John Carter is the definitive pulp fiction hero, a character who bridges the gap between 19th-century adventure and 20th-century science fiction. Created by Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1912, he is a Civil War veteran from Virginia who is mysteriously transported to Mars—known to its inhabitants as Barsoom. On this dying planet, Carter finds that the lower gravity grants him superhuman strength and agility, enabling him to become a legendary warlord and the savior of the Martian people. While he is the protagonist of eleven novels, he gained modern global recognition through the 2012 Disney film directed by Andrew Stanton.

Who is John Carter of Mars?

Before there was Superman, there was John Carter. In the early 20th century, pulp magazines were the primary source of escapist entertainment, and it was in the pages of The All-Story that readers first encountered "Under the Moons of Mars" in 1912. The story was later published as the novel A Princess of Mars in 1917.

John Carter is not an ordinary man. Within the lore created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Carter is depicted as an immortal being who cannot remember a childhood. He has always appeared to be a man in his early thirties. He served as a Captain in the Confederate States Army during the American Civil War, but after the conflict ended, he sought a new life prospecting for gold in the Arizona territory. It was there, while hiding from Apache warriors in a mystical cave, that his physical body fell into a trance-like state, and his spirit was projected across the void of space to the surface of Mars.

On Mars, Carter discovers a world far different from the barren red rock described by modern telescopes. Burroughs’ Barsoom is a world of ancient civilizations, multi-armed giants, and soaring airships. Because Carter's bone density and muscles were forged in Earth’s heavier gravity, he possesses the ability to leap great distances and strike with devastating force on the Martian surface. These physical advantages, combined with his tactical brilliance and unwavering sense of honor, allow him to rise from a captive of the Tharks to the Warlord of Barsoom.

What is the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs?

The literary legacy of John Carter spans eleven books, collectively known as the Barsoom series. These novels define the "planetary romance" subgenre, blending elements of fantasy, swashbuckling adventure, and science fiction.

  1. A Princess of Mars (1917): The foundational text where Carter arrives on Mars, meets the green Tharks, and falls in love with Dejah Thoris, the Princess of Helium.
  2. The Gods of Mars (1918): Carter returns to Mars after a ten-year exile on Earth, discovering the dark secrets behind the Martian religion and the Valley Dor.
  3. The Warlord of Mars (1919): The conclusion of the initial trilogy, where Carter unites the warring factions of Barsoom and is crowned Warlord.
  4. Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1920): Focuses on Carter's son, Carthoris, expanding the scope of the world.
  5. The Chessmen of Mars (1922): A unique entry focusing on Carter's daughter, Tara, involving a deadly living version of the Martian game Jetan.
  6. The Master Mind of Mars (1928): Introduces the brilliant scientist Ras Thavas and explores the themes of consciousness and identity.
  7. A Fighting Man of Mars (1931): A standalone adventure that highlights the broader conflicts of the planet.
  8. Swords of Mars (1936): Carter travels to one of the Martian moons, Thuria.
  9. Synthetic Men of Mars (1940): A return to the laboratories of Ras Thavas.
  10. Llana of Gathol (1948): A collection of four interconnected novellas featuring Carter’s granddaughter.
  11. John Carter of Mars (1964): A posthumous collection that includes two shorter stories.

Burroughs was a master of world-building long before the term existed. He didn't just write action scenes; he designed a planet. He created languages, social hierarchies, and biological systems. The Red Martians, who resemble humans, live in highly advanced city-states like Helium and Zodanga. The Green Martians, or Tharks, are fifteen-foot-tall, four-armed warriors who value strength and emotional detachment. This intricate tapestry makes Barsoom feel like a lived-in reality rather than a mere backdrop for action.

How did John Carter become the original superhero?

If you look closely at the DNA of modern superheroes, you will find John Carter at the very base. When Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster created Superman in the late 1930s, they explicitly cited John Carter as a major influence. The early version of Superman didn't fly; he "leaped over tall buildings in a single bound"—a direct echo of John Carter’s gravity-defying jumps on Mars.

