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History

I'll be your champion, now and forever. I'll be Captain Britain! -- Captain Britain src

Early Life

Brian Braddock was born at the Braddock Manor, his family's ancestral home in the town of Maldon, Essex, England. He was the son of Lord James Braddock and Lady Elizabeth Braddock. He grew up with his twin sister Betsy Braddock and his older brother James Braddock Jr.

Brian was a graduate student in physics, in advance of his years, at London's Thames University. His parents had been killed years before by a creation of his father, the Mastermind computer.[11] Working under his mentor Dr. Travis at the Darkmoor Research Centre during the holidays, he was present when the mercenary Reaver and his men raided the facility to kidnap the scientists there. Escaping with the intention to get help, Brian fled on a motorbike, but was run off the road.[12]

Captain Britain

Bleeding to death, Brian was approached by Merlin and his daughter Roma, who told him that he could live if he became Britain's next great champion. They offered Brian a choice: The Amulet of Right (Life) or the Sword of Might (Death). Being a scholar and not conceiving of himself as a warrior, Brian chose the Amulet. [13]

He then became Captain Britain, complete with costume and super-powers, as well as a staff,[12] which was later replaced by Merlin with a 'Star Sceptre' that enabled him to fly.[14] Moments later, the Reaver arrived and, claiming the sword, was transformed into an armored knight with tremendous strength. Captain Britain nonetheless defeated him, meeting his first challenge as a hero with courage and surprising skill.[15]

Early adventures

Over the next few months, Brian battled such foes as the Vixen, Hurricane,[16] the Mastermind computer,[17] Lord Hawk,[18] Doctor Claw, Dr. Synne,[19] the Highwayman and the Manipulator,[20] the Lurker from Loch Ness, Nykonn,[21] the Black Baron and the assassin Slaymaster as well as teaming up with Steve Rogers against the Red Skull.[22] His activities made him popular with the public, which became especially apparent when he was believed killed in an air raid,[23] though he was considered a vigilante by the police. This was especially true for Chief Inspector Dai Thomas, who dedicated himself to capturing and unmasking Captain Britain. Thomas's subordinate, Detective Inspector Kate Fraser, was more sympathetic to the novice hero.[24]

American adventures

Eventually, Brian came to America on a study abroad program. By a strange twist of fate, he ended up rooming with Peter Parker at Empire State University. Parker also had a secret identity, namely Spider-Man, and after battling the assassin Arcade together, the two began meeting for nightly patrols and training; Peter quickly deduced that his English roommate was also the new English hero in town, but Brian remained unaware that Spider-Man was his roommate.[25] Brian began to drink heavily, and it affected his performance both as a student and as a hero, but soon stopped after inadvertently inflicting serious injuries on an opponent because he had fought them in an inebriated state.[26]

Otherworld Quest and the Black Knight

Returning to Britain, Brian was subjected to a psychic attack while traveling on a plane over the English Channel. He jumped from the plane and was washed ashore on the coast of Cornwall, where he lived for some months as an amnesiac hermit until he was found by Dane Whitman, the Black Knight, who restored his memories and accompanied him to Otherworld to save Camelot from the evil Mordred and the demon lord Necromon at the behest of Merlin. During the course of this adventure, Brian died but was resurrected by Merlin.[27]

Also at some point during this period, Captain Britain and the Black Knight were both briefly abducted by the Grandmaster to participate in his 'Contest of Champions', but were subsequently apparently returned to their former place and time with no memory of the event.[28]

The Jaspers Saga

Once this mission was completed, Captain Britain and an elf named Jackdaw were apparently sent home by Merlin, but accidentally ended up on a parallel Earth (after colliding with the Time traveler Ralf in the void) where they met the mysterious Saturnyne and fought the insane mutant Mad Jim Jaspers. Jackdaw and Brian were both killed by the cyborg monster called The Fury, but Brian was resurrected by Merlin again, this time on his own Earth, where he and a number of others including his sister Betsy, the dimensionally displaced Captain UK, Saturnyne and the alien mercenaries known as the [[Special Executive (Multiverse) |Special Executive]] successfully defeated both the Fury and Earth 616's version of Jaspers (the other version, and his entire dimension, were later erased from existence by the Dimensional Development Court). Merlin was seemingly killed in the final battle.[19]

