Addendum to "More Captains Britain, ch2"
Addendum to More Captains Britain, ch2.
Annotations that had to be removed from the main post since it already was so long.
Further notes
Timeline
[ Explanations and notes about the timeline ]
Canon timeline from Startling Stories: Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules (2003). No mutant or superheroes appeared (only Reed, Susan, Ben and Johnny are seen), their whereabouts (or even existence) are therefore unknown. So... free estate baby!
Official designation used.
Name from the comic book title, duh.
I know, it does suck, but I'm not having much luck in coming up with original names for realities, and those that I managed to find, I treasure for AUs in which I really draw a blank and I don't have a decent comic book title or story to draw from.
*
Notes
[ How the story came to be ]
The idea happened because of a canon error.
While developing another idea, I decided that the nameless male Betsy we see on the splash page of X of Swords: Destruction, since he hasn’t been given a canon name, title and reality number so far, would be the text-only mentioned Alpha Briton (Earth-33).
Curiously, Earth-33 already existed, as a reality in which the Fantastic Four as we know it are comic book characters based on real-life people, as seen in Startling Stories: Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules (2003). The numeration is canon. Which technically means that the aforementioned Alpha Briton should come from this reality.
From this, I decided to try to play with the feeling of the 1950s/1960s. A month earlier, during Christmas Holidays, I watched A Holiday Spectacular (2022) which has influenced this AU.
I will consider to revise this captain's title, should more info about Alpha Briton be revealed in canon.
Since I had no idea where to start for Betsy as a 50s/60s actor, I loosely took inspiration from Rock Hudson, while James Dean was used for how a male Betsy would live his sexual orientation. For Warren's temporary tenure as actress, I loosely drew from Grace Kelly, at least for how she began. Liz Taylor took dance lessons since the age of 3.
I decided to play with her X-relations, instead of the classic Psi-division, for this Betsy's formative years.
If it wasn't clear enough, Charlie Cluster is Cluster, the female clone of Fantomex introduced in Uncanny X-Force, her brother Charles is meant to be Dark Fantomex/Weapon and the actor Jean-Philippe Cluster is none other than main Fantomex.
Rest are self-explaining (I hope).
*
Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules
[ Reflections about the canon series ]
The four-issue miniseries retells the tale of Reed, Susan, Ben and Johnny as average people in the 1950s. The story works as if the real miniseries author, James Sturm, lived in this very reality and discovered what is a well-know truth in said reality: that Lee and Kirby based their Fantastic Four on their neighbors. In 1996 on the subway the author would meet Marvel Editor Tom Breevort and get the project of the Fantastic Four biography in a comic format green-lit. So the author would collect all resources (interviews of the time to the people who had known these four, books written about them, FBI files unsealed after 30 years under the Freedom of Information Act, etc) to write the biography to “revisit the Fantastic Four's beginning with the historian's eye”. So it would be a fake-biography in a comic book format that included, as appendixes, a list of fake-resources and fake-interviews extracts.
Basically, you read the story as if you lived in that reality and had bought the illustrated true story of people who lived in your world (and not fictional characters).
Said this, I admit I found the story too much convoluted. While the way Sturm developed it was a stroke of genius (fake sources and fake real-life documents within the reality), I admit I haven't been able to pinpoint the linear story of the reality. The story - as told by the panels - ends with teen Johnny leaving to join a group of Beats and Reed cutting any relation (in a very bad way) with both Sue and Ben.
The written pages (the mock appendixes) explain that the four would eventually work as government agents and be involved in the space program until unspecified “events of June 1960” turned them into national heroes. I don't see how the people we left at the end of the illustrated story would come together again and have any reason to become national heroes. The whole story of this miniseries is set to portray a non-superpowered version of the Fantastic Four (so no mission in space and radiations and powers gained). This Sue (Susan Sturm) has no title to be involved with the government or the national space program - unless she and Reed rekindled their romance, but nowhere in the fake-sources is hinted they did.
I tried to make some sense of this canon while being as more ambiguous as I could, especially on the timing and dates, so to fit my story into the Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules one.
