Brian Braddock

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Brian Braddock in Marvel Tales: Captain Britain v1 #1.

Brian Braddock is a male comic superhero who features in Marvel Comics.

Contents

Biography

Origin

Choosing the Amulet of Right in Captain Britain v1 #1.

Brian Braddock was a male human who was the son of James Braddock and Elizabeth Braddock. (Captain Britain v1 #14) He had an older brother in the form of Jamie Braddock. (Captain Britain v1 #9) Brian also had a sister who was named Betsy Braddock. (Captain Britain v1 #8)

He was at the Lion's Rock Pub where he came to chat with Valerie Campbell and shared a kiss with her. Brian was expected back at Braddock Manor but his flirtation with the young woman meant that he was late. By the time he came back, he found that both his parents were killed seemingly in an accident. Since then, Brian had blamed himself for not being home in time as perhaps he could have prevented their deaths. Unknown to him, their deaths had been engineered by his father's computer Mastermind after they became a threat to him. (Captain Britain v1 #14)

Captain Britain

Brian chose to stay in America, though his boorish manners put a stress on the relationship between him and Peter. In a bar, Brian got embroiled in a fight with some Euro-trash students, who were badmouthing their host country. Later, when Captain Britain ran into them again, it turned out they were actually super-powered villains. In the battle, Cap inadvertently hurt one young woman badly and ran away. Peter Parker, who had witnessed the entire affair as Spider-Man, threw him out and advised him to get his life in order. Apparently, Peter’s words had some effect, for Brian later mentioned to have paid for the girl’s hospital costs. (Excalibur v1 #53)

On Otherworld, Merlyn and Roma went about restructuring Brian Braddock both in terms of body and soul. During their work and discussion, it became clear that Merlyn had shaped and manipulated Brian Braddock all his life for a certain purpose which was to create a champion whose soul stood on the borderland of both science and the supernatural. Facing Mad Jim Jaspers on Earth-238 was meant to be a final test one that Braddock was deemed to had failed. Despite that, he remained Merlyn's best creation and the two incorporated the powers which had previously lain in the uniform into Brian’s genetic structure and subtly changed Brian’s abilities. This included a wider sensory array and limiting his force field, they then rejoined body and soul whereupon he was sent back to his own reality of Earth-616. Not recalling his death, Brian happily and gratefully believed Merlyn had saved him at the last moment, unaware of his mentor’s ruthless meddling in his life. (Daredevils v1 #1) To get some bearings after all that happened to him, Brian drove to what he believed were the ruins of his home which was the bombed-out Braddock Manor. Instead, he found that the manor was still complete, but only he could see it. Inside, he was welcomed first by the Braddock housekeeper, Emma, who acted as if nothing were amiss and then saw scenes of how he had acted the night his parents died before meeting his 'parents' themselves, who urged him to join them in death. Overcome with guilt, Brian intended to do that, but realized at the last moment that those images were holograms of the sentient computer, which was still working. Once more, he beat the computer’s manifestation, Mastermind, pulled its plug so to speak and reprogrammed it, so that it would not have a personality anymore. (Daredevils v1 #2)

Excalibur

After discussions with Doom and Namor, the Black Panther and his wife Storm tried to recruit Brian in their movement against the US Superhuman Registration Act. Braddock though declined the proposition leading to him being and was criticised by Ororo for his complaisant attitude towards events. He also claimed the return of the Ebony Blade as part of the British legacy, but this was denied by T'Challa, as it was being used by the Vatican's Black Knight against them. (Black Panther v4 #22)

Captain Britain & MI-13

Defender of Britain in Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #13.

He also assisted Pete Wisdom and British intelligence agency MI-13 in their battle against a Martian invasion. (Wisdom v1 #6)

Excalibur came to drift in this time though Captain Britain remained an ally of MI-13 and the British government. Cut off from the Captain Britain Corps, Brian became focused on redefining himself as a hero and symbol for Great Britain instead being one of an endless number of counterparts. In this role, he came to be tested when the Skrull invaded Earth. Targeting various potential threats, the Skrulls went after Otherworld and Avalon due to them being font for all magic on the planet, and wishing to claim it for themselves. To cut ties between Great Britain and Avalon, the Skrulls targeted the Siege Perilous in order to prevent mutual defense. Captain Britain flew into the path of the Skrulls’ rocket but was unable to deflect it. The Siege Perilous was destroyed, and Captain Britain was killed. (Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #1)

In the aftermath, Captain Britain and Pete Wisdom decided to reinvent MI-13, making it a fluid mixture of super-heroes and intelligence operations that was uniquely British. It would be a mixture of public spectacle and black ops missions. The evils released from Avalon during the invasion would be their first priority. The core team expanded to include Black Knight, his steward Faiza Hussein, Spitfire and Blade. Alistair Stuart and O from science division reviewed Brian’s powers and determined his current strength level was dependent on his emotions. His strength and invulnerability would vary with his confidence and determination. In addition, he was now made of magic and could therefore directly interact with magic in ways he previously could not. (Captain Britain and MI-13 v1 #5)

Avenger

Captain Britain in New Avengers v3 #30.

