Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
Best space games: a screenshot of the game, No Man's Sky.
Strategy Games Best space games which will let you explore the unknown
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune 3
Movies Upcoming movies: The most exciting new movies coming in 2026 and beyond
Dune
Movies Movie release dates 2026: Every major film coming to cinemas and streaming
Cillian Murphy as Tommy in Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man.
Movies The 25 best movies on Netflix to watch right now
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary review: "Large scale sci-fi with tons of heart"
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel Movies Marvel fans discuss their wishlists for Captain America 5, and the top choice is “competent writing and dialogue
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary has convinced me to start getting excited for Star Wars: Starfighter
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
Best Spider-Man movies
Marvel Movies The best Spider-Man movies of all time, ranked from worst to best
Maui (Dwayne Johnson) in Moana (2026)
Live Action Movies Moana director Thomas Kail on bringing Dwayne Johnson's demigod to life for the live-action remake's new trailer
Harry Potter
Fantasy Movies The best Harry Potter movies ranked from worst to wand-erful
Walton Goggins as the Ghoul in Fallout season 2
TV The 25 best shows on Amazon Prime Video to watch right now
Ryan Gosling and Flynn Gray in Star Wars: Starfighter
Star Wars Movies Tom Cruise interrupted filming on Star Wars: Starfighter by landing his helicopter on set
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

23 Awesome Movie Captains

Features
By James Butlin published 26 July 2011

Captain America may be cool, but he's not the only awesome captain...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

The Captain: Steve Rogers, a puny American, tried to enlist in the army during World War II, but was denied. He was soon injected with an experimental serum which made him into Captain America.

The Awesome: The Cap throws a virtually indestructible shield at his enemies and is an all-round perfect soldier, who has super-strength and uses expert tactics. Plus, he once punched Hitler in the face.

Peter Pan (1953)

The Captain: Captain Hook is Peter Pan's enemy and the captain of his own ship. After Peter Pan comes back to Neverland, Hook decides to take revenge on him for chopping off his hand.

You may like
  • Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
  • (L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip. The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
  • Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now

The Awesome: With a hook for a hand and a bumbling sidekick named Smee, he is the quintessential pirate captain. On the downside, he's scared of a ticking crocodile.

Hook (1991)

The Captain: Captain Hook is appearing twice, because Dustin Hoffman's Hook is a whole different kettle of fish. This time, Hook kidnaps a grown-up Peter Pan's children and challenges him to a duel.

The Awesome: This Hook is even more fearsome (and possibly even camper), hitting Peter Pan where it hurts by turning his son against him and killing the leader of the Lost Boys, Rufio.

Star Trek: First Contact (1996)

The Captain: Captain Jean-Luc Picard, the Next Generation captain played by Patrick Stewart, is normally used to being rational and sensible. Here he goes all action-star on the Borg.

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

The Awesome: One of the best Star Trek films, possibly because Stewart goes all bad-ass and fires a tommy gun at Borg drones, before unleashing a fearsome monologue on the Cenobite-looking cyborg sods. Assimilate that, you kitchen-drawer-faced lunatics.

The Adventures Of Tintin: The Secret Of The Unicorn (2011)

The Captain: Captain Haddock is portrayed by Andy Serkis in the upcoming film. He is Tintin's best friend (other than Snowy of course) and is a multi-millionaire seafaring Merchant Marine Captain.

The Awesome: The film isn't out yet, but if the books, the trailer and the Comic-Con reception are anything to go by, he should be brilliant. The drunk captain is unstable and emotional, much like the vast majority of the Total Film staff.

You may like
  • Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather. The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
  • (L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip. The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
  • Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now

Das Boot (1981)

The Captain: Capt.-Lt. Henrich Lehmann-Willenbrock commanded the U-96, and actually existed in real life. He commanded the German U-boat during World War II.

The Awesome: The man is a hardened veteran, he is openly anti-Nazi and he commands the ship through what director Wolfgang Petersen tried to show as "what war was all about."

She Wore A Yellow Ribbon (1949)

The Captain: John Wayne plays Capt. Nathan Cutting Brittles, an aging US Cavalry captain sent on one last patrol to deal with a Native American breakout from a reservation.

The Awesome: It's John Wayne with John Ford in the American West, using amazing cinematography featuring Monument Valley. It was one of Wayne's best roles, and he had quite a few.

Pirates Of The Caribbean (2003-2011)

The Captain: Captain Jack Sparrow makes it known that he's the captain of the Black Pearl to anyone who'll listen. He's never just Jack Sparrow.