Vapor Girl is a comic book that Sue (and Johnny) reads (with panels shown in-story to mirror Susan's own story).
Quotations from the fake research in the comic I referenced.
From issue #1:
“However wonderful the Kirby/Lee version of The Fantastic Four was, there was often stringent restrictions upon what could and could not be told. Scripts had to be approved by the Fantastic Four's public relations office and, on several occasions, the U.S. Government. Stories were often rejected or drastically changed.”
(…)
“Part one, Unstable Molecules (four issues) provides an introduction to Johnny, Reed, Sue and Ben and the times in which they lived. Part two, The Mad Thinkers (projected publication date: 2007), explores their world as government agents and involvement in the space program. Part three, The Negative Zone (2013), will deal with their sad final years.”
From issue #2:
“Whereas Susan Storm, the character in the Fantastic Four comic book, was eclipsed by her more colorful teammates, the real Sue Storm, Sue Sturm, was a force to be reckoned with. When the events of June 1960 transformed Susan, Reed, Johnny and Ben Grimm into national heroes, it was Susan who parlayed that brief national spotlight into an enduring institution. As director of Fantastic Four Enterprises it was Susan who dealt directly with Marvel in approving all scripts (such as they were) and licensing. As the director of The Fantastic Four Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization, Susan's influence may be even more lasting.”
*
Notes about the names
[ Ramblings about character names different than canon ]
To search for gender-swapped related names to the canon-ones, I used Behindthename.com.
The Braddocks & related
Betsy: lifted some secondary names from the Windsor's Charles and William and picked from the list. I left the one with the “E” as initial to link to the Braddock surname.
Brian: I wanted Brianna (and variations), but I couldn't find any use in the aristocracy (also, it's an Irish name). Same for Bridget (although there was a York princess in the 1500s). In the end, I chose Breanna.
Parents: with no other gender version of, respectfully, “Elizabeth” (here the father) and “James” (the mother), I choose names with the same initial as the canon ones, hence “Elijah Hartwood” and “Jacqueline Braddock”.
Meggan: Although “Meggan” isn't Romanichal, and her father is named a boring “William”, I decided to search some Romanichal famous male. I lifted the name from the father of the Romanian singer Romica Puceanu.
Dazzler: There's no masculine version of her name Alison; Behindthename suggested Alastair and its variants.
Piotr: there's no female version of Piotr (Petra, while interesting, is unfortunately not Russian). No Russian classic female name pinged; Polina is the Russian version of Paulina.
Ororo: sources say “ororo” is a Swahili word. I searched on Behindthename for Swahili names. Uhuru popped up (the name from where Star Trek's Uhura surname was taken, by the way). It sounds similar in spelling to Ororo and had a nice meaning (“freedom”) for an Ororo.
Kwannon: the Japanese deity of mercy Kannon was originally male, but “Avalokitesvara” doesn't sound much right for a Japanese character. The Japanese name of other bodhisattvas felt all... too pretentious. Couldn't find decent male names that would refer to “mercy” either. Searching for meanings of Japanese names is a nightmare, each site gives its own meaning. In the end I sorted through all the Japanese names starting with K that Behindthename offered.
Katsuhito, when written as 克仁 , includes compass “compassion”.
Also looked for a name that would evoke “rebirth”, that would fit for this Kwannon.
Kiyoko (喜代子) 's second kanjii refers to “substitute, generation, era” meanings and is mentioned when searching for “rebirth” related names.
Warren & related
Warren III: I managed to round up four female names to use instead of Warren (two for “Warren” and two for “Kenneth”). One combination (“Wilhelmina Kenna”) was used as Warren's birth name, the other (“Wallis Katherine”, inverted) was used for his screen name. I wasn't much convinced on Wilhelmina, especially on its use during the 50s, but - funnily enough - in Unstable Molecules the daughter of one of Susan's neighbor is indeed called Wilhelmina.
Warren Jr.:: I stole the Margareth with which Warren Jr., for some reasons, calls Kathryn in Angel: Revelations.
Kathryn Worthington:: There's no decent male version of Kathryn out of Kate's male versions (Christopher, Chris).
