Captain Britain And His Origin Story:
Marvel is moving too many wheels in too many directions right now. After just bidding adieu to a shared superhero cinematic that took more than a decade to set up, they are forced to not only look for alternatives after many of their flagship superheroes left the franchise but also branch out the universe and expand it into other unexplored waters. The Eternals movie is one such unexplored region Marvel Studios intends to explore. But what about looking for replacements for their existing flagship superheroes that just left the movie universe for good? Marvel has found a novel approach to kill two birds with one stone. They are going to use the Eternals movie to find a replacement for Captain America. Get ready to see Captain Britain!
Captain Britain is a very prominent superhero of the Marvel Comic Book Universe. His real name is Brian Braddock and he was personally chosen by the great magician Merlyn to be the leader of the Captain Britain Corps and the protector of the Omni-Verse. Captain Britain is the brother of long-time X-Men member Psylocke. He is also the founding member of the leader of the superhero team Excalibur. He also has special espionage training as a top-level spy operative by Britain’s premier intelligence agency – MI 13. As of now, he serves as a member of the Captain Britain Corps.
Brian Braddock was born to a very wealthy family in the British Country-Side. His parents died when he was just a teenager. It was later revealed that his parents were killed by a sentient artificial intelligence machine his father Sir James Braddock had built from scratch. Brian would later join the Thames University as a student, furthering his career in the field of Nuclear Science. Brian was a junior researcher working under his superiors at Darkmoor Nuclear Research Facility. The Reaver, a small-time super villain, infiltrated the building and kidnapped the scientists inside with the hopes of selling them to several other international dictators. He had no use of Brian Braddock, who was run over and thrown from a cliff. Brian was only saved because Merlyn and Roma – then calling herself the Lady of the Northern Skies, brought him to their dimension.
The duo offers Brian two choices – the Sword of Might and the Amulet of Right. Brian chose the latter since he theorized that the Sword of Might will not do him any good since he was not much of a fighter. Because he chose right over might, he was given the power of Captain Britain. The Reaver meanwhile got his hands on the Sword of Might and gained enhanced powers. But Captain Britain defeated him. From then on, whenever Brian Braddock chose the Amulet of Right, he was transformed into Captain Britain.
Captain Britain has had several other adventures in the Marvel Universe. He fought the Hurricane – who was powered by the Gods of Merlyn’s foes – the Gods of the Nether Realm. He also once became the King of the Other-World by usurping the throne after he realized he is the rightful heir to the Sword of Excalibur. He also defeated Mastermind (who was disguised as Roma during the time when Brian took over the role of the ruler of the Other World). Brian has also been involved in Excalibur, New Excalibur, and MI 13. While his adventures as a member of the Captain Britain Corps are well-known, a lesser-known fact about Captain Britain is that he is also an Avenger.
Brian became an Avenger right after the infamous Siege event. In the wake of the American-Asgardian War, the resurrected Captain America proposed that the Avengers expand its operations to include new members. The British Government and MI: 13 were known to have a very cordial relationship and were applauded by Steve Rogers for having had no trouble whatsoever, something Shield, the Avengers, and the US Government could no replicate. Brian Braddock was invited to become a core member of the Avengers whilst also being a member of the MI: 13. He had to juggle between both the organizations for some time but he managed to do a splendid job as an Avenger nonetheless.
Since Brian has a history with the Avengers, it is paramount to believe that he could be a potential Captain America successor because there are a lot of similarities between the two. Both belief in walking the righteous path. Both are extremely adept close combat fighters. Both have leadership skills and both never shy away from making the hard choices and decisions. But how will Captain Britain be included in the MCU?
We believe the new Eternals movie holds the key.
Captain Britain was not even passively mentioned in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but there is one common link between the MCU and the superhero character within the comic books that are coming to the former in the upcoming Eternals movie. Black Knight, played by Kit Harrington, will be featured in the Eternals movie. Black Knight is not actually an Eternal. He is a human being and a very popular ally of Captain Britain. His inclusion in Marvel’s Eternals has led fans to think that Marvel is prepping up the Marvel Cinematic Universe to welcome Captain Britain aka Brian Braddock.
Who is Black Knight you ask? In comic books, Black Knight’s real name is Dane Whitman. Dane Whitman belongs to a long line of warriors who have been victims of a powerful curse called the Blood Curse. As a result of the curse, the heir to their bloodline will be doomed to carry the Ebony Blade. The Ebony Blade is a mystical blade that Merlin forged during the Arthurian times from a meteorite. Sir Percy of Scandia, an ancient ancestor of Dane Whitman, was a noble Knight of King Arthur’s round table of Camelot and the first wielder of the enchanted sword. It is said that whoever holds the Ebony Blade will start losing his humanity little by little with every soul it kills.
Black Knight’s inclusion in the movie might be a subtle but powerful hint at what is about to happen in the near future in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like Black Knight, Captain Britain’s origin story also includes Merlin and his daughter Roma. Merlin and Roma managed to move Camelot to Other World, an extradimensional pocket in space-time that is a nexus of all realities. The Arthurian City and the Knights of the Round Table now live in the Other World. If Black Knight exists, then the Arthurian Legends must also be true. And the Other World Camelot plot point could be used to bring them back to the MCU.
The hints are very subtle indeed. But if there is one thing we have learned from the MCU it is that the subtlest of hints are the ones that should be paid attention to. Captain Britain has a strong possibility of becoming a part of the MCU in the future. He is also a very worthy replacement for Captain America and just might end up leading the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the superhero movie universe.
The Last Solo Marvel movie to be released under the Disney banner is Spider-Man: Far From Home. The movie was released on the 28th of June, 2019. The official film synopsis for the movie reads:
Peter Parker’s relaxing European vacation takes an unexpected turn when Nick Fury shows up in his hotel room to recruit him for a mission. The world is in danger as four massive elemental creatures — each representing Earth, air, water and fire — emerge from a hole torn in the universe. Parker soon finds himself donning the Spider-Man suit to help Fury and fellow superhero Mysterio stop the evil entities from wreaking havoc across the continent.
Avengers: Endgame released on the 26th of April, 2019. The official film synopsis of the movie has been released and it states:
“After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins due to the efforts of the Mad Titan, Thanos. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers must assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe once and for all, no matter what consequences may be in store.”
