as an invincible human replica to infiltrate Earth and lead their war against the planet. While under the control of the Mysterons, Scarlet tried to destroy Skybase, but was stopped in his efforts by Captain Blue. Falling down through a plasma stream, Scarlet was killed, but recovered later on in Sickbay, under the astonished eyes of Doctor Gold and other onlookers, and revealed himself to be fully free of the Mysterons' control. Metcalfe's human psyche had survived and regained control of his physical body. Instead of being killed by the power surge, Scarlet was only harmed temporarily, and was restored to life by the genetic mutation of the Mysteron "retrometabolisation" process which makes him virtually "indestructible". Scarlet is a dedicated Spectrum officer. First and foremost, he is a soldier on the front line of Earth's defenses. However, he is also tormented by what he has become not fully human. Utterly fearless and dedicated to saving the human race, for all Scarlet's heroism there is one thing that makes him very uneasy – his growing feelings for Destiny Angel, the girlfriend of his late friend, Black. Abilities Through his power of "retrometabolism", Scarlet can survive and heal from any injury, no matter how serious, though his recovery is never instantaneous. Further, in a few episodes, it is stated that he can feel a Mysteron's presence by feeling nauseated and unwell. In the pilot story ("Instrument of Destruction", Parts 1 and 2), it is also stated that Scarlet shared a kind of telepathic link with Captain Black, which Colonel White considers to be an advantage in the war against the Mysterons that he cannot dismiss. During the episode "Rat Trap", the Mysterons were able to contact Scarlet and to talk to him, while nobody else could hear them. It is not clear if this phenomenon was because he was on the Mysterons' home planet, or if he would hear them, wherever he might be, if they chose to contact him again. In "Chiller", it was revealed that, when particularly badly wounded, Scarlet's body has the capability to separate his emotional and physical selves so that the latter can heal quicker, leaving the former as a ghostlike apparition, detectable only by its coldness. Background and reception Commentators consider the original Captain Scarlet's appearance to be based on either Cary Grant, Roger Moore, or the character's voice actor, Francis Matthews. Scarlet's voice is widely