Colonel Brand is the secondary antagonist of the television movie Sharpe's Mission.
He was portrayed by Mark Strong, who also played Thaddeus Sivana in Shazam, Frank D'Amico in Kick-Ass and Sinestro in Green Lantern.
Biography[]
A British officer, at some point prior to 1810 Brand began to be in the pay of the French. That year, as a major and Captain Richard Sharpe's immediate superior, he led the search for the missing Lieutenant Graham. Brand's paymaster, Colonel Cresson, set it up so Brand would appear to have risked his life trying to save Graham. In fact, Brand killed Graham himself and then carried his body back to Sharpe and the rest of the men, being hailed as a hero.
As a result of the incident, Brand was made a colonel and set up his own regiment, Brand's Boys. His sergeant, Pope, joined him in working for Cresson. Brand was brutally pragmatic, freely admitting that he abandoned any men who were wounded. In 1813, he and Pope were contacted by Cresson for help in his plan to capture intelligence officer Major-General Ross. To this end, Brand informed the British higher echelons of the location of General Calvet's powder magazine, suggesting they send an expedition to destroy it and also that Ross come along to examine it for intelligence purposes. It was agreed that Brand and his men would go ahead with Major Sharpe and Ross following on. Brand and Pope killed a gypsy couple who saw him with Cresson, but their daughter Zara escaped and took refuge with the British. Brand slaughtered a nearby gypsy camp, mistakenly believing Zara was with them.
In order to keep up Brand's charade of working for the British, Cresson set up two groups of former French deserters to be slaughtered by Brand and his men. Brand ambushed the first group, who had been issued with faulty gunpowder, and personally garroted the one who ran the furthest. The plan was to lead Sharpe's group into an ambush, then slaughter the garrison at the powder magazine and return home. However, Sharpe realised Brand's true nature and had him and his men placed under arrest, forcing a confession out of Pope. Brand still tried to get Sharpe to let him slaughter the garrison but instead Sharpe convinced them to surrender by revealing the truth.
Sharpe insisted on convening a field court martial with himself prosecuting and Ross presiding. Brand had kept Zara's mother's ring, further evidence of his crimes. He was found guilty and provisionally sentenced to be hanged once they returned to camp. Brand was dismissive of the verdict, believing Cresson would soon overrun Sharpe's men, and mockingly told Sharpe that the French would torture him and he would beg Brand to make them stop. Sharpe responded by pushing Brand down a well to his death.
