A new British invasion is under way — and this time, they’ve got superpowers.
The past few years have seen a takeover of many of our American superhero capes and cowls by a phalanx of British actors.
The latest, Charlie Cox, showed up last weekend as Matt Murdock, the star of Netflix’s “Daredevil.” Previously, you might have seen him on “Downton Abbey” as the Duke of Crowborough — a name that couldn’t be more British if it were served alongside a Yorkshire pudding.
Cox carries the mantle of Daredevil well, playing a street-tough lawyer who was blinded in an accident as a child, wildly heightening his other senses — and turning him into a vigilante protector of Hell’s Kitchen.
And he’s just the latest limey to land a major superhero part. Christian Bale hailed from Wales before he growled his way through “The Dark Knight” trilogy; Superman, that most American of superheroes, who stands for “truth, justice and the American way,” is now played by Brit Henry Cavill.
Andrew Garfield — the most recent Spider-Man — was born in LA but raised in Surrey. Patrick Stewart (Professor X) and Ian McKellen (Magneto) are proper British gents.
Marvel-universe mystic Doctor Strange will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch in an upcoming movie.
And “Avengers: Age of Ultron” will be huge when it opens May 1, thanks in part to the Queen’s subjects Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver) and Paul Bettany (Vision).
Even outside the British Isles, we’re still not holding onto our superheroes: Israeli actress Gal Gadot, who won Miss Israel in 2004, is playing Wonder Woman; Aussie Hugh Jackman is the longest-serving comic-book-hero actor for his portrayal of Wolverine — and he’s got at least one more outing with the claws.
What happened? Superheroes, comic books and the big movies they inspire were born in the USA. They are the essence of the American spirit: egalitarians with the self-reliance that fueled pioneers from the Western frontier to the streets of Gotham.
Take Superman — created in Cleveland in 1933 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, the children of Jewish immigrants. They birthed a corn-fed American farm boy who later took on the gee-willikers idealism of post-Depression America.
In “Daredevil,” the hero is pure NYC: Raised on the tough streets of Hell’s Kitchen as the son of a boxer, Murdock dedicates his life to saving the neighborhood from organized crime.
Do casting decisions impugn our national pride? Let’s hope not, as most of these people have done fine jobs (Stewart and McKellen) or were at least serviceable (Cavill).
But the medium of comics and superheroes is such a distinctly American one that to cede them to foreigners seems wrong, like measuring Super Bowl gains in meters.
But there is one shining light of American heroism on the horizon — and that light looks a lot like the Bat signal: Yes, Ben Affleck is now our country’s great hope.
When Affleck was announced as the new Batman, he had his detractors. (I’m not one of them. To paraphrase Kevin Smith, I’d cast him as the shark in “Jaws.”)
But look at him! The man has the profile of an American superhero: square jaw, wide shoulders and a chin cleft so deep you could drive an SUV through it.
Superman might be the most iconic American superhero, but Batman is our gritty soul. With no superpowers to speak of (well, unless you count wealth), he trains himself, physically and mentally, to take down evil.
Affleck’s own tale of skyrocketing celebrity, followed by humiliating downfall and grinding rise back to respectability, is the story of America in a nutshell.
That’s important — because “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” is going to square off the two heroes for at least part of the film: the Brit (Cavill/ Superman) relying on brute strength and Batman (USA! USA!) having to outwit and outflank him.
Sounds like ye olde American Revolution. Beware, Brits: The Batman is coming.
Check out the leaked “Batman V Superman” here: