Canada's 1970s superhero 'Captain Canuck' has resurgence thanks to Trump

By Matt McKnight and Zoe Law

VANCOUVER (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump’s annexation threats and tariffs have breathed new life into a superhero from the 1970s – Captain Canuck, a government agent with inhuman strength who defends Canada's sovereignty.

"All of a sudden Canadians are looking to Captain Canuck as a symbol. And it's basically, to them, Captain Canuck symbolizes independence,” said Richard Comely, 74, the artist who co-created the comic book character.

Captain Canuck, aka Tom Evans, is a Mountie who gained his special powers after an alien encounter. He wears a white and red outfit emblazoned with maple leaves, a prominent symbol of Canada.

Comely said he created the character at a moment when he thought Canadians wanted their own icon, given that the United States had Captain America.

"I think there was an undercurrent, so to speak, in Canada in the '70s. So I think Canadians were starting to feel like, you know, like they should acknowledge the fact that we had our own country, and we had our own culture and be proud of the fact that we were Canadians," Comely said.

Since the first publication in 1975, there have been 4 million Captain Canuck-themed comic books, books and graphic novels in print worldwide, Comely said.

Comely said his original storyline envisioned Canada as a world power that faces challenges from groups seeking to infiltrate, destabilize and take over the country.

“Of course, never, never in any of those stories was it America that was going to be taking over Canada,” Comely said.

For the cover of Captain Canuck’s 50th anniversary issue, Comely depicted the superhero wagging his finger at Trump, who has said he wants Canada to become a U.S. state.

"It's got a lot of Canadians, you know, thinking about their identity as Canadians and feeling more united as Canadians. We feel like, okay, we've got to stand in opposition to these proposals," he said.

Captain Canuck and Comely have had an on-again, off-again relationship with the comic book world since their start in 1975, falling silent when Comely stepped back to help raise his large family, with a brief return in the '90s charting out a different storyline in "Captain Canuck Reborn."

Since 2012, when Comely entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Chapterhouse Comics, Captain Canuck has become a mainstay in the comic book scene, expanding his reach with an animated web series and memorabilia.

Comely said he has received more calls from Canadian companies that have expressed “keen interest” in the fictional character due to the political tensions between the two neighboring countries.

"So in a sense, we have Mr. Trump to thank for a bit of resurgence," he said.

(This story has been refiled to fix the signoff)

(Reporting by Matt McKnight; Writing by Zoe Law; Editing by Heather Timmons and Mark Porter)