Captain Underkid (franchise)

Captain Underkid is an American comedy superhero media franchise that consists of six films, produced by The Heroes Productions, and created by Robert Rodriguez. The franchise focuses on Captain Underkid, a superhero with all powers, and No-Shirt Boy, his not so bright sidekick, as they fight evil together and save the world.

The franchise began with 2016’s Captain Underkid. It continued with 2017’s Pajama Man, 2018’s Captain Underkid: More Wars, 2019’s Pajama Man: The Dark Dimension, and 2020’s Captain Underkid: The End is Near, and 2021’s Captain Underkid: The End is Near. It is scheduled to continue with 2021’s Pajama Man: Aftermath and 2022’s Captain Underkid: A Hero Rises.

Films
Main Series


 * Captain Underkid (2015)

Captain Underkid, the first film in the franchise, was released on May 12, 2016. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Tim Hill. The film stars Lennon Richardson as Captain Underkid, Gabriel Combs as No-Shirt Boy, Mark Hamill as Professor Private, Chris Pine as the God of Heroes, Darcy Combs as Sally Jenkins, and J.K. Simmons as the Chief of Police. It tells the story of a young boy named Lennon as he struggles to learn his superpowers while working with his sidekick No-Shirt Boy to stop Professor Private from World Domination. Despite receiving negative reviews, the film was a box office success, grossing $354 million against a $40 million budget, spawning a new franchise.


 * Captain Underkid: More Wars (2018)

A sequel, Captain Underkid: More Wars, released on July 12, 2018, was once again directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Tim Hill. Lennon Richardson, Gabriel Combs, Mark Hamill, Darcy Combs, and J.K. Simmons reprise their roles as Captain Underkid, No-Shirt Boy, Professor Private, Captain Undergirl/Sally Jenkins, and the Chief of Police. New cast members include Jack Black as The King, who is just Private in disguise. The sequel was met with positive reviews, unlike the first film, and grossed $350 million against a $60 million budget.


 * Captain Underkid: Fallen Heroes (2020)

A third film, Captain Underkid: Fallen Heroes, was released on January 3, 2020. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Tim Hill. Lennon Richardson and Gabriel Combs reprise their roles as Captain Underkid and No-Shirt Boy for the film. New cast members include Colbi Shofler as Pajama Man, Dylan Bond as Bug Man, Josh Brolin as Chaos, and Josh Gad and Bill Murray as Chaos’ henchmen. The film received positive reviews, and grossed $1 billion against a $300 million budget.


 * Captain Underkid: The End is Near (2021)

A fourth and final film, Captain Underkid: The End is Near, was released on January 1, 2021. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Tim Hill. Lennon Richardson, Gabriel Combs, Josh Brolin, Darcy Combs, Colbi Shofler, Dylan Bond, Mark Hamill, Chris Pine, Josh Gad, and Bill Murray reprise their roles as Captain Underkid, No-Shirt Boy, Chaos, Captain Undergirl, Pajama Man, Bug Man, Professor Private, Doctor Danger, and Chaos’ henchmen. The film received critical acclaim and received $1.4 billion against a $100 million budget.

Spin-Off Series


 * Pajama Man, the first spin-off in the franchise, was released on May 7, 2017. It was directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Tim Hill. The film stars Colbi Shofler as Pajama Man, Chris Pine as Doctor Danger, Dylan Bond as Bug Man, Paul Bettany as Captain Stone, Patrick Wilson as Principal Barber, Jeremy Ray Taylor as Josh the Bully, Chris Pratt as Tom Walker, and Megan Fox as Mary Walker, while Lennon Richardson and Gabriel Combs appear in uncredited cameos as Captain Underkid and No-Shirt Boy. The film received generally positive reviews and grossed $800 million against a $40 million budget.
 * Pajama Man: The Dark Dimension, the second and final spin-off in the franchise, is once again directed by Robert Rodriguez and written by Tim Hill. Colbi Shofler, Dylan Bond, Paul Bettany, Patrick Wilson, Jeremy Ray Taylor, Chris Pratt, and Megan Fox all reprise their roles as Pajama Man, Bug Man, Captain Stone, Principal Barber, Josh the Bully, Tom Walker, and Mary Walker. New cast members include Noah Schnapp as Lightning Bolt. The film received generally positive reviews and grossed $950 million against a $60 million budget.

Future
The franchise was originally scheduled to have a third Pajama Man film and a Fistboy and the Golden Fist film, but the creators decided to release Captain Underkid: The End is Near as the conclusion of the franchise, giving that they can’t make any more films due to Captain Underkid’s retirement. However, director Robert Rodriguez stated that a fifth Captain Underkid film is “possible”, creating an extended universe and turning the franchise into a shared universe centered on superhero films, but stated that the idea is “unlikely”. Later, Rodriguez confirmed that a fifth Captain Underkid film is in development, while a third Pajama Man film, titled Pajama Man: Aftermath, is scheduled for a May 2021 release.

