Appearing in "Crossroads"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Nazis (Main story and flashback)
- Red Skull (Main story and flashback)
- Colonel von Wagner (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
- Iron Valkyrie (First appearance) (Main story and flashback)
Other Characters:
- President Bill Clinton
- Avengers (Main story and flashback)
- Cable (Main story and flashback)
- Baron Zemo (Main story and flashback)
- MODOK (Main story and flashback)
Locations:
Items:
Synopsis for "Crossroads"
Nick Fury and the Contessa meet with President Clinton to discuss the history of Captain America. They explain that during World War II, the US military sought to create an ideal super-solider that the American people could identify with, someone perfect specimen of physical perfection that had the wholesome down home American identity as an Iowa farmer. They began testing an experimental super-soldier serum on various test subjects but it wasn't until a complete weakling named Steve Rogers was injected with the serum was there any successful results. Thus Captain America was born.
Given a costume and armed with a shield he was sent out into Germany to battle during World War II and combated such foes as the Red Skull, Colonel von Wagner, and the Iron Valkyrie. He became an iconic hero of the time, and when the president asks how Captain America disappeared after 1945, Nick Fury explains that he shut him down. He explains that Captain America was against President Truman using the bomb on Hiroshima and as such on orders from the President was put into suspended animation, only to be revived every now and then to take part in other American conflicts, mentally conditioned to have new identities. During the Korean War he was known as Captain John Battle and in Vietnam he was Captain Jack Strike. He would be a mini legend of sorts until witnessing the atrocities of war committed against US soldiers and would snap. SHIELD found that he was useless in military operations from then forward and only recently thawed him out in the 90's and placed him in an assumed civilian life.
When the Red Skull turned up alive and well in modern times they were forced to revive Captain America, and he would battle the Skull, Baron Zemo, and MODOK and ultimately join the Avengers. With the whole story told, Captain America enters the room and expresses his disgust with how he has been treated by the government that he no longer trusts and tells them that he is getting out of SHIELD's "protection" and that he wants to rediscover the country he once loved and decide where his loyalties are. He then tears off the eagle insignia from his cowl. When Fury tries to threaten him out of it, Captain America tells Fury that it is not a good idea to go to war against Captain America because the truth would get out to the public. The president finds this a good idea, and wishes Captain America luck in finding himself, and when Fury tries to talk the president out of it, he tells Fury this is the right thing to do and if he can feel it. Fury considers it for a moment and realizes he agrees.
Notes
- Colonel Von Wagner and Iron Valkyrie have their first appearances this issue in a flashback. They are not characters from the normal Earth-616 Marvel Universe.
- Captain America removes the SHIELD/Eagle logo from his cowl. He will replace it with the traditional letter "A" next issue.
- The black and white Scene from World War II is drawn by Travis Charest; he is not credited in the Issue
- This would be the first issue of Captain America done by Wildstorm Studios after Marvel pulled their contract from Extreme Studios. As such there is a notable change in some of the Heroes Reborn mythos dealing with Captain America. In Captain America Vol 1 3 Nick Fury tells Captain America that they used one of the Red Skull's experiments called "Operation: Sleeper" to keep him under wraps under an assumed identity. It is suggested that he's been living as a family man for the entire time after the war. Another issue is the fact that Nick Fury gives SHIELD credit for reactivating Captain America, this would also be incorrect as it was Abraham Wilson that -- acting independently -- reactivated Captain America strictly for the purpose of giving him his shield back.
- The alias "Captain John Battle" may be a reference to the Golden Age character Captain Battle from Lev Gleason Comics. http://pdsh.wikia.com/wiki/Captain_Battle
See Also
Links and References
- The Grand Comics Database: Captain America Vol II [1]