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Act One
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Captain Hammer is Dr. Horrible's arch-nemesis (not Johnny Snow, as Dr. Horrible kindly points out at the beginning). He is a typical "jock" type who never needs to work for anything--everything is handed to him on a silver platter because he is attractive and strong. He makes his debut as the hero who "saves" the day as Dr. Horrible tries to pull off a heist. Even though his carelessness almost kills several people, everyone hails him as a hero. This is the point at which Penny and Captain Hammer meet and start a relationship.
His entrance is quite dramatic. Dr. Horrible begins singing the song "A Man's Gotta Do," and Captain Hammer shoves himself into the song like a punch to the face. His narcissism is immediately apparent--"Stand back everyone, nothing here to see. Just imminent danger--in the middle of it, me!" Dr. Horrible's perception of what "a man's gotta do" involves sticking to his guns and following through with the plans he's made. Captain Hammer's view is quite different; he aims to take complete control of the situation (even if he makes it worse) and turn the spotlight on himself. After all, when Captain Hammer's around, "the only doom that's looming is you loving [him] to death, so [he'll] give you a sec to catch your breath" (Whedon).
Captain Hammer represents the man that Dr. Horrible could have been, though it's obvious that Dr. Horrible would have done a much better job at being a hero. He's more compassionate and sympathetic, though destiny handed him a slimmer physique, an awkward personality, and (arguably) fewer good looks than his nemesis. Undoubtedly, the Dr. Horrible we see in the film was moulded by years of societal expectations telling him what a man should be--and he turned to alternative methods of being recognized when he couldn't live up to those expectations.
Captain Hammer's place in society is that of the privileged, typically masculine white male who has never seen a roadblock in his life. He is muscular, though "[he doesn't] go to the gym, [he's] just naturally like this" (Whedon). He's a bit of an idiot, though his looks and power--both physical and social--easily make up for that. People practically fall over in adoration when he walks by, and he even has a fan club, though his claim to that fame and love is rather dubious and highly superficial.
His entrance is quite dramatic. Dr. Horrible begins singing the song "A Man's Gotta Do," and Captain Hammer shoves himself into the song like a punch to the face. His narcissism is immediately apparent--"Stand back everyone, nothing here to see. Just imminent danger--in the middle of it, me!" Dr. Horrible's perception of what "a man's gotta do" involves sticking to his guns and following through with the plans he's made. Captain Hammer's view is quite different; he aims to take complete control of the situation (even if he makes it worse) and turn the spotlight on himself. After all, when Captain Hammer's around, "the only doom that's looming is you loving [him] to death, so [he'll] give you a sec to catch your breath" (Whedon).
Captain Hammer represents the man that Dr. Horrible could have been, though it's obvious that Dr. Horrible would have done a much better job at being a hero. He's more compassionate and sympathetic, though destiny handed him a slimmer physique, an awkward personality, and (arguably) fewer good looks than his nemesis. Undoubtedly, the Dr. Horrible we see in the film was moulded by years of societal expectations telling him what a man should be--and he turned to alternative methods of being recognized when he couldn't live up to those expectations.
Captain Hammer's place in society is that of the privileged, typically masculine white male who has never seen a roadblock in his life. He is muscular, though "[he doesn't] go to the gym, [he's] just naturally like this" (Whedon). He's a bit of an idiot, though his looks and power--both physical and social--easily make up for that. People practically fall over in adoration when he walks by, and he even has a fan club, though his claim to that fame and love is rather dubious and highly superficial.
Act Two
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In Act Two, Captain Hammer makes two different appearances: one during the song "My Eyes," which is a duet sung by Billy and Penny, and one in the laundromat when he picks up Penny. During the song, he smiles and looks pretty, which is apparently one of his greatest talents. He seems perturbed by the geese in the park scene, which is a bit strange, but he's quickly back in character as he propels a paddleboat around a lake all by himself in an effort to impress Penny.