Braddock then disappeared from view to fight a war in Otherworld against the demonic Goat, who had attempted to subjugate the multiverse. His brother Jamie, now cured of madness, was a key ally and Brian tried to cajole Betsy into joining as well. Relations with his sister deteriorated as the Corps tried to put her teammate Fantomex on trial for murdering a child Apocalypse, arguing that it was still a crime to kill a child for what they may become. Ironically, in the end it turned out the Goat was a future version of Jamie who had been turned evil and Betsy, who had been forced to sacrifice her emotions to win in battle, stopped the villain by killing the contemporary Jamie; she then berated Brian for leaving the choice to her. (Uncanny X-Force v1 #23) He was left bitter by the loss and estranged from his sister. (Uncanny X-Force v1 #24)

He was in London where he responded to a supervillain incident caused by Riot who attempted to kill the monarchy. After dropping the criminal in Otherworld's prison, he responded to Captain America's call and was transported to Lighthouse station that was the base of the Secret Avengers. Brian initially misunderstood Steve Rogers as he believed he was being placed in charge of the team though in reality the head of the group was Hawkeye. Their first assignment was a terrorist attack in Pakistan where they encountered a woman being abducted by a group of Adaptoids that were part of a machine race known as the Descendants. The heroes failed to stop the Descendants from escaping with their target with Captain Britain having been knocked to the side by one of the machines. (Secret Avengers v1 #22) Though they lost the enemy, the new Ant-Man Eric O'Grady had actually shrunk himself and hid on the Adaptoids when they fled to their headquarters. The rest of the Secret Avengers tracked the Pym Particle trail where Brian's suit accidentally interfaced with the Descendants city known as the Core. (Secret Avengers v1 #23) Separated from his comrades, Captain Britain found that his suit had shutdown after contact from the Core's A.I. and that he had to make do with his energy reserves. He was then ambushed by Lady Deathstrike with various UltraVision Descendants swarming him until he was saved by the Human Torch. (Secret Avengers v1 #24)

When the Captain Britain Corps began actively investigating the reality-destroying phenomena known as incursions, they managed to capture a Mapmaker and experiment on it. Saturnyne had the Corps turn the Mapmaker into a beacon to lure their creators, and possibly whoever was behind the incursions. The Ivory Kings sent all of their forces against the Corps, and they were destroyed in a matter of hours. Before being cast out of Otherworld to Earth-616 by Saturnyne, Brian Braddock, who had lost an eye in the fight, was embedded with all the secrets of the Citadel. (New Avengers v3 #30)

Brian was spared for the universal destruction caused by the Incursions and sent to Earth-616 where he came to be the only survivor of the Captain Britain Corps. (Excalibur v4 #13)

After returning to Earth-616, he joined the Illuminati to work with them on finding a solution to the incursions, and went into hiding with them due to the Avengers being on the hunt for them. (Avengers v5 #35)

He and Meggan then had a child with them naming their blonde-haired daughter named Maggie Braddock. (X-Men: Gold Annual v1 #1)

House of X

Wielding the Sword of Might, he decided to remain as the champion of Avalon and as called to a meeting at the Starlight Citadel. This was when Saturnyne had unveiled the Contest of Swords to be fought between the Mutants of the nations of Krakoa and Arrako. She created a prophecy that named the ten sword wielders from Krakoa with Brian Braddock being among them. (Excalibur v4 #13)

Overview

Personality and attributes

After choosing the Amulet of Right, he came to be crowned a hero and given the name Captain Britain. (Captain Britain v1 #2) When he was Avalon's champion, he for a time took the name of Captain Avalon. (Excalibur v4 #13)

In his younger days, he was noted for being quite the romantic. (Captain Britain v1 #14)

He was said to had been a lonely child with this sense of loneliness as he became older. (Daredevils v1 #1) As he grew older, he became more of a shy student. (Captain Britain v1 #14)

