Radcliffe, is a minor antagonist in Invincible, debuting in Season 3's flashbacks. He served as the director of the Global Defense Agency and was both a mentor and former superior to Cecil Stedman.
Appearance[]
Physique[]
Radcliffe appears as a middle aged African-American male. He lacks any hair and possesses weathered features. After an encounter with the Lizard League, he acquired scars on the left side of his face and eye, causing it to remain shut.
Clothing[]
His clothing consists of a gray suit with a white shirt, gray tie, and black pocket square.
Personality[]
Similar to his protégé Cecil Stedman, Radcliffe portrays himself as a figure of detachment and command; however, underneath his exterior lies a caring person. Simultaneously, in spite of his good intentions and true compassion and empathy, he represents a mentality of "the ends justify the means" and "the lesser of two evils." So dedicated to the common good, he is ethically questionable and prepared to take any actions he believes are essential to safeguard the planet. With a keen eye for talent, he refuses to squander gifted individuals; rather, he thinks they should be "fixed" and utilized for the sake of the "greater good."
History[]
Background[]
Little is known about Radcliffe's early years.
G.D.A. Director[]
Director Radcliffe attempts to reassure Cecil that he successfully accomplished his task.
Upon reaching adulthood, he joined the Global Defense Agency and rose to the position of Director, eventually he encountered Brit and his future protégé, Cecil Stedman. Seeing promise in Cecil, he assigned him various tasks, one being to thwart Forcefist and Knucklebuster's terrorist assault, during which he suffered severe scarring. Despite the gas leak being stopped, it resulted in the deaths of approximately seventeen civilians. Consequently, although the G.D.A. Doctors successfully healed his skin, Cecil opted to retain the scar on the right side of his face (the sole recoverable section) as a reminder of his defeat.
Director Radcliffe reveals he "fixed" and recruited both Forcefist and Knucklebuster.
In 2002, during the assault by the Lizard League on the Pentagon, Radcliffe and Cecil were rescued from Komodo Dragon by none other than Forcefist and Knucklebuster, who were now shown to be affiliated with the GDA. While Radcliffe contended that their skills were too precious to squander, Cecil found this repulsive and brutally killed the duo, resulting in his imprisonment in a very chaotic and unstable penitentiary, which houses some of the world's most dangerous super villains and criminals.
Director Radcliffe selects Cecil to be his successor at the G.D.A.
Three years later, in 2005, Radcliffe visited Cecil to offer him the role of Director since he was transitioning to another classified project. At first, Cecil declined, but Radcliffe recognized his intellectual development, secretly observing how he managed to impose structure on the disordered institution and significantly lower the death rate, even though he had to compromise his ethics to do so. He also disclosed that Cecil's incarceration was not only a punishment but also a means of rehabilitation, and that he would be released once he accepted the proposal. Ultimately, Cecil consented and was freed from incarceration, taking on the role of the new Director while Radcliffe transitioned to his undisclosed project.
Legacy[]
A picture of Radcliffe still remains in what was his office.
Even after his death, Radcliffe continued to influence Cecil's life, as Cecil fully adopted Radcliffe's teachings while attempting to maintain his integrity as well as possible. This largely revolved around Radcliffe's principle: "We can be the good guys or the guys who save the world, we can't be both." Through this motto, Cecil crafted his work environment and principles to take any measures necessary, even if it involved compromising the faith of his workers and heroes in the ethically ambiguous realm of protecting the planet.
This is clear in the rehabilitation and employment of Sinclair and Darkwing II, both of whom were accountable for committing several atrocities due to their unstable mental conditions, which harmed many individuals following their actions. This created a significant divide between Invincible and Cecil, as Cecil attempted to clarify how their rehabilitation would eventually result in saving the world instead of just confining them. This was demonstrated by Sinclair's ReAnimen significantly contributing to halting Doc Seismic and the numerous Invincible variants in the Invincible War, as well as Darkwing II sacrificing himself by taking Lensless Invincible to the Shadow-Verse and staying trapped there alongside him.
Nonetheless, in spite of the beneficial effects of Cecil's actions, there are situations where his actions are overlooked; for example, his detainment of Conquest, holding him at a secret military location for additional questioning. This isn't merely an impulsive choice, since Cecil understands Conquest's abilities, but additionally, having recently more or less restored Invincible's trust might lead to more significant damage to their professional relationship. One aspect to highlight is that Sinclair's creation of ReAnimen from the forms of the Invincible variants would strengthen Cecil's confidence in his decisions.
Abilities[]
- Leadership: He's a competent leader. Over the years, he has grown in stature to the point of personally commanding the entire Global Defense Agency. Although he generally works in the shadows, Radcliffe is a gifted orator and possesses a charisma that few men possess.
- Military training: As a former field agent for the Global Defense Agency, Radcliffe has received extensive training in unarmed combat, firearms and all stealth and espionage techniques.
Sightings[]
| Season 3 | ||||||||||||
| 1. "You're Not Laughing Now": | Absent | 5. "This Was Supposed To Be Easy": | Absent | |||||||||
| 2. "A Deal With The Devil": | Flashback | 6. "All I Can Say Is I'm Sorry": | Absent | |||||||||
| 3. "You Want A Real Costume, Right?": | Absent | 7. "What Have I Done?": | Pictured | |||||||||
| 4. "You Were My Hero": | Absent | 8. "I Thought You'd Never Shut Up": | Absent | |||||||||
Trivia[]
- Radcliffe is based on Jean-Luc LeBeau.
- Radcliffe might appear in spotlight episode for season 3, as a teaser trailer showed him with a young Rex Splode.