Gen. Fowler: War Hero or Superhero?

NBC has turned iconic Brooklyn heroes into caped crusaders.

The statue of Civil War hero General Fowler in Fort Greene was among four statues around Brooklyn that were fitted with long, flowing capes in an elaborate promotion of NBC's new superhero show, "The Cape."

The capes are meant to draw a link between Brooklyn's heroes — like Fowler, who was a Brooklynite — and the fictional ones depicted in the upcoming TV series.

But some locals in Fort Greene were skeptical of the pop culture intrusion into the borough's history.

"It makes him look like a modern day cartoon character, and that's not true! This is a real war hero!" said Neil Ashworth, observing the caped General Fowler at Fulton Street and Lafayette Avenue.

The dressed-up statue had a plaque in front of it that promoted "The Cape" and also mentioned Fowler's gallant leadership in the battles of Bull Run and Gettysburg.

Plenty of passersby stopped to read the plaque and check out the General's new accoutrement, but few had a positive reaction.

"It's kind of weird — kind of wrong," said Candice Crawford. "Is it OK with the generations of people that are alive and still connected to [Fowler]?"

The city Parks Department and NBC said that the promotion, which also caped Rep. James Samuel Thomas Stranahan in Grand Army Plaza, George Washington at the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge, and Christopher Columbus at Borough Hall, was a win-win for both parties.

"Statues will be outfitted with custom capes along with a plaque describing each hero's greatest achievement and the similarities between the character traits of the star of 'The Cape' Vince Faraday," read a press release from NBC.

But locals found the similarities a little hard to imagine.

It is doubtful Rep. Stranahan ever imagined his figure being used to promote popular entertainment as he fought tooth and nail to secure money to build Prospect Park, or when he presided over the opening of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The same goes for Fowler as he led his troops into a bloody struggle to preserve the country.

Still, that doesn't mean Fowler was above some unorthodox fashion decisions. His men were dubbed the "red-legged devils" because of their red trousers and ferocity in combat.

Neither the Parks Department nor NBC would disclose how much money was given to the city for the promotion — first reported by The Brooklyn Paper — that will last through Sunday and involves 30 statues in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

But one thing was for sure: Fort Greene residents were talking about General Fowler more than they had in ages.

"I've walked by so many times and never knew much about him," said Stephanie Zacharek, checking out the caped Civil War legend. "At least they are giving us a little info about him — that lowers the crassness-level a bit."