Later solo adventures and Excalibur

Sometime later, Brian gave up the Captain Britain identity, allowing his sister Betsy to take up the mantle. Unfortunately, Betsy was unprepared to be Captain Britain, and lost her eyes in a battle with Slaymaster. Brian felt his twin's pain through her telepathy and a special bond they share, and rushed back to fight Slaymaster, whom he then killed. Brian then resumed the mantle of Captain Britain, and fought evil as Britain's premier superhero.[29]

Then, when the X-Men appeared to die in Dallas (see Fall of the Mutants), Brian was disconsolate over his sister's death. He drank heavily, and scared away his lover Meggan, who went to find Nightcrawler, an acquaintance of hers on Muir Island. Meggan arrived at the same time as the Technet, an interdimensional band of mercenaries who were looking for Phoenix (Rachel Summers). When Meggan and Shadowcat were captured by the Technet, Nightcrawler went to enlist Captain Britain's aid. However, Kurt found Brian deep in a drunken stupor, completely depressed and uninterested in doing anything anymore. So Nightcrawler pitched Brian over the edge of his lighthouse's balcony and into the ocean. When Brian recovered and flew back, Nightcrawler convinced him to help him find the women. At the successful conclusion of that mission, Cap joined with the other mutants to form Excalibur, Britain's premier super-team.[30]

When Phoenix abruptly rushed to America when New York was engulfed in the Inferno, Excalibur followed. After his costume was destroyed, Captain Britain discovered that his powers were linked to Britain, and would diminish if he left the country for too long.[16] This weakness was partially alleviated when Excalibur went dimension-hopping during the Cross-Time Caper when Captain Britain received the magical costume of Captain Marshall (the Captain Britain of that world) which acted as a battery for his arcane power.[31]

Months later, Brian suddenly began to grow larger as his body absorbed more and more energy as different realities came into alignment, heralding a Cosmic Convergence. The team learned that Necrom was planning to use the convergence to become omnipotent, but using Shadowcat's powers the team merged into Brian's enormous body and fixed the damage Necrom was doing across the multiverse. Then, on Roma's secret cue, Meggan drained Brian of all his excess energy, returning him to normal size, and fired it at the tower which was the linchpin through all the dimensions of the multiverse.[32]

Brian and Meggan took some time off from the team and got engaged, but they and the rest of Excalibur were soon captured by the R.C.X. and Brian was severely beaten when he resisted. Dying, broken and bloody, he was healed by Roma, who fixed the arcane circuitry in his costume to match his body's frequencies, and who also removed a "blunder factor" she had cast over him, ensuring that he would need the help of a team until he saw the innate value in it.[33]

Hellfire Club

Immediately afterward, Phoenix reappeared and Excalibur journeyed to the future to save it from the Sentinels . Unfortunately, on the way back Brian was lost in the time-stream. No one had a clue how to find him until his body parts started appearing in the same space as Rachel's, first his arms, then his chest, for brief flickers. Meggan confronted Rachel about Brian's whereabouts and with Daytripper 's help they opened a rift via which Brian and Rachel switched places. Rachel was flung to the far future to become the, and Brian returned home. However, he was flooded with memories of the far future and seemed disconnected for the real world. He called himselffor some time, but eventually re-acclimated himself to his old life.

After receiving a message of impending danger from Jean Grey, who had found Alistaire Stuart running from Black Air, and one from Shinobi Shaw regarding Mountjoy's infiltration into the London Hellfire Club, Brian went to the Club and claimed his father's position as Black Bishop, defeating the contender for Red Bishop with one punch. When Black Air and the Club made their move, Brian was attacked by the Black Queen and Scribe, who was possessed by Mountjoy. Luckily, Brian was in his newly-refurbished costume, complete with projectable force-field, and he defeated them both.[citation needed]

Crimson Dawn

He appeared to have come to terms with both his scientific and superhero sides. Soon afterward, however, in a battle with the Dragons of the Crimson Dawn, Brian expended all of his power to stop a dimensional portal from opening. He left the team for a while, but returned to fulfill his dream of marrying Meggan. At the ceremony on Otherworld, the rest of the team decided to return to the States, so Excalibur disbanded, leaving Captain Britain and Meggan as Britain's foremost heroes.[citation needed]

King of Otherworld

Brian soon went back to work at the Darkmoor research facility, and it was during one of his tests (on the new blade and armor of his friend the Black Knight) that Widget reappeared with warriors who attacked him and Meggan, tracking Captain U.K. stating that Roma ordered it done.[citation needed]

