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{{
[[File:CaptainScarletDVD_1413.jpg|frame|[[Opening Narration|This man will be our hero, for fate will make him indestructible.]]
{{quote|
''WE KNOW YOU CAN HEAR US, EARTHMEN...'' }}
{{quote|
Leading the fight, one man [[Phlebotinum Rebel|fate has made indestructible]]. His name; [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v{{=}}bV8YbLvGrb0 Captain Scarlet]. }}
Set [[Twenty Minutes Into the Future]], it tells the story of a "war of nerves" between humanity and a race of Martians called the Mysterons.
The aliens were never seen in person and would attack Earth by killing prominent humans and replacing them with superpowered duplicates who would attempt to perform terrorist attacks. Their [[The Dragon|primary agent]] was Captain Black, a former Spectrum agent who was turned after accidentally starting the war by [[We Come in Peace, Shoot
Opposing them were the Spectrum organisation, an international defence force whose best agent, Captain Scarlet, is killed and cloned in the first episode. He regains his humanity through [[Heroic Willpower]] and a convenient building collapse/[[Lightning Can Do Anything|jolt of electricity]] (depending on which version you watch). However, he still has the clone body's powers of [[Nigh Invulnerable|Nigh Invulnerability]].
Like the earlier ''[[Thunderbirds]]'', ''Captain Scarlet'' was produced by animatronics expert Gerry Anderson. The difference here is that the puppeteers used an upgraded design that places the internal mechanisms in the chest area of the puppets as opposed to the head. This change allowed the creation of puppets to forgo the characteristic oversized heads of previous super-marionettes for more realistic proportions. As a result, the show looks a bit like the old 12" ''[[G.I. Joe]]'' action figures have come to life, which Anderson later noted made them feel less expressive as a result.
A CGI [[The Remake|Remake]], ''Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet'', appeared in 2005. The new series lasted two seasons (the original only lasted for one), but remains lesser known than the original due to being [[Screwed
{{tropelist}}
* [[Ace Pilot]] - The Angels.
* [[Ascended Extra]] - In the 2005 version, the female Captain Ochre makes a brief debut appearance at the end of season 1, a couple of brief walk-ons at the start of season 2, but by the end of the season had graduated to leading an entire episode ("Grey Skulls") by herself - the only Captain other than Scarlet to do so; even Blue never gets to lead an episode. Several fan sites have suggested that Ochre would likely have graduated to major character status had the series continued. The trope can also be applied to Lt. Green, who in the revival is a more active character than the original version who hardly ever left Skybase, and even to an extent Destiny Angel, who becomes the female action lead and plays a major role in many episodes of the CGI version.
* [[Awesome McCoolname]] - Captain Scarlet [[Captain Obvious|Obviously]], Destiny Angel Captain Black]
* [[Achilles' Heel]] - Mysteron duplicates are vulnerable to electricity. They also show up as "positive" images on X-rays. Scarlet can also sense when one is nearby.
** In the 2005 version, duplicates can be detected with a DNA scan. Scarlet's "allergy" to them is also retained, though not consistently applied. The revival shows duplicates' eyes glowing green as well, but the series never makes clear whether this is actually seen "in-universe" or is simply for the viewer's benefit.
* [[Airborne Aircraft Carrier]] - the Cloudbase/Skybase.
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** A sharp-eyed viewer will notice there's a window in the shots that shows scenery moving past in the "wrong" direction, making it obvious that the SPV crew are seated in the rear and facing away from the front of the vehicle (presumably for safety reasons). The ejector seat is also used during ''The Winged Assassin''. Or more accurately, Captain Blue's ejector is forcibly triggered by Captain Scarlet, so the latter can try to be a [[Big Damn Heroes|Big Damn Hero]].
** This was mentioned in the first episode.
{{quote|
'''Captain Blue:''' Oh, you'll get used to it. }}
** There are also several occasions where they open the doors showing the seats face backwards. And of course the toys showcased the feature.
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** And also there was one time a Mysteron agent jammed the camera resulting in the SPV crashing.
*** All of which is probably why the revival did away with this, allowing drivers of the SPV's successor, the Rhino, to face the right way.