I searched for some names that were popular in the 1940/50s: Kenneth was among them. So, yeah, why not.
Since I had to give a surname to a character who never had it, I decided it was funny to make Warren's other parent related to the Frost. XD
Candy:: No male version. Searched for some “Southern” famous people for inspiration. Went for a Terence, shortened to Terry.
O5&related
Cyke: Summer Scott is the name of his only canon female version, seen in Exiles #9.
Iceman: Roberta is the name chosen in the so-far two instances when he's portrayed as a female (JLX Unleashed and Exiles #9.)
Jean: John Grey is Jean's father. Instead of searching for a different version of Jean, I went for Jr.
Tony Stark: Natasha is the name Tony gets in the only canon instance in which he is portrayed as a woman and given a name on panel (Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2). I don't see a rich man such as Howard call their daughter with a Russian name in the middle of the Cold War. Not sure if that specific crisis happened in this reality as well, but still... didn't feel right to me. That's why I used an alternative: I wasn't much convinced by Antonia, and I was inclined to name her Amanda, in homage to Tony's biological mother in 616.
In the end I scrapped the whole name but, if you must know, I had picked Antonia Amanda Stark before replacing it with a generic Ms. Stark.
Rest use the other gender version of the canon name or a name that is spelled as closer as possible.
*
Issues/titles references
[ Stories referenced that I’d recommend reading ]
Wolverine & the X-Men #5. Warren, rendered amnesiac after Dark Angel Saga, is removed from his CEO position of the Worthington Enterprise.
Wolverine & the X-Men #19. After proof of the conspiracy has been provided, Matt Murdock gets all the board fired and Warren reinstated as the CEO.
*
Annotations and Easter eggs
[ Canon things I repurposed for this ]
The first Union Jack (James Montgomery Falsworth) was active during World War I; his son, Brian Falsworth, was active during the World War II. To not be mistaken with any modern Union Jack.
Betsy romances Fantomex first and Cluster later in Uncanny X-Force (2013). Where we also see that Fantomex and Cluster are intimate with each other (they're portrayed as engaged in deep kisses like lovers).
Nembo Kid is a name with which Superman comics were published for a while in Italy.
Winston Frost is Emma Frost's father. No uncle has ever been mentioned. Anyway. Yes, in this reality, Warren's father is Emma's uncle - making Warren and Emma cousins. :D
Robert going with Warren to Los Angeles is a homage to how their time as The Champions of Los Angeles started.
Not directly mentioned, but an X-Factor sponsored by a private corporation is inspired by the Serval Industries backed X-Factor run, more than the original, first incarnation of X-Factor founded by Warren.
*
Arts & pics used
[ Credits and general ramblings about the pics used ]
Summary image is a panel from Captain Britain and MI13 Annual, 2009.
Artists: Mike Collins (pencils), John Livesay (inks), Jay David Ramos (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
Just changed the color of the hair from blond to black.
GALLERY PICTURE
The original image is the art cover for Captain Britain: Legacy of a Legend trade paperback from 2016.
Artists: Alan Davis (pencils), Mark Farmer (pencils and/or inks) and Robert Schwager (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
I merely changed colors (which isn't as quick and easy as it might sounds - it took me hours to properly have everything fixed). My intention was to turn the hair from Brian's blond to black, but how the hair in this specific art are drawn, is impossible (there are no highlights, so it would be just a block of black). To make it work I would need to hand-repaint them (which I wouldn't know where to start from, especially to fit the rest of the coloring). So I instead decided to color them purple and retroactively return to the fic to make the story work with the image. Crazy, isn't it?
Originally I wanted to use the art of James Braddock with the original Captain Britain costume as seen in Excalibur (2001) #3, and merely switch head with the one of the pic from the trade paperback (I needed the masked face). Changed my mind, but kept the color scheme.
*
Fan-art suggestions
[ Arts that I either used as reference or can be applied to the story to help get a visual portrayal of the characters ]
Perhaps the only fanart of Caucasian Betsy genderswapped - or, at least, the only one I found. It has the glamour, he's sleek and handsome, and everything else I'd search for a Betsy, even when turned male.
