Y Ddraig Goch (Earth-616)

Y Ddraig Goch
Name	Y Ddraig Goch (The "Red Dragon")
Aliases	The Welsh Dragon, David "Dave" Griffin, David Griffin
Affiliation and Relationships
Group Affiliation	Tuatha de Danaan
Physical Characteristics
Gender	Male
Height	15′ (4.57 m), Variable
Weight	2000 lbs (907.18 kg), Variable
Eyes	Irises: Red Variable
Hair	No Hair At All, Variable
Origin and Living Status
Origin	Dragon
Living Status	Alive
Reality	Earth-616
Place of Birth	Llyn Tegid ("Bala Lake", modern-day Gwynedd, Wales)
Personal Information
Identity	Public
Citizenship	Welsh, formerly Albion
Occupation	Protector of Wales; former crimelord
Education	Self-educated
Base of Operations	Cardiff, Wales formerly Mawddach Valley, Wales
Creators and Appearances
Creators	Paul Cornell, Manuel Garcia
First	Wisdom #3 (February, 2007)
First	Wisdom #3 (February, 2007)

"Cymru am byth" (English:"Wales Forever")

—Y Ddraig Goch, the Welsh Dragon[source]

Y Ddraig Goch, the "Welsh Dragon", the "Red Dragon", was the noble and selfless defender of Wales and the British Isles. He later became the symbol of Wales with his form adorning the national flag.

History

Early Life

In 73 BC, Y Ddraig Goch engaged in a fierce battle with the White Dragon of the Saxons, who had plans to invade the British Isles. To prevent the impending invasion, King Ludd devised a cunning strategy. He lured the two dragons into a trap by enticing them with pits filled with mead. Once ensnared, the dragons were imprisoned at the hillock of Dinas Emrys, where they were kept captive for centuries, unable to interfere with the course of history. This event marked a pivotal moment in Welsh mythology and solidified the hillock as a place of great power.

Merlin

Battling the White Dragon

In the 5th century, King Vortigen sought to build a castle at the sacred site of Dinas Emrys. However, each night, the foundations of his work were mysteriously destroyed, leaving him perplexed and frustrated. His advisors, consulting with ancient prophecies, recommended a drastic solution: to sacrifice a boy born without a natural father to end the destructive cycle. Following their guidance, Vortigen found the young Merlin, a boy who fit the description of the prophecy. However, Merlin had other plans. Rather than allowing himself to be sacrificed, Merlin revealed his true purpose and freed the imprisoned dragons of Dinas Emrys. As the ancient serpents were released from their long captivity, they were drawn into a fierce clash. The mighty White Dragon — representing the Saxon invaders — fought against Y Ddraig Goch, the red dragon of Wales. The battle between the two was not merely physical but symbolic, as the red dragon triumphed over the white, signifying the eventual victory of the Welsh over the Saxon threat. Both Vortigen and Merlin witnessed the momentous victory, and it became a lasting symbol of hope and resilience for the Welsh people. This event forever tied the legend of the two dragons to the history of Wales, with Y Ddraig Goch emerging as a representation of the nation’s strength and unity in the face of foreign invasions.

Battle with Thor

In the 9th century, he settled in a cave in the Welsh mountains above Mawddach Valley. The Vikings quickly arrived on the Welsh shore to recover the married Viking woman that Prince Rhodri of Gwynedd had abducted and taken to Wales. Many locals died fighting them, on both sides. The Gwynedd men eventually made their way back to the mountains, but the Vikings pressed on, looking for the kidnapped woman farther inland. Before they arrived, the Dolgellau men begged Ddraig Goch to aid them in fending off the Vikings and gave him women in exchange. Despite having little sympathy for the Welsh issues because their prince had caused them, Ddraig Goch decided to assist them because of the offer.

Dolgellau's women were courageous and accepted their fate. As was agreed upon, the dragon ate half of them. Following the dinner, Ddraig Goch attacked the Viking invaders from the air and slew them. One of them prayed to the Asgardians before he passed away. The Asgardians were not too late to confronted the dragon, who asked them to leave while disparaging the Asgardians as pranksters and Odin as their nursemaid. Ddraig Goch broke through Odin's barrier before charging at Thor, who Vidar shoved out of the way. Agnar the Fierce, who boldly offered Ddraig Goch the first blow, was then viciously beaten till he passed out. Ddraig Goch once more flew in the direction of Odin, Thor, and Hermod.

The dragon caught Mjolnir that Thor had thrown at him, held it between his teeth, and used the enchantment that made Mjolnir always come back to hit Thor even faster. Ddraig Goch, however, was unable to keep Thor down for long, and after Thor slung the dragon over his shoulder, Odin punched him in the jaw, sending him to the ground. As a result of these assaults, Ddraig Goch became even more enraged. Despite their best efforts, the Asgardians were unable to defeat the dragon. Thor rode atop Ddraig Goch's back as he took to the skies once more. After exhausting all attempts to remove him off his back, Ddraig Goch gave up and sank to the ground. Odin gave the command to let the dragon live because it battled bravely and was merely protecting his country while Thor prepared to kill the creature. Odin made a deal with Ddraig Goch, who agreed to convince Rhodri to give back the Viking woman who had been taken and to halt the blood sacrifices. Rhodri, who tasted even better than the women of Dolgellau, was devoured by Ddraig Goch.

