Almost nothing is known of Bravo’s background, save the fact that he was one of the earliest allied super-soldier operatives in active service during WWII. Indeed, Bravo acquired a notable reputation for his early efforts within the employ of the British Secret Services and even struck up a relationship with long time fellow-operative Peggy Carter. However, this all changed with the emergence of Captain America (Steve Rogers), a younger and stronger super soldier who gradually attained precedence within the theatre of allied operations. Rivalry eventually became enmity when an emotional attachment developed between Carter and Rogers, though Bravo continued to actively cooperate with the two on future missions. Nonetheless, the team dissolved following the failure of a covert mission in 1944, one which would result in Bravo being trapped within the land of nowhere for more than fifty years. Though the team had planned to use Jimmy Jupiter in order to infiltrate Hydra HQ, Jankowicz was rendered comatose by a hydra agent, consequently imprisoning Bravo’s team within a nightmarish land of pure imagination. Over the course of decades Bravo eventually mastered his new found home and molded it into a paradise for himself and his new wife Grace (formerly a Hydra agent), a utopia far removed from the corruption of the U.S.A.
Nevertheless, Richard’s happiness was once again destroyed by powers outside of his control when Jankowicz awoke from his coma, subsequently releasing the residents of Nowhere into the 21st century world. Bravo’s first actions as a free-man were to ambush his former comrades at the funeral of Peggy Carter-an aggressive maneuver orchestrated as part of a master plan to destroy Captain America and transform the world into a paradise. Bravo would have succeeded in accomplishing this objective had Nick Fury and Sharon Carter not rescued Rogers from the land of nowhere, after which Richard was subsequently incapacitated by Captain America. Bravo was subsequently processed and carted off by the NYPD, though he continued to shout that Captain America had betrayed the American people to the political ‘robber barons’.
Using the Serpent Society as a distraction, Baron Zemo and Queen Hydra had Bravo broken out of The Raft. When Falcon came looking for the Serpent Society’s weapons dealers, Bravo incapacitated him with a Madbomb. In the ensuing riots, Bravo once again tried to go toe to toe with Cap, gloating about his victories. However, he soon got an urgent message, and abandoned the fight, leaving the brainwashed Falcon to finish the fight; luckily, Iron Man arrived and reversed the effects of the Madbomb before Falcon could harm Cap.
As Queen Hydra, Zemo, and Bravo used their Discordians and Madbombs to destablize America, Cap and S.H.I.E.L.D. took the fight to Hydra Island, with Cap fighting Bravo while Sharon Carter and Dum Dum Dugan fought Zemo in an orbital satellite. After Carter and Dugan destroyed the signal broadcasts and it became clear that HYDRA was fighting a losing battle, Queen Hydra desprately fired her handgun at Cap. The bullets ricocheted off of his shield, killing Bravo.
Powers and Abilities:
Codename Bravo was subjected to a variant of the super-soldier serum and thus possesses roughly twice the strength and speed of an Olympic athlete. Though comparatively weaker and slower than Captain America, Bravo’s skills have enabled him to hold his own in a fight with his rival despite Rogers’ age advantage. Richard has also displayed the ability to shaped the land of nowhere to his advantage in a manner similar to Jimmy Jupiter’s mutant ability.