The heroes (including Psylocke, who was also visiting in England) drove the attackers off, then followed them to Otherworld, where they discovered that the Captain Britain Corps had been decimated. Together with the survivors, Crusader X and Captain U.K., Brian and his comrades had to stop Roma, using his troop who revealed to be the R.C.X. Warpies and Cherubims tortured and modified as soldiers, from acquiring the Sword of Might, Excalibur, which together with the Amulet of Right (which had returned to Otherworld when Brian lost his powers) could remake the cosmos. Brian went in search of the sword, and ended up finding a computer-filled shrine in a cavern built by his father.Template:Excalibur Vol 2 1

A hologram of James Braddock, Sr. explained to Brian that he was the savior and rightful heir of Otherworld, and had the innate right to wield Excalibur. The hologram re-activated Brian's powers, and Brian drew the sword, which generated a fiery St. Andrew's Cross (from the British flag) as a mask on his face. Brian then confronted Roma, who was revealed to be his father's sentient and insane computer Mastermind, and defeated him together with the real Roma. Roma then relinquished control of Otherworld to Captain Britain, and he and Meggan remained in Otherworld as effective rulers of the multiverse, with as first action their use of the Excalibur sword to restore the integrity and humanity of the warpies. Unbeknownst to Brian, the events leading up to his assumption of Otherworld were orchestrated by Kang the Conqueror and Widget, for reasons yet to be revealed.Template:Excalibur Vol 2 1

Lionheart of Avalon

Brian and Meggan appeared to Kelsey Leigh, a British mother who had died protecting her kids and Captain America from the Wrecking Crew with Captain America's own shield, and offered her the choice between the Amulet and the Sword, making her into a new Captain Britain upon her choice of Excalibur. Brian himself was captured by Morgan le Fay, who hoped to kill him, thereby destroying Britain via Brian's mystical connection with the land, but since his power was transferred to Kelsey, the plan failed.[34][35]

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.[36]

He declined the proposition and was fustigated by Ororo for his complaisant attitude toward the system. 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 him (the Sword was later given back to Dane Whitman by Storm).[36]

Captain Britain was forced to come back to Earth to stop the House of M reality from coming into existence. During this time, his wife Meggan apparently sacrificed her life to save a rip in time from destroying the Earth. This resulted in Brian becoming active as Captain Britain again and the formation of the all new Excalibur along with Pete Wisdom, Sage, Juggernaut, Dazzler, and Nocturne.[37]

Secret Invasion

During the Secret Invasion Captain Britain and MI13 believed that the Skrulls planned to invade Avalon through the Siege Perilous. In taking the magical realm of Avalon the Skrulls would control the Earth's magic. To keep this from happening, Brian tried to stop a Skrull nuclear missile head-on by sacrificing himself. As British military, MI-6,and Avalon were making their last stand, Merlin resurrected Braddock. Immediately Brian entered Avalon and pulled Excalibur from the stone. Upon arriving at Britain’s last line of defense attacked the Super-Skrull Commander. After the battle going in favor of both sides. Brian threw the final blow. At the same moment Satannish, who had given Wisdom one wish in exchange for letting him free on Earth, destroyed all Skrulls in the British Isles and any that have and will try to enter.[38]

Captain Britain & MI-13

Following the events of the Skrull invasion, as the new members of MI13 attempted to adjust and Brian began to grasp how his new powers worked, they were sent to assist Captain Midlands who was investigating one of the threats that Pete Wisdom had unleashed to defeat the Skrulls: Plokta.[citation needed] MI13 later went on to defeat the vampire lord Dracula's attempt at subjugating Britain, and operated as Britain's first line of defense, with Captain Britain and the now recovered Meggan firmly at the heart of the team.[17]

Joining the Earth's Mightiest Heroes

During an international meeting between Commander Rogers and MI13, Captain Britain was offered a job with the Avengers. Captain Britain accepted despite mixed reactions from his MI13 teammates.[39] He was first made a reserve member, before later being made an official member of the secret team of the Avengers.[40]

The Trial of Fantomex

Otherworld came under attack by a mysterious force, led by a Goat-Demon, who revealed later to be an aspect of his brother's personality, Jamie Braddock. Sharing Psylocke's memories during X-Force's confrontation against Archangel, thanks to their sibling links, he saw the murder of the Apocalypse boy by Fantomex and organized his abduction, leading a Captain Britain Corps' commando team.