Across the Ages

Battle of Rorke's Drift

Over the centuries, he stood as a steadfast ally to the Welsh people, descendants of the ancient Britons, offering his support in times of dire need. His most notable contribution came in 1879, when he fought valiantly at the Battle of Rorke's Drift in South Africa. There, he played a pivotal role in assisting a small group of 150 British soldiers as they courageously defended a remote supply station against an overwhelming force of 4,000 Zulu warriors. His actions during this battle became legendary, cementing his place in history as a symbol of bravery and determination. Over time, he came to embody the spirit of Wales itself, with his iconic image becoming synonymous with the nation, proudly featured on its national flag.

Modern Age

"Dave Griffin,"

Growing weary of the endless violence and bloodshed that had marked his existence, Y Ddraig Goch sought respite by taking on a human guise. In this new form, he adopted the name "Dave Griffin" and immersed himself in the mundane life of a pub-goer. However, as the years passed, he began to lose touch with his true self, slipping deeper into a haze of self-destruction. Under his alias, Griffin rose to power, ruthlessly controlling Cardiff's criminal underworld. His empire was built on drug trafficking, prostitution, and extortion, and he became a feared figure within the city's dark underbelly. His drug addiction compounded his descent, leading him to commit ever more brutal murders without remorse. Griffin's violent rampage eventually caught the attention of MI-13, the covert intelligence agency. Through a combination of surveillance and mystical insights, MI-13 uncovered Griffin's true identity and realized that his actions were being driven by his drug-induced state, which had clouded his mind and distorted his memory. This revelation prompted MI-13's top operative, Pete Wisdom, to take matters into his own hands. At the Red Dragon Pub in Cardiff, Pete Wisdom confronted Griffin, mocking him and his Welsh heritage in an attempt to provoke a response. As Griffin's rage grew, Wisdom challenged him to an ancient duel of dragons, invoking the old traditions. He nominated Shang-Chi, the legendary martial artist, to fight on his behalf.

Battling Shang-Chi

Griffin, seething with anger, ordered his henchmen to eliminate Shang-Chi. However, the martial artist deftly evaded all of their attacks, disarming them one by one with ease, even dodging bullets. When the last of Griffin's men were knocked out, the fight between the two combatants began in earnest. Griffin, fueled by his frustration and fury, spat in Shang-Chi's face after landing a vicious kick. The act marked a turning point—Shang-Chi realized that Griffin's true self was beginning to resurface from beneath the layers of addiction and violence. Drawing from the very energy of Cardiff itself, Griffin began to shed his human form. His skin peeled away as he transformed back into the formidable dragon that had once roamed the skies. In this mighty form, he faced Shang-Chi once more, who sought to break through to the noble spirit that still lay dormant within him. Shang-Chi spoke with conviction, reminding Griffin of his true nature as a noble being. Despite Shang-Chi's efforts to show him the path to redemption, Griffin’s instincts took over. In a display of raw power, he delivered a powerful uppercut that sent Shang-Chi soaring into the sky.

As Shang-Chi descended back toward the city, Griffin acted swiftly. With incredible speed, he caught the falling martial artist mid-air, cushioning the blow to protect him from the impact. Returning to his human form, Griffin expressed his relief that Shang-Chi had survived, even as the two men faced the reality of their battle. Despite this moment of understanding, Pete Wisdom betrayed his promise to Shang-Chi and chose to have Y Ddraig Goch subdued. MI-13 agents arrived with a power-suppression device, placing Griffin under arrest. As he was loaded onto the transport truck, Y Ddraig Goch let out a fierce cry of "Cymru am byth"—a declaration of his undying loyalty to Wales—before being taken away in chains.

Escape

Y Ddraig Goch telling his tale

Y Ddraig Goch narrowly escaped the pursuit of the authorities, adopting the guise of an elderly man to blend in. He found himself aboard a train traveling through the heart of Midwest Wales, where he struck up a conversation with an unsuspecting author. As the journey continued, Y Ddraig Goch shared a peculiar and cryptic tale of his past, recounting a fierce battle with the Asgardians. "Rhodri tasted far sweeter than the women," he remarked with a sly grin, his voice laced with an air of mystery, before stepping off the train at his stop. In a swift, almost imperceptible movement, Y Ddraig Goch shed his human disguise and transformed into his true form as a mighty dragon. The change was so seamless that no one else aboard the train seemed to notice. The author, however, caught a fleeting glimpse of the transformation as the dragon soared into the sky, disappearing into the horizon. The air was thick with awe and disbelief as the author watched the legendary creature take flight, vanishing into the clouds.

Attributes

Power Grid

Powers

• Dragon Physiology
  • Superhuman Strength: He possesses superhuman strength lifting 50 tons.
  • Pyrokinesis: He can breathe fire in both forms.
  • Flight: As dragon he has large wings for flight.
  • Shapeshifting: He can shift between dragon and human form by will. His human forming can vary. Though his transformation into his dragon form drains energy from others within an area of roughly 50 square miles, rendering them unconscious.

See Also

• 2 appearance(s) of Y Ddraig Goch (Earth-616)
• 2 appearance(s) in handbook(s) of Y Ddraig Goch (Earth-616)
• 1 mention(s) in handbook(s) of Y Ddraig Goch (Earth-616)
• 13 image(s) of Y Ddraig Goch (Earth-616)
• 3 quotation(s) by or about Y Ddraig Goch (Earth-616)

Links and References

• Y Ddraig Goch on Wikipedia.org