Captain Barbell

Character history

The original version of Captain Barbell depicted him as shirtless because during the more whimsical comics age in the Philippines that occurred in the 1960s (Silver Age), Mars Ravelo based the good Captain's look on circus strongmen, but with the addition of a mask. Since the original Enteng's look was a really thin guy in a tank top (emphasizing his bony features), it was decided that Captain Barbell's "shirtless circus strongman" look could provide a much more dramatic contrast to his mortal persona. Recent comics depicted him wearing a long-sleeved yellow shirt instead of being shirtless.

Ravelo vent out a sort of retaliation on the Captain Marvel character. This time, he admitted doing the spoofing himself, and out came Captain Barbell. He tailor-made the character Tenteng (Captain Barbell’s alter-ego), to Dolphy, who was then a comical skinny actor, as a pun or insult, as opposed to the matinee-idol type Billy Batson (Captain Marvel’s alter-ego). He specifically told illustrator Jim Fernandez about that, and you can see the obvious similarity between Dolphy and Tenteng in Fernandez’ drawings (“Captain Barbell,” Pinoy Komiks, 1963). He even intended the character to have a funny transformation, that Captain Barbell would turn into a skinny bungling superhero (Ravelo, however, later changed that story, which became “Captain Barbell vs. Flash Fifita”). (Un)Fortunately, Captain Barbell became a great hit and Dolphy made his character Tenteng quite a sensation. So, Ravelo changed his mind and continued the legacy of Captain Barbell.

In the original Captain Barbell komiks series (May 23, 1963 – June 18, 1964), and in the first movie, Tenteng was a laughable skinny young man very much maltreated by his four step-brothers, Bruno, Badong, Baldo and Banong. Tenteng’s full name as revealed by Ravelo in an interview was originally Penitente Mumolingot. According to Ravelo’s wife, she didn’t know about the “Mumolingot” surname but told that Tenteng was actually taken from the name of a tall lanky boy who bullied Ravelo as a kid.

In the original story, Tenteng released a genie from a bottle and in return the genie gave him three wishes. His first wish was for a fried chicken. His second wish was a barbell he alone can lift that possesses the power to transform him into a super being the moment he shouts “Captain Barbell”. His third wish was for the genie to become small again. Unfortunately the genie got eaten by a cat.

The start of the story was filled with comedy (with Dolphy’s unequalled portrayal of Tenteng in the movie). The original Captain Barbell (portrayed by Bob Soler) had an eye mask and a real barbell made of “magical” solid gold. Captain Barbell and his alter-ego Tenteng each has a separate identity and portrayal. Tenteng is funny and a weakling while Captain Barbell is a serious character, and superstrong and invulnerable to any man-made weapons. He doesn’t, however, have superspeed as being portrayed on the television series. In fact, GMA 7’s adulterated version of Captain Barbell is almost entirely different from the original character, in storyline, costume and characterization.

Furthermore, after the power of the magical barbell left Tenteng (in the end of the original series), the barbell was thrown into the sea. In the succeeding series, the magical barbell re-emerged and found new rightful owners: Captain Barbel hence became the alter-ego of the limping Dario (“Captain Barbell Kontra Captain Bakal,” Pinoy Komiks, July 2, 1964), and the legless cigarette vendor Gomer (“Captain Barbell Versus Flash Fifita,” Liwayway, December 26, 1966).

Origin

There have actually been more than one person to assume the hero's identity throughout the years.

Captain Barbell's alter ego

Tenteng

The first and most well-known of Captain Barbell's alter-egos, Tenteng is the name that we identify with the hero to this very day. However, we've been getting his story wrong all along.

As he appeared in the very first Captain Barbell serial (Pinoy Komiks, 1963–64), written by Ravelo and illustrated by Jim Fernandez, Tenteng was a thin, asthmatic young man who was constantly abused by his 4 thuggish half-brothers. Admiring the bodybuilders in his neighborhood, he longs for nothing more than to be strong and muscular himself so he can stand up for himself against his bullying brothers and impress the girl of his dreams. Naturally, Tenteng's fortunes change dramatically when he finds the magic barbell that transforms him into "Captain Barbell" (spelled with quotation marks back then). But here's where the story differs from the one we've known all this time. Because Tenteng doesn't get the barbell from an old hermit; he gets it from a genie! (spelled in the story as "Genii")

The original stories also established that Captain Barbell's power would remain with its host for as long as he was oppressed and in need of justice. At the end of the first series, CB separates himself from Tenteng once his personal issues were resolved, and the barbell is sent to the bottom of the sea, where it awaits the next person worthy of wielding its power.

Even the first colored remake in 1973, Captain Barbell Boom!, used the "genie" origin from the first serial (this version was also made into an animated TV show during the late 1980s).

Dario

In the second serial Captain Barbell Kontra Captain Bakal (Pinoy Komiks, 1964–65), by Ravelo and Fernandez, we meet Dario, a polio-stricken lad confined by his illness to a makeshift wheelchair (which looks more like a skateboard). Despite his condition, he works as a sweepstakes vendor, getting into various trouble on the mean streets in the process. Somewhere along the line, Dario gets thrown into the ocean, where he makes contact with the lost barbell and becomes the second person to turn into Captain Barbell. He goes on to battle the villain of the title, the robotic Captain Bakal ("Captain Iron" or "Captain Metal").

Gomer

The third series, Captain Barbell Versus Flash Fifita, began in Liwayway in 1966. Set around the fishing village Baryo Dagundong, the protagonist this time around was Gomer, a crippled fisherman who had to take care of his 5 younger siblings.

Enteng

There had been a few more Captain Barbell serials that followed, the last one running in the pages of Pilipino Komiks from 1985-86. Still written by Ravelo with art by Clem Rivera, it formed much of what the public knows about the character today. First of all, this version originated the familiar yellow costume that would be associated with CB for years to come. And then there's the title logo, whose basic design has been prominently used in filmed incarnations and merchandising up to now. And of course, it was here where the origin that everyone has come to know actually came from. We are introduced to a Tenteng analogue named Enteng, who receives the mystic barbell from a mysterious old man.

Digmaan

Captain Barbell has since been absent from the komiks pages—or at least, from the printed komiks pages. But from 2005, CB reappeared in Gilbert Monsanto's online fan-comic Digmaan ("War"), which featured him fighting alongside several classic and modern Pinoy comic book characters.

This interpretation is much closer in design to the original 1960's incarnation, but writer/artist Monsanto adds a new and unexpected twist to the character. You're not going to believe who Captain Barbell's new alter-ego turns out to be—Darna's not so little brother, the teenager Ding.

The Barbell

A young boy named Enteng would lift the magical barbell to become Captain Barbell.

In previous Captain Barbell movies, 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. The "barbell" is actually a power battery that grants him unlimited strength, the ability to fly, and that big yellow muscle suit he wears. 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. Teng, however, can only use his natural powers for a short period of time before he gets exhausted. 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

The superhero only had his mask, cape, belt—with the letter "CB" engraved on the buckle—and tight pants then. Originally, he was shirtless. The look was inspired by circus strongmen.

When he made his first cinema appearance in 1965, Bob Soler—the first to play the part—donned a yellow shirt with Captain Barbell's initials on his chest.

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. A while back Maniquis was tasked by Mars Ravelo Marvelous Characters, Inc. to re-design and do some illustrations for their character, Captain Barbell. Teves is credited for the Batman, Spiderman, Superman and Robocop costumes. [1] 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 has a built-in cooling mechanism, so Richard is very comfortable inside it, to the point where he apparently lounges around the set wearing it, even between takes. 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 movie or TV series, for that matter. GMA Network was so secretive about how the Captain Barbell costume looked that on the first taping day, Richard was made to put on a robe on top of the suit. It was only when he had to face the camera as Captain Barbell that everyone on the cast and crew had a chance to see the costume for the very first time.

