User:LinguistAtLarge/Captain Obvious

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Captain Obvious is a recurring pop culture fictional superhero who announces already self-evident truths.[1][2] Consequently, the term has become a sarcastic expression which refers to someone who states the obvious[1][3][4] or makes painfully self-evident statements.[5] It implies the speaker is slow-witted, having thought the stated (obvious) fact was not obvious at all.[4] The term has been used in many online publications[6][7][8][9][10][11] and printed literature,[12] and was used as early as 1998.[13] The Captain Obvious character has appeared in media such as newspapers, books, film, television, radio, and comics.[1]

Expression[edit]

The term Captain Obvious is commonly used in the form of "thank you, Captain Obvious" in response to an overly obvious statement,[14] or in some form of "to play Captain Obvious", for example "I'm playing Captain Obvious here", as a preemptive preface to an obvious statement.

The term Captain Obvious has been compared to other terms that contain the word captain, such as Captain Crunch, Captain Kirk, Captain Kidd, and Captain Hook.[15]

Superhero character[edit]

Captain Obvious characters have appeared in anime, manga, comic books, movies, books, television shows, video games,[1] webcomics,[16] and dramas.[17] Captain Obvious is a recurring character in the Cyanide and Happiness webcomic,[16] and also appears in other webcomics.[18][19][20] The superhero character was used by a University of Chicago comedy troupe to state the obvious.[17] In an episode of the improvisational comedy TV show Whose Line Is It Anyway?, Colin Mochrie was assigned the role of playing a superhero named Captain Obvious, who then in character, stood and looked around stating "I am standing; I am looking around."[1][21]

In culture[edit]

The expression Captain Obvious has appeared in album titles, such as Thank You Captain Obvious, by Machine Go Boom,[22] and Calling Captain Obvious by The Freefall Effect.[23] It has appeared on radio and TV shows. Captain Obvious was a segment of radio show The Shebang broadcast in Sydney, Australia, and World Wrestling Entertainment commentator Tazz often calls his broadcast partners Captain Obvious when they rehash something that viewers just saw.[1] In literature, Captain Obvious is the protagonist of a children's novel by David Landrum called Captain Obvious: When Tomorrow Never Comes.[24]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f "Captain Obvious - Television Tropes & Idioms". tvtropes.org. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  2. ^ "Modern Day Superheroes". ABC News. June 14, 2007. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  3. ^ Ferdinandi, Chris (01-NOV-05). "Stuff: Captain Obvious". The America's Intelligence Wire. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b Peckham, Aaron (2005). Urban Dictionary: Fularious Street Slang Defined. Andrews McMeel Publishing. p. 72. ISBN 0740751433.
  5. ^ "Gresham Barrett Is Captain Obvious". www.fitsnews.com. February 5, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  6. ^ Weintraub, Seth (February 15, 2009). "Where iPhone beats computer". Computerworld Inc. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  7. ^ Jones, William (February 5th, 2009). "Captain Obvious reports, "Web apps are not foolproof."". TechRepublic. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Chris Brown and Rihanna Focus of MTV Special". www.limelife.com. February 14, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  9. ^ "Global Food Crisis as Technological Advances". www.marketoracle.co.uk. Feb 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  10. ^ Ashcraft, Brian (Feb 6 2009). "Research: College Males Play Violent Video Games, Look At Online Porn". kotaku.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Macmillan, Emma (January 31 2009). "TNJN - UT science forum emphasizes the versatility of trees". tnjn.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Ronis, Diane L. (2008). Problem-based Learning for Math & Science: Integrating Inquiry and the Internet. Corwin Press. p. 55. ISBN 1412955580.
  13. ^ Groth, David (1998). Core Module Study Guide. Sybex. ISBN 0782123449. Usage of Captain Obvious noted in the excerpt here
  14. ^ ""thank you captain obvious" - Google Book Search". books.google.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  15. ^ Harber, Paul (Feb 03, 2009). "Sports Beat: Oh Captain! My Captain!". Weymouth News. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ a b "Comics - Explosm.net". www.explosm.net. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  17. ^ a b Tracinski, Robert (December 07, 2006). "RealClearPolitics - Articles - Captain Obvious to the Rescue". www.realclearpolitics.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Captain Obvious". www.bluelinecomics.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  19. ^ "Loosely Affiliate the Dots". The B-Movie Comic. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  20. ^ "Is it a plane? Is it a bird? It's Obvious!". The B-Movie Comic. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  21. ^ "YouTube - Whose Line Is It Anyway: Super Heroes". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  22. ^ "Amazon.com: Thank You Captain Obvious: Machine Go Boom: Music". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  23. ^ "Calling Captain Obvious: The Freefall Effect". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16.
  24. ^ "Captain Obvious: When Tomorrow Never Comes". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2009-02-16.


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