" engraved on it. The name "Captain B" is also depicted on the medallion. Teng twists the medallion and it forms into a barbell, raises it and shouts "Captain Barbell" to change him into the superhero. As Captain Barbell, the medallion is depicted in his chest. To go back to his human form as Teng, he just grabs the medallion on his chest. The medallion is said to be made from Barbanium, a powerful element discovered in the year 2016. Only an equally powerful Askobar can counter its power.
Costume
Richard Gutierrez' Captain Barbell suit in the 2006 TV series was designed by Filipino artist Reno Maniquis and was made by Miles Teves, a renowned Filipino-American costume maker in Hollywood. Teves is credited for the Batman, Spiderman, Superman and Robocop costumes. He was commissioned by Zaldy and Gina Ravelo of Mars Ravelo Marvelous Characters, Inc. to design the new look to make it CB's official costume. It was Dominic Zapata who suggested to the producers to have the costume made by Teves. Captain Barbell's updated suit is a far cry from the "Superman" inspired spandex tight fitting suit in shades of yellow, blue and red. The muscular costume is more inspired by the Batman's bulky costume, minus the mask and in shades of yellow for the suit, gold for CB logo and other embellishments, and red for the cape. The suit reportedly costs $50,000 excluding the charges for repairs in case of damages, making it the most expensive costume ever made for a single character in a Philippine film or TV series, for that matter.
In other media
Film adaptations
Captain Barbell made several excursions onto the big screen. The first few Captain Barbell films were faithful to the original comics.
Captain Barbell (1964) Bob Soler apparently was the first to portray the Captain in the 1964 Captain Barbell film produced by D'Lanor Productions directed by Herminio 'Butch' Bautista. Captain Barbell's alter-ego was called "Ting-ting", played by Dolphy.
In 1965, a year after Captain Barbell's film debut, Fernando Poe, Jr. produced the film Captain Philippines at Boy Pinoy under D'Lanor Productions directed by Paquito Toledo. It starred Bob Soler, the first Captain Barbell, as Captain Philippines and Lou Salvador, Jr. as Boy Pinoy.
Captain Barbell Kontra Captain Bakal (1965) Wilie Sotelo starred as Captain Barbell, Nancy Roman as Joni, and Carlos Padilla Jr. as Dario in the 1965 film produced by Cirio H. Santiago and directed by Ruben Rustia. It was based on Pinoy Komiks Magasin's serial Captain Barbell Kontra Captain Bakal.
Captain Barbell Boom! (1973) Dolphy plays as Ting-ting/Captain Barbell in the 1973 film produced by RVQ Productions and directed by Jose "Pepe" Wenceslao. His co-actors were Lotis Key as Lota, Panchito as Fonso, Babalu, and Maricel Soriano. Dolphy also starred as Ting-ting in the first Captain Barbell film.
The film was restored in 2019 as part of the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Project, renamed as simply Captain Barbell.
Captain Barbell (1986) In 1986, Edu Manzano played the title character in Captain Barbell (commonly misspelled as Captain Barbel), made by Viva Films directed by Leroy Salvador. This remake followed the original comics story. The alter-ego Tengteng, the skinny character, was portrayed by Herbert Bautista, while Sharon Cuneta portrayed Darna in a cameo role. The cast included Lea Salonga as Rosemarie, Beth Bautista as Gagamba, and Tonton Gutierrez as Bampira. The film was a major hit among Filipino kids back in 1986.
Captain Barbell (2003)