Carter represents the archetype of the "stranger in a strange land" who finds power through his differences. Unlike later heroes who gained powers through laboratory accidents or alien birth, Carter’s power is a matter of physics and perspective. His struggle to adapt his Earthly movements to the Martian environment serves as a metaphor for the immigrant experience or the soldier returning from war, trying to find a new purpose in a world that doesn't understand him.

Furthermore, Carter’s moral code is foundational to the hero trope. He is driven by a chivalric sense of duty. Despite being a man of war, he constantly strives for peace and the protection of the innocent. This duality—the fierce warrior and the gentle romantic—has been replicated in countless characters from Flash Gordon to Captain America.

Why did the 2012 John Carter movie fail at the box office?

In 2012, Disney released John Carter, a $250 million production directed by Pixar veteran Andrew Stanton. Despite its massive budget and the visionary talent behind it, the film became one of the biggest "box office bombs" in Hollywood history. However, looking at the film a decade later, the narrative of "failure" is more about marketing than quality.

The primary reason for the film's commercial struggle was its title. The original title was John Carter of Mars, which clearly signaled its genre. However, the Disney marketing department, fearful that "Mars" would alienate female audiences or that science fiction titles were "cursed," shortened it to just John Carter. This rendered the film anonymous. To the general public, "John Carter" sounded like a generic period piece or a legal drama, not a sprawling space epic.

Another factor was the "John Carter paradox." Because the character had influenced Star Wars, Dune, and Avatar, a faithful adaptation of the original 1912 story felt derivative to modern audiences who weren't aware of the history. When audiences saw the floating ships of Barsoom or the desert battles, they thought the movie was "ripping off" George Lucas, not realizing that George Lucas had actually borrowed those ideas from Burroughs.

Despite these hurdles, the 2012 film has developed a massive cult following. The visual effects, particularly the motion capture for the Tharks (played by actors like Willem Dafoe), remain breathtaking even by today's standards. Taylor Kitsch delivered a grounded, haunted performance as Carter, and Lynn Collins’ Dejah Thoris was celebrated for being a capable, brilliant scientist-warrior rather than a mere damsel in distress.

What are the key differences between the John Carter books and the movie?

While Andrew Stanton’s film is a love letter to the source material, certain changes were made to adapt a 100-year-old novel for modern sensibilities.

  • The Character of Dejah Thoris: In the original 1917 novel, Dejah Thoris is often the prize to be won or the victim to be rescued. In the 2012 film, she is a leading scientist in Helium and an expert swordswoman who actively drives the plot forward.
  • The Therns: In the books, the Holy Therns are a specific race of white-skinned Martians who live in the Valley Dor and maintain a false religion. In the movie, the Therns (led by Mark Strong’s Matai Shang) are transformed into mysterious, multi-dimensional shapeshifters who manipulate the development of civilizations across the universe.
  • The Framing Story: Both the book and the movie use a framing device involving Edgar Rice Burroughs (the author) as John Carter’s nephew. The movie expands this significantly, turning the search for Carter’s "tomb" into a central mystery that resolves the plot on Earth.
  • Carter’s Motivation: In the novel, Carter is an adventurer who accepts his teleportation with relatively little existential dread. In the film, he is a man broken by the loss of his wife and child in the Civil War, making his journey to Barsoom a story of emotional healing and finding a second chance at life.

How does the Martian environment affect John Carter’s abilities?

The physics of Barsoom are central to the action of the series. Because Mars is smaller than Earth, it has approximately one-third of Earth's gravity. For a man like John Carter, this means every step is a potential leap.

  • Superhuman Strength: On Earth, Carter can lift a certain weight; on Mars, he can lift three times that amount with the same effort. This allows him to overpower the larger, four-armed Tharks in hand-to-hand combat.
  • Incredible Agility: Carter can jump hundreds of feet in the air and clear entire buildings. This "leaping" is his signature move, often used to surprise enemies or escape seemingly impossible traps.
  • Heightened Senses: While not explicitly magical, Carter’s terrestrial biology is more efficient in the thin Martian air, giving him a level of endurance and speed that the native Barsoomians find terrifying.