** Lingering questions on the plausibility of the SPV's driving position would inspire a test by documentarian [[Tom Scott]] in 2022. It showed driving backwards while looking through a monitor itself isn't as terrible an idea as it seems, but the ''real'' problem is actually that one is driving through '''a''' monitor, denying the driver use of their peripheral vision. Another problem he ran into was that building the low-latency video required for driving at any kind of speed into a vehicle in the first place is technological hurdle, but 46 years of technological progress could easily rectify that.
* [[Blessed
** To the revival's credit, Scarlet's indestructibility is only called into play in a minority of episodes.
* [[Bragging Theme Tune]] - The ending theme.
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** [[Defictionalization]]: Both phrases have been borrowed by American private spaceflight firm SpaceX to describe its readiness for rocket launches, modified to "SpaceX Is Green" or "SpaceX Is Red".
** Also the above "voice of the Mysterons" quote.
* [[Cloning Blues]] - Averted; Captain Scarlet is readily accepted by his colleagues, and he shows nary a hint of angst about being a copy.
** This also goes for the revival, however Captain Blue takes longer to warm to Scarlet, and several episodes do reflect on Scarlet's angst at being a "human-Mysteron hybrid" as he is described by {{spoiler|a friendly Mysteron}} in the episode "The Achilles Messenger".
* [[Code Name]] - All of the main Spectrum agents were assigned code-names [[Theme Naming|based on colors]] -- Captain Blue, Lieutenant Green, Colonel White, and so forth. The Angels are code-named Destiny, Rhapsody, Melody, Harmony and Symphony.
** Long before the home computer era, this show introduced kids to the colour name "magenta". Who says kids' TV isn't educational?
*** The revival continues the trend. Instead of being called Captain Yellow, one of the agents is Captain Ochre.
** Unlike the original series, which only on rare occasions (maybe no more than once or twice) referred to the characters by their real names, the revival uses the color codes and real names interchangeably. In one episode Scarlet activates an identity scan that clearly
* [[
* [[Compilation Movie]] - Two, from 1980-1981, kick-starting the ''Super Space Theater'' project, in which episodes of other Gerry Anderson-produced series went through this.
** ''Captain Scarlet vs. the Mysterons'', featuring the episodes "The Mysterons," "Winged Assassin," "Seek and Destroy," and "Attack on Cloudbase". Aired in 1980.
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* [[Darker and Edgier]] than the other Supermarination series, partly due to the opening titles and partly due to the fact that the good guys sometimes lost.
** Captain Black has several close shaves with Spectrum but is never actually caught, for example.
** How about the deaths? I seriously doubt ''[[Thunderbirds]]'' would have had an innocent getting murdered through crushing.
** If it's possible, the 2005 version is even moreso than the original, especially once the series establishes that {{spoiler|the original victim's memories and personality still exist within the duplicate and can, under some circumstances, be revived.}} Yet that doesn't stop them from being shot on sight, thrown off cliffs, etc.
* [[Dating Catwoman]] - While it doesn't quite get as far as a "date", Scarlet and Astrid Winters ( {{spoiler|a friendly Mysteron replicant trying to stop the war, but who shows clear attraction to Scarlet}}) are headed down this road in the revival episode "The Achilles Messenger".
* [[Die Hard
* [[Disproportionate Retribution]] - The Mysterons have reason to be angry since Captain Black destroyed their city but since they could instantly rebuild it and there's no hint any Mysterons died, they seem to be rather irrational in their desire to destroy all life on Earth in retribution.
* [[Do Not Adjust Your Set]]
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* [[Heel Face Turn]] - In the 2005 series, {{spoiler|Captain Black's original human personality - that of Scarlet's best friend and Destiny's boyfriend - resurfaces on several occasions, most notably in "Best of Enemies" when being submerged in a sunken Rhino causes the Mysterons to briefly lose control over Black, and definitely in the finale "Dominion" in which Black is manipulated by the Mysterons and led to believe he's thrown off their influence for good.}}
** Also in the revival, the episode "The Achilles Messenger" {{spoiler|introduce a faction of Mysteron society who are opposed to the war and are willing to help the human}}. Unfortunately the series never develops this beyond a couple of episodes.
