History[]
Sir James Braddock, also known as Dr James Braddock, was originally from Otherworld, a member of Merlyn's elite guard. Merlyn sent him to Earth, where he ended up married to Lady Elizabeth Braddock, with three children: Jamie, Betsy and Brian (who later became the superhero known as Captain Britain). The Doctor and his wife were unfortunately murdered by Mastermind, the demented computer intelligence which James kept in the basement of their home, Braddock Manor. Hey, it happens.
Brian would continue his father's legacy by becoming a physicist, and later the ruler of Otherworld. His parents' untimely deaths were for a long time a source of considerable guilt to him, because when they were electrocuted by Mastermind he was out of the house, flirting with a woman called Valerie Campbell. Mastermind twice used this guilt to attack him, and Merlyn at one point claimed to have appeared to Brian in an elderly, paternal form because Brian was subconsciously looking for a substitute father figure.
Merlyn is notorious for using his 'allies' as pawns. He apparently sent James Braddock to Earth to "prepare the way." It may be that Merlyn intended James to be killed by his own computer all along — having first engendered three superpowered children — in order to give Brian a motivation for his heroic activities and a willingness to be guided by a father substitute. Merlyn is certainly powerful enough to have foreseen and prevented or reversed James' death, had he wanted to.
Powers and abilities[]
Powers
In a flashback Dr Braddock is shown creating Mastermind by emitting an unearthly glow from his hands, so he may have had magical abilities.
Abilities
Good at inventing stuff.
Strength level
Middle-aged human male.
Weaknesses
Not great at installing safeguards.
Paraphernalia[]
Equipment
Wrench (used for fixing computers).
Weapons
In a flashback to his time on Otherworld, James Braddock was shown bearing a sword.
Notes[]
Brian and Betsy, alias Captain Britain and Psylocke, inherited their powers from their father.
Trivia[]
- Mastermind, during one of his less homicidal periods, told Brian that his father came from Otherworld, but he didn't tell him whether or not his mother knew this.
- Mastermind also said that "the Otherworld genes were subverted" in Jamie, Dr Braddock's eldest child. In fact, Jamie was later shown to have reality-warping powers (which are, of course, the easiest to hide).
Links[]
- Appearances of Doctor James Braddock
- Character Gallery: Doctor James Braddock
- Images that feature Doctor James Braddock
- Fan-Art Gallery: Doctor James Braddock
- Doctor James Braddock quotations
Discover and Discuss[]
- Search News for: Doctor James Braddock · James Braddock · Doctor James Braddock