However, Barsoom is a "dying world." The atmosphere is thin and must be constantly replenished by a massive Atmosphere Plant. The oceans have dried up, leaving behind vast sea beds of moss where the Tharks roam. This scarcity of resources is what drives the constant warfare between the city-states, creating a world where "valor" is the only currency that truly matters.

Is John Carter immortal?

One of the most intriguing aspects of the John Carter character is his immortality. In the opening of A Princess of Mars, the narrator (Burroughs) explains that his "Uncle Jack" has not aged a day in the thirty years he has known him. Carter himself states that he has no memory of being a child and has been a "fighting man" for as long as he can remember.

This suggests that John Carter is an eternal warrior, perhaps a cosmic entity or a manifestation of the "Hero" archetype who appears when and where he is needed. His transition to Mars via "astral projection" further supports this. When he travels to Mars, his Earthly body remains in a coma-like state in a tomb that can only be opened from the inside. If his Earthly body were to die while his spirit was on Mars, he would be trapped there—or perhaps cease to exist in both worlds.

This theme of immortality adds a layer of melancholy to the character. He is destined to outlive his friends and family on Earth, always remaining thirty years old, forever doomed or blessed to find the next conflict to resolve.

Why is John Carter important to science fiction history?

Without John Carter, the landscape of modern pop culture would look vastly different. His influence is everywhere.

  • Star Wars: George Lucas openly admitted that the Barsoom books were a primary inspiration for the adventures of Luke Skywalker. The desert planet of Tatooine, the multi-armed aliens, and the "used future" aesthetic all have roots in Burroughs’ Mars.
  • Avatar: James Cameron’s epic about a soldier entering an alien body to lead a native rebellion against an oppressor is, in many ways, a high-tech retelling of John Carter’s journey with the Tharks.
  • Superman: As mentioned, the "leaping" and the "alien among us" themes started with Carter.
  • Ray Bradbury and Carl Sagan: Both the legendary author of The Martian Chronicles and the world-renowned scientist Carl Sagan credited John Carter for sparking their lifelong fascination with Mars and space exploration.

John Carter proved that readers were hungry for "world-building." He showed that a story could be more than just a plot; it could be an invitation to an entire universe with its own rules, history, and destiny.

FAQ: Frequently Asked Questions about John Carter

Is there going to be a John Carter 2?

As of now, a direct sequel to the 2012 Disney film is highly unlikely. The film’s financial loss led Disney to let the rights revert to the Edgar Rice Burroughs estate. While there have been rumors of other studios picking up the property for a reboot or a streaming series, no official plans have been announced.

What is "Barsoom" actually?

"Barsoom" is the native Martian word for the planet Mars in Burroughs' novels. Similarly, "Jasoom" is the word for Earth, and "Cosoom" is the word for Venus.

Who are the Green Martians and Red Martians?

Green Martians (Tharks) are fifteen-foot tall, four-armed, egg-laying nomads with tusks. They are tribal and warlike. Red Martians are human-like in appearance, though they are also oviparous (egg-laying). They live in sophisticated technological societies and are the dominant civilization on the planet.

Why is the dog in John Carter so fast?

The "dog" is actually a Martian Calot named Woola. In the books and the movie, Calots are incredibly fast, multi-legged creatures known for their fierce loyalty. Woola becomes John Carter's devoted companion after Carter shows him kindness, a rarity in the harsh Martian culture.

Can John Carter fly?

In the original stories, John Carter cannot fly on his own. He uses Martian "airships" which stay aloft using "eighth ray" technology (a form of anti-gravity). His "flight-like" movements are actually just massive jumps made possible by Mars’ low gravity.

Summary: The Enduring Spirit of the Warlord

John Carter of Mars remains a pillar of the science fiction community because he represents the ultimate adventure. He is a character who transcended the limitations of his time to imagine a future—and a past—among the stars. Whether you encounter him through the original prose of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the vintage comic book adaptations, or the visually stunning 2012 film, the essence of the character remains the same: a man of honor standing against the odds on a world of wonders.

The story of John Carter is a reminder that while technology and storytelling mediums change, the human desire for exploration and the fight for justice are universal, whether on the red sands of Barsoom or the bustling streets of Earth. He is the first true hero of the space age, and his legacy will continue to influence dreamers and creators for another hundred years.