KID BRITON
Real Name: Brian
Braddock
Identity/Class: Extradimensional (Earth-13022) human, UK (or his reality's equivalent) citizen
Occupation: Student;
former adventurer
Group Membership: Corps, Braddock Academy
Affiliations: Formerly Apex (Katy Bashir), Nara;
(uneasy alliance) Anachronism (Aiden Gillespie), Cullen Bloodstone, Death
Locket (Rebecca Ryker)
Enemies: Arcade, Anachronism, Apex, Cullen Bloodstone, Nara
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: "Kid Moron" (Cullen's nickname for him)
Base of Operations: Braddock Academy, Essex, UK
First Appearance: Avengers Arena#1 (December 2012)
Powers/Abilities: Kid Briton's powers depended on his confidence, increasing when he believed in himself and decreasing when he doubted himself. He possessed powers similar to those of his Earth-616 counterpart, including superhuman strength, durability (possibly via a forcefield), endurance and the ability to fly. He wielded a sword which could be ignited, covering it in flames; its flames were apparently part of the sword rather than Kid Briton's, as the sword continued to burn for a time following Kid Briton's death. When not in use, it was sheathed in his right hand boot. He was a highly trained combatant.
Height: 6'3" (speculative)
Weight: 220 lbs. (estimated)
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond
History:
(Avengers Arena#2 (fb) - BTS) - Brian was an alternate reality teenage Captain
Britain.
(Avengers Arena#5 (fb) - BTS) - His early life was tough. His Britain was a trial by fire, and he was trained for combat straight out of the crib. He was considered (or considered himself) a born leader of men. At some point he was empowered and became Kid Briton. His powers were based on self-confidence, but luckily Kid Briton had that in spades, enabling him to save his universe five times - as he put it, "cocky is the only reason I'm alive." However, Captain Britain-616 felt he was throwing away his potential, and pulled Kid Briton out of his native reality, bringing him to Earth-616, where he was enrolled, against his choice, into the Braddock Academy.
(Avengers Arena#2 (fb) - BTS) - He paraded round Braddock Academy "like a cocky twit."
(Avengers Arena#5 (fb) - BTS) - Most of the other students hated him as he was an arrogant bully.
(Avengers Arena#6 (fb) - BTS) - Since his powers were confidence based, he bullied others because feeling big and bad actually made him big and bad.
(Avengers Arena#5 (fb)) - Kid Briton visited the office of the school's headmaster, Kid Briton's counterpart Captain Britain, where he was chastised for squandering his potential, being a cocky, self-impressed bully instead of acting like the leader Captain Britain felt he could be. Kid Briton was unrepentant, reminding his older doppelganger that their powers depended on self-belief. Their discussion was interrupted as Cullen Bloodstone's monstrous Glaratrox smashed through the wall, and Captain Britain's fellow teacher Elsa Bloodstone asked for his assistance subduing the beast. Aware his talk had achieved nothing, Captain Britain reluctantly sent Kid Briton back to class.
Kid Briton was dating his classmate Apex, but also seeing Atlantean student Nara behind Apex's back, unaware the manipulative Apex was well aware of the affair; she permitted it because it boosted his confidence, making him stronger and, in her eyes, sexier, and because she found his attempts to sneak around cute. When new student Aiden Gillespie, a short, overweight computer gamer, joined the school, he became an instant target for Kid Briton's bullying, and when Aiden inadvertently walked in on Kid Briton and Nara in a compromising position, Kid Briton beat Aiden up to scare him into keeping their "secret." However, this brutality triggered Aiden's power, and Kid Briton and Nara witnessed Aiden undergo an apparently permanent transformation into a Celtic warlord with the strength and physique to give Kid Briton a run for his money. Despite this, Kid Briton's bullying persisted, and he soon discovered that Aiden was reluctant to fight back; unaware this was because Aiden was now fighting against giving in to his Celtic warlord's bloodlust, Kid Briton decided Aiden was simply a coward.
(Avengers Arena#6 (fb) - BTS) - Kid Briton continued to pick on Aiden specifically because he was threatened by him, aware that Aiden's new form could give him a good fight if Aiden ever tried.
