Francis Drake
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Wilt not accompany me aboard my ship? We are about to set sail for to see the great leviathan!
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— Sir Francis Drake to Dr. Marina Meltev and Burton Helzer (Godzilla #10) |
Sir Francis Drake was a 16th-century English privateer and explorer who most notably circumnavigated the globe in a three-year expedition. Fictionalized versions of him appear in three different Godzilla comic book series: Dark Horse's Godzilla, IDW Publishing's Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, and the latter's sequel Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants. In both continuities, Drake comes face-to-face with Godzilla and bears witness to the King of the Monsters destroying the Spanish Armada, albeit under very different circumstances.
History
- Godzilla #10 (1996)
- Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1-5 (2023)
- Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants #2 (2024) [flashback]
Godzilla
"Horror on the High Seas!"
After learning of Professor Elmer Mason's mad scheme of using Godzilla to cause and exploit historical tragedies via time travel, Dr. Marina Meltev and Burton Helzer of G-Force attempted to intercept him by using their own time machine to venture to one of his suspected destinations - England in the year 1588, which soon proved to be where Mason and Godzilla were. As Godzilla laid waste to the Spanish Armada nearby just as Mason had planned, Dr. Meltev and Helzer bumped into the legendary Sir Francis Drake in a bar, where he revealed that he was about to set sail to see what was being reported as a sea monster attacking the Spanish Armada and invited the pair to join him. As they drew closer to Godzilla aboard Drake's ship, the associates of G-Force revealed various details about the monster's name and history, though Drake struggled to make sense of Burton's explanation. After realizing that G-Force was onto his scheme, Professor Mason teleported Godzilla away once the beast had decimated much of the army and prompted the remainder of the fleet to retreat. In the aftermath, Drake summoned his crew and the members of G-Force to request that they never reveal Godzilla's role in the loss of the Spanish Armada, fearing no one would believe that a "sea demon" was responsible. Dr. Meltev and Helzer then teleported away to another time, much to Drake's shock, while the defeat of the Spanish Armada would go on to be chalked up to English fireships and severe weather per Drake's request.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1
During the 16th century, while in British custody, pirate "One-Eyed" Henry Hull bargained a reprieve from the gallows by revealing his knowledge of a lost voyage involving the legendary explorer Sir Francis Drake, a long-lost treasure, and a fire-breathing dragon. Hull detailed how, a few years prior, Drake became aware of the legendary lost treasure of Thibaud de Castillon in a pub, where he learned that the treasure was plundered by pirate Martin Yanes centuries ago and had been buried on Monster Island. Drake was presented with a doubloon featuring an image of a legendary dragon said to guard the lost treasure to confirm the story's authenticity. He then shared the tale with Queen Elizabeth herself, prompting a mission to recover the treasure for the crown during Drake's circumnavigation of the globe, with Hull being a member of the expedition aboard Drake's ship, the Golden Hind. During the expedition, after Drake had drawn the ire of the Spanish, the Golden Hind became lost in a storm as its crew attempted to escape the Spanish Armada. After the storm subsided, the crew found themselves off the shores of Monster Island, where they bore witness to the arrival of none other than the legendary dragon of Monster Island - Godzilla.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #2
As he recounted his story, Hull revealed that he had attempted to fire upon Godzilla, only to be stopped by Drake, who instead opted to sail around Godzilla in peace as to not draw his wrath. They then witnessed the Spanish Armada engage the monster, which resulted in their collective annihilation at the hands of Godzilla. Drake and the crew of the Golden Hind made landfall on the island and encountered giant sea turtles, though at Drake's orders, the men did not attack, allowing the turtles to pass them by without incident, as Drake knew better than to start any trouble that could be avoided. Venturing deeper into the island, Drake's crew eventually happened upon the wreckage of Martin Yanes' ship, with Drake finding the corpse of Yanes himself alongside his journal. Just as Drake and his crew emerged from Yanes' ship, they were attacked by giant bats.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #3
