Can A Canadian Prime Minister Be An Action Hero? Marvel Comics Thinks So

Enlarge this image toggle caption Artwork by Ramon Perez/Courtesy of Marvel Artwork by Ramon Perez/Courtesy of Marvel

Justin Trudeau has had a number of careers: schoolteacher, snowboard instructor, and since last year, prime minister of Canada. Now he's an action hero. A new issue of Civil War II from Marvel Comics, being released Aug. 31, has Trudeau facing evil-doers in the halls of Canada's Parliament — and in the boxing ring.

The front cover shows Trudeau sitting in the corner of a boxing ring, elbows resting on the ropes. He's wearing boxing shorts, a tank top emblazoned with a large maple leaf and a smile that's a bit difficult to read.

"I was going for a little bit of, I guess, a little bit of attitude, a little bit of smugness, like you don't know if he's already been boxing for a little bit and he's going back in, or he's just starting out and gearing himself up," says Ramon Perez, the cartoonist behind the depictions of Trudeau.

The Toronto-based Perez says his original drafts showed Trudeau bare-chested, but Marvel thought this might be a little too risque.

"And then about two weeks or three weeks ago, Justin's popping up in media topless, here and there, camping with his family and stuff like that," says Perez, laughing. "And I'm like, there you go, we could have had him topless."

The image of the 44-year-old Trudeau is one of two covers Marvel Comics is using for its latest edition. The company will often produce a regular issue and one with a variant cover, which is usually in greater demand by collectors. The story line remains the same.

The issue with Trudeau on the cover — the variant — features a Canadian superhero squad called Alpha Flight, with members who have access to information about crimes in the future. The main cover only shows members of the Alpha Flight squad.

Enlarge this image toggle caption Artwork by Ramón Pérez/Courtesy of Marvel Artwork by Ramón Pérez/Courtesy of Marvel

Comic book author Chip Zdarsky, also based in Toronto, wrote the action story. He's the one who came up with the idea to feature Trudeau, who he thinks is a bit of an action man in real life.

"It kind of just made sense, like this opportunity to have a Canadian-driven story at a time when Trudeau just keeps making headlines as Canada's cool prime minister," he says.

Zdarsky says he wouldn't have been able to do the same thing with Trudeau's predecessor, Stephen Harper, who was seen as more business-like.

"That would have been a little trickier. His only superpower, as far as I know, is awkwardly playing Beatles medleys on piano," Zdarsky says.

When Zdarsky approached Trudeau's office to get the okay, the response was it couldn't approve using Trudeau in the comic, but wouldn't stand in the way, either.

While Marvel Comics, based in New York, rarely features world leaders, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Justin's late father and Canada's former prime minister, did make an appearance back in 1979, as did President Obama in 2009. Marvel Comics editor Will Moss says he's sure this edition with the younger Trudeau will do well.

Enlarge this image toggle caption Artwork by Ramón Pérez/Courtesy of Marvel Artwork by Ramón Pérez/Courtesy of Marvel

"I think he's somebody that a lot of Americans are aware of and I know several women here in our office are big fans of Justin Trudeau," he says.

Moss says the story focuses on a character named Ulysses who can see into the future crimes before they happen. The Alpha Flight team is divided over whether to use that information to arrest people for crimes they haven't yet committed. Moss says they turn to Trudeau for guidance.

"It's natural they would want to seek counsel from the leader of their country," he says. "They seek his counsel and then he blows off some steam with Iron Man in the boxing ring."

The creators won't give away any more of the story line. They just hope Trudeau gets a chance to pick up the latest Marvel Comic. As for Trudeau himself, he's maintaining a heroically discreet silence about his superpowers.