Captain Britain and MI13 is an American comic book series published by Marvel Comics and written by Paul Cornell, with art by Leonard Kirk. The series centers on the fictional British government agency MI: 13, which is dedicated to protecting the United Kingdom from supernatural threats. The main strikeforce is led by the superhero Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), and consists of various Marvel Comics characters that are of British descent or have a connection to the country. The series launched as a tie-in to the Secret Invasion event in May 2008 and ceased publication with issue #15.
Publication history The idea for the series grew out of Cornell's first Marvel MAX limited series Wisdom, which is centered around Pete Wisdom and MI: 13. Editor Nick Lowe said, "I loved working with Paul on Wisdom and wanted to expose more readers to his writing."Cornell & Lowe talk "Captain Britain and MI:13", Comic Book Resources, February 18, 2008.
In August 2007 it was announced that Cornell was going to take over writing New Excalibur,WW: Chicago - Marvel X-Men Panel , Newsarama, August 10, 2007 another series with close links to MI: 13, but, over time, the project morphed into a new series. Cornell explained, "I think there have been so many Excaliburs lately that Nick [Lowe] just wanted to underline that this is a fresh start. And it shows that we have a purpose firmly in mind. And it spotlights Cap, which is fine by me."Damn Bloody Skrulls: Captain Britain and MI: 13 , Newsarama, April 29, 2008
The New Excalibur team was wound up in the 2007 crossover mini-series X-Men: Die by the Sword and the major Marvel summer event of 2008, Secret Invasion, was used as a launchpad for the new Captain Britain and MI: 13 series, much like how the fallout of the 2005 summer event, House of M, was used to launch New Excalibur which after issue #4, separated from the event to become an ongoing series.
To help keep the series on schedule after the completion of the first story arc, Pat Olliffe and Paul Neary took over the art duties for issue #5 (the prologue to second storyline Hell Comes to Birmingham) from Leonard Kirk and inker Jesse Delperdang. Paul Cornell has stated that Kirk is with the series "for the duration". Michael Bair, with Jay Leisten and Craig Yeung, took over from Delperdang in issues 7 and 8 before Jay Leisten, at first with Cam Smith, took on the inking duties.
Rumors that the title might have been cancelled, when sales dropped after the Secret Invasion tie-in ended, dropping from estimates of 36,805Sales Estimates for August, 2008, Comic Book Resources to 22,185 by issue #7,Sales Estimates for November, 2008, Comic Book Resources were denied by a Marvel spokesman who revealed plans for numerous upcoming storylines, including appearances by Doctor Doom, Dracula and the return of Meggan.Rumorkiller: Captain Britain NOT Canceled, Newsarama, January 23, 2009
Doom and Dracula feature in the third storyarc "Vampire State" which runs for six issues and an annual.Bloody Hell: Cornell on Captain Britain, Comic Book Resources, January 21, 2009
Outside of the comic series, several members of the team make cameo appearances in Mighty Avengers #22-23, and Paul Cornell wrote an in canon Twitter micro-blog page as Captain BritainMarvel's Captain Britain Twittering Daily Heroics By John Scott Lewinski, wired.com, February 18, 2009 for a while, where Captain Britain describes character interactions and missions that take place off-panel between storyarcs.
The series also had additional artistic contributions by Mike Collins, Adrian Alphona and Ardian Syaf. Also received a nod in the Best Graphic Story category for Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story in 2010.
On May 19, 2009 Paul Cornell announced that issue #15 would be the last one saying:
After the end of the series, the final battle from The Guns of Avalon story makes an appearance during a scene from Cornell and Kirk's following series Dark X-Men. Marvel announced that Cornell and Kirk would reunite to write an MI:13 story in the first issue of the Age of Heroes anthology limited seriesThe Heroic Age: Age of Heroes, Marvel.com, February 14, 2010 which would be followed by a Spitfire one-shot written by Cornell.
Characters The initial main cast of characters included superheroes with British backgrounds like Captain Britain, The Black Knight, and Spitfire working for MI: 13 alongside its field agents Pete Wisdom and John the Skrull. Dr. Faiza Hussain, a character first seen in this series,Super Spy Weekend: Faisa Hussain, Comic Book Resources, March 9, 2008 was introduced as a new agent of MI: 13. Former head of MI: 13, Alistaire Stuart, returns as the scientific adviser, while Tink, a MI: 13 field agent from Wisdom, returns in issue #2, although not in an official agent role.
