William Brady

## Background

### 1917 - 1939: William Brady

William Brady was born in a small farming town outside of Blue Valley, alongside his parents & two older brothers. Though a shy kid throughout his life, he blossomed in high school, becoming a local legend with his elite football skills. Girls went on to say that "movie-star looks" sealed the deal. After high school, he attended Dartmouth College because of its sports program & his parents signed off due to the school's highly recognized academics.

During the final game of the 1938 season with the Horned Frogs, pro recruiting scouts came to see Brady. Anyone who saw would say that he played his best game yet. Then it all came crashing down. While throwing the ball for the winning touchdown, an opponent fell on him, pulling out his knee. The Horned Frogs won the game but the injury ended his sports career before it even began. As Brady was never a good student, he struggled for his last year & barely managed to graduate.

Feeling like a disappointment, WIlliam opted to not return home & instead moved to the Bellview building in Manhattan. Deciding to put his good looks to use, he read want ads in the *New York Gazette*.

When the National Bank noticed the rise of the masked vigilantes, the marketing team thought it would be a very interesting publicity prospect to be able to brag that a self-owned superhero would be protecting the customer's money. Designers were employed by the bank to make his costume. For aesthetic purposes and to raise maximum publicity appeal, the costume was extremely gaudy, with a large dollar sign on the front and a cloak that draped to the floor.

Disappointed with his life, he decided to answer an ad for the National Bank. He was the fourteenth person they saw & the only one who agreed to don the gaudy costume (although he had reservations about the cape restricting his movement). As Dollar Bill, William appeared in theater advertisements, while his figure was donned to money banks for children.

### 1939 - 1947: Dollar Bill

After an ad was placed by Captain Metropolis & Silk Spectre, he was forced by his employees to join the band of crimefighters. Bill was reserved, but he was told that these were nothing more than actors like himself, and he should just "act like a real crime-fighter" although he still wanted to do his bit to make the country safer. Despite his warning that he was not a real champion, they gladly accepted him in the team, as his presence would be an asset to their public profile

Their first public mission was the National Bank being robbed by a gang of thieves & held hostages. As the Minutemen were there, Bill was forced to follow the more experienced Nite Owl & Hooded Justice. Terrified, he watched as they fought the thugs. Remembering the wrestling moves he learned in college, Bill brought back his former champion self & rushed into the fray.

His involvement with the Minutemen boosted his confidence. Due to his champion experience, he found in him the hero he pretended to be. During World War II, Dollar Bill had a fancy deferment by the bureaucrats & was not enlisted. He continued to work as a mascot of the National Bank & appeared whenever a new branch was opened, usually with Mothman as a surprise guest.

In 1946, he moved to an upscale apartment in Manhattan using his earnings as Dollar Bill. It was here he learned of Ursula Zandt's lesbian relationship with her personal doctor. He would be one of the members to vote for her expulsion.

Six weeks later, she & her lover were found murdered by the Liquidator. Hearing of her death, he considered it a punishment for her lifestyle but nonetheless felt some part of him was to blame. He began patrolling the streets more alongside the Nite Owl. A year would be pass before the Liquidator was found by Captain Metropolis & Hooded Justice, though someone had killed him by the time he got there. Silk Spectre retired from the team shortly after, leaving only four of the original members.

Later that year, while attempting to stop a raid upon one of his employer's banks, his cloak became entangled in the bank's revolving door. He was shot at point-blank range before he could free it.

His death was a major historical event & was attended by his fellow remaining Minutemen, a police contingent & bank representatives, with Captain Metropolis giving the eulogy. After his death, Dollar Bill's legacy remained popular.

## Powers & Abilities

* **Hand to Hand Combat**: Although Will was never formally trained, he gained the ability to fight hard through years of experience.
* **Wrestling**: Bill was an accomplished wrestler, one of his many athletic achievements.

### Ratings

* **Intelligence:** Unknown
* **Strength:** Unknown
* **Speed:** Unknown
* **Occult:** Unknown
* **Weapons:** Unknown
* **Range:** Unknown
* **Strategy:** Unknown
* **Combat:** Unknown
* **TOTAL:** Unknown

## Trivia

* Bill was described as a God-fearing man.
* He had very negative views regarding women & homosexuality. When the Minutemen decided about the Comedian's fate after the rape attempt, he spoke in favor of the kid, mentioning his young age & also Sally's provocative appearance. He also condemned Captain Metropolis & Hooded Justice's homosexual relationship, saying that it made him sick.
* Dollar Bill's clear commercial motivations are never commented on by his peers or later vigilantes, who seem to regard him as a worthy hero. Even the cynical Rorschach laments Dollar Bill's untimely death.
* Hollis Mason speculates, "If he’d designed it himself, he might have left out that damned stupid cloak & still be alive today."

## Notes

* William Brady is a character from the Watchmen series.
* His family structure is unique to Earth-44.