Team Four: Eternal characters who have a hard time dying.
Duncan MacLeod (Highlander: The Series)
Vandal Savage (DC Comics, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow)
Captain Jack Harkness (Doctor Who, Torchwood)
Spike (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel)
Fictional heroes, villains, and everyone in between have formed unlikely alliances to answer a common calling: which group of kindred characters is the mightiest of them all? United by a shared theme, troops of four fabulous fictional characters will figuratively compete in a tournament of television, movie, and literature’s finest where only one foursome can be crowned kings and queens of popular entertainment. Join in on the roll call to learn more about these similar characters and delve into their individual histories. It's time to assemble the analogous all-stars and find out who is the best, one team at a time.
There are pop culture icons that seem to have existed since time immemorial, and this nigh-invulnerable squad consists of some of fiction’s most interesting immortals. Their individual histories span centuries, each possessing their own signature skills and abilities. Let’s explore the legacies of these ageless wonders and determine if their combined longevity can carry them to victory.
Immortals, assemble!
3. Captain Jack Harkness
First appearance: Doctor Who (“The Empty Child” episode 9, season 1, 2005)
Popular entertainment of 2005:
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith - film starring Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor
Grey’s Anatomy - television series starring Ellen Pompeo
Twilight, Book 1: Twilight - novel written by Stephanie Meyer
Javic Piotr Thane (played by John Barrowman) was born in the future—-or the past, depending on your perspective. For time-hopping adventurers, chronological order can get messy. As a Time Agent, Thane became well-versed in navigating through the centuries, but after losing his memory and adopting the alias of Jack Harkness, time got even “wimey-er.”
At a young age, Thane (played by Jack Montgomery in flashbacks) and his family experienced tragedy when creatures attacked his home. His brother, Gray, was lost in the chaos and presumed dead, devastating Thane. After Thane recruits a friend to combat the “horrible” invaders, they are captured. While his friend was tortured and killed, the enemies released Thane, penancing him with the memory of another failure.
Later in life, Thane signed up to serve in the Time Agency, an organization dedicated to preserving and protecting the timeline. Hailing from the Boeshane Peninsula, Thane represented his homeland, and was nicknamed the “Face of Boe.” After a period of going on dangerous missions, Thane discovers that his superiors erased a portion of his memories, resulting in Thane leaving the Agency.
Thane ended up a time-crossing con-artist, utilizing his historical knowledge to swindle his way to easy riches. It was during this era that he began going under the name of Captain Jack Harkness, a deceased WWII pilot. While running a scam involving alien technology on Earth during the time of the London Blitz, Harkness encounters the Time Lord known as the Doctor (played by Christopher Eccleston) and his companion at the time, Rose Tyler (played by Billie Piper).
Harkness joins the time-traveling duo and explores the cosmos with them. One of their particularly deadly escapades found them battling the sinister cybernetic beings known as the Daleks. In an effort to thwart the Daleks’ plan to abduct innocent civilians and assimilate them into drone servants, Harkness fought alongside a resistance force determined to destroy their oppressors. While defending a rebel stronghold, Harkness is killed by the robotic slavers and it seems all is lost. Previously, Rose gained astonishing powers by unleashing energy from the Doctor’s time machine known as the TARDIS. Using her godlike gifts, Rose resurrects Harkness but in doing so, creates a paradoxical condition: Harkness’s existence is explained to be a “fixed point” in time, essentially making him immortal. The cataclysmic events of the Daleks’ defeat resulted in Harkness getting stranded in time. Knowing that the energy from the “heart” of the TARDIS would eventually kill Rose, the Doctor forcibly causes her to relinquish her powers. This overwhelms the Doctor, triggering a regeneration of his own, and as the vessel dematerializes into a vortex of spacetime, Harkness is unable to accompany them.
Now an everlasting being, and a temporal conundrum, Harkness lives through several centuries and eventually joined a secret organization called Torchwood and worked with them to defend Earth. His extraordinary life amassed a staggering wealth of experience and skills, including combat and leadership training. Harkness’ knowledge of advanced technology and his cunning wit makes him a worthy ally for any outfit. Though he is used to working with teams, Harkness can be a swashbuckling rogue. Time will tell if his cavalier attitude will create problems with his fellow immortal men.
These perpetual participants are an intriguing foursome, but they’ll need more than longevity if they want to advance over the Spin-Off Superstars in what could be any kind of challenge—they’ll all need to keep their heads on a swivel, and just plain keep their heads.
Stay in the loop for more details by subscribing to Jonfiction Blog on Substack and be sure to check out jonmcbrine.com for more info about this and my books.
New blog every Monday. Jon McBrine Newsletter first Monday of each month via email.
