Captain Marvel, not Superman

 

The Rookies was a police-oriented television show that ran for four years in the early 1970s. I enjoyed watching it back when it was on and recently I was curious to investigate how well it held up over the many decades. Not all that well is what I found out.

I watched the first three episodes last week and found the dialogue to be stilted and unbearably 'hip.' But there was something of potential interest to comics fans in the second episode.

Early in the hour the lieutenant asks an errant rookie if he thinks he is Superman. As the story progresses the tables turn all around and the rookie redeems himself. That show ends with the lieutenant returning and telling that rookie "You're still not Superman. Captain Marvel maybe, but not Superman."

Hold on a minute, I said to my 2022 self as I heard the lieutenant's quips. This Rookies episode aired in September 1972, and no (Billy Batson) Captain Marvel comic book had been printed in about 20 years. How would that 20-year-old rookie make any sense of that reference? Who was the writer of the episode aiming his writing at?

I felt the need to share the above tidbit with you, as well as the gag below!