Marvel tried crossovers with Spider-Man (Braddock improbably became roommates with Peter Parker in New York) and Captain America (whose longtime opponent, the Red Skull, came to the UK). Even Braddock seemed dubious: "If only I were sure I wanted the job," the character said after one of his earliest transformations into the superhero. The Financial Times called the first issue a "farrago of illiterate nonsense." Sales were poor. Brian Braddock, a research scientist, escapes a villainous invasion of a facility called Darkmoor, finds a circle of standing stones and encounters Merlyn - yeah, that Merlyn - who turns Braddock into a muscle-bound, lycra-clad superhero with a curious telescoping lance. The culturally-appropriated character he created was a strange mix of British mysticism and American costumery. "In those Dark Ages, before anyone Over Here knew quite what was Over There, nobody was sure if there were writers and artists who could handle Marvel-type characters," Claremont explained years later, especially given that pages could not be easily faxed back and forth in 1976. To create Captain Britain himself, Stan Lee turned to X-Men writer Chris Claremont, an American who at least had the advantage of being born in London. His self-titled comic book was a kind of Trojan horse that also brought Fantastic Four and Nick Fury stories to a UK audience. Captain Britain was the company's attempt at a "homegrown" British superhero. comics scene in the 1960s, New York-based Marvel attempted a reverse British invasion in the 1970s. Cap in 'Captain Britain' issue 16 (1977).įresh from its stunning success on the U.S. Whether that's true, or just another case of superfans misreading the runes, it's high time MCU viewers familiarize themselves with the bizarre backstory of this splintered superhero. Meanwhile, rumors persist that a live-action Captain Britain will enter the MCU in 2022 via Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. The What If showrunners have revealed that Captain Carter will crop up again, in this and future seasons. Now, in its Phase 4, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is getting interested in the multiverse too - so it should come as no surprise that Captain Britain is finally getting his/her due. At the same time, most of Marvel's multiple worlds contain a Captain Britain they have banded together in a "Captain Britain Corps" to protect the multiverse. There is no one true Captain Britain the title gets passed around and is often held by female characters, making Peggy Carter's assumption of the role less surprising than you might think. Even now, the character lives a weird kind of halfway existence in Marvel comics. In short, Americans who've never heard of Captain Britain shouldn't feel bad neither have most British people. The future Watchmen and V for Vendetta author recruited this Cap into a surreal fight against fascism - and thanks to his own fight with Marvel, prevented us from seeing the story he crafted. After several floundering iterations, the character only came to life thanks to budding British comics genius Alan Moore. This was something Marvel struggled to understand when it first introduced Captain Britain to a skeptical British public in 1976. But never let them presume to speak for an entire nation - least of all one containing four countries with their own complex identity. Call them by their names ( Harry Potter), their titles ( The Doctor), or their secret number ( 007). Its fictional heroes may be super-powered, but they also cloak themselves in modesty. British culture has long seen itself in opposition to the egoism of America. Yet that's exactly what you'd expect from a true Captain Britain, who would be unlikely to assume such a flashy mantle. When agent Peggy Carter becomes a Union Jack-clad, Captain America-style shield-wielding superhero right at the start of episode 1 of What if, she insists only on a new rank: "Captain Carter." Technically, she's not called Captain Britain.
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