User:Cookieboy 2005/temp

Early life
Brian Braddock's life was subtly directed by a disguised Merlyn to make him mentally and physically prepared for a task, as he had become aware of a terrible threat to the omniverse.

Braddock was born as a twin, along with his sister, Elizabeth, to a family who were "no longer quite wealthy enough", being "too poor to associate with his aristocratic peers", and "too proud to seek the company of the lower classes", with Merlyn speculating that he was a lonely child. As he grew up, he became immersed in the study of physics on account of his grasp of "the scien[t]ific and rational". There was apparently little room for friendship or love at this point.

At some point, Captain Britain died, with only a rag, a bone, and a hank of hair remaining when Merlyn pulled him from an alternate world, with the world in the grip of a reality-storm which thwarted even the abilities of Merlyn. Roma, Merlyn's daughter, helped him recreate Braddock's body using what scraps remained. Merlyn commented that he "must have been a very big man", and "a complex man as humans go".

Throughout his early life, he pursued & engaged in various brief and shallow relationships, which "left his private side untouched", according to Merlyn. He was in the process of pursuing one of these relationships on the night his parents died, leaving him with immense and terrible guilt for not being there, driving him further into a lonely and alienated void.

Becoming Captain Britain
During his holidays from Thames University, he got a job at the Darkmoor Research Centre, apparently enjoying the work as it dulled the pain within him. Merlyn described this period as an "interesting episode" in Braddock's life. One cold October night, Joshua Stragg, or "the Reaver", attacked the complex, sending Braddock fleeing out into the darkness, leading him to stumbling upon the group of standing stones at the heart of Darkmoor, where he saw "his vision", with him being urged by the towering presences to take up the mystic amulet which would "change his very essence".

Braddock transformed into the being known as Captain Britain, which Merlyn believed must have been strange for him, as he had been a "scientific creature", and had been transmuted by an amulet which was the product of magic; in spite of this, he still didn't believe in magic, still desperately clinging to scientific logic despite everything.

He ended up defining himself as a superhero, battling several foes who were "the spawn of an amok technology", including Red Skull. Although he tried to deny the power which touched him, he failed to do so, with one dark side of him responding to eldritch instincts. According to Merlyn, "this dark side of his personality entangled itself", with Braddock becoming entangled with vampires, dire wolves, and children of the Shadowlands, among others.

Science and sorcery struggled for supremacy within his mind, with a breakdown coming mid-flight over the Atlantic, jumping out of the plane as he became convinced that it was being attacked by the forces of darkness due to his madness. He became washed up on a beach in Cornwall, the pain and conflict in his mind lost in his amnesia, with him no longer knowing who he was or why he was there. He was left hoping that the forces which drove them there would eventually leave him alone.

Living as a hermit
For two years, Braddock lived as a hermit on the Cornish coastline as his psyche settled into the required shape.

Initial meeting with the Black Knight
Braddock was called to fight again alongside the Black Knight, a champion who was in the service of Merlin - Braddock saw Merlin as a fatherly old man.

First visit to Otherworld
His rational side was suppressed during his adventures by this point, battling against trolls, ogres, demons, and night-gaunts. During a fight, he passed away, his spirit almost drifting to extinction, only for it to be rescued by Merlin. He was taken to Otherworld, which he saw as "a place of ancient towers and tranquil medieval splendour". The two opposing halves of his soul were finally reconciled, with him finally being at peace.

Even still, his duties continued.