* [[Heroic Dimples]]: Built right into the designs of Spectrum captains Blue, Magenta, Ochre, and the former Captain Black.
* [[Heroic Willpower]] - Captain Scarlet's sense of duty and force of will allowed him to regain control and personality when the Mysterons withdrew their mind control ray.
** [[
** Somewhat negated in the revival when it's revealed {{spoiler|most Mysteron duplicates retain the original personalities of the victims; however Scarlet is able to retain control for longer.}}
* [[Ho Yay]] - Captains Blue and Scarlet, which was turned [[Up to Eleven]] in the remake.
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* [[Odd Name Out]] - Destiny Angel, the only Angel not named after a musical term.
* [[Phlebotinum Rebel]] - Captain Scarlet.
* [[Rasputinian Death]] - In his original, Mysteron-controlled form, Captain Scarlet is shot by Captain Blue and falls off a bomb-rigged skyscraper, which then ''explodes and collapses on him''.
* [[Real Men Wear Pink]] - Captain Magenta.
* [[Recurring Riff]] - The kettle drum "bom-bom-bom bombombom bom!" that opened and closed the episodes, and was used in the distinctive back-and-forth [[Smash Cut]] scene changes.
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** Sadly the makers of the remake either couldn't or wouldn't license Barry Gray's original music, so a new drumbeat, arguably less effective, is used for the transitions.
* [[Scary Dogmatic Aliens]] - The Mysterons.
* [[Screwed
** In addition, as of the end of 2011 it has yet to be aired anywhere in North America and there hasn't even been a DVD release there.
* [[So Much for Stealth]] - In the opening titles, the viewpoint character stalking Scarlet startles a cat which fatally alerts Scarlet to his presence.
* [[Thirteen Is Unlucky]] - In the episode where he gets fired, the reason as to why was because he lost all his money whilst playing roulette, his last act being to put it all on red - the ball landed on 13 (black).
** An earlier episode featured Big Ben striking 13 times, which was a key plot point. If one is about a third of a mile from Big Ben with a radio tuned to a local station, the real twelfth bong will arrive about a full second after the twelve on the radio. After Scarlet learns this, he says he'll consider it his "lucky number" from that point on.
*** [[Fridge Brilliance]] Scarlet was {{spoiler|trying to loose money as part of an undercover op so he put it all on his lucky number.}}
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* [[Unexplained Recovery]] - Scarlet, in almost every episode.
* [[Villain Ball]] - Possibly subverted. The Mysterons announce their plans in advance, albeit in riddles. However, there's some [[Alternate Character Interpretation|speculation]] that they do this because they just enjoy tormenting the humans.
** A reason once mentioned was that the Mysteron Martian complex is an entertainment device (like the Shoreleave World of Star Trek), but for aliens with other priorities.
*** At least once, the Mysterons stated point-blank that they were engaged in a "war of nerves" with Earth. They wanted to terrify us into self-destructive paranoia.
*** And occasionally the clues were a [[Xanatos Gambit]], where SPECTRUM winning turned out to further the Mysterons plan.
* [[Voice of the Legion]] - The Mysterons.
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* [[Why Am I Ticking?]] - The Mysterons use their control over matter to explode a clone of {{spoiler|Captain Brown}}.
* [[What Could Have Been]] - One episode from the 2005 remake was removed because Gerry Anderson thought it was too scary for younger children. As a result, this was one reason the last few episodes of Season 2 were aired out of order. Humorously however, the Episode "Grey Skulls" was given the description for this episode on the Season 2 DVD inside cover Episode List. The voice cast (along with Supermarionation voice legend Shane Rimmer) performed the censored script, "The House of Dolls" at one of the "Fanderson" conventions.
** As noted under [[Ascended Extra]], Captain Ochre seemed headed for lead character status at the end of the series, had a third season been commissioned.
** Also, the revelation that {{spoiler|there are Mysterons willing to help the humans stop the war (in "The Achilles Messenger")}} likely would have been further explored had there been a third season.
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