Patriot (comics)
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Patriot is the name of two fictional, comic book superheroes in the Marvel Comics universe: the Golden Age hero Jeffrey Mace and the modern-day character Elijah Bradley.
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[edit] Patriot (Jeffrey Mace)
The first Patriot, Jeffrey Mace, created by writer Ray Gill and artist Bill Everett, first appeared in The Human Torch #4 (Spring 1941; misnumbered #3 on cover). He was a reporter who became a costumed adventurer after seeing Captain America in action, and was a member of the World War II superhero team the Liberty Legion. The Patriot himself became the third Captain America.
[edit] Patriot (Elijah Bradley)
| Patriot | |
 Elijah Bradley as Patriot. Cover to Young Avengers Special #1 (2005). Art by Jim Cheung |
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| Publication information | |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Marvel Comics |
| First appearance | Young Avengers #1 (April 2005) |
| Created by | Allan Heinberg Jim Cheung |
| In story information | |
| Alter ego | Elijah "Eli" Bradley |
| Team affiliations | Young Avengers |
| Abilities | Enhanced strength, speed, agility, endurance, and hearing |
The second Marvel Universe character to use the name Patriot debuted in Young Avengers #1 (April 2005): Elijah Bradley, grandson of Isaiah Bradley, the black Captain America. Isaiah had received his powers (in the miniseries Truth: Red, White and Black) as part of an early Super Soldier Serum experiment tested on African-American men in an attempt reproduce the formula lost after being used to turn Steve Rogers into Captain America. Elijah's mother was conceived before her father Isaiah's involvement with the experiment, however, so Elijah could not have inherited his grandfather's powers genetically.
[edit] Fictional character biography
When Iron Lad began his search for the next generation of Avengers, he came to the Bradley household in search of Isaiah's son Josiah (Josiah X of The Crew). However, Josiah had been missing for several months, and Iron Lad met Elijah instead. Elijah claimed to have gained superpowers through an emergency blood transfusion from his grandfather, but this was untrue. He later gained his powers artificially with Mutant Growth Hormone (MGH), an illegal street drug that causes brief periods of superhuman abilities. MGH has been demonstrated to promote irascibility in individuals.
Patriot became a founding member of the Young Avengers. The public believed his costume resembled that of Captain America's 1940s sidekick, Bucky, but he revealed that his costume is a redesign of his grandfather's. He has an adversarial relationship with fellow teammate Hawkeye (Kate Bishop), who nonetheless gave him Captain America's original, star-spangled, triangular shield.
When the truth about Elijah's lack of superpowers was revealed, Elijah quit the team. He returned after Hulkling was kidnapped by the Super-Skrull, and the other Young Avengers convinced him he was the only one of them capable of leading the team, even without his powers. Patriot was later gravely wounded by a Kree warrior when he jumped in front of a blast meant for Captain America, and received a blood transfusion from his grandfather, Isaiah, which granted him the abilities afforded by the Super Soldier serum.[1]
[edit] Civil War
Eli joined Captain America's Secret Avengers during the Civil War. Patriot led his team to assist the Runaways after they were attacked by the government. The Young Avengers and the Runaways worked together when two of their members were captured, and the Runaways decided to stay out of the mix in the war. Patriot managed to keep most of his team together, but Stature decided to join Iron Man's side.[2]
Eli later seeks out the Winter Soldier (who he had earlier met during the Civil War[3]) to discuss the meaning of being a patriot at a time when he disagrees with registration and much of the way America is being run, and the two have a heartfelt chat about America as an idea and the original Patriot, Jeffrey Mace.[4]
[edit] Powers, abilities, and equipment
While secretly using his specially concocted MGH formula, Elijah possessed agility, strength, speed, endurance, and reaction-time superior to that of normal Super Soldiers like his grandfather and Captain America, but at a heavy physical and mental cost. After receiving a blood transfusion from his grandfather, Elijah developed genuine Super Soldier abilities, including peak human strength, agility and hearing.
In Civil War #2, Elijah appears to possess the full physical abilities of a Super Soldier. He is able to outrun a helicopter, shrug off a hail of tranquilizer darts, jump a hundred feet through the air, and survive a massive explosion [5].
Patriot carries a replica of Captain America's original, star-spangled, triangular shield, similar to the unpainted one originally carried into battle by his grandfather Isaiah. He also carries white metallic throwing stars patterned after those on the American flag.
[edit] Drug use
Writer Allan Heinberg has stated that Bradley's drug usage is based on his own history[6], stating
| “ | Since I had personally had a recent (and regrettable) experience with steroids, steroid use was something I wanted to write about. For better or worse, Eli’s race was never a factor in those storytelling decisions, and I hope that by the end of this arc, Eli’s story will be an inspiring one to all our readers. | ” |
[edit] Other versions
[edit] Exiles: Days of Then and Now
Patriot was seen as a member of Quentin Quire's surviving team of heroes, who were against the Annihilation Wave, in which their leader was a banished Hulk.
[edit] References
- ^ Young Avengers #11-12
- ^ Elijah Bradley's profile (marvel.com/universe)
- ^ Winter Soldier: Winter Kills #1
- ^ Young Avengers Presents #1
- ^ Civil War #2
- ^ brokenfrontier.com