He also abducted Psylocke to make her a member of the Corps again in order to defend Otherworld. Brian intended to make Fantomex pay for his crime, but also to wipe him from the Multiverse, seeing him as a unique and dangerous anomaly (although we know a few alternates, but all from the future). When Psylocke finally discovered the identity of the invader, she ordered Brian to kill Jamie, and sensing his hesitation, she took control of his body and made him kill his older brother.[41]

Avengers vs. X-Men

When it was revealed that the Phoenix was heading towards Earth, Braddock was a member of the Avengers sub-team led by Thor to stop it.[42]

Captain Britain and an army of British heroes defeated Mys-Tech in battle; the agency came close to sending all of Britain to Hell in order to pay off their debts to Mephisto. Following the battle, S.H.I.E.L.D. was secretly called in to clean up the remains of Mys-Tech's bases and technology as MI13 didn't have the resources to do it. Brian was made a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s European Division. Years later, Pete Wisdom learned about this and sarcastically remarked he was proud that Brian was acting like him.

Brian, MI13, and S.H.I.E.L.D. began investigating a suspected return of Mys-Tech but he was swiftly beaten down and captured by Death's Head II. This was actually a ruse by Death's Head II to plant a tracking device and find out why the Psycho-Wraith wanted the Captain (he didn't bother to tell Brian).

The Prime-Wraith wanted the hero to be part of six living batteries for a monotrace core, opening a portal to Hell for Mephisto's armies (led by the brainwashed hero Killpower) to ravage the Earth. Captain Britain was freed and fought to hold back the Demons, trying to find a solution other than killing Killpower. "We're heroes, we don't kill--" was all he could say before Killpower was gunned down by the anti-heroes Major Hauer, Death's Head, and Colonel Liger. Afterwards, on a whim Captain Britain placed a union flag on top of a damaged Big Ben, deciding that surviving the battle gave them "the right to celebrate a little".

Time Runs Out

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.[43]

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.[44]

Sometime after the incursions problem had been neutralized, Braddock became the leader of the Champions of Europe, one of the several superhero teams that gathered after Steve Rogers revealed himself to be a Hydra sleeper agent and established a Hydra Empire in the United States of America.[45] His team fought valiantly alongside Enigma (Aikku Jokinen) and Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green) against the Hydra takeover and, after Roger's regime was overthrown, they sought to eliminate the remaining Hydra terror cells.[46]

Parenthood

When all was taken care of, he somehow regained his missing eye and had a child alongside Meggan. Because of this, he rebuilt the old Braddock Lighthouse in order to provide his daughter with a decent environment to grow.[47]



Powers and Abilities

Powers

Interdimensional Energy Conduit: His abilities are powered by interdimensional energies which are concentrated around the British Isles of each reality and also in Otherworld; moving too far away from the field will cause eventual power loss unless a power-enhancing costume is worn. After being lost in the timestream for a while, Brian briefly had precognitive flashes, though these eventually abated. For a time, all of his abilities were localized to Britain; if he went abroad for too long a time without wearing his costume, his powers eventually diminished to nothing. His costume acts as an antenna and battery, allowing him to retain his powers wherever he goes. When he and Meggan destroyed the Otherworld energy matrix at Roma's prompting, however, the energies that allowed him to retain his power within the UK without his costume were dissipated. Hence, to retain his powers anywhere on Earth, he must wear the costume at all times. Recently, Brian has gained the ability to use his powers even without his suit. They are now based on his confidence. With greater confidence comes more power, and he weakens as his confidence does.

Originally, his powers were linked to the Amulet of Right, worn around his neck, and he depended on a mace-like Star Scepter to fly. Later on, Merlyn changed his costume just before he entered an alternate Earth (Earth-238), removing the Amulet and the Scepter placing the powers in his new costume. Not long after that he was killed by the Fury and had his body remade by Merlyn, who chose this point to make his powers innate and stronger, with his costume merely serving as a "battery" and amplifier. Currently, Brian's powers are sustained by his own confidence and heritage as the son of a denizen of Otherworld. Thus, the more confident he is, the greater his powers are and vice versa.

Superhuman Strength: While wearing his costume, Braddock's strength is increased to high superhuman levels. At his peak, he's able to lift approximately 90 tons.

