Patriot (Character)

Publisher: Marvel Comics

Created by:  Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung

1st appearance: Young Avengers #1, April 2005

Real Name: Elijah “Eli” Bradley

Nationality: American

Aliases: Eli, Black Captain America, Bucky

Team Affiliations: Young Avengers

Legal Status: US citizen with no criminal record

Weight: 170 lbs    Height: 5’9

Eyes: Brown             Hair: Bald

Relatives: Isaiah Bradley (Grandfather), Faith Bradley (Grandmother), Sarah Bradley (Paternal grandmother, deceased), Gail (Maternal grandmother, deceased), Sarah Gail Bradley (Mother), Unnamed father (Status unknown), Litigious Bradley (Brother), Stephanie Bradley (Sister), Josiah X (Uncle)

Skills and abilities: Skilled self-taught street Fighter.

Powers: All the abilities of a super soldier such as Captain America and Isiah Bradley- Peak human strength, speed, agility, endurance, and hearing. Additionally eh carries a triangular shield and throwing stars.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4PoPPm6uqE&feature=related]

Biography

Origin

Born into the Bradley Family and descended from Isiah Bradley the first black Captain America, Eli grew up on stories about his grandfather’s heroic exploits during the war. His mother Sarah Gail Bradley was born before his grandfather had been made a super soldier and as a result, he and his siblings were born normal humans. Eli very dissimilar to his grandfather thought he was weak and small. He was often bullied as a result.

Even when his mother and siblings moved away from his grandparents he remained with them to finish school and be close to his granddad. Isaiah now in old age suffered from Alzheimer’s and was mostly mute. Eli took it upon himself to have him accompany I’m to the store whenever he went out. One day, while they were on their way back home from the store a local gang, belittled his granddad and roughed them up. Unable to defend his granddad’s honor he was left feeling angry and powerless. This was when two M.G.H sellers approached Eli offering him super-strength and super speed at an affordable price. Ashamed he could not defend the honor of the Bradley legacy he accepted. When the gang attacked again he reached for the pills but Isaiah defended them, realizing the myth and stories were true he wanted to be just like his granddad he wanted to continue the family legacy [Young Avengers Special #1].

Living the Legacy

For years the M.G.H pills sat unused but when a time-traveling Kang the Conqueror in the guise of Iron Lad sought out his uncle Josiah-X he saw the opportunity to be a hero like his Granddad and turned to the M.G.H (Mutant growth hormone) to provide him with temporary superpowers and continue the Bradley family legacy [Young Avengers Vol.1 #8]. All this occurred after the Avengers had disassembled the team. Using a costume inspired by Captain America’s partner Bucky with a full cowl and using throwing stars as weapons he became a founding member and leader of the Young Avengers. His teammates included Hulkling the shape-shifting heir to Captain Marvel of the Kree and a Skrull Princess, Wiccan son of the Scarlet Witch and the time-traveling Kang as Iron Lad [Young Avengers Vol.1 #1]

He lied about the nature of his powers and trained with his team for several weeks before they started embarking on missions [Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #1]. 

The team’s first outing was very successful as they saved a bunch of people from perishing in an apartment fire. The press got a few pictures and the daily bugle branded them the “Young Avengers” [Young Avengers Vol.1 #1]. On the team’s second outing they tried to rescue hostages at St.Patrick’s Cathedral which occurred during a wedding. It went disastrously wrong as they became hostages themselves and had to be rescued by Kate Bishop. With her aid, they turned the tides before fleeing as the press arrived [Young Avengers Vol.1 #1]. They were tracked down by Captain America and Iron Man who tried to disband their team but were unsuccessful. They were soon joined by both Kate Bishop and Cassie Lang daughter of the Avenger’s Ant-Man [Young Avengers Vol.1 #2]. The team is then confronted by the Elder Kang [Young Avengers Vol.1 #3]. They battler Elder Kang and the threat is ended when the Younger Kang kills his elder self and travels back to the future [Young Avengers Vol.1 #4-6]. The team then briefly disbanded for several weeks after they were threatened by Captain America and Iron Man [Young Avengers Vol.1 #6].

