 Wolverine |
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 Captain America |
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Wolverine |
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Appearing in "Madripoor Knights"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Captain America (Steve Rogers) (Only in flashback)
- Ivan Petrovich (Only in flashback)
Black Widow (Natasha Romanoff) (Appears in flashback)- Seraph (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
Antagonists:
- Hand (Main story and flashback)
- Jonin (Only appearance; dies)[1] (Only in flashback)
- Matsu'o Tsurayaba (Cameo)
- Nazi Germany (Only in flashback)
- Baron Wolfgang von Strucker (Only in flashback)
- Herr Kreutzmann (Only appearance; dies)[1] (Only in flashback)
- Schutzstaffel (Only in flashback)
- Death's Head Squadron (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Consul Geoffrey Sydenham (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Fenris (Cameo)
- Andrea von Strucker (Cameo)
- Andreas von Strucker (Cameo)
Other Characters:
- Fu Manchu (Referenced) (Only in flashback)
- Adolf Hitler (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Daredevil (Matt Murdock) (Mentioned)
- Nick Fury (Behind the scenes)
- Dr. Abraham Erskine (Referenced) (Only in flashback)
- Imperial Japan (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Fenris' Imposters (Only appearance)[1]
- Matsu'o Tsurayaba's Imposter (Only appearance)[1]
- Soong (Only appearance)[1]
- Other Madripoor's citizