captain britain volume 1 birth of a legend

Having been mortally wounded in a motorbike crash as part of a supervillain attack on the nuclear facility at which he works, Brian Braddock is given special powers from Merlyn and his daughter Roma to become a superhero who defends Britain from evil – unlike Captain America, protecting his home country so very rarely involves punching Hitler.Ĭaptain Britain’s been through several iterations since his initial debut in the 1960s, often being updated by the lead writer of his comic to meet the needs of Britain at a particular time – a reboot of the character in the 1980s was shaped in large part by Alan Moore, of Watchmen and V for Vendetta fame, and Captain Britain saw another reworking in 2008 at the hands of Paul Cornell, who among other things has contributed several scripts to Doctor Who.Īs such, his powers often go through changes depending on his writer and the needs of the time. While the idea behind the character may have been to create someone that would resonate with readers of Marvel UK’s comic books, the approach that was taken with developing Captain Britain is very different – rather than being based on the New World ideals of an underdog rising up through the benefits of technology, Brian Braddock gains his super powers from the wizard Merlyn, and his abilities are tied to the legendary stories of myth and magic that exist in Britain’s history.

Considering the similarity in name, it might seem obvious that Captain Britain is simply an attempt to copy Captain America, creating a patriotic superhero for an audience across the Pond from New York.

Captain britain volume 1 birth of a legend