Clearly, this is a 616-Betsy genderswapped. The artist kept the red stash, in homage to the Psylocke most iconic costume. But, if you remove the powers effects (as my Alpha Briton doesn't have them), and apply a full-face mask to protect his public identity, this art works egregiously for my Alpha Briton. This “Bretton Braddock” has the allure that could belong to a 60s Hollywood actor the likes of Rock Hudson and similar. Before I managed to work my own version of the Captain Britain costume for this Betsy, I liked to picture this fanart when I imagined this Betsy. Also, this fanart has been since repurposed for another AU and another Captain Britain.
It didn't feel right to use the fanart as the “official” pic, especially without the artist's permission, so I'll sadly hide the link here: https://deviantart.com/lexsyn/art/Genderswap-Bretton-Braddock-866241699
I'm not a fan of AI, so I'm torn about sharing or suggesting anything done with AI. I'm not picturing any of these actors as the face for this Betsy either. Still, I think these can give the general sense of how a 50s Captain Britain could look like.
Even with my own version posted, I thought to share.
1. Sean Connery as Brian Braddock
2. Sean Connery as Brian Braddock (v2)
3. Roger Moore as Brian Braddock
4. Roger Moore as Brian Braddock (v2)
joephillipsart made a series of movies mock-posters of Marvel and DC superheroes as if they were made in the 60s and earlier. They would definitely fit into this AU.
Complete gallery on his site: joephillips.com
Individual posts from Instagram
Iron Man: instagram.com/p/C5G8AzrBWFV
Vision and Scarlet Witch: instagram.com/p/B-bvn2Zhk04
Ragnarok: instagram.com/p/B-bvCezB6IY
Black Panther: instagram.com/p/B-bvfqOhamu
Supergirl: instagram.com/p/5whmXErZhK
Doctor Strange: instagram.com/p/5bqtORLZlm
Teen Titans: instagram.com/p/5bqUhXrZlR
Batman: instagram.com/p/5whz_5rZhl
Annotations that had to be removed from the main post since it already was so long.
Further notes
Timeline
[ Explanations and notes about the timeline ]
Canon timeline from Startling Stories: Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules (2003). No mutant or superheroes appeared (only Reed, Susan, Ben and Johnny are seen), their whereabouts (or even existence) are therefore unknown. So... free estate baby!
Official designation used.
Name from the comic book title, duh.
I know, it does suck, but I'm not having much luck in coming up with original names for realities, and those that I managed to find, I treasure for AUs in which I really draw a blank and I don't have a decent comic book title or story to draw from.
*
Notes
[ How the story came to be ]
The idea happened because of a canon error.
While developing another idea, I decided that the nameless male Betsy we see on the splash page of X of Swords: Destruction, since he hasn’t been given a canon name, title and reality number so far, would be the text-only mentioned Alpha Briton (Earth-33).
Curiously, Earth-33 already existed, as a reality in which the Fantastic Four as we know it are comic book characters based on real-life people, as seen in Startling Stories: Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules (2003). The numeration is canon. Which technically means that the aforementioned Alpha Briton should come from this reality.
From this, I decided to try to play with the feeling of the 1950s/1960s. A month earlier, during Christmas Holidays, I watched A Holiday Spectacular (2022) which has influenced this AU.
I will consider to revise this captain's title, should more info about Alpha Briton be revealed in canon.
Since I had no idea where to start for Betsy as a 50s/60s actor, I loosely took inspiration from Rock Hudson, while James Dean was used for how a male Betsy would live his sexual orientation. For Warren's temporary tenure as actress, I loosely drew from Grace Kelly, at least for how she began. Liz Taylor took dance lessons since the age of 3.
I decided to play with her X-relations, instead of the classic Psi-division, for this Betsy's formative years.
If it wasn't clear enough, Charlie Cluster is Cluster, the female clone of Fantomex introduced in Uncanny X-Force, her brother Charles is meant to be Dark Fantomex/Weapon and the actor Jean-Philippe Cluster is none other than main Fantomex.
