Brian Braddock is a superhero appearing in British and American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created in 1976 by writer Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe, with later contributions from Alan Moore and Alan Davis, he first appeared in Captain Britain Weekly #1. He is the first character in publication to use the Captain Britain moniker, later adopting the title Captain Avalon.
As Captain Britain, Brian was empowered by the legendary wizard Merlyn and his daughter Roma and assigned to be the champion of the British Isles and its peoples, as well as the defender of Earth-616 as a member of the multiversal Captain Britain Corps. Following his corruption by Morgan le Fay, his twin sister Betsy reclaimed the mantle of Captain Britain, with Brian taking up the moniker Captain Avalon as defender of Avalon.Excalibur Vol. 4 #13
Publication history Captain Britain debuted in the first issue of Captain Britain Weekly (cover-dated the week ending 13 October 1976), an anthology comic published exclusively in the United Kingdom by the Marvel Comics imprint known as Marvel UK. The comic represented the first original content published by Marvel UK, who had previously only handled reprints of Marvel Comics' U.S. publications. However, the new content was still created by Marvel's American staff (the initial team being London-born writer Chris Claremont, penciller Herb Trimpe, and inker Fred Kida) under the supervision of U.S. editor Larry Lieber, then shipped to the UK for publication. (In addition, the new 8-page Captain Britain installments in each issue of Captain Britain Weekly were supplemented by more reprinted material, featuring Nick Fury and the Fantastic Four).
The character's creators are unknown, though Trimpe has remarked that the visual design looks like the work of John Romita, Sr., who was designing many of Marvel's characters at the time.
The first two issues of the comic were also bundled with "free gifts", a cardboard Captain Britain mask in the first issue and a Captain Britain boomerang in the second, such novelties being a tradition with British comic book launches. Chris Claremont left the series after ten issues, midway through the "Doctor Synne" storyline, due to creative differences with the editor."To Create An Icon", Captain Britain Volume 1: The Birth of a Legend, Panini Comics, February 2007, Trimpe recalled that Claremont and his replacement, Gary Friedrich, while "miles apart in personality and approach to a story", were both flexible writers who allowed him considerable free rein in laying out and pacing the stories.
With sales slowly declining, Captain Britain went to black-and-white with issue #24 (23 March 1977) and was cancelled entirely with issue #39 (6 July 1977), though the Captain Britain serial was immediately transferred to Marvel UK's Spider-Man comic, which was then retitled Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain. In 1978, Chris Claremont and John Byrne introduced Captain Britain to an American audience for the first time with Marvel Team-Up #65-66. The Marvel Team-Up story was reprinted as the last six installments of the UK serial, ending with Super Spider-Man & Captain Britain #253. This marked the end of Captain Britain's exploits until March 1979, when Captain Britain appeared with the Black Knight in the "Otherworld Saga" which ran in Hulk Comic. These guest appearances were the first time Captain Britain was written and drawn by British creators.
The character was relaunched, in a redesigned costume, in the Marvel Superheroes anthology title, starting with issue #377 (September 1981). The relaunch was written by Dave Thorpe and illustrated by Alan Davis, who redesigned the costume at editor-in-chief Paul Neary's behest. Neary's chief concern was the original costume's lion chest emblem; though the emblem is a heraldic symbol, it is better known in the UK as a sign to denote the quality and freshness of eggs. Davis noted that his depiction of Brian Braddock was visually based on Garth, "an exaggerated Greek god, perfect in every way" and that:
The political commentaries in Thorpe's stories ignited conflicts with the editors, leading to his being replaced by Alan Moore with Marvel Superheroes #387 (July 1982). Moore used Thorpe's stories as a springboard for the "Jaspers' Warp" storyline. Captain Britain appeared as one of the characters in Marvel US's 1982 Contest of Champions limited series, albeit wearing his already-discarded original costume.
After Marvel Superheroes #388 (August 1982), the series moved into a new monthly comic, The Daredevils. When The Daredevils was canceled after eleven issues, Captain Britain was continued in The Mighty World of Marvel volume 2 #7 (December 1983). After the run of Alan Moore, who left because of a dispute over unpaid invoices, the serial continued for a few more issues with different writers (Steve Craddock, Alan Davis, and Mike Collins) before moving to the new Captain Britain Monthly. Jamie Delano took over writing duties with the first issue (cover-dated January 1985) on the recommendation of Moore and with the agreement of Davis. However, Davis later said "Initially I gave plot ideas to Jamie [Delano] but I was never happy with the direction he wanted to take things so I took more and more control until I eventually took over as writer."
In the meantime, Captain Britain's long absence from American comics ended with a series of 1985 guest appearances, starting with Captain America #305-306. Following the cancellation of Captain Britain's solo series, Claremont and Davis created the one-shot special Excalibur: The Sword is Drawn (December 1987), which served to launch the American monthly Excalibur in 1988, featuring an eponymous team which included Captain Britain. Marvel UK incorporated Captain Britain as the main attraction of their own group series, Knights of Pendragon, which initially met with positive critical response and strong sales, but declined to the point of cancellation with issue #18.