Here we go Again

After their six weeks of inactivity, Kate Bishop used her family’s money to get them a new lair and they resumed being the Young Avengers [Young Avengers Vol.1 #6]. While his grandmother didn’t figure out he was the young Avenger, Patriot his Grandfather did and was so happy and overcome with emotion he wept [Young Avengers Vol.1 #7]. This convinced Eli to continue being a superhero. As he was injecting himself with M.G.H however Wiccan stumbled in on him. He was then forced into confessing the true nature of his powers. He engaged Mr. Hyde all alone before using an M.G.H vile to overload the villain. Overuse of the drug had left him violent and angry and so he had to be calmed by Wiccan using magic. He woke up recovering in Avengers tower with his body now purged of the drug. He finally confessed his use of the drug and lying to the team about the nature of his powers before he quit the team [Young Avengers Vol.1 #8]. Without him, the team again disbanded as Captain America had initially wanted.

Weeks later Eli was pulled back into action as he witnessed Hulking get captured by the Super-Skrull [Young Avengers Vol.1 #9]. The resulting battle found him pulled into a conflict involving the Alien Kree, Skrull and the New Avengers [Young Avengers Vol.1 #10]. The team also expanded to include Speed, twin brother to Wiccan and a new Vision. Eli ultimately sacrificed himself to save Cap and was severely injured [Young Avengers Vol.1 #11].

Eli’s life was ultimately saved due to a blood transfusion with his granddad which also finally granted him the superpowers he always wanted. With the blessing of the Avengers, they continued to operate as the Young Avengers [Young Avengers Vol.1 #12].

Civil War and Beyond

During the Civil war, he opposed the registration act along Captain America. At the end of the war when Captain America surrenders he and his team continue to fight crime as outlaws.

During the secret invasion, they are instrumental in the defense of Manhattan and the defeat of the aliens alongside the Runaways [Secret Invasion: Runaways/Young Avengers #1-3]. During Dark Reign him and his team clash with Norman Osborn’s Young Avengers team [Dark Reign- Young Avengers #1-5]. When Osborn attacks Asgard he is among the team of Avengers who defend the realm [Siege #3-4]. While there he was trapped under debris with Kate Bishop and the two shared their first kiss [Siege-Young Avengers #1].

He later started a relationship with teammate Hawkeye/Kate Bishop though Speed caused tension between them. He also shared an adventure with Bucky Barnes who had served as Captain America when Steve was believed dead [Young Avengers presents: Patriot #1].

Children’s Crusade

While battling racists in New York his teammate Wiccan briefly lost control of his powers the Avengers decided he needed to be kept under observation. Patriot and the Young Avengers then broke their teammate out to find the missing Scarlet Witch in hopes of gaining aid and learning to better control his powers [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #1].

The team quickly ran into Magneto, father of the Scarlet Witch and grandfather of Speed and Wiccan [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #2]. The team allied with the master of Magnetism despite Eli’s objections. When the Avengers showed up a battle erupted between both teams. To end it all Wiccan quickly whisked Magneto and the team to Transia. There they run into Quicksilver the Scarlet Witch’s twin brother who complicates things when they realize Dr. Doom has the Scarlet Witch [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #2].

When Magneto suggested they start a war with Dr. Doom Eli again was the only member of his team to voice concern [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #3]. The team ended up crashing the wedding of the Witch and Dr. Doom. The Avengers then arrived and all hell broke loose between all present [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #4]. Iron Lad’s arrival from the future managed to save the team by taking them into the past. All this excitement had the effect of making the Scarlet Witch regain her senses. She re-powered X-factor member Rictor before the arrival of the X-men [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #5-6]. When the Scarlet witch took down both teams and returned to resume her relationship with Dr. Doom again Eli objected. Wanda, Wiccan, and Doom were planning on re-powering all the de-powered mutants. Eli thought the de-powered should be given a choice but his team was too scared of the combined powers of Wiccan, Doom, and Wanda to do anything about it. Eli panicked and fired an incendiary round to disrupt their spell. It worked but Dr. Doom commandeered the combined powers for himself [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #7]. Eli regretted his actions but could not convince Doom to re-powered the mutants. Alongside the X-men and Avengers, they battled Doom until Wiccan and Wanda managed to separate him from the power but also forever preventing the former mutants from regaining their abilities. Teammate Cassie Lang also died in the aftermath  [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #8].

Vision died soon after a fight with Iron Lad. These traumatic events caused Eli to retire from the life of a superhero as he felt guilty that his decisions had prevented millions of mutants from regaining their powers and had led to the events that caused the death of both Cassie and Vision. He was also moving away from his grandparents and going to Scottsdale to live with his mother [Avengers-Children’s Crusade #9].