The early summer of 2009 reminded us of the fact that piracy is alive and well in the current millennium. Yes, piracy. On the high seas, no less. Although in this case it was more a case of kidnapping-slash-extortion than stealing treasure chests and burying them. But it reinforces the fact that it's long overdue to re-villain one of the only pirates remaining in the Marvel oceans-- Captain Barracuda. (He's got an entry at the Marvel Appendix, but there's not that much more to him than "he's a pirate.")
Since it's been a while, however, we're probably due for a makeover. Something a bit more costume-y as well as 2009-y. In this case, shiny pants, a touch of asymmetry, and lots and lots of black. Also, ditch the bushy hair in favor of something more ... streamlined, but the beard can stay if you trim it up a bit, perhaps stylize it. I've drawn him in a more animated style to emphasize such stylization. And if we're going with streamlined, better shorten the name to just 'Barracuda.'
And he doesn't need re-villaining as much as just re-upping the ante. He should be a pirate in the true villainous sense of the word. Mean, mercenary, cutthroat, violent-- and definitely The Man In Charge. Think Tony Soprano of a band of brigands. Too many times comics will try to re-cast pirates in a "new" way-- as pirates of space, as cyborg-pirates, as transdimensional time-bandits. Sometimes you just need a major badass meanie.
Which isn't to say that Barracuda can't keep up with the Big Leagues. He's a pirate in the Marvel Universe, after all, which means the technology he can outfit himself with comes stolen from Atlanteans, SHIELD, Bird People, and more. He's interested in blackmail, extortion, and the black market, making him run with the likes of Attuma, Deviants, and Monster Isle.
The problem is that he's off the radar for most heroes landlocked in New York. He's some exotic threat "out there" which makes him all that more mysterious. It makes for a change of pace for heroes like the New Avengers but might be right up the alley for the Fantastic Four. Namor the Sub-Mariner is obviously the likely antagonist, and he'll have to draw in the likes of Avengers or the FF (or, if he works fast enough at the time of this posting, the Dark X-Men.) It would be great to send him up against some unlikely heroes, too, like the Runaways or the Young X-Men. Let's see how quickly such heroes get their "sea legs" against such a villain!
Comments