Cast and Characters
Protagonists


 * Captain Underkid (played by Lennon Richardson): Captain Underkid is the main protagonist in the franchise. He is a superhero with many superpowers and a leader to heroes. In the first film, he became Captain Underkid. In the second film, he fought No-Shirt Boy and they teamed up again. In the third film, he rejoined No-Shirt Boy and teamed up with Pajama Man and Bug Man to stop a new villain named Chaos. In the fourth and final film, he prepared for his final battle against Chaos and ended up retiring from being a superhero after No-Shirt Boy’s death.
 * No-Shirt Boy (played by Gabriel Combs): No-Shirt Boy is the secondary protagonist in the franchise. He is a superhero with many superpowers and Captain Underkid’s partner. In the first film, he became No-Shirt Boy. In the second film, he fought with Captain Underkid and they teamed up again. In the third film, he rejoined Captain Underkid and died in battle. In the fourth and final film, he came back to life and joined Captain Underkid for their final battle against Chaos.
 * Pajama Man (played by Colbi Shofler): Pajama Man is a major protagonist in the franchise. He is a superhero with many superpowers and the newest hero. In the first film, he became Pajama Man and teamed up with Bug Man. In the second film, he escaped a Prison and saved the world. In the third film, he teamed up with Captain Underkid and Bug Man to fight Chaos. In the fourth and final film, he teamed up with Captain Underkid, Bug Man, and No-Shirt Boy to end their battle with Chaos.
 * Bug Man (played by Dylan Bond): Bug Man is a major protagonist in the franchise. He is a superhero who can turn into any bug he wants and the partner of Pajama Man. In the first film, he became Bug Man and fought with Pajama Man. In the second film, he helped Pajama Man escape Prison. In the third film, he teamed up with Captain Underkid and Pajama Man to fight Chaos. In the fourth and final film, he teamed up with Captain Underkid, Pajama Man, and No-Shirt Boy to end their battle with Chaos.

Antagonists


 * Chaos (played by Josh Brolin): Chaos is the main antagonist in the franchise. He is a super villain from another planet who plots to wipe out every hero in the universe. He was also introduced in the third film. In the third film, he fought and killed Captain Underkid and No-Shirt Boy. In the fourth film, he was killed by the heroes in an effort to save the universe.
 * Professor Private (played by Mark Hamill): Professor Private is a major antagonist in the franchise. He is a mad scientist who appears in every film, besides the third. In the first film, he tried to kill Captain Underkid. In the second film, he tried to destroy a city. In the fourth film, he was killed by Captain Underkid.
 * Doctor Danger (played by Chris Pine): Doctor Danger is a major antagonist in the franchise. He is a mad scientist who appears in the first film and the arch enemy of Panama Man. In the first film, he tried to kill Pajama Man. In the second film, his powers were replicated for a new villain.
 * Captain Stone (played by Paul Bettany): Captain Stone is a major antagonist in the franchise. He is a mad scientist who created Pajama Man and Doctor Danger’s powers and only appeared in the first two films in the franchise. In the first film, he accidentally gave Pajama Man superpowers. In the second film, it was revealed that he was controlled by a new villain.
 * Lightning Bolt (played by Noah Schnapp): Lightning Bolt is a major antagonist in the franchise. He is a Lightning-themed super villain who poses as a superhero and only appeared in the second film in the franchise. In the second film, he controlled Captain Stone and tried to kill Pajama Man.

Film Reception

 * Captain Underkid (2016)
 * Critical Reception: 34% (based on 672 reviews)
 * Audience Reception: 61% (based on 677 reviews)
 * Budget: 40 million
 * Box Office: 354 million
 * Pajama Man (2017)
 * Critical Reception: 71% (based on 784 reviews)
 * Audience Reception: 87% (based on 777 reviews)
 * Budget: $40 million
 * Box Office: $800 million
 * Captain Underkid: More Wars (2018)
 * Critical Reception: 74% (based on 566 reviews)
 * Audience Reception: 87% (based on 777 reviews)
 * Budget: $60 million
 * Box Office: $350 million
 * Pajama Man: The Dark Dimension (2019)
 * Critical Reception: 82% (based on 567 reviews)
 * Audience Reception: 95% (based on 781 reviews)
 * Budget: $60 million
 * Box Office: $950 million
 * Captain Underkid: Fallen Heroes (2020)
 * Critical Reception: 86% (based on 999 reviews)
 * Audience Recaption: 91% (based on 999 reviews)
 * Budget: $300 million
 * Box Office: $1 billion
 * Captain Underkid: The End is Near (2021)
 * Critical Reception: 95% (based on 987 reviews)
 * Audience Reception: 100% (based on 1,000 reviews)
 * Budget: $100 million
 * Box Office: $1.4 billion
 * Pajama Man: Aftermath (2021)
 * Critical Reception: TBA
 * Audience Reception: TBA
 * Budget: $100 million
 * Box office: TBA
 * Captain Underkid: Aftermath (2022)