Captain Charlie-27 is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character usually appears in the Earth-691 timeline of the Marvel Universe as a member of the original 31st century incarnation of the team known as the Guardians of the Galaxy. Charlie-27 first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969). Writer Dan Abnett described him as "the heart" of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The character was portrayed by actor Ving Rhames in the 2017 Marvel Cinematic Universe film Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Publication history

Charlie-27 first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 (Jan. 1969). According to Roy Thomas, all of the original Guardians of the Galaxy were created in a conference between Arnold Drake and Stan Lee, but it remains uncertain whether Drake, Lee, or both created each individual character. The team was featured in several Marvel titles: Marvel Two-In-One #4-5 (July-Sept. 1974), Giant Size Defenders #5, and The Defenders #26-29 (July-Nov. 1975), and writer Steve Gerber included the character when he revived the team in Marvel Presents #3-#12 (Feb. 1976-Aug. 1977). Charlie-27 is a recurring character in the 1990s Guardians of the Galaxy series and appeared along with the rest of the original Guardians of the Galaxy team in the 2014 series Guardians 3000. He was also one of the characters featured in the 2016 Guardians of Infinity series.

Fictional character biography

Charlie-27 is a resident of Jupiter in the 31st century, descended from human colonists who were genetically engineered to resist Jupiter's strong gravity. As such, he has eleven times the muscle mass of a normal human. He was also a captain in the United Lands of Earth Space Militia. After the Badoon invade Jupiter, Charlie-27 joins forces with Martinex, Yondu, and Vance Astro to form the Guardians of the Galaxy, a band of freedom fighters. Subsequently, he works with various 21st-century heroes via time travel. He also discovers the space station Drydock, which the Guardians adopt as a base. During this time, he becomes romantically involved with Nikki before they eventually break up. During The Infinity War, the Guardians save the Avengers from the Masters of Evil, and both battle evil doppelgangers created by the Magus. As with the rest of the team, Charlie becomes lost in space and time. However, they later resurface in the series Guardians 3000, a prelude to the Secret Wars event where they are trapped in a time loop created by Adam Warlock.

Powers and abilities

Charlie-27 is a member of a genetically engineered offshoot of humanity whose traits were designed for survival under the heavy gravity conditions of the planet Jupiter. As such, he has superhuman strength, and enhanced durability and stamina. Charlie is trained in hand-to-hand combat as a militiaman. He also has the ability to pilot most air and spacecraft of the 31st century, including the Guardians' starships such as the Freedom's Lady, Captain America I, and Captain America II.

Reception

Lucas Siegel of Newsarama opined Charlie-27 as the clear inspiration for X-Men: The Last Stand version of Juggernaut.

In other media