Early film versions

Early film versions of Captain Barbell made several excursions onto the big screen. The first few Captain Barbell movies were faithful to the original comics.

Captain Barbel (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. It was notable because it was the only movie that showed a crossover team-up between Captain Barbell and Darna. The alter-ego Tengteng, the skinny character, was portrayed by Herbert Bautista, while Sharon Cuneta portrayed Darna in a cameo role in the film, Lea Salonga as Rosemarie, Beth Bautista as Gagamba, and Tonton Guterrez as Bampira. This film was a major hit among Filipino kids back in 1986; it was shown a few months after the 1986 EDSA Revolution.

Captain Barbell (2003)

Bong Revilla played the title character in the 2003 comeback film Captain Barbell produced by Viva Films directed by Mac Alejandre, making him the first actor to have played both Barbell and Panday. In the movie, the alter-ego of Capt. Barbell is named Enteng (played by Ogie Alcasid). This version of the character adds some layers to his origin and was able to elaborate on the source of the superhero's powers and strength. Basically, Enteng finds the magic barbell in the most appropriate of places; in a gym, where he works as a janitor. No explanation is given as to how it got there in the first place. In the film, Captain Barbell's psychic projection tells his host, Enteng, that the barbell's metal is forged from a fragment of a magic rock that fell to the earth from space. During times of great crisis, the barbell is expelled to the surface to seek out one who would use its powers for good. Though not actually stated, the way the barbell's origin is explained seems to imply that this has all happened before, and that Enteng is only the latest person to become Captain Barbell (It gives it a sense of continuity with past versions). Indeed, prior to Enteng finding the barbell, CB is already established in the film as a well-known comic book character.

This movie is made even more historical because Captain Barbell was not the only hero seen in the movie. "PJ Malonzo played Lastikman as he guests in the Captain Barbell Movie starring Bong Revilla along with Regine Velasquez as Cielo/Darna." So for the first time, three of Mars Ravelo's most famous creations were seen on screen together. The villains' names are Lagablab (played by Albert Martinez), Freezy (Rufa Mae Quinto), Dagampatay (Jeffrey Quizon), Lobo (Bearwin Meily).

It became the top grossing entry of the 2003 Metro Manila Film Festival with an overall box-office gross of P61.4 million.

Cameo Role in Darna (2005 TV Series)'s Historical Finale

Captain Barbell (wearing a costume similar to Bong Revilla's Captain Barbell) guest starred in The Finale on November 25, 2005, the last episode of the recent Darna TV series. He played a significant role by helping Darna. But his face was not shown, rather, only the "CB" sign on his chest was focused since GMA 7 has not decided yet who will take the role, and they intentionally did it to drum beat the promotions for the upcoming series. Dingdong Dantes and Cogie Domingo along with Richard Gutierrez were considered for the role of Captain Barbell.

Actor Richard Gutierrez, who played Aguiluz in the Mulawin series, played Captain Barbell in the new Captain Barbell TV series which replaced Darna on GMA Network in 2006.

2006 TV series

Captain Barbell, directed by Mike Tuviera and Dominic Zapata, is GMA Network's 2006 project after Darna's huge success. Richard Gutierrez portrayed a different, modern version of Captain Barbell (whose human identity is Teng), in the 2006 TV series Captain Barbell which aired for eight months (broadcast 5 days a week from May 29, 2006 to January 12, 2007). It is the first series in which both the alter-ego and the superhero are portrayed by the same actor (just like Darna), making Richard the second actor to do so after comedy king Dolphy. In the Captain Barbell movies prior to the TV series, different actors play Captain Barbell and his skinny human alter-ego: in the 1986 movie, Edu Manzano plays Captain Barbell while Herbert Bautista plays his human alter-ego Tengteng; in the 2003 movie, Bong Revilla Jr. plays Captain Barbell while Ogie Alcasid plays his alterego Enteng, while Richard Gutierrez's uncle Jun Soler had comedy king Dolphy to play his alter ego Teng-teng.

