# Gilligan's Island Castaways as superheroes **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 3, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207 "2019-10-03T14:47:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/1 "2019-10-03T14:47:30Z")
Branching off this thread, [Bob Denver as the joker](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=882985). Suppose the castaways find a tropical berry that gives them super powers. What kind of heroes would each one become? What kind of superhero team would they have? Would the berry enhance their natural abilities, like the Professor becoming super intelligent, maybe Mr. Howell has Midas like ability to turn things to gold? What is a super-Gilligan? Anyhoo, toss out some ideas, hard to go wrong in this kind of hypothetical. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/2 "2019-10-03T14:51:34Z")
Neat topic! No specific powers come to mind, but I’d love to see Ginger and Mary Ann in some skimpy superheroine costumes. Nifty! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/3 "2019-10-03T14:53:59Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > Would the berry enhance their natural abilities, like the Professor becoming super intelligent, maybe Mr. Howell has Midas like ability to turn things to gold? What is a super-Gilligan? Perhaps things go wonky; Gilligan is the super-intelligent one and the Professor gains super-strength, or something else you wouldn’t expect. Maybe the Skipper gets the power to talk to fish and swim underwater (like Aquaman). ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/4 "2019-10-03T14:54:59Z")
Would any of them gain the superpower of knowing how to fix a boat? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/5 "2019-10-03T14:55:48Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Perhaps things go wonky; Gilligan is the super-intelligent one and the Professor gains super-strength, or something else you wouldn’t expect. Maybe the Skipper gets the power to talk to fish and swim underwater (like Aquaman). I was thinking something Aquaman like for the Skipper. I can see him in the form of Neptune holding a trident. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/6 "2019-10-03T15:04:57Z")
Gilligan becomes the Joker, and evilly foils every plan the castaways have to get off the island. Why? Because it makes him feel good. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/7 "2019-10-03T15:06:23Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Would any of them gain the superpower of knowing how to fix a boat? The boat is their kryptonite. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/8 "2019-10-03T15:18:55Z")
I imagine Mr Howell turns into a super villain (because every super hero need someone to oppose them. Like a balanced force, or something.) So Mr Howell becomes Moneybags, a money themed villain. All his weapons and gadgets are themed - dollar sign shaped throwing stars, guns that fire coins, spherical bombs with $ on them. And he dresses like the guy in Monopoly, but cackles like Mr Magoo. Lovey becomes his henchwoman, the Forcloser. Ginger becomes a half-villain, like catwoman. She’s Jungle princess, and she wears a skin tight leopard print thing. And she has a foot long prehensile forked tongue, because, why not? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/9 "2019-10-03T15:21:32Z")
I could totally see this as a 1970s-era Saturday morning cartoon. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/10 "2019-10-03T15:26:21Z")
And since they can’t leave the island, all these super heroes and villains end up shorthanded in the victim department, like playing baseball with five people. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/11 "2019-10-03T15:30:14Z")
You all are failing in your _Gilligan’s Island_ knowledge, because they actually did this episode. A crate of radioactive seeds wash up on the island, the castaways grow vegetables from them, and eating the vegetables gives three of them superpowers. Gilligan eats the radioactive spinach, and gets Popeye-like super strength. Mary Ann eats radioactive carrots, and gets the ability to see for miles. Mrs. Howell eats radioactive sugar beets, and gets super speed. Finally, they are cured by eating soap, which counteracts the radiation, because of course it does. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/12 "2019-10-03T15:31:09Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I imagine Mr Howell turns into a super villain (because every super hero need someone to oppose them. Like a balanced force, or something.) > > So Mr Howell becomes Moneybags, a money themed villain. All his weapons and gadgets are themed - dollar sign shaped throwing stars, guns that fire coins, spherical bombs with $ on them. And he dresses like the guy in Monopoly, but cackles like Mr Magoo. Lovey becomes his henchwoman, the Forcloser. Mr. Howell is just a facade. Mrs. Howell is the power pulling strings behind the scenes. ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/13 "2019-10-03T15:51:50Z")
There was also an episode where they all gain telepathy. ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/14 "2019-10-03T15:52:48Z")
I seem to recall reading a paper arguing that Gilligan’s Island was actually Hell, and Gilligan was Satan tormenting the castaways. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/15 "2019-10-03T15:59:35Z")
7 Castaways = 7 Deadly Sins 1.Lust - Ginger 2.Gluttony - Skipper 3.Greed - Mr. Howell 4.Sloth - Gilligan 5.Wrath - Professor 6.Envy - Mary Ann 7.Pride - Mrs. Howell ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/16 "2019-10-03T16:07:39Z")
I think we were associating the castaways to the seven deadly sins thirty years ago but as I remember, we decided that the Skipper represented wrath, not the Professor. ---
**Author:** ![PlumBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@PlumBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlumBob)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/17 "2019-10-03T16:16:54Z")
They did a super power episode… Radioactive vegetables: Gilligan had super strength. Spinach Mary Ann had super vision. Carrots Mrs Howell had super speed. ??? Darn someone beat me to it… ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/18 "2019-10-03T16:35:14Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > 7 Castaways = 7 Deadly Sins > > 1.Lust - Ginger > 2.Gluttony - Skipper > 3.Greed - Mr. Howell > 4.Sloth - Gilligan > 5.Wrath - Professor > 6.Envy - Mary Ann > 7.Pride - Mrs. Howell I think Skipper exhibits Wrath more often than Gluttony. Casting Gilligan as Sloth is a bit ironic; it seemed to me that he and Skipper did most of the manual labor on the island. Maybe he’s intellectually lazy? ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/19 "2019-10-03T16:42:09Z")
I could see Gilligan as a cross between Billy Batson and Ralph Hinkley. He utters a magic word that gives him awesome powers, but he doesn’t know how to use them effectively. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2019, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207/20 "2019-10-03T16:55:22Z")
Mr Howell already has a superpower, being rich. That’s the best power to have for both Marvel and DC. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/gilligans-island-castaways-as-superheroes/841207.md?page=2)