Rest are self-explaining (I hope).
*
Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules
[ Reflections about the canon series ]
The four-issue miniseries retells the tale of Reed, Susan, Ben and Johnny as average people in the 1950s. The story works as if the real miniseries author, James Sturm, lived in this very reality and discovered what is a well-know truth in said reality: that Lee and Kirby based their Fantastic Four on their neighbors. In 1996 on the subway the author would meet Marvel Editor Tom Breevort and get the project of the Fantastic Four biography in a comic format green-lit. So the author would collect all resources (interviews of the time to the people who had known these four, books written about them, FBI files unsealed after 30 years under the Freedom of Information Act, etc) to write the biography to “revisit the Fantastic Four's beginning with the historian's eye”. So it would be a fake-biography in a comic book format that included, as appendixes, a list of fake-resources and fake-interviews extracts.
Basically, you read the story as if you lived in that reality and had bought the illustrated true story of people who lived in your world (and not fictional characters).
Said this, I admit I found the story too much convoluted. While the way Sturm developed it was a stroke of genius (fake sources and fake real-life documents within the reality), I admit I haven't been able to pinpoint the linear story of the reality. The story - as told by the panels - ends with teen Johnny leaving to join a group of Beats and Reed cutting any relation (in a very bad way) with both Sue and Ben.
The written pages (the mock appendixes) explain that the four would eventually work as government agents and be involved in the space program until unspecified “events of June 1960” turned them into national heroes. I don't see how the people we left at the end of the illustrated story would come together again and have any reason to become national heroes. The whole story of this miniseries is set to portray a non-superpowered version of the Fantastic Four (so no mission in space and radiations and powers gained). This Sue (Susan Sturm) has no title to be involved with the government or the national space program - unless she and Reed rekindled their romance, but nowhere in the fake-sources is hinted they did.
I tried to make some sense of this canon while being as more ambiguous as I could, especially on the timing and dates, so to fit my story into the Fantastic Four - Unstable Molecules one.
Vapor Girl is a comic book that Sue (and Johnny) reads (with panels shown in-story to mirror Susan's own story).
Quotations from the fake research in the comic I referenced.
From issue #1:
“However wonderful the Kirby/Lee version of The Fantastic Four was, there was often stringent restrictions upon what could and could not be told. Scripts had to be approved by the Fantastic Four's public relations office and, on several occasions, the U.S. Government. Stories were often rejected or drastically changed.”
(…)
“Part one, Unstable Molecules (four issues) provides an introduction to Johnny, Reed, Sue and Ben and the times in which they lived. Part two, The Mad Thinkers (projected publication date: 2007), explores their world as government agents and involvement in the space program. Part three, The Negative Zone (2013), will deal with their sad final years.”
From issue #2:
“Whereas Susan Storm, the character in the Fantastic Four comic book, was eclipsed by her more colorful teammates, the real Sue Storm, Sue Sturm, was a force to be reckoned with. When the events of June 1960 transformed Susan, Reed, Johnny and Ben Grimm into national heroes, it was Susan who parlayed that brief national spotlight into an enduring institution. As director of Fantastic Four Enterprises it was Susan who dealt directly with Marvel in approving all scripts (such as they were) and licensing. As the director of The Fantastic Four Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization, Susan's influence may be even more lasting.”
*
Notes about the names
[ Ramblings about character names different than canon ]
To search for gender-swapped related names to the canon-ones, I used Behindthename.com.
The Braddocks & related
Betsy: lifted some secondary names from the Windsor's Charles and William and picked from the list. I left the one with the “E” as initial to link to the Braddock surname.
Brian: I wanted Brianna (and variations), but I couldn't find any use in the aristocracy (also, it's an Irish name). Same for Bridget (although there was a York princess in the 1500s). In the end, I chose Breanna.
Parents: with no other gender version of, respectfully, “Elizabeth” (here the father) and “James” (the mother), I choose names with the same initial as the canon ones, hence “Elijah Hartwood” and “Jacqueline Braddock”.