The captivating tale of Mars Ravelo's Captain Barbell begins in the year 2106 when a young boy named Arell together with his mother Mrs. B (Snooky Serna) are forced by his father Captain B (Paolo Bediones) to ride a time capsule in order to escape from the soldiers of the General.

The General is the mysterious, rich and powerful owner of Live Corporation, a company pioneering the human cloning and mutation programs. Using these advanced technologies, the General has created an army of superhuman beings for his evil schemes.

Only Captain B can fight the General because of his extraordinary strength using barbanium. To ensure the safety of his family, Captain B places them in the time capsule and sends them to the year 1992. Unknown to them, the General sends Commander X (Ian Veneracion), a powerful cyborg, after them. Upon arrival, Arell and his mother are separated.

Arell finds himself under the custody of an elderly couple Lolo Aloy (Dante Rivero) and Lola Melay (Gloria Sevilla). They give him a new name, Potenciano a.k.a.Teng. They also give him new parents in the form of their own Sandra (Jackie Lou Blanco) and Cesar (Ricky Davao).

Teng grows up frail, poor and constantly longing for the love and care of his parents who ignore him. Worse, Teng is maltreated by Clarisse (Sunshine Dizon), the real daughter of Sandra and Cesar. Teng finds comfort in the company of his friends Kit (Camille Prats), Bobby (Ryan Yllana) and Lola Melay.

Teng has another special childhood friend named Leah (Rhian Ramos). When their friends’ paths cross again many years later, Teng realizes that he is in love with this young lady. But, of course, Leah already has a boyfriend, the arrogant Jared (Jeremy Marquez).

One night, Jared and his friends gang up on Teng and beat him up in a junkyard. This is where Teng discovers a mysterious barbell. This discovery changes his life. With the help of the powerful item, Teng transforms from frail weakling to the mighty Pinoy superhero who will be known as Captain Barbell!

The TV series was very much different from the original Mars Ravelo story. It was an expanded version of the comics' story. The concept and setting was changed to adopt to modern times, of course with the permission of the Ravelos. It had more details about the origin of the Captain Barbell and his powers. It introduced the superhero's parents. It presented more villains. And it renamed Enteng as Potenciano "Teng/Enteng" Magtanggol ("Potential Defender" in English). However, critics say that the first few episodes of the series were a rip-off from Smallville. Despite criticisms, the fantasy-drama series adaptation of GMA-7 remains the network's top-rating show in its primetime block.

Contrary to initial assumption of critics, Captain Barbell is not an alien. He is a Filipino earthling from Philippine's distant future when the country became the center of the world's scientific research. This fact differentiates him from Superman who is an alien and reaches the Earth via a space pod. Captain Barbell's pod is a time machine.

Snooky Serna was replaced by Angel Aquino since the former had caused delays in the taping and subsequently increasing the cost of production. Usually, writers eliminate a cast by "killing" the character, or sending them to "vacation," with an open option for the character's re-appearance later on the series. Serna's character was significant to the storyline and eliminating her would drastically changed it, so the writers revise part of the script, having Viel surgically change Barbara's face.

Ruffa Mae Quinto was a villain in the movie version of Bong Revilla's Captain Barbell. She plays Freezy, a character derived from Batman's villains Mr. Freeze and Poison Ivy. In the TV series, she is also a villain - Aerobika, an entirely different character.

Captain Barbell's theme song "Nandito Lang Ako" is performed by Shamrock. The series love song "Sana" is also performed by Shamrock.

2011 TV series

The TV series was remade in 2011 with Richard being the same Captain Barbell, not as a young boy but rather as a man. His wife, Leah (Rhian Ramos) died and the main plot involves the sudden appearance of the superhero (the five-year time gap between the two series suggests a disappearance of Captain Barbell, probably to attend to his new wife back then).

