the wheels of a Mysteronised airliner using a Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (SPV). He serves as acting commanding officer of Cloudbase during White's absence in "White as Snow", and stands in for Lieutenant Green as communications officer in "Avalanche". Blue occasionally disobeys commands out of his own curiosity. For example, in "Renegade Rocket", he refuses to leave a military base that is being targeted by its own missile, electing to remain behind with Scarlet in an attempt to find the self-destruct code, and in "Special Assignment", being unaware that Scarlet's discharge from Spectrum is in fact part of the Captain's undercover mission, leaves Cloudbase without authorisation to find and reason with his friend. Physically active, Blue regularly practises surfing, water-skiing and deep-sea harpoon fishing. A romance with Symphony Angel is suggested in some episodes: in "Manhunt", Blue is distressed by Captain Black's abduction of Symphony and is anxious to venture into a nuclear power station to rescue her, while in "Attack on Cloudbase", the two characters share a long gaze after Symphony experiences a disturbing nightmare about the base's destruction. New Captain Scarlet In the 2005 remake, Blue is still a brave Spectrum officer and loyal companion; however, he is of stronger build and speaks with a rougher accent. He prefers to confront situations swiftly and has fewer reservations about using violence against the Mysterons than he did previously. He appears to have a romantic interest in Serena Lewis (the female Lieutenant Green), but this is never explicitly described as a relationship. Reception James Stansfield of the entertainment website Den of Geek describes Blue as Captain Scarlet's "trusty sidekick", adding that although the pair were equal in rank, Blue "was always the Robin to Scarlet's Batman". The character's subservience to Scarlet has been acknowledged by Bishop, who suggested that Blue "got a raw deal, because he was very heroic, you know. He was very close to Scarlet, and I pulled him out of some very sticky wickets". Cultural historian Nicholas J. Cull comments that Blue's nationality, coupled with his status as a "strong supporting character", is representative of a general shift away from the predominantly American protagonists of earlier Anderson series, including Thunderbirds. References Works cited American male characters in television Blue, Captain Fictional aviators Fictional characters from Boston Fictional Harvard University people Blue Male characters in animated series Television characters introduced in 1967 Television sidekicks