Canada's superhero: Justin Trudeau to appear on cover of Marvel comic

Ramos Perez

Prime minister? Superhero? Marvel is blurring the lines by featuring Justin Trudeau on the cover of their August 31 issue of Civil War II: Choosing Sides.

The cover – which is a variant – was drawn by award-winning artist Ramon Perez and written by Chip Zdarsky, a Canadian writer and artist from Edmonton.

In the storyline, Iron Man and Captain Marvel fight against each other over a moral quandary that’s set at the heart of Civil War II. The members of Alpha Fight – Puck Aurora, and Sasquatch – have to decide which side to take and seek advice from their old boss, Justin Trudeau.

The alternate cover depicts Trudeau in the corner of a boxing ring with a Canadian flag tank top, red boxing gloves, his famous First Nations tattoo, and a smile spread across his face.

Image: Ramon Perez

Perez tells Daily Hive that Marvel’s idea was to have Trudeau in a suit and tie, but he had other plans.

“He’s a unique individual, so why not add a little more personality than just a regular political image,” he says. “Originally I was going to do him topless in the ring, but Marvel editorial was like ‘well, why don’t we throw a shirt on him?’ But it was the perfect spot for the maple leaf so it worked out well.”

When Marvel first approached Perez to do the project, he says he was thrilled.

“How often do you get an opportunity like this to draw a prominent political figure or any celebrity for that matter? I couldn’t help but say yes, especially with a character that’s representative of my country, and also someone I voted for.”

Justin, however, isn’t the first Trudeau to appear in a Marvel comic book. The likeness of his father, Pierre Trudeau, appeared in an April, 1979 issue of X-Men titled “Chaos in Canada.”

Image: Marvel Comics

Fans can pre-order issue number five of Civil War II through their local comic book stores, or a digital copy at comicstore.marvel.com.