Saturday, August 15, 2009

The mysterious Captain Nemo from '20,000 leagues under the sea'

Perhaps no other character in Jules Verne's library causes as much divisive discussion as whether or not Captain Nemo is a hero, villain, genius, madman, terorrist, or patriot. As such, to truly gauge Captain Nemo as a villain is doing a disservice to a great literary character, as Nemo all at once epitomizes the heroic and villanous, the vengeful and the forgiving. The stern scientist and genius is tempered with a deep sense of loss and of the necessity to stand against injustice, as seen in both 20,000 leagues under the sea and The Mysterious Island. Since his appearance in 1870, Captain Nemo has undergone many revisions and versions, from the last son of a szlatcha noble to the more famous Drakkar, Nemo's origins and appearances have been as mysteriously explained as the Captain himself. Most famously portrayed by James Mason in the Walt Disney version of 20,000 leagues under the sea, the more recent versions of Nemo have gone back to the hindi version of Nemo, as seen in Alan Moore's League of Extraordinary Gentlmen. Nemo has remained a mysterious figure, and one that is open to both interpretation and adaptation.

Why Nemo?
First, I did a lot of my grad studies on Jules Verne, and found Nemo to be one of the strongest Victorian characters out there. Nemo's complexity didn't end with the hatred of war, it was a self-torture which I feel really captured the best parts of both a great comic book adversary and also the motivational aspects that could make him a great hero. While Cap and the Shadow remain my two tops for the most part, I think Nemo has a place in there somewhere outside of comics, but would (and has) made an interesting background character for campaigns across the board. Let's face it, Nemo is the proto-doom in a lot of ways, without the scarring, psychological hang-ups, and powered armor (although you could argue that the Nautilus is his armor).


This version of Nemo is perhaps more on the Disney version, as I feel that is perhaps the most accurate and that James Mason perhaps is the most visually similar to how Nemo was address in the books. While I like Alan Moore's LXG, and that take on Nemo, I think the idea that you were never sure what was true and where Nemo came from was better suited to the character.


Captain Nemo



No-One, but believed to be Prince Drakkar of India

F: Rm (30)
A: Ex (20)
S: Gd (10)
E: Rm (20)
R: In (40)
I: Rm (30)
P: Am (50)

Health: 80
Karma: 130
Popularity: -30/30 (depending on who you ask).
Resources: Am (50)

Talents:
Marine Biology
Marine Navigation
History
KNowledge: Art
Engineering
Botany
Repair/Tinkering
Chemistry
Martial Arts A
Sharp weapons
Guns
Marksman*
Nobility*
Knowledge: Unknown Kingdoms
Physics
Geology
Resist: Domination*
Possibly Occult Lore
Military
Leadership*
Eidetic Memory
Sailor

Powers:
None

Contacts:
Nemo's Crew

Limitations:[/b]
Wanted Fugitive: Captain Nemo is a wanted fugitive for his actions against the warships of many of the surface world nations, an act Nemo placed as being a response to hostilities.

Loyal: Captain Nemo is incredibly loyal to his crew, sacrificing life and limb if necessary for them.

Mysterious: Captain Nemo's true origins are unknown, with the real possibility that there have been several Captain Nemos as the original Nemo appeared in action during the 1867-1870 timeframe, and apparently died in 1870 of extremely old age, leading many to speculate that Nemo isn't simply one man....or is something else entirely.

Vengeful/Driven for Justice: Nemo's drive for justice borders on vengeance, as Nemo always backs the oppressed and goes out of his way to attack those he deems unjust or oppressive.



I debated statting the Nautilus, but I honestly feel I could not do it justice at this moment, and therefore I'll include it with a later post.

No comments:

Post a Comment