EMPRESS MATILDA DOCKS-ROTHERHITHE (Building)

main image Classification: Terrestrial building

Creator: Unrevealed (possibly MI-13)

User/Possessors: Excalibur (Captain Britain (Brian Braddock), Dazzler (Alison Blaire), Juggernaut (Cain Marko), Nocturne (T. J. Wagner of Earth-2182), Sage, Pete Wisdom); MI-13; Psylocke (Betsy Braddock)

First Appearance: New Excalibur#6 (June, 2006)

Powers/Abilities/Functions: The Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe was a building originally owned by the British MI-13 and later Psylocke. It functioned as the headquarters for the Excalibur team and contained numerous rooms and a lake for swimming. It also contained a boat for use on the lake and a warehouse training gym. Atop the lake house was a large computer room equipped with holographic projectors and a touch-screen interface. The computer system inside the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe could be remotely accessed to allow for mobile computing.

History: 

(New Excalibur#6 (fb) - BTS) – Owned by the British agency MI-13, the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe was loaned to the super hero team, Excalibur.

(New Excalibur#6) – Juggernaut moved several boxes into the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe while Nocturne and Captain Britain sparred against one another. When Juggernaut tried to turn the tide by surprising Captain Britain, he was thrown into the lake outside the house.

(New Excalibur#18 (fb) – BTS) – Psylocke purchased the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe and loaned it to her brother, Captain Britain, to continue to be used as Excalibur’s headquarters.

(New Excalibur#13) – When Juggernaut left for some alone time following a beating at the hands of the Wrecking Crew, Excalibur began tracking Juggernaut down using their computer at the top of the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe. The computer eventually located Juggernaut in Korea.

(New Excalibur#14 - BTS) – Following Juggernaut to Korea via helicopter, Sage (and Excalibur) accessed the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe’s computer systems remotely, pulling up the touch-screen interface and holographic monitors to help guide the team toward Juggernaut’s location using news footage of Juggernaut’s rampage through the Korean village outside of the Temple of Cyttorak.

(New Excalibur#15) – Two days after Excalibur’s confrontation with Juggernaut in Korea, Juggernaut returned to the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe. Upon entering, Juggernaut was surprised to see Pete Wisdom, who explained to Juggernaut that he was not off the team despite his past misdeeds. Juggernaut then watched as the team’s recent ally, the Black Knight, left the lake house and began unpacking, taking a look at the Crimson Gem of Cyttorak that he had taken from the Temple.

(New Excalibur#18) – Inside the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe, Excalibur viewed a hologram of the Earth-70518 native Albion, who had recently attacked the team. The team discussed what they knew of their enemy.

(New Excalibur#19) – In the warehouse section of the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe, Dazzler sparred with Juggernaut as Pete Wisdom watched. Later, Excalibur ate dinner together and discussed the idea of having Sage go undercover to Albion’s side.

(New Excalibur#24) – Following a massive battle and the defeat of Albion, Pete Wisdom and Brian Braddock walked into the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe and discussed what to do about Sage’s crimes while thinking herself to be Britannia. They met up with Cain Marko, who announced that he would be leaving Excalibur to handle an old debt. Pete explained he would arrange transport for Cain and asked him to join the celebration of Albion’s defeat with the other guests until the transport arrived.

(X-Men: Die by the Sword#1) – Excalibur enjoyed the party in their honor at their lake house headquarters and while there, Brian Braddock was happy to see that his sister, Psylocke, was alive and well with the dimension-hopping Exiles team. Nocturne was also reunited with her old lover, Thunderbird of Earth-1100, also a member of the Exiles. Brian was soon after attacked by a villainess called Rouge-Mort.

(X-Men: Die by the Sword#2) – Rouge-Mort continued to terrorize the party-goers at the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe until Psylocke kicked her in the face. A fierce fight ensued and Rouge-Mort was eventually driven away by Dazzler and the injured were taken to Exiles’ headquarters, the Panoptichron.

Comments: Created by Chris Claremont, Michael Ryan and Rick Ketcham.

It was never stated who built the Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe, but given its sophisticated computer systems and training gym, I’d imagine it was built by MI-13, who owned it at the time it was originally loaned out to Excalibur.

Profile by Proto-Man.

CLARIFICATIONS:
The Empress Matilda Docks-Rotherhithe has no known connections to

images: (without ads)
New Excalibur#6, p3, pan2 (main image)
X-Men: Die by the Sword#1, p1, pan1 (at night)

Appearances:
New Excalibur#6 (June, 2006) – Chris Claremont (writer), Michael Ryan (pencils), Rick Ketcham (inks), Mike Marts (editor)
New Excalibur#13 (January, 2007) – Frank Tieri (writer), Jim Calafiore (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Nick Lowe, Mike Marts (editors)
New Excalibur#14 (February, 2007) – Frank Tieri (writer), Jim Calafiore (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Nick Lowe, Mike Marts (editors)
New Excalibur#15 (March, 2007) – Frank Tieri (writer), Jim Calafiore (pencils), Mark McKenna (inks), Nick Lowe, Mike Marts (editors)
New Excalibur#18 (May, 2007) – Chris Claremont (writer), Scot Eaton, Staz Johnson (pencils), John Dell, Scott Hanna, Dave Meikis, Tom Palmer (inks), Nick Lowe, Andy Schmidt (editors)
New Excalibur#19 (June, 2007) – Chris Claremont (writer), Scot Eaton (pencils), John Dell, Dave Meikis (inks), Nick Lowe, Andy Schmidt (editors)
New Excalibur#24 (December, 2007) – Chris Claremont (writer), Jeremy Haun (pencils), Dave Meikis, Andrew Hennessy (inks), Nick Lowe, Andy Schmidt (editors)
X-Men: Die by the Sword#1 (December, 2007) – Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Santacruz (pencils), Raul Fernandez (inks), Mark Paniccia (senior editor)
X-Men: Die by the Sword#2 (December, 2007) – Chris Claremont (writer), Juan Santacruz (pencils), Raul Fernandez (inks), Mark Paniccia (senior editor)

Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.

First Posted: 09/01/2013
Last Updated 08/27/2013

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