Meggan: Although “Meggan” isn't Romanichal, and her father is named a boring “William”, I decided to search some Romanichal famous male. I lifted the name from the father of the Romanian singer Romica Puceanu.
Dazzler: There's no masculine version of her name Alison; Behindthename suggested Alastair and its variants.
Piotr: there's no female version of Piotr (Petra, while interesting, is unfortunately not Russian). No Russian classic female name pinged; Polina is the Russian version of Paulina.
Ororo: sources say “ororo” is a Swahili word. I searched on Behindthename for Swahili names. Uhuru popped up (the name from where Star Trek's Uhura surname was taken, by the way). It sounds similar in spelling to Ororo and had a nice meaning (“freedom”) for an Ororo.
Kwannon: the Japanese deity of mercy Kannon was originally male, but “Avalokitesvara” doesn't sound much right for a Japanese character. The Japanese name of other bodhisattvas felt all... too pretentious. Couldn't find decent male names that would refer to “mercy” either. Searching for meanings of Japanese names is a nightmare, each site gives its own meaning. In the end I sorted through all the Japanese names starting with K that Behindthename offered.
Katsuhito, when written as 克仁 , includes compass “compassion”.
Also looked for a name that would evoke “rebirth”, that would fit for this Kwannon.
Kiyoko (喜代子) 's second kanjii refers to “substitute, generation, era” meanings and is mentioned when searching for “rebirth” related names.
Warren & related
Warren III: I managed to round up four female names to use instead of Warren (two for “Warren” and two for “Kenneth”). One combination (“Wilhelmina Kenna”) was used as Warren's birth name, the other (“Wallis Katherine”, inverted) was used for his screen name. I wasn't much convinced on Wilhelmina, especially on its use during the 50s, but - funnily enough - in Unstable Molecules the daughter of one of Susan's neighbor is indeed called Wilhelmina.
Warren Jr.:: I stole the Margareth with which Warren Jr., for some reasons, calls Kathryn in Angel: Revelations.
Kathryn Worthington:: There's no decent male version of Kathryn out of Kate's male versions (Christopher, Chris).
I searched for some names that were popular in the 1940/50s: Kenneth was among them. So, yeah, why not.
Since I had to give a surname to a character who never had it, I decided it was funny to make Warren's other parent related to the Frost. XD
Candy:: No male version. Searched for some “Southern” famous people for inspiration. Went for a Terence, shortened to Terry.
O5&related
Cyke: Summer Scott is the name of his only canon female version, seen in Exiles #9.
Iceman: Roberta is the name chosen in the so-far two instances when he's portrayed as a female (JLX Unleashed and Exiles #9.)
Jean: John Grey is Jean's father. Instead of searching for a different version of Jean, I went for Jr.
Tony Stark: Natasha is the name Tony gets in the only canon instance in which he is portrayed as a woman and given a name on panel (Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #2). I don't see a rich man such as Howard call their daughter with a Russian name in the middle of the Cold War. Not sure if that specific crisis happened in this reality as well, but still... didn't feel right to me. That's why I used an alternative: I wasn't much convinced by Antonia, and I was inclined to name her Amanda, in homage to Tony's biological mother in 616.
In the end I scrapped the whole name but, if you must know, I had picked Antonia Amanda Stark before replacing it with a generic Ms. Stark.
Rest use the other gender version of the canon name or a name that is spelled as closer as possible.
*
Issues/titles references
[ Stories referenced that I’d recommend reading ]
Wolverine & the X-Men #5. Warren, rendered amnesiac after Dark Angel Saga, is removed from his CEO position of the Worthington Enterprise.
Wolverine & the X-Men #19. After proof of the conspiracy has been provided, Matt Murdock gets all the board fired and Warren reinstated as the CEO.
*
Annotations and Easter eggs
[ Canon things I repurposed for this ]
The first Union Jack (James Montgomery Falsworth) was active during World War I; his son, Brian Falsworth, was active during the World War II. To not be mistaken with any modern Union Jack.
Betsy romances Fantomex first and Cluster later in Uncanny X-Force (2013). Where we also see that Fantomex and Cluster are intimate with each other (they're portrayed as engaged in deep kisses like lovers).