Later, he "meets" Billy--he obviously knows his villainous identity--and provokes him with private information concerning his and Penny's sex life. He specifically says that he is becoming intimate with Penny just to get under Billy's skin. This is so aggravating to Billy that he vows to kill Captain Hammer and get accepted into the Evil League of Evil.
Captain Hammer, here, is the perfect product of a society that praises a male's sexual prowess and posturing toughness while stamping out his compassion and empathy. Men are supposed to be emotionless hunks of rock, able to smash all who challenge them. Captain Hammer certainly took these ideals to heart, as he brags to Billy about the size of his penis and the skill with which he utilizes it. He is oblivious to the true effect his words have on the people around him, only caring about staying in control and superior to Billy.
Later, he "meets" Billy--he obviously knows his villainous identity--and provokes him with private information concerning his and Penny's sex life. He specifically says that he is becoming intimate with Penny just to get under Billy's skin. This is so aggravating to Billy that he vows to kill Captain Hammer and get accepted into the Evil League of Evil.
Captain Hammer, here, is the perfect product of a society that praises a male's sexual prowess and posturing toughness while stamping out his compassion and empathy. Men are supposed to be emotionless hunks of rock, able to smash all who challenge them. Captain Hammer certainly took these ideals to heart, as he brags to Billy about the size of his penis and the skill with which he utilizes it. He is oblivious to the true effect his words have on the people around him, only caring about staying in control and superior to Billy.
Act Three
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The viewer gets up close and personal with Captain Hammer's narcissism and ignorance in this act. It opens with the song "So They Say," which is mainly sung by secondary and tertiary characters, praising Hammer for his generosity. Penny sings to him, "we can open by Monday, thanks to you." He waves his hands as if to deny the statement, then says, "Thanks to me" (Whedon). Later in the song, he is ruminating on his and Penny's relationship and we find out he is actually considering sleeping with the same girl twice, giving the viewer a good look at how shallow he really is.
This lack of depth is further enunciated by his solo "Everyone's a Hero." He tries to be inspiring to these homeless people, but only makes himself look like an imbecile. Some of his greatest words of wisdom are, "Home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest" (Whedon). He obviously hasn't had much experience in the motivational speech department; he's probably only been expected to fly in and save the day, then look pretty for the press afterward. He relies on his looks and power to get him through any situation, and thus hasn't gotten any much-needed exercise with his brain.
His final moment of brilliance come as Dr. Horrible's freeze ray malfunctions and he is released from its hold. He immediately pins Horrible with his own death ray and doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger. The death ray also malfunctions and blows apart, throwing him across the room. His final words in the film include, "(crying) Is this what pain feels like?" and "Mommy!" (Whedon).
Captain Hammer's arrogance finally caught up to him, as it usually does in the real world. He made a decision--completely disregarding the possible consequences--that came back to bite him, hurting Penny in the crossfire of his conflict with Dr. Horrible. As soon as one thing didn't go his way, he revealed himself to be a sheltered brat who couldn't take one hit without crying in surrender.
This lack of depth is further enunciated by his solo "Everyone's a Hero." He tries to be inspiring to these homeless people, but only makes himself look like an imbecile. Some of his greatest words of wisdom are, "Home is where the heart is, so your real home's in your chest" (Whedon). He obviously hasn't had much experience in the motivational speech department; he's probably only been expected to fly in and save the day, then look pretty for the press afterward. He relies on his looks and power to get him through any situation, and thus hasn't gotten any much-needed exercise with his brain.
His final moment of brilliance come as Dr. Horrible's freeze ray malfunctions and he is released from its hold. He immediately pins Horrible with his own death ray and doesn't hesitate to pull the trigger. The death ray also malfunctions and blows apart, throwing him across the room. His final words in the film include, "(crying) Is this what pain feels like?" and "Mommy!" (Whedon).
Captain Hammer's arrogance finally caught up to him, as it usually does in the real world. He made a decision--completely disregarding the possible consequences--that came back to bite him, hurting Penny in the crossfire of his conflict with Dr. Horrible. As soon as one thing didn't go his way, he revealed himself to be a sheltered brat who couldn't take one hit without crying in surrender.