Other British superheroes made appearances in the title, including Captain Midlands and Union Jack, Cornell has intentions to further explore a variety of other British superheroes:
When quizzed about if other British characters like some of the Knights of Pendragon, Elsa Bloodstone, Motormouth, and Killpower, Cornell stated an interest of looking at other British heroes as the series progresses.The British Invasion: Paul Cornell on Captain Britain and MI: 13 , Comics Bulletin, April 10, 2008 Cornell had also stated a character would be appearing who was British, even if they were not commonly thought to be, and this was revealed to be Blade, who would join the cast in issue #5.MI:13 Agent Profile - Blade? Cornell talks "Captain Britain", Comic Book Resources, July 7, 2008 He later confirmed that the series will be featuring Motormouth and Killpower.Newsarama 9: Paul Cornell, Newsarama, February 11, 2009
In issue #3, readers saw the return of Merlin, a version of the Merlyn usually seen in stories with Captain Britain (who is the physical amalgamations of all his interdimensional counterparts), specifically an 'aspect' that appeared in Marvel UK's Doctor Who comics.Doctor Who Monthly #60 (1982) This fits with the mention of "Higher Evolutionaries" having imprisoned him, a group who appeared in Alan Moore's "Time War" storyline and who have Rassilon as a member. Cornell has a strong Dr Who connection and explained his choice of this 'aspect' of Merlyn:
Plot
The Guns Of Avalon
During the Skrull Invasion, Britain comes under heavy attack by Super Skrulls, which forces a loose coalition of British superheroes to come together to fight them off under the aegis of MI: 13. The Skrulls launch an assault on the Siege Perilous, preventing access into the Otherworld (Avalon) through its portal while breaking through into Otherworld via another portal located in one their ships. While in Avalon, the Skrulls gather together mystical items and convert them for their own use to make a magically empowered Super Skrull to face the remaining British resistance in London. With all the magic gone from Avalon, Wisdom, in a last-ditch effort, releases the dark and evil magics along with Merlin who resurrects Captain Britain to aid the resistance.
Captain Britain uses Excalibur to defeat the magic empowered Super-Skrull while the dark magic beings lay claim to Great Britain and at the request of Wisdom exterminate the rest of the Skrull invaders. Standing in the devastation, Captain Britain and Wisdom announce that a team of superheroes should be brought together to face any new threat to the country including the dark magic beings while Faiza Hussain became the new wielder of Excalibur.
Hell Comes to Birmingham The evil released by Wisdom in "Guns of Avalon" starts to cause trouble, chiefly thanks to Plokta, a new character:
Using the tower block in Birmingham, Plokta captures many people within its rooms by giving them an illusion of their hearts desire. Using the collected magical energy of these people, Plokta creates an army of Mindless Ones. When challenged by Captain Britain, Plokta reveals he has something Brian may want; Meggan. Captain Midlands betrayed his remaining comrades, allowing them to be captured by Plokta briefly. When the team eventually defeated Plokta, Midlands was taken into custody.
Vampire State Dracula, "the greatest general of his generation", and his vampire minions leave their Moon sanctuary for a planned assault on the United Kingdom; with help from Doctor Doom. Cornell has said that it would be "a spy game, a clash of intellects, as Dracula tries to strategize and trick his way into a full on takeover of the British Isles". Black Knight and Faiza Hussain head to the African nation of Wakanda to retrieve the true Ebony Blade from Wakanda's queen, Ororo T'Challa. The team members are each intercepted by enhanced vampires, while Dracula heads directly to Faiza Hussain's family home. Kidnapping and converting Faiza's father and others while seemingly using his powers over Spitfire to bring her into his inner circle, that includes Lilith and Captain Fate where Dracula uses magic to prepare for an invasion. Britain's intelligence services begin purging themselves of vampire infiltrators, one of which manipulates MI:13 into trying to take the enchanted skull of Quincy Harker - which ensures all vampires need to be invited into the United Kingdom - into custody; this enables Dracula to learn where it is and have it destroyed, leaving the way open for a mass invasion in Fate's warships.
Using Plokta, MI:13 allow Dracula to experience his invasion plan with everything going his way; with magical barriers blocking off Britain from the rest of the world, Dracula's armies begin their invasion; disposing of most of the heroes of MI:13 and anyone else in their path. Dracula and his armies sweeps across the UK leaving only a pocket of resistance to fend off the invaders. (Cornell has stated that he checked with Marvel which characters they would allow to be killed and which they would not so that he could give the impression that Britain was genuinely falling "A Close to Captain Britain" interview at Comics Bulletin ) Dracula soon realizes this to be too easy and breaks free of the dream, but this has prevented him from sending in scouts every hour like he planned. Leading up to the invasion, Spitfire, along with Julius Mullarkey and Faiza's father, reveal that they were not, in fact, under control by Dracula and have been working under cover, and instigate an attack on board Dracula's ship. Bringing other members of MI:13 on board they help dispose of Captain Fate and free some of the converted hostages. Unable to stop Dracula fully and with Brian being harmed by Lilith, the team escapes but without Faiza's father, and, thanks to Doom, Dracula now has Captain Britain's wife Meggan.
However, this is then revealed to be an attack by Doom, as Meggan uses her powers to cause rebellion among Dracula's less loyal conscripts. Brian launches a second attack to assist her, this time showing his full power against Lilith, just in time for Dracula to learn that Wisdom had not led him to the skull of Quincy Harker but had instead led him to a fake; every action by MI:13 was to ensure Dracula wouldn't know the protection spell around the country was still active, leading to the vampire army being mostly wiped out as they remain uninvited. Dracula and his remaining loyal soldiers retreat to their fortress, trying to protect Lilith, but are pursued by MI:13, MI:13's reserves, and a Special Air Service team. Union Jack and Blade take out Dracula's coffin, Faiza destroys the Count with Excalibur, and Brian is able to destroy Lilith.