As you might’ve guessed from my deep dive into all the enemies of Golden Axe, I’m a bit of a stan for old school beat-’em-ups. And in the early ’90s — the golden age of the genre — Capcom was arguably king. The same studio now best known for Monster Hunter, Resident Evil, and Street Fighter also built an impressive roster of side-scrolling brawlers back in the day, including Final Fight, Alien vs. Predator, Dungeons and Dragons: Shadow over Mystara and Knights of the Round.
One lesser-known gem from Capcom’s legendary lineup of ’90s beat-’em-ups is Captain Commando — a game packed with some of the quirkiest characters the genre has ever seen, heroes and villains alike.
If Final Fight is Capcom’s glorious beat-’em-up homage to ’80s action movies — with main character Mike Haggar taking a break from his Metro City mayoral duties to suplex street thugs and save his daughter in nothing but brown shoes, olive trousers, and a leather strap stretched over his man-mountain muscled torso — then Captain Commando is Capcom’s love letter to superheroes with a futuristic twist. Interestingly, the game is also set in Metro City, but in the year 2026, tying it subtly to the world of Final Fight.
Unfortunately, by the year 2026, Mike Haggar and his crew are no longer around to protect the city, which has since been overrun by gangs of genetically mutated “Super Criminals” led by the evil genetic engineer Scumocide (known as Genocide in Japan).
Luckily, Captain Commando and his quirky crew—the Commando Companions—are up for the fight. Some of these fun characters might ring a bell for younger fans who’ve seen them in the Marvel vs. Capcom games, where Captain Commando is playable and his buddies pop up as special move assists.
Here’s a look back at all the playable characters in Captain Commando.
Captain Commando
It’s a shame Captain Commando never really caught on as one of Capcom’s main mascots, because he’s got a cool look and a solid concept.
Although he went through several redesigns before his ’90s debut—originally appearing as a fictional spokesperson on Capcom’s ad packaging—the beat-’em-up version, envisioned by legendary Capcom artist and planner Akiman, clearly draws from two of the Avengers’ most iconic heroes.
His blonde crew cut, super-soldier build, strong moral compass, and natural leadership skills (he’s leader of the Commando Team), evoke Captain America. At the same time, his high-tech armor, chestplate, and gauntlets are a clear nod to Iron Man. And much like Tony Stark, Captain Commando isn’t just a hero—he’s also a wealthy CEO, running a futuristic tech company called Star Electronics.
That superhero influence isn’t just skin-deep—it extends to his gear, which is packed with futuristic tech and over-the-top abilities worthy of a comic book. Commando’s gauntlets can fire electricity, unleash flames, and boost his strength; he wears high-tech goggles that scan faces and pull up a criminal database overlay; and his body armor is supposedly tough enough to withstand “a trillion degrees of heat” (who came to that conclusion, the same thermometrists behind the PokeDex entries?). Rounding it out are his armored boots, built to absorb the impact of long falls and deliver devastating kicks.
Commando crosses paths with the next character on account of his parents—respected scientists secretly researching alien technology. When Scumocide, the game’s main villain, murders them, it sets Commando on a mission that leads him to form the Commando Team alongside this new ally.
Mack the Knife
After those tragic events, Commando forms his squad with Mack the Knife—a subsonic, knife-wielding alien mummy from the planet Genetic. Honestly, Mack might just be the weirdest character in Captain Commando’s lineup—and that’s saying something, because, well… we’ll get to that with the next entry.
Mack’s alien technology isn’t just the key to powering the rest of the squad’s armor—including Commando’s—it also explains his own bizarre appearance: wrapped head-to-toe in purple genetic bandages, rocking a backwards orange hat (a gift from Captain Commando when they first met), and sporting matching orange parachute pants ripped at the knees. (It was the early ’90s—MC Hammer was a big deal.)
