Lionheart (Marvel Comics)

Lionheart
File:NEXCAL004 COV fin scaled 8.jpg Kelsey Leigh with the original Captain Britain Art by Michael Ryan
Publication information
Publisher	Marvel Comics
First appearance	Avengers Vol. 3, #77 (modern, 2004)
Created by	Chuck Austen Oliver Coipel
In-story information
Alter ego	Kelsey Leigh
Team affiliations	None, The Avengers
Notable aliases	Lionheart of Avalon, Captain Britain
Abilities	Kelsey's body has been mystically altered, granting her superior strength, agility, endurance, speed, and reflexes. She also wields the Sword of Might, a mystical weapon that is invulnerable to all harm. It serves to channel mystical energy so she never tires. (This energy can also be harnessed for destructive blasts or protective shields)

Lionheart, the alter ego of Kelsey Leigh, is a fictional character, a Marvel Comics superhero. She first appeared in The Avengers Vol.3, #77 (2004).

History

Origins

Kelsey Leigh was a single mother with two young children who lived in South-East England. She was a schoolteacher who taught English literature and history. Back when she was married, thugs invaded her home. One of them attempted to rape her, she fought back, hurting him somehow and he cut her face with a broken bottle in revenge, scarring her permanently. Meanwhile, her husband, Richard, was too paralyzed with fear to help her. His guilt over that incident led to the dissolution of the marriage.

One fateful day, her family found themselves on the front line of a battle between the Avengers and the Wrecking Crew. Thunderball rendered Captain America unconscious and Kelsey selflessly put herself between the fallen Captain and Wasp, using the downed hero's shield. While the shield was indestructible, Kelsey wasn't, and the shock from the blows inflicted terrible injuries; she died en route to receiving medical attention.

Kelsey awoke to find herself in a ring of standing stones, where she was met by a vision of Brian Braddock (Captain Britain I). To save Britain from the evil Morgan le Fay, he passed the mantle of Captain Britain to Kelsey. Her heroic act of bravery had earned her a second chance to live and to defend her home. Given the choice between the Sword of Might and the Amulet of Right, Kelsey, desperate to see her children again, and not seeing how a necklace could defend anything, chose the sword, the path of violence. Instantly, she was transformed into the new Captain Britain, only to discover that her decision meant that if she ever revealed who she was to her children, it would cost their lives.

Avengers

The new Captain Britain returned to Earth, where she helped the Avengers defeat Morgan and her cronies, proving herself to be far more ruthless in battle than her predecessor. With her children now in the Avengers' care, Kelsey accepted an offer to join the team, so that even if she could not be reunited with them, she could remain near them.

Kelsey remained a member of the Avengers until the events of Avengers Disassembled. When She-Hulk went crazy after an attack by Ultron robots, Kelsey stepped up, once again putting herself in the path of danger to rescue the fallen Captain America. She-Hulk knocked her out, and she spent the remainder of the unfolding events in the hospital, her status critical. In Avengers Finale, Kelsey left the disbanding Avengers, returning home to England fully recovered.

Excalibur

Going under the codename of Lionheart, Kelsey remained an active superhero in England. She returned to Marvel comics in New Excalibur #4, seeking revenge and blaming Captain Britain for what happened to her, for not warning her of the consequences of choosing the Sword of Might and for losing her children.