As a man of science, he did not believe in magic even when he first was transformed by the mystical Amulet of Right into Captain Britain. (Daredevils v1 #1)

Whilst growing up, he immersed himself in the cold nature of the sciences that left little room for the warm of friendship or for the ambiguities of love. Despite that, his physical needs did see him satisfy himself in brief relationships that had left his private inner self untouched. (Daredevils v1 #1)

As Captain Britain, he strove to be a champion where he sought to maintain the rule of right where law and justice was maintained against those who ruled by might. Captain Britain v1 #2)

Brian was unaware that his father Sir James Braddock was actually an inhabitant of Otherworld and a chosen champion of Merlyn. (Captain Britain v2 #7) In fact, Brian's conception was a plot to sire a saviour and a king with him inheriting the divine spark from his father. (Excalibur v2 #3) It was noted that his father had been a brilliant scientist on Earth. (Captain Britain v1 #14)

With Meggan, he had a blonde haired daughter who was named Maggie Braddock. (X-Men: Gold Annual v1 #1)

Powers and abilities

Unknown to him initially, he was descended from Otherworld as his father Sir James Braddock was an inhabitant of that dimension. This meant that he inherited the genes allowing him to wield the power of that realm which was inherent in his body. (Captain Britain v2 #7)

It was said that he was gifted with a grasp of scientific and rational principles. Whilst growing up, he came to immerse himself in the study of physics. (Daredevils v1 #1)

Braddock came to possess an astonishing level of agility with his reflexes and poise under pressure being admirable. (Captain Britain v1 #14)

Whilst at the Siege Perilous, he was presented with a choice between the Sword of Might and the Amulet of Right. Ultimately, Brian came to choose the latter that caused him to be struck by energy that gave him superhuman powers. This force of pure energy transformed him causing him to grow bigger, stronger and faster. (Captain Britain v1 #2)

Initially, he manifested a costume when he activated his powers with this forming around him and perfectly fit his body. (Captain Britain v1 #2) His body was later re-formed by Merlyn and Roma where they altered him so that his power came from Braddock's own body. (Daredevils v1 #1)

At first, Brian believed his powers came from his suit but it was actually inherent in his body and his costume was actually a mere amplifier. (Captain Britain v2 #7)

The suit's sensors could detect low frequency living currents that could interface with artificial intelligences and advanced technology. (Secret Avengers v1 #23)

Initially, he was armed with a small baton where an activator could cause it to extend and became a full quarterstaff. (Captain Britain v1 #2)

For a time, he came to wield the Sword of Might that was said to had been forged from the fires of creation and tempered by the powers of the universe. (Excalibur v4 #13)

Braddock Manor had been built a quarter-millennium ago by a victorious general who came home from the European wars. Meanwhile, the land had been part of the Braddock family heritage since before the Romans came to the land with it being steeped in history. (Captain Britain v1 #9)

At some point, he came to head the Braddock Academy which aimed to make heroes out of Britain's best and brightest with the institution staffed by Britain's mightiest heroes. (Avengers Arena v1 #5)

Notes

  • Captain Britain was created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe where he made his first appearance in Captain Britain v1 #1 (October, 1976).
  • In an interview, writer Paul Cornell commented on the characters powers, "As we reveal in issue five, the limits of Captain Britain's powers are now tied into his emotions. So if he's feeling very determined and confident, then he's very powerful, but if he's losing it then he'll really be losing it. He's as strong as he used to be, and he can fly, and that's all due to his magical nature, not to his costume. I've always seen him as something like the Shazam Captain Marvel, a hero formed through magic. Which means the subjective nature of what he can now do feels apt to me. As he himself says about great feats depending on whether or not he can gather all his courage together, he says: "well, I am Captain Britain."."

Alternate Versions

In other media

Television

  • In X-Men, Captain Britain made cameo appearances in the 1990s animated television series. During the Phoenix Saga, he was briefly shown on Earth as among the heroes responding to disasters around the world. During the episode "Beyond Good and Evil", Psylocke appeared and mentioned her brother that was an indirect reference to Brian Braddock.

Video games

  • In Marvel: Avengers Alliance, Captain Britain appeared as a playable character in the setting of the Facebook video game.

Appearances

  • Captain Britain v1: (1976)
  • Daredevils v1:
  • Excalibur v1:
  • Captain Britain and MI13 v1:
  • Uncanny X-Force v1:
  • Secret Avengers v1:
  • New Avengers:
  • X-Men: Gold Annual v1:
  • Excalibur v4:

External Links

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