Of course, Mack’s appearance still doesn’t explain why the planet Genetic follows ancient Egyptian mummification rituals—or why he, and not the next character on our list, a ninja named Ginzu, is the one to wield molecule-melting blades. Honestly though, an alien mummy warrior decked out in bright ’90s drip is so entertaining, it’s hard to complain about the details.
As an alien, Mack towers over the other characters—but unlike the slow, lumbering mummies you see in horror movies, he’s lean and lightning-fast. His special move is one of the flashiest and most satisfying in the game: a spinning attack that turns him into a cyclone of blades and whiplashing bandages, shredding anything in his path. He also has a dash attack where he lunges forward with both knives, and a grab move where he repeatedly stabs enemies with ruthless efficiency.
Ginzu
Just when you think things can’t get any weirder, along comes the most conventional member of the team—a sword-wielding ninja.
That the “most normal” of the playable characters in Captain Commando is a ninja named Ginzu is a testament to just how stacked its roster is.
Still, even with power-armored commandos and dagger-wielding mummies on your side, choosing the ninja was hard to resist—especially as a nine-year-old.
Ginzu’s look is inspired by Shinobi (he’s called Sho in the Japanese version), with his headband and cowl combining to form his mask. His name comes from the famously “indestructible” Ginsu kitchen knives—which, even at age eight, I knew could slice through just about anything, thanks to their relentless infomercial advertising campaign.
Thanks to Mack’s alien technology, Ginzu’s sword—named “Lightning Light”—can only be wielded by him and can cut things down to an atomic level. His special move, Smoke Bomb, does exactly what it sounds like: he disappears in a puff of smoke that then explodes, taking out nearby enemies.
Ginzu is a reliable choice in Captain Commando, but if you’re looking for a character that truly highlights why this game is one of the quirkiest beat-’em-ups of the ’90s, look no further than the next entry on our list.
Baby Head
Remember when I said Ginzu, the sword-wielding ninja, was the most conventional character in Captain Commando? That’s because Baby Head exists.
Arguably one of the most unique, hilarious, and wholesomely absurd (on the surface anyway) beat-’em-up protagonists ever conceived, Baby Head is also, for me, the most conflicting. Yes, he’s a literal infant — wearing a salmon-colored onesie, suckling a pacifier, and just so happens to pilot a towering humanoid mech named Silverfist like it’s just another Tuesday at daycare.
But when you dig a little deeper, Baby Head’s backstory gets… a bit messed up. He’s not just a drooling, diaper-soiling baby bumbling through boss fights — he’s actually a two-year-old super-genius whose consciousness has been taken over by his own great-grandfather. Yes, this is literally what the in-game description says:
Now, whether or not that raises some serious ethical questions in Metro City— like why Baby Head’s granddaughter would be okay with letting her grandfather reincarnate himself in her toddler — is a whole other can of baby food. Maybe there’s a missing detail or deeper lore I overlooked. But if there is, Capcom’s writers certainly didn’t bother clarifying it in the Captain Commando manual.
Still, ethically questionable brain transfers aside, Baby Head is — as you might expect — one of the most fun characters to play in Captain Commando.
According to the official description, Baby Head’s mech, Silverfist, weighs in at a hefty 1,280.4 pounds and packs a staggering 12,000 horsepower — something you can absolutely feel in the way he stomps around the screen. He doesn’t just pummel enemies with fists that hit like hydraulic pistons; he’s practically a walking war machine. Each foot is equipped with hover jets, and his legs contain built-in “missile production facilities” that power a devastating missile launcher.
An additional note: Baby Head’s delightfully silly character design and gameplay is also what sparked my 5-year-old into wanting to play Captain Commando—a 33-year-old arcade game over stuff like Fortnite or Roblox – in the first place, which is pretty impressive. I just won’t get into the character’s surprisingly morbid backstory with him anytime soon.
What did you think of this look back at all the playable characters in Captain Commando? Was Captain Commando one of your favorite beat ‘em ups of the 90s despite its quirky characters?
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