New Excalibur was introduced in 2005, with Captain Britain as team leader. This series ran until issue #24 and the team was disbanded in the X-Men: Die by the Sword limited series. In 2008, using the Secret Invasion crossover storyline as a launchpad, Brian was featured as the protagonist of Captain Britain and MI: 13, written by Paul Cornell, which included some characters from New Excalibur, as well as members of MI: 13 who appeared in Cornell's Wisdom limited series.
Panini Comics bought Marvel UK and in 2006 renewed and broadened their licence with MarvelPanini, Marvel Expand Agreement, Announce New Projects (press release), Newsarama, March 29, 2006 which allows them to produce original comic stories for the British and European markets. This has included Captain Britain's first original appearance in UK comics in thirteen years, with a story that ran in Spectacular Spider-Man AdventuresCaptain Britain Returns to... Britain , Newsarama, February 25, 2005Spectacular Spider-Man Adventures #114 (April 2005) and Panini plan to have more in their new all-ages title Marvel Heroes.Panini UK Launches 'Marvel Heroes' with All-New Strips, Newsarama, October 9, 2008
Captain Britain made several cameo appearances in Marvel Comics publications then would feature in a Heroic Age tie in anthology limited series and a Deadpool Team Up issue.. He appeared as a regular character in the 2010-2013 Secret Avengers series, from issue #22 (April 2012) through its final issue #37 (March 2013). Beginning in November 2014, Captain Britain reappeared with the Avengers as a part of the Time Runs Out storyline.
Following the 2019 X-Men franchise relaunch Dawn of X, Betsy Braddock became the new Captain Britain following Brian's corruption by Morgan le Fay, with Brian taking up the new mantle of Captain Avalon.
Fictional character biography Origins Born and raised in the small town of Maldon, Essex and educated at Fettes College in Edinburgh, Brian was a shy and studious youth, living a relatively quiet life and spending a lot of time with his parents and siblings (older brother Jamie and fraternal twin Betsy). The family was an aristocratic one that was no longer rich enough to fraternise with their former academic peers, leaving Brian (too proud to fraternise with lower classes) a lonely child who immersed himself in the study of physics.The Daredevils #1
After the death of his parents (Sir James and Lady Elizabeth) in what seemed to be a laboratory accident, Brian takes a fellowship at Darkmoor nuclear research centre. When the facility is attacked by the technological criminal Joshua Stragg (alias "The Reaver"), Brian tries to find help by escaping on his motorcycle. Although he crashes his bike in a nearly fatal accident, Merlyn and his daughter, the Omniversal Guardian Roma, appear to the badly injured Brian. They give him the chance to be the superhero Captain Britain. He is offered a choice: the Amulet of Right or the Sword of Might. Considering himself to be no warrior and unsuited for the challenge, he rejects the Sword and chooses the Amulet. This choice transforms Brian Braddock into Captain Britain.
It is later revealed that Braddock is only one member of a much larger, inter-dimensional corps of mystical protectors. Every Earth in Marvel Comics' Multiverse has its own Captain Britain who is expected to defend that version of Britain and uphold its local laws. They are collectively called the Captain Britain Corps. Captain Britain protects "Earth-616" of the Marvel Universe. Later still, it was retconned that Brian's father, Sir James Braddock, was himself from Otherworld and a member of an earlier Corps; Merlyn had sent him to Earth-616 to take a carefully chosen mate and father a hero who would be far greater even than heCaptain Britain vol. 2 #7 (other comics still have the Braddock family as old and established: they've been in the Hellfire Club for generations and Braddock Manor is a "quarter millennium" old in its first appearanceCaptain Britain Weekly #9).
Early career as Captain Britain As his career as a superhero begins, Brian fights as the champion of Great Britain, often clashing with S.T.R.I.K.E. and Welsh anti-superhero police officer Dai Thomas, and would develop a rogues gallery including the assassin Slaymaster and the crime matriarch Vixen. He tried to keep his studies going and court fellow student Courtney Ross while also working as a superhero, and (as with other Marvel heroes) was viewed as a coward by others because he always vanished whenever trouble started.Captain Britain Weekly #5 and #38
During one episode, his siblings Betsy and Jamie became aware of his secret identity after he saved them from Dr. Synne, a villain terrorizing the land around Braddock Manor. Synne turned out to be the patsy of the sentient computer Mastermind, a device Brian's father had created; it was then Brian learned that his parents did not die in an accident but had been deliberately killed by the machine.Captain Britain Weekly #8-16
Brian's greatest achievement in this time was preventing a neo-Nazi takeover of the country with the aid of Captain America, Nick Fury, and S.T.R.I.K.E. commander Lance Hunter.Captain Britain Weekly #17-27 He was responsible for both saving Prime Minister Jim Callaghan from the Red Skull and from stopping the Skull's germ bomb from killing London. The Nazis' first strike had actually happened during the battle with Mastermind, when the Red Skull took the plans for the computer and had Braddock Manor bombed to rubble (a later retcon said Mastermind had created a hologram that was bombed instead); Captain Britain was briefly believed dead and an empty coffin was laid in state at St Paul's Cathedral.Captain Britain Weekly #18-19
As time goes on, Brian begins fighting more supernatural enemies rather than regular supervillains: this was part of Merlin's overall plan to mentally prepare him for Jaspers’ Warp.