(Avengers
Arena#6 (fb)) - Nara found the new Aiden attractive, but when she began flirting
with him, Kid Briton intervened, punching Aiden and telling him that just
because he had changed physically didn't mean Nara was now interested in
"geeks." Aiden's friend, Cullen Bloodstone, demanded to know if there was
any girl in the school he hadn't marked as his own. Kid Briton arrogantly
retorted that all of them were out of Cullen's league.
(Avengers Arena#1) - Kid Briton, Apex, Nara, Aiden (now using the codename Anachronism) and Cullen were among sixteen young superhumans kidnapped from around the world by the assassin Arcade, and transported to his new Arctic Murderworld complex. All the abductees were woken simultaneously by their captor to find themselves paralyzed and floating in mid-air, dressed in their respective costumes. Arcade showed himself, and explained to his captive audience that they were going to take part in a thirty day death match against one another, by which point there would be only one survivor. With a snap of his fingers, Arcade restored the youths' mobility. Predictably several of them made it clear the only person they intended to harm was Arcade. Standing next to the openly aggressive Nara and space tourist Cammi Benally, Kid Briton stepped aside and offered to let the ladies go first. Kid Briton continued to watch, never joining in, as Arcade casually defeated each and every attacker while boasting that within his realm he was effectively a god. Though Anachronism was defiant, insistent that while he might be able to beat them he couldn't force them to kill one another, but Arcade disagreed. To get the ball rolling, Arcade elected to make the first kill, picking Avengers Academy student Hazmat when she made another unsuccessful attack. Arcade offered to let the youths pick someone else, but initially nobody, including Kid Briton, spoke up, unwilling to mark another to die or to die themselves; Hazmat was saved when her boyfriend and teammate Mettle offered to take her place, and was promptly blown apart by Arcade.
(Avengers Arena#2) - After Arcade departed, the Braddock Academy students split away from the others, moving into the woods to find somewhere safe to spend the night while they considered their options. Despite Kid Briton reminding her they were leaving, Apex hung back to watch the fourteen year old cyborg 'Becca Ryker, one of the youngest captives, offer her sympathies to Hazmat and be violently rebuffed.
(Avengers Arena#2 - BTS) - After the Braddock pupils started a campfire, Kid Briton found 'Becca wandering through the woods towards their camp.
(Avengers Arena#2) - Kid Briton "captured" 'Becca and presented her to the others, suggesting she was a Deathlok and had planned to kill them all in their sleep, and informing them they could repay him with their admiration. Viewing their situation as kill or be killed, Nara suggested they slay 'Becca, though Cullen made it clear he thought they were being stupid. As 'Becca pleaded for her life, Kid Briton drew his flame sword and asked her for one good reason why he should not finish her off. Knowing his toughness was mostly an act, Apex responded, pointing out he would cry himself to sleep for the next three weeks. Initially thinking Cullen had said this, Kid Briton became riled, but backed down when Apex corrected him, pointed out that what she had said was true, then ordered him to put his sword away and cook some rabbits she had caught. Welcomed to the group by Apex, a grateful 'Becca said she thought Kid Briton had been about to carry out his threat, but Apex informed her that, death match or not, she doubted Kid Briton's ability to kill anything, and gazed at him as he stared forelornly at his burning sword, his true insecurity showing through.
(Avengers Arena#3 (fb) - BTS) - On the fourth night, intending to win the game, Apex secretly began using her ability to mentally control technology to send 'Becca, now calling herself Death Locket, out under cover of darkness to attack the various groups' camps, testing defences and heightening paranoia. Even her own camp was targeted, with Death Locket always striking and leaving unseen.
(Avengers Arena#3) - The Braddock pupils set up a watch system, but despite this on Day 8 they were nearly set on fire. Apex accused Nara of sleeping on duty, a claim Nara angrily refuted. Trying to keep peace, Kid Briton told Apex to drop the debate.
(Avengers Arena#5 (fb) - BTS) - At some point Kid Briton misread Cullen's unrequited attraction for his friend Anachronism and wrongly concluded the two boys were a romantic couple.