Superhuman Stamina: Braddock's advanced musculature produces considerably less fatigue toxins during physical activity than the musculature of a normal human. At his peak, he can exert himself physically for about 24 hours before the build-up of fatigue toxins in his blood begins to impair him.

Superhuman Durability: While wearing his costume, Braddock's body is surrounded by an invisible force field that renders him highly resistant to physical injury. The field allows him to sustain powerful energy blasts, great impact forces such as bazooka shells or being repeatedly struck by superhumanly strong opponents, temperature extremes, and falls from great heights without being injured. However, repeated impacts from sufficiently powerful forces or weaponry will weaken and, eventually, penetrate the field. The field's density, however, is specially designed to allow oxygen and light to pass through it. This force field is now sustained by his own confidence.

Superhuman Agility: Braddock's agility, balance, and bodily coordination are enhanced to levels that are beyond the natural physical limits of the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Reflexes: Braddock's reflexes are similarly enhanced and are superior to those of the finest human athlete.

Superhuman Senses: Braddock can purposely draw upon the energies that give him his other powers to temporarily increase the efficiency of his senses, enhancing them to superhuman levels. He can see objects with perfect clarity at much greater distances than a normal human can. His hearing is similarly enhanced, allowing him to hear further than a human and to detect sounds normal humans can't.

Flight: Braddock can also channel these energies for the purpose of flying through the air at great speeds. At his peak, he is capable of surpassing the Speed of Sound, 770 miles per hour. The force field that grants him his superhuman durability enables him to withstand the rigors of traveling at such high velocities would have on human tissue without harm, as well as allowing him to breathe normally.

Abilities

Genius Intelligence: Braddock is brilliant scientist with expertise in physics and engineering. [48]

Braddock is brilliant scientist with expertise in physics and engineering. He is a acrobat and excellent fighter. [citation needed]

Strength level

While wearing his costume, Brian Braddock's strength is increased to high superhuman levels. At his peak, he is able to lift (press) approximately 90 tons.

Weaknesses

Currently, Captain Britain's powers are based on his own confidence. The more he believes in himself and what he is doing, the stronger he is, and the less susceptible to damage he becomes. Formerly, Braddock's powers were dependent upon his costume. If he wasn't wearing it, then he could not gain access to the interdimensional energies that granted him his powers. Also, though the force field protects him from conventional physical injury, it does leave him vulnerable to attack from "knock out" gases as they can pass through his force field as easily as oxygen can.



Paraphernalia

Equipment

Captain Britain's Uniform: stores interdimensional energies, acting as a battery for when he is away from the matrix which surrounds the British Isles. His costume has also at times been able to generate a protective force field (originally, this power came from his quarterstaff) and a more recent version is also able to adopt a 'stealth mode' which helps him operate more unobtrusively.

Weapons

Captain Britain originally wielded a Quarterstaff (which could produce a force field), [12] and later the Star Sceptre (which allowed flight, as well as the force field). [14] Merlyn eventually moved these powers into Brian's costume, and eventually into Brian himself.

and later the Star Sceptre (which allowed flight, as well as the force field). Merlyn eventually moved these powers into Brian's costume, and eventually into Brian himself. Brian temporarily wielded the sword Excalibur during the adventure which saw him ascend the throne of Otherworld.



Notes

Brian Braddock made his first US appearance in Marvel Team-Up #65.



Trivia

Brian's transformation into Britanic by Excalibur writer Scott Lobdell was inspired by the chaotic nature of the series itself. He wanted to try something different with Brian, and at the same time have him undergo a drastic change in the same way his sister Betsy did. The change was never meant to be permanent, and Lobdell additionally noted, "I also liked the idea that the barrel-chested stalwart of the group was going to be forced into the role of the kind of manic member for a bit — it felt fitfully undignified and something Brian might have felt mortified about later." [49]

writer Scott Lobdell was inspired by the chaotic nature of the series itself. He wanted to try something different with Brian, and at the same time have him undergo a drastic change in the same way his sister Betsy did. The change was never meant to be permanent, and Lobdell additionally noted, "I also liked the idea that the barrel-chested stalwart of the group was going to be forced into the role of the kind of manic member for a bit — it felt fitfully undignified and something Brian might have felt mortified about later." Captain Britain was often referred to as "Britain's first super-hero" in early issues of his own series, but he was actually predated by Black Knight and Union Jack.

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