Nembo Kid is a name with which Superman comics were published for a while in Italy.
Winston Frost is Emma Frost's father. No uncle has ever been mentioned. Anyway. Yes, in this reality, Warren's father is Emma's uncle - making Warren and Emma cousins. :D
Robert going with Warren to Los Angeles is a homage to how their time as The Champions of Los Angeles started.
Not directly mentioned, but an X-Factor sponsored by a private corporation is inspired by the Serval Industries backed X-Factor run, more than the original, first incarnation of X-Factor founded by Warren.
*
Arts & pics used
[ Credits and general ramblings about the pics used ]
Summary image is a panel from Captain Britain and MI13 Annual, 2009.
Artists: Mike Collins (pencils), John Livesay (inks), Jay David Ramos (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
Just changed the color of the hair from blond to black.
GALLERY PICTURE
The original image is the art cover for Captain Britain: Legacy of a Legend trade paperback from 2016.
Artists: Alan Davis (pencils), Mark Farmer (pencils and/or inks) and Robert Schwager (colors).
MODIFICATIONS
I merely changed colors (which isn't as quick and easy as it might sounds - it took me hours to properly have everything fixed). My intention was to turn the hair from Brian's blond to black, but how the hair in this specific art are drawn, is impossible (there are no highlights, so it would be just a block of black). To make it work I would need to hand-repaint them (which I wouldn't know where to start from, especially to fit the rest of the coloring). So I instead decided to color them purple and retroactively return to the fic to make the story work with the image. Crazy, isn't it?
Originally I wanted to use the art of James Braddock with the original Captain Britain costume as seen in Excalibur (2001) #3, and merely switch head with the one of the pic from the trade paperback (I needed the masked face). Changed my mind, but kept the color scheme.
*
Fan-art suggestions
[ Arts that I either used as reference or can be applied to the story to help get a visual portrayal of the characters ]
Perhaps the only fanart of Caucasian Betsy genderswapped - or, at least, the only one I found. It has the glamour, he's sleek and handsome, and everything else I'd search for a Betsy, even when turned male.
Clearly, this is a 616-Betsy genderswapped. The artist kept the red stash, in homage to the Psylocke most iconic costume. But, if you remove the powers effects (as my Alpha Briton doesn't have them), and apply a full-face mask to protect his public identity, this art works egregiously for my Alpha Briton. This “Bretton Braddock” has the allure that could belong to a 60s Hollywood actor the likes of Rock Hudson and similar. Before I managed to work my own version of the Captain Britain costume for this Betsy, I liked to picture this fanart when I imagined this Betsy. Also, this fanart has been since repurposed for another AU and another Captain Britain.
It didn't feel right to use the fanart as the “official” pic, especially without the artist's permission, so I'll sadly hide the link here: https://deviantart.com/lexsyn/art/Genderswap-Bretton-Braddock-866241699
I'm not a fan of AI, so I'm torn about sharing or suggesting anything done with AI. I'm not picturing any of these actors as the face for this Betsy either. Still, I think these can give the general sense of how a 50s Captain Britain could look like.
Even with my own version posted, I thought to share.
1. Sean Connery as Brian Braddock
2. Sean Connery as Brian Braddock (v2)
3. Roger Moore as Brian Braddock
4. Roger Moore as Brian Braddock (v2)
joephillipsart made a series of movies mock-posters of Marvel and DC superheroes as if they were made in the 60s and earlier. They would definitely fit into this AU.
Complete gallery on his site: joephillips.com
Individual posts from Instagram
Iron Man: instagram.com/p/C5G8AzrBWFV
Vision and Scarlet Witch: instagram.com/p/B-bvn2Zhk04
Ragnarok: instagram.com/p/B-bvCezB6IY
Black Panther: instagram.com/p/B-bvfqOhamu
Supergirl: instagram.com/p/5whmXErZhK
Doctor Strange: instagram.com/p/5bqtORLZlm
Teen Titans: instagram.com/p/5bqUhXrZlR
Batman: instagram.com/p/5whz_5rZhl