Marvel Hasn’t Introduced The Most Important Multiverse Character

Captain Britain was created by Chris Claremont and artist Herb Trimpe in 1976 for Marvel UK. He became one of the most popular characters for the imprint, with several notable comic book creators working on the character’s early appearances, including Alan Moore and Alan Davis. The Moore and Davis comics are noted for how they fleshed out the details of Marvel’s multiverse.

One of the distinguishing elements of Captain Britain is that the monicker is a title that can be bestowed on people rather than an individual character. While Brian Braddock is the most well-known version of the character, his twin sister Betsy has taken on the title many times, and for a brief time, the title was held by Kelsey Leigh Kirkland. Regardless of who the title is bestowed on, it comes with magically imbued powers and a duty to protect the British Isles.

Another key element, and the detail that makes the character particularly important to the multiverse, is the Captain Britan Corps. Created by Alan Moore and Alan Davis, the Corps is composed of various versions of the character from across the multiverse, who protect the gateways between worlds. Stories about the Corps also fleshed out how the Marvel multiverse works and is even the origin of the comic universe designation as Universe 616. 

After the initial Marvel UK comics, Captain Britain became a more popular character in the US due to his inclusion in Excalibur, which brought Marvel UK characters like Brian Braddock together with X-Men characters. Since then, the character has been heavily associated with the character, with Betsy Braddock being a frequent member of the X-Men. This could be why no version of the character has shown up yet, but still could with the introduction of the X-Men.  

The introduction of The Captain Britain Corps. could also help to end the multiverse saga. A powerful force dedicated to protecting multiversal borders could help end characters moving through the multiverse and leaving destruction in their wake, as we’ve seen both Wanda Maximoff and Kang doing. The character could also link the X-Men and established characters, possibly even bringing them together to fight a major threat. 

Captain Britain is critical to the Marvel multiverse, with his comics defining almost everything about it. His absence from the MCU’s multiverse-focused era stands out as a noteworthy exclusion, but one that could play a critical role in upcoming movies. However, if the multiverse saga ends without introducing some version of Captain Britain, it will be a disappointment and a major disservice to the source material.