The late Elvis Presley has served as an inspiration for many and continues to do so even today, but the rock ’n roll legend had his own heroes as well. One person who was enamored enough with Presley to become him in a movie is Austin Butler, the star of Bas Luhrmann’s biopic Elvis. The film is slated to hit theaters on June 24.
Ahead of the movie’s release, Butler spoke with IGN about the film and touched on some of Presley’s influences. As Butler explains, Presley was a fan of superheroes, particularly that of Captain Marvel Jr., as that’s where he got the idea for how to style his hair. Butler also feels that Presley really resonated with the background stories that so many superheroes have which sees them emerging from great personal struggles to become a phenomenon.
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Elvis Presley Loved Captain Marvel Jr.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Director Baz Luhrmann also spoke about Elvis Presley’s love for comics. He refers to an interview with Presley where he can be heard mentioning his childhood dreams of becoming a superhero.
Luhrmann also explains how there’s a museum in Tupelo displaying an actual Captain Marvel Jr. comic book Presley owned as a kid, which clearly shows the signs of being “well-worn” from many reads. The director also points out some of the other ways the comic helped influence the late singer’s style.
Tom Hanks, who plays Colonel Tom Parker in the movie, also feels that “superhero” is a good way of describing Presley. This would be the iconic entertainer’s extraordinary way of capturing the attention of the entire world with the way he performed in a way no other singer could ever duplicate. As Hanks puts it:
Elvis will be released on June 24, 2022.