(Avengers
Arena#5) - Taking watch as the others slept, Kid Briton considered his chances
of surviving the contest, trying to boost his confidence with an internal
pep talk. Reminding himself that he had trained to fight since childhood,
he decided that Cullen and Anachronism had no chance of beating him, and
considered killing them in their sleep to "save everyone the heartache later."
However, he decided that Apex wouldn't like that, and since her happiness
made him happy, he would leave the others alone.
The next morning the sleepers were woken by the ground rumbling across the entire island they were on. A fiery visage appeared in the sky, and Arcade's voice boomed out, telling them he was bored and so for the next 24 hours, Murderworld would become increasingly "interesting." As natural disasters started up across the island, Arcade informed everyone that there were four safe zones they could seek out, where they could also find limited supplies of food, water and medical supplies, but only enough for the first groups who got to them. The Braddock pupils prepared to move out, but Cullen and Anachronism delayed, searching for Anachronism's axe. Kid Briton suggested to the girls that they leave the pair, declaring them dead weight, and taunting Anachronism that he didn't have the guts to use the axe anyway. Fighting to keep control, Anachronism glared sullenly at Kid Briton, who failed to realize the danger he was courting. Cullen announced he had found the axe, then shouted at Kid Briton to catch. Turning, Kid Briton had no time to react as Cullen threw the axe right at his head, but Anachronism caught it only inches away from the shocked Briton's face. Enraged, Kid Briton punched Cullen in the face, and Anachronism stepped in to restrain him before he could strike again. Facing off, Kid Briton laughed at Anachronism's sudden willingness to fight, but Apex called at them to stop trying to prove who was top dog. The group headed towards the nearest safe zone, with Cullen and Anachronism hanging back as the group crossed a narrow stone bridge over a river chasm. On the other side, Kid Briton taunted the pair, suggesting they jump in, but as they crossed, the bridge gave way. Glancing over the edge, the others saw they had landed unhurt in the river, much to Kid Briton's amusement. Seeing an opportunity, Apex took control of Death Locket, and had her blast Nara in the back, knocking her into the chasm too. Shouting in concern, Kid Briton rounded on Death Locket, demanding the confused girl explain why she had attacked Nara, and threatening to kill her if she didn't climb down to retrieve her. However, Apex disagreed, insisting the Atlantean would be fine after falling into a river, and that they were better off without her, both because Nara was of little use on land and because she was mean-spirited and impulsive. As Kid Briton tried to respond, Apex shot him down, informing him that she knew he had been cheating on her with Nara, but making it clear this was now over. Informing him they had to go win their supper, she walked away, leaving Kid Briton literally lost for words.
(Avengers Arena#6) - As Kid Briton, Apex and Death Locket approached Safe Zone 2, Arcade teleported Nara, Anachronism and Cullen there ahead of them, hoping to provoke conflict. Despite Anachronism telling Nara not to bite, the furious Atlantean confronted Apex, aware of her manipulations thanks to Cullen's warning. Trying to keep peace between the two women in his life, Kid Briton stepped in suggesting they take a breath, and was caught off guard as Nara punched him in the face, mad that he had not flown down to get her out the chasm. To Kid Briton's shock, the strike drew blood and floored him, as his confidence had wavered thanks to Apex's recent revelation. Dropping her pretense, Apex ordered Death Locket to kill Nara, but Cullen broke her control by blasting the entire group away from one another with a bazooka he had found in the Zone's equipment chest. Recovering fast, Nara began pounding on Apex, and she called on Kid Briton to come to her help. Kid Briton pleaded with Nara to leave Apex alone, but Nara taunted back that he was too weak and pathetic to be able to stop her, now that she had cut his strings. Trying to rebuild his confidence, Kid Briton insisted he was not weak, drew his sword, and leapt at her, screaming at her to take it back. Even after he wounded her, Nara continued her taunting, enraging Kid Briton to the point where he raised his sword intending to slay her. Unwilling to see Nara die, Anachronism acted instinctively, and decapitated Kid Briton with a single axe blow.