Richard Gutierrez reprises his role as Captain Barbell and his alter ego, Teng, and is now joined by a new league of extraordinary beings with unique superpowers. In this version, Teng/Captain Barbell will have not just one, but four leading ladies - Isabel Oli, Lovi Poe, Michelle Madrigal, and Solenn Heussaff. Adorable child wonder Jillian Ward plays Teng’s sidekick and pseudo-adopted daughter. The story picks up where it left off from the first series with Teng and his besotted Leah (Rhian Ramos) settling down in the city. But their simple life takes a dark turn when Leah is killed and becomes a heart donor to an undisclosed recipient.

In the spirit of true heroism, Captain Barbell fights through his sorrow and continues his quest for peace and order. He meets his strongest opponent in Nero (Christopher de Leon), an evil genius who became rich through his malevolent ways. Teng, on the other hand, clashes with Gregor (TJ Trinidad) whose father owns the tenement where Teng lives.

Meanwhile, during a freak storm formed by Nero, Captain Barbell helps a woman give birth in the tenement. This woman soon dies thus leaving Teng with the responsibility of taking care of her daughter, whom Teng names Leah or Lelay (Jillian Ward). At the same time, a strong lightning strikes Teng’s barbell, which in turn spreads unique superpowers among some of the tenants.

Years later, these tenants begin to discover their newfound gifts with some of them choosing to harness their superpowers for good, others for evil. One of them is Gregor, who has grown more jealous and hateful towards Teng. Gregor teams up with Nero, and along with the other supervillains, declares war against Captain Barbell.

On the other hand, General Armando (Eddie Gutierrez), a rich philanthropist, joins forces with Captain Barbell and urges him to pool together the new league of superheroes.

As Captain Barbell/Teng braves the dark forces, he also struggles with matters of the heart as he tries to uncover whom between his kind next-door neighbor Melanie (Isabel Oli) and Lelay’s school teacher Althea (Lovi Poe) received Leah’s heart. He also crosses paths with two other ladies who likewise play important roles in his life – his arrogant boss Anita (Michelle Madrigal) and the avid news reporter Jana (Solenn Heusaff).

Led by veteran actor and Richard’s real life father Eddie Gutierrez, the Liga ng Kalayaan are Bianca King as Lary, General Armando’s fearless assistant; Mike Tan as Teban, a former thief-turned-ally of Captain Barbell; Jake Vargas as Alden, a young superhero with a top as his weapon of choice; Bea Binene as Misha, another young superhero who wields power with her sword; and Frencheska Farr as Celina, the superheroine with a sonic voice.

On the other side, multi-award-winning actor Christopher de Leon heads the supervillains as Nero. Joining him are TJ Trinidad as Gregor, Teng/Captain Barbell’s fiercest enemy next to Nero; Paolo Paraiso as Rodel, the sandman; Akihiro Sato as Bruno, the hulkman; Elvis Gutierrez as Gaston, Gregor’s collaborator in spreading evil; Ervic Vijandre as Ricky, the flash; Sam Pinto as Sammy, the age-shifting supervillain; Ellen Adarna as Kat, the undecided sexy superhero; and Jon Hall as Rob, Anita’s egotistic business partner.

Completing the star-studded cast are Marky Lopez as Hekki, Jana’s assistant; and Ces Quesada as Tiya Lita, Lelay’s manipulative aunt.

This modern interpretation of the Mars Ravelo classic takes it a notch higher as it utilizes cutting edge 3D technology and computer-generated images or CGI in retelling the legendary story. Story-wise, 2011’s Captain Barbell promises to be more dramatic, action-packed, and fast-paced than ever.

To match the powerhouse cast, this Captain Barbell sequel will feature a highly sophisticated production design courtesy of Australian production designer Peter Collias who also designed the sets of international blockbusters “The Matrix” and “Moulin Rouge”, together with his Filipino counterpart Digo Ricio. The costumes are manufactured by Hong Kong-based costume maker Emily Lai of Cubedecor, while the script is written by senior creative consultant RJ Nuevas under the creative guidance of Jun Lana. Singing the theme song “Sandata” is the Pinoy rock band Shamrock.

