Captain Planet was formed by combining the powers of the rings of the five Planeteers, which represented the four Classical elements: Earth (wielded by Kwame), Fire (Wheeler), Wind (Linka), Water (Gi) - and the additional power of Heart (Ma-Ti). All of these people represented a major ethnicity and each one of them came from a different continent. Upon his formation, he proclaims, "By YOUR powers combined, I am Captain Planet!".
Captain Planet is the combined and magnified powers of all five of the Planeteers' rings, and stands for all that is good and environmentally-friendly. The Captain is sky-blue skinned, with a grass-green mullet and eyebrows. He wears red shorts, a half-shirt and gauntlets with matching red knee-high boots. His body is composed mainly of a crystal compound.
Captain Planet has a very impressive array of powers: he can fly, has great strength, the ability to blow hurricane force winds, telepathy, telekinesis, shapeshifting, matter transmutation, and virtually any other super-power required by the circumstances currently facing him, which, in fact was one of the criticisms against the show. Much like Superman and his kryptonite, however, Captain Planet also possesses weaknesses to pollution, radiation, toxic waste, smog, etc. The powers of the Planeteers' rings are also diminished by excessive pollution in the environment around them. He, like Gaia, is also bound to the physical realm of Earth: while capable of flying into space, his powers -- and even his very existence -- begin to fade the further away he gets from the planet. Conversely, Captain Planet is often healed from the damage he sustains from pollution by absorbing solar energy.
Captain Planet is an ancient entity, who has served with Gaia for many centuries (possibly even longer). While his appearance and certain mannerisms are taken directly from the minds of the Planeteers, he is a sentient being, with his own will. He is also quite aware of current events, even those that occur when he is not active. His modern-day superhero attire and name seem to stem from the modern world, as even Gaia does not give his name in the beginning. Any previous names or forms were never revealed, however.
Captain Planet is possessed of a wry sense of humor and has been known to crack jokes and use puns at times as well.
Though powerful, he has become depowered at least twice in the series. In one episode, when the powers of heart and earth could not return to their rings due to being in outer space; Captain Planet was re-formed with only those two rings, effectively leaving him with only the earth and heart abilities (wind is necessary to fly); this could be taken as meaning that Earth and Heart are the bare minimum requirements for his existence, with Earth representing his "body" and Heart representing his "soul". In another, when Gaia was taken from Hope Island and turned into a regular human, both Captain Planet and the rings lost their powers, leaving Captain Planet powerless and weak as a normal human. In this story, he was also forced to wear an old hat and coat taken from a dumpster to "blend in" while they searched for the missing Gaia.
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