The Awesome: He's perpetually disappointed by the lack of rum, he's a scoundrel, he'll double-cross, but somehow he'll get it together and save the day. Oh, and Keith Richards is his dad.

Serenity (2005)

The Captain: Malcolm Reynolds, played by Nathan Fillion, is captain of the spaceship Serenity. The film continues after the final episode of the cancelled television series Firefly.

The Awesome: Avengers helmer Joss Whedon directs and Reynolds is cut from the same cloth as Star Wars ' Han Solo, as a space mercenary who just wants to get by.

Airplane! (1980)

The Captain: Capt. Clarence Oveur is the pilot of the ill-fated aeroplane, and he's struck down with food-poisoning alongside his co-pilot Roger Murdock.

The Awesome: Captain Oveur: "That's Clarence Oveur. Over." Tower voice: "Over." Captain Oveur: "Roger." Roger Murdock: "Huh?" Tower voice: "Roger, over!" Roger Murdock: "What?" Captain Oveur: "Huh?" Actual genius.

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3

Current page: Page 1

Next Page Page 2
James Butlin
Read more
Marlon Brando as Vito Corleone in The Godfather.
Streaming Services The 20 best movies on Paramount Plus to watch right now
 
 
(L to R) Steven Yeun as Detective Mike Ro, Matt Damon as Lieutenant Dane Dumars, Ben Affleck as Detective Sergeant J.D. Byrne, and Kyle Chandler as DEA Agent Mateo 'Matty' Nix in The Rip.
Action Movies The 25 best Netflix action movies to watch right now
 
 
Superman kisses Lois Lane in James Gunn's Superman
Movies The 20 best movies on HBO Max to watch right now
 
 
Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in Sonic 3
Amazon Prime Video The 25 best movies on Prime Video to watch right now
 
 
Best superhero movies: close-up images of Captain America, Batman, and Wonder Woman.
Superhero Movies The 25 best superhero movies of all time
 
 
The Lion King is undoubtedly one of the best movies on Disney Plus
Movies The 30 best movies on Disney Plus to watch right now
 
 
Latest in Movies
Mario riding Yoshi through space with Luigi and Peach flying along beside him
Animated Movies Super Mario Galaxy Movie stars Chris Pratt and Charlie Day won't confirm or deny whether Wario and Waluigi will show up
 
 
Tom Holland and Zendaya in Spider-Man: Brand New Day
Marvel Movies After appearing in 5 projects in 2026, Spider-Man: Brand New Day star Zendaya says she'll be taking a break from acting
 
 
Fox McCloud in the The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies Glen Powell goes from Top Gun to space pilot as Fox McCloud in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
 
 
The Serpent's Skin
Horror Movies The Serpent's Skin is the neon-soaked, blood-splattered queer love story I've been waiting for
 
 
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Star Wars Movies Lord and Miller seemingly confirm they were signed on for more than one Han Solo Star Wars movie
 
 
A young girl swaddled in rags awakening from death
Horror Movies If Evil Dead Rise was a "rocket ship fuelled by blood" then Lee Cronin's new Mummy movie is "more of a maze"
 
 
Latest in Features
Arjun shields up as Prophet blasts out a spiral of yellow corrupted bullets in a Saros boss fight, with the GamesRadar+ Big Preview frame
Roguelike Games Saros: The Big Preview – Hands-on and developer access with PS5's roguelike game-changer
 
 
The Serpent's Skin
Horror Movies The Serpent's Skin is the neon-soaked, blood-splattered queer love story I've been waiting for
 
 
Pokemon TCG Perfect Order Elite Trainer Box on a wooden table
Tabletop Gaming Perfect Order introduces a Pokemon card everyone will want to use, and fans are already clamoring for it
 
 
Cyberpunk 2077
RPGs Cyberpunk 2077 is a better role-playing game than The Witcher 3
 
 
Star Fox
Third Person Shooters Star Fox isn't just an iconic retro Nintendo shooter – it paved the road to Super Mario 64
 
 
Jujutsu Kaisen
Anime Shows Jujutsu Kaisen season 4 release date speculation, teaser, cast, and Culling Game Part 2's story
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Horses
    1
    Steam made him "radioactive," but creator of banned game Horses wants next project to be disturbing
  2. 2
    Nintendo 64 gets a Skyrim-sized open-world game as dev busts the console's infamous fog problem
  3. 3
    Saros' world-altering eclipse "has both a gameplay and narrative purpose", and it's already pulling me back in
  4. 4
    What to watch before Maul – Shadow Lord: 15 essential Clone Wars and Star Wars Rebels episodes
  5. 5
    The Stanley Parable creator and Minecraft composer's indie studio is shutting down: "It's a particularly tough time"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...