Ace director Dominic Zapata, who has helmed top-rating fantseryes such as Mulawin, Darna, and the first Captain Barbell, will direct this Captain Barbell sequel.

Plot

In every version of the story, major changes in the story plot are applied, but the core story remains the same. Enteng, a poor, wimpy and skinny but kindhearted boy always gets bullied by other people because he is undersized and easy to pick on. He tries to practice weight training and exercise to improve his physique, but his poor status prevents him to do it properly. He ends up buying (or finding in other versions) an old, secondhand and rusty barbell for him to practice on. He later discovers that the Barbell contains hidden powers, when he lifts it in one hand and shouts the name "Captain Barbell", he transforms to Captain Barbell, a superhero possessing invulnerability, super strength, x-ray vision, incredible speed and the power of flight. With his newfound powers, he fights evil forces and protects the weak and helpless.

In the 2006 TV series, Captain Barbell is shown to have a weakness: Exposure to the element, Askobar.

The movie versions of Captain Barbell had to be redesigned from the comic's original because they're not as muscle bound as the comics version and were not body builders but actors. That's why they have the yellow top and now carry the "CB" symbol on their chest as opposed to the belt buckle logo-and-shirtless-look of 1963.

During times of great upheavals, nature finds a way to expel the magic rock to restore the balance between good and evil and seeks out a host to wield its great power and champion its cause. (There seems to be a possibility that this power source may be the same as Darna's and Lastikman's, both of whom's origins also involved magic "falling stars"). The champions it chooses are usually those who have been victims of society's evils, the disenfranchised, and the meek ones. This is why the power found four social outcast individuals to wield its abilities. But there is a condition: the wielder must only use the power for unselfish purposes and the good of humanity. The abuse of this power holds dire consequences. Unfortunately, when the rock first hit the Earth and got absorbed into the ground, fragments of the rock broke off and in the wrong hands could be very destructive. This is exactly what happened when (in addition to Enteng) extra fragments homed in on the beings that eventually became "Lagablab", "Freezy", and "Dagampatay".

Captain Barbell Potential Future

Unconfirmed rumors are that the franchise will culminate in a feature-length production, to be produced by GMA and Regal Films. Previously, another telefantasya, Mulawin, was adapted into a feature-length film in 2005 and lends some credibility and precedence to these rumors.

The most recent Captain Barbell feature film was released in 2003 by Viva Films, featuring Bong Revilla in the title role, Ogie Alcasid as Tengteng. Regine Velasquez made a cameo as Darna. The film was directed by Mac Alejandre. Coincidentally, Ruffa Mae Quinto also had a role in this film as a supervillain named Freezy, an icy temptress with cold-based powers.

After the end of the Captain Barbell 2006 TV series, GMA 7 aired a teaser hinting the coming of a joint series, Captain Barbell Meets Darna. The Internet Movie Database website (www.imdb.com) posted the same title – "Captain Barbell Meets Darna" – which would supposedly led by Dingdong Dantes and Karylle sometime in late 2007, but did not materialize. In January 2008, it was announced that GMA Network decided to make another version of the Darna TV series but this time, it will be along with Captain Barbell. It will now be starred by Richard Gutierrez as Captain Barbell and either Rhian Ramos, Jackie Rice or Marian Rivera as Darna. But due to schedule conflicts of Richard Gutierrez who was busy with other roles, everything was shelved. Also, Angel Locsin has already transferred to the rival network ABS-CBN in 2007. It didn’t materialize as well. Captain Barbell Meets Darna was a supposed primetime series which would have been aired on GMA but was later split into two series: The return of Captain Barbell for a second season where Richard Richard Gutierrez reprised the role of Captain Barbell and the reimagined version of Darna where Marian Rivera portrayed Darna.

Last 2012, ABS-CBN has acquired the rights to do a TV and movie remake of the works of Mars Ravelo including Darna, Captain Barbell and Dyesebel and in the past few months, netizens have been debating on who are the rightful names to play these famous characters, be it on TV or movie.