Marvel Superheroes [Marvel Super-Heroes] #380
Marvel Super-Heroes #380 marks the debut of Opal Luna Saturnyne — the Omniversal Majestrix who would become one of Marvel's most consequential multiversal power-brokers, later central to Excalibur, the Jaspers' Warp saga, and the X of Swords crossover event. The issue is a foundational chapter in the Dave Thorpe/Alan Davis Earth-238 run that first planted the ideas of interdimensional governance, the Dimensional Development Court, and Captain Britain as a cosmic-scale champion rather than a mere national hero. Set entirely on the alternate Earth-238 (the "Crooked World"), it also introduces the Avant Guard and Dimples, the supporting cast that would frame Saturnyne's bureaucratic menace through the remainder of the run. Because the original five-page strip appeared in black-and-white in a British weekly tabloid-format anthology, it remained inaccessible to most American readers until a string of later reprints brought it into wide circulation.
"In Support of Darwin!" sees Captain Britain caught in a bizarre twist when he strikes up a surprisingly civilized conversation with an intelligent, polite giant rodent. As Jackdaw returns from his mission to find Merlyn—only to report the sorcerer’s absence—Saturnyne intervenes, sending the Avant Guard to halt Cap’s progress. Their attack delivers a shocking blow: a ray that devolves him into a monkey. Written by Dave Thorpe and brought to life with sharp detail by Alan Davis (pencils and inks), this 1981 Marvel UK classic features a cover by John Buscema and George Roussos.
Sell my copy
Have this issue — or a whole collection? Get a fair offer from us, skip the marketplace fees and the hassle.
We Buy Collections ▸History
The Captain Britain backup strip relaunched in Marvel Super-Heroes #377 (1981) with writer Dave Thorpe and a young Alan Davis — one of Davis's earliest professional assignments — taking the character to the alternate Earth-238 under editor Paul Neary. The weekly anthology format meant each installment ran to only about five pages, published in black-and-white at British tabloid scale; the original pages carried no in-story creator credits, with full credits later documented in the 1995 X-Men Archives Featuring Captain Britain reprint series. Issue #380's strip, titled "In Support of Darwin," was the fourth chapter of this run, building directly on the junkheap monster storyline of #379 and setting up the confrontation with Saturnyne that would unfold across the following issues.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Opal Luna Saturnyne (Omniversal Majestrix, Earth-9), who makes her presence felt through her agent Dimples and dispatches the Avant Guard against Captain Britain — confirmed by Marvel's official site, uncannyxmen.net, comicbookreligion.com, CMRO, and the GCD True Believers reprint index.
- First appearance of the Avant Guard — Saturnyne's elite agents in pinstriped suits and bowler hats whose umbrellas function as advanced weapons capable of interdimensional banishment and a 'devolvo ray.'
- First appearance of Dimples, the rotund, lovelorn aide who serves as Saturnyne's field informant on Earth-238.
- The story is titled 'In Support of Darwin' — a direct nod to the issue's central plot device in which the Avant Guard's devolvo ray regresses Algernon (an already-evolved intelligent rat) back to a normal rodent, then devolves Captain Britain himself into a monkey-like primate.
- Written by Dave Thorpe with art, inks, and letters by Alan Davis and Jenny O'Connor respectively; cover date December 1981, release date October 1981; the Captain Britain strip runs approximately five pages in black-and-white within a larger anthology package that also reprints American Avengers issues.
- The issue is part of the Earth-238 'Crooked World' arc (Marvel Super-Heroes #377–386) — the foundational run in which Davis designed Captain Britain's now-standard Union Jack-inspired costume and the concept of interdimensional Omniversal governance was first established.
- The Captain Britain strip from this issue was reprinted in color in True Believers: X-Men — Saturnyne #1 (September 23, 2020), which collected Marvel Super-Heroes #380–383; earlier reprints appeared in X-Men Archives Featuring Captain Britain (Marvel, 1995).
- The secondary content in #380 reprints classic American Avengers material (Avengers #185 era), consistent with the anthology format Marvel UK used throughout this series — the Hawkeye, Hercules, Red Guardian (Alexi Shostakov), and Clint Barton appearances indexed for this issue derive from that American reprint content, not the new Captain Britain strip.
Cast · 11 characters
Full credits
Full plot ⚠ may contain spoilers
▸ Reveal full plot — may contain spoilers
Cap finds himself in conversation with an intelligent, and very polite, giant rodent. Jackdaw returns from his mission to Merlyn but claims he couldn't find the sorcerer. Alerted that Cap may be coming too close to interfering with her current plans, Saturnyne sends the Avant Guard to stop him. They blast him with a ray that devolves him into a monkey
Plot details indexed by the Grand Comics Database (CC BY-SA).