Captain Britain vs. Captain America: Who Would Win & Why?
The UK versus the USA. Scientific enhancements versus magical superpowers. Captain Britain and Captain America are two of Marvel’s most patriotic superheroes, at least costume-wise. So, if the two ever fought each other, who would win, and why?
Captain Britain would trump Captain America in a fight almost every time. Stever Rogers can hold his own against much tougher opponents using his wits and fighting skills. However, against somebody as overpowered as Captain Britain, Captain America stands no chance.
I’ve been reading all these forums where people are fangirling so hard, saying that Steve would win. Guys, Cap is one of my favorite superheroes, and I think he could probably stand his ground for a minute or two. But, Briand Braddock is just a different beast, and Captain America has no business being in that fight in the first place. Here’s why.
Strength & Speed
Captain Britain’s powers fluctuated over the years, depending on the writers and the version of the character. Now, his powers depend solely on Brian’s confidence level – the more confident he is in his abilities, the more powerful he gets. When at his peak, he can lift around 90 tons, and even beyond that. The guy held his own against the Phoenix Force recently.
As for his speed, Captain Britain can reach Mach 1 speeds easily and again, go even beyond, if only he believes he can. And, after so many fantastic feats, Braddock’s confidence has never been higher.
On the other hand, we have Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, one of the leaders of the Avengers. As I’ve mentioned, he’s one of my favorite superheroes of all time, but he is nowhere near Captain Britain in terms of strength and speed – it’s not even close.
The Super Soldier Serum gave Cap superhuman physiology, getting him slightly over what’s humanly possible. He can lift around 1200 lbs at his best, which is just over half a ton. He can run faster than the fastest Olympic athlete, meaning he can run at a speed over 44 kph (27.5 mph).
Even if he can triple that, that’s not even close to Captain Britain, who moves north of 770 mph (Mach 1). This category is all Captain Britain and its different stratospheres. I’m not even sure how people think Cap could overcome this deficit, but we’ll move forward with the comparison. For now, it’s point Captain Britain.
Point: Captain Britain (1:0) Captain America
Durability & Stamina
Captain America held his own numerous times against much stronger opponents, so let’s say he can overcome the discrepancy against Captain Britain. That brings us to their durability and stamina – who can eat stronger blows and still keep going?
Well, Captain America’s durability is, again, superhumanly enhanced to be over peak human levels. We’ve seen him trade blows with the likes of Iron Man and even the Hulk. However, Steve usually protects himself with his shield, so he doesn’t really feel the full blow of the strike due to the vibranium. Remove the shield, and Cap is pretty susceptible to physical damage.
If Captain Britain landed even one of his 90-ton blows, it would not only knock Captain America out – it’d probably knock his head off cleanly. And, remember how Cap in the MCU likes to say: “I can do this all day?” The truth is, he can’t. Not without getting completely exhausted.
I mean, nothing would stop Captain America from going for more if needed, but fatigue would kick in after a few hours of maximum physical exertion. And, that can’t be said for Captain Britain. He is literally a guy who can “do this all day.” Brian can physically exert himself to the max for around 24 hours before showing the first signs of fatigue.
As for his durability, not only does he possess natural superhuman durability that’s over peak human levels like Captain America, but he also possesses the ability to form force fields around himself. Braddock’s force fields are tough enough to prevent any harm after eating a punch from the Juggernaut or several blows from Thor’s Mjolnir.
So, if Steve can somehow overcome Brian’s superior strength and speed, there’s no way he could harm Braddock nor outlast him stamina-wise. Captain Britain trumps this category again.
Point: Captain Britain (2:0) Captain America
Intelligence
Captain America fought many opponents that were much more powerful than him and held his ground or even won. How is that possible? Well, Steve Rogers is simply brilliant when it comes to combat strategy, planning, and outsmarting the opponent. He might not be a scientific genius, but his expertise in battle drives him to some spectacular victories.
That being said, Captain Britain is NOT a guy you can just blatantly outsmart. Before becoming Captain Britain, Dr. Brian Braddock was one of the most brilliant minds on the planet in the fields of physics and engineering. His cognitive capabilities are fantastic, and he’s very good at thinking fast when push comes to shove.
Now, he might not have the same combat skills as Steve Rogers, nor does he have the tactical prowess as Cap, but Braddock is certainly more intelligent than Cap in every other aspect of their intellects and would not be outsmarted easily. Still, we’re talking about a battle here, so I’d give both characters points in this category.
Point(s): Captain America (1:3) Captain Britain
Fighting Skills
This one clearly goes in Captain America’s favor. Steve is one of the best combatants in the world, with decades of training and battle experience. He’s prolific without his shield, but when wielding it (which Rogers usually does), Cap becomes a completely different animal.
There aren’t many characters that can match Captain America skill-wise in battle. That includes hand-to-hand combat, acrobatics, agility, and reflexes.
On the other hand, Captain Britain relies more on his strength, speed, and overall power instead of fighting skills. Over the years, Braddock gained experience and became a much better fighter than he was before, but he and Captain America are not in the same universe in that regard. Captain Britain is superior in many ways, but not in fighting skills.
Point: Captain America (2:3) Captain Britain
Additional Powers & Equipment
Apart from superhuman strength, stamina, speed, agility, and durability, the two Captains have some additional aces up their sleeves that allow them to gain an edge over their opponents. So, who has the better powers or, the more powerful equipment? Let’s start with the Brit.
Captain Britain has the ability to fly at speeds over Mach 1, meaning he can break the sound barrier. That means he’s essentially a super-powerful projectile with the durability to withstand nuclear explosions. As for his equipment, it varied over the years.
He even wielded the almighty Excalibur for a while, but right now, Braddock wields the Sword of Might – one of the most powerful swords in existence. Throughout the years, he also had the Amulet of Right, the Star Sceptre, etc.
On the other hand, Captain America can’t fly, and he doesn’t have any other powers that we haven’t already mentioned. Apart from the Super-Soldier physiology, Cap has outstanding fighting skills, an incredibly moral compass, and a tendency to use words to solve a conflict before it even happens.
Of course, his equipment includes the awesome vibranium shield, which is probably the most famous weapon in Marvel Comics behind only Thor’s faithful hammer, Mjolnir. Cap’s shield is almost indestructible, and he uses it for both defense and offense.
Still, I’m not sure how it would fare against the Sword of Might. One couldn’t destroy the other certainly. The Sword would work better for offense, while the shield is, logically, better for defense. If we call it a wash in terms of equipment, that leaves us to compare their additional powers, and Captain Britain shatters Captain America in that regard.
The final point, and the final nail in the coffin, so to speak, go to Braddock.
Point: Captain Britain (4:2) Captain America
Captain Britain Vs. Captain America: Who Wins?
I love Captain America. He showed countless times that he’s capable of dealing with much more powerful foes. However, although many of us want him to win this fight so badly, Captain Britain is simply too powerful for Steve Rogers to beat.
Brian Braddock is stronger, faster, more durable, and has more powers than Cap, such as flight, access to other dimensions (yeah, I haven’t even mentioned that), and genius-level intellect. Captain America is a much better combatant, but it would be impossible to overcome the deficiency in every other category to beat Captain Britain.
The only way I see Captain America winning is to find a way to make Captain Britain doubt himself and diminish his confidence because if he does, Braddock’s powers plummet. That could give a chance to Steve Rogers, but seeing that Brian didn’t lose confidence while fighting the Phoenix Force, I don’t see him lose it against Captain America.