(Avengers
Arena#8) - While Cullen dressed Nara's wound, Anachronism stared at Kid Briton's
body, stunned by his own actions. He admitted to the others that he had not
intended to kill his opponent, nor had he even known he was physically capable
of doing so. Anachronism wondered if they should bury Kid Briton, feeling
that for all his flaws he deserved better than to left out in the sun to
rot. Before he could complete this thought, a grateful Nara thanked Anachronism
for saving her by aggressively making out with him. Spotting Cammi and Runaways
Nico Minoru and Chase Stein watching events unfold, Cullen offered to share
their food with the new arrivals in return for their help burying Kid Briton.
Finding the ground too hard to dig, they built a stone cairn over Kid Briton's
corpse and stuck his sword into the ground to serve as a headstone.
(Avengers Arena#12 - BTS) - Arcade retrieved Kid Briton's sword and remains, bringing them down a lab in Murderworld's underground control complex, and placing them in a tank of (presumably preservative) fluid, alongside the remains of Murderworld's other victims.
(Avengers Arena#12) - After Nico buried her alive with a spell, Death Locket found herself in the complex and discovered the room holding the remains.
(Avengers
Arena#13 - BTS) - In the outside world, Arcade ensured nobody would come looking
for his abductees by making it appear they had all left their friends for
various personal reasons. In the Braddock students case, online social media
accounts were hacked, and faked photos showed them truanting and traveling
the world enjoying a hedonistic break from school. Arcade even faked them
breaking into Captain Britain's house, posting pictures of "Kid Briton" posing
while wearing his headmaster's original costume.
(Avengers Arena#16) - Looking for a diversion to lure Arcade out of his control room, Death Locket snuck back into the lab containing the bodies and used Kid Briton's inert sword to shatter the casing holding the body. When Arcade's robot servitor tried to seal the tank before the fluid within all leaked out, Death Locket destroyed the robot with the sword.
(Avengers Arena#18 - BTS) - After Arcade was defeated, the Murderworld survivors called their respective schools to come and retrieve them. The remains of the dead, including Kid Briton, were removed, presumably to be returned where possible to families to undergo proper burials.
Comments: Created by Dennis Hopeless (writer) and Kevin
Walker (art).
Hopeless noted that he based Kid Briton's personality on the
character of Tony in the British TV show Skins.
Kid Briton knew what a Deathlok was - whether this was via lessons at Braddock Academy, or personal experience from his own world, was not revealed.
Profile by Loki.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Kid Briton should not be confused with
images: (without ads)
Avengers Arena#6, p18, pan1 (main image).
Avengers Arena#1, cover (headshot - black and white, but the only shot of
him without his costume obscuring the sides of his head)
Avengers Arena#5, p1, pan2 (head and shoulders costume shot)
Avengers Arena#2, p16, pan4 (clear shot of his sword)
Avengers Arena#6, p20, pan1 (Kid Briton is slain by Anachronism)
Avengers Arena#8, p12, pan1 (Kid Briton's grave)
Avengers Arena#16, p11, pan3 (Death Locket with Kid Briton's sword and
remains)
Appearances:
Avengers Arena#1 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(art), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#2 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(art), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#3 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(art), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#5 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(art), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#6 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(art), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#8 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(pencils), Jason Gorder (inks), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman
(editor)
Avengers Arena#12 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(art), Jason Gorder (inks, p7-12, 17-20), Jon Moisan (assistant editor),
Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#13 (December 2012) - Christos Gage (writer), Karl Moline
(pencils), Mark Pennington (inks), Jon Moisan (assistant editor), Bill Roseman
(editor)
Avengers Arena#16 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Karl Moline
(pencils), Mark Pennington with Rick Magyar and Karl Moline (inks), Jon Moisan
(assistant editor), Bill Roseman (editor)
Avengers Arena#18 (December 2012) - Dennis Hopeless (writer), Kevin Walker
(pencils), Kevin Walker and Jason Gorder (inks), Jon Moisan (assistant editor),
Bill Roseman (editor)
First Posted: 05/10/2016
Last updated: 05/09/2016
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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