Hull continued telling his story to Sir Francis Walsingham and told him of a secret society known as the Sons of Giants, which was formed to conceal knowledge of the monsters from the rest of the world. He also recounted the tale of Captain Cortez Blanco, the lone survivor of Godzilla's attack on the Spanish Armada who had a personal vendetta against Drake, as Drake was unknowingly responsible for killing his family some years prior. As Hull resumed the story of his encounter with the giant bats, he revealed that he was carried off by one despite Drake's attempts to save him, only to be inadvertently saved by a far larger creature - Ebirah, who killed several of the bats. Just as Drake and the crew celebrated their savior, Ebirah began picking off the pirates and devouring them, though Drake and Hull were amongst the crewmen that escaped the creature's wrath. Later, Drake read through Yanes' journal and discovered that Yanes had hidden the treasure in Godzilla's cave, prompting him to craft a plan to get it - by orchestrating a fight between Godzilla and Ebirah.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #4
Drake's crew located Ebirah in an abandoned settlement on the island and angered the crustaceous kaiju by lobbing dynamite at him that they had procured from Yanes' ship. Ebirah gave chase, allowing Drake and his men to lure the monster to the entrance of Godzilla's cave. Drake and the others then witnessed Godzilla emerge from the cave and engage his rival, just as Drake had planned. With Godzilla distracted, Drake and his crew were free to explore his cave, and eventually discovered the treasure they had been seeking. However, their elation was cut brutally short by Blanco, who followed the group into the cave and made short work of most of the crew before setting his sights on Drake himself, determined to exact his vengeance.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #5
While Godzilla faced off against Ebirah and Oodako outside, Drake and Hull were forced to contend with Blanco after he killed the rest of the crew who accompanied Drake in the cave. Hull, however, was quickly incapacitated by a blow to the head, leaving Drake to battle his adversary alone. The two fought violently, using not only their swords, but even the bones of skeletons in the cave to beat each other. Blanco eventually gained the upper hand and Drake was nearly killed in the brutal skirmish, though before Blanco could deliver a finishing blow, Godzilla returned to his cave after defeating his foes and promptly incinerated Blanco with his atomic breath. As Godzilla stared Drake down, Drake could do nothing but pray, and upon opening his eyes, found that Godzilla had left for reasons unknown. Their mission a success, Drake collected the treasure alongside a recovered Hull and left Monster Island aboard the Golden Hind. Drake went on the deliver the treasure to the Queen as promised and was sworn to secrecy. However, Hull told Walsingham and the authorities present that Drake had recently died anyway, with Hull steadfastly believing that Drake was poisoned by the Sons of Giants in their efforts to maintain the secrets of the kaiju.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants #2
Sir Francis Drake and Henry Hull appeared in a flashback as Mortimer Lane - identified as a descendant of Hull - recounted what he knew of Drake's expedition to Monster Island prior to Hull's execution at the hands of the Sons of Giants.
Gallery
Godzilla
Sir Francis Drake witnessing Godzilla
Drake speaking with Dr. Marina Meltev and Burton Helzer
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons
Sir Francis Drake character sheet by Inaki Miranda
Drake and his crew attacking Ebirah
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons II - Sons of Giants
Sir Francis Drake and Henry Hull
Trivia
- Drake is shown commanding two different vessels between his comic appearances, both of which he commanded in real life: the Revenge in Dark Horse's Godzilla and the Golden Hind in Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons.
- By coincidence, Drake's encounter with Godzilla is covered up in both comic continuities that he appears in. In Dark Horse's Godzilla, it is Drake himself who desires to cover up Godzilla's involvement in the destruction of the Spanish Armada, whereas in Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons, he is sworn to secrecy in order to preserve the conspiracy surrounding the Sons of Giants.
- The first issue of Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons claims that the series is primarily set in the year 1556, though this date is likely an error, as it does not coincide with known dates in Drake's life. The series is not only set after Drake's circumnavigation of the globe, but also—as revealed in the fifth issue—his death from dysentery. As such, it is likely the series was meant to take place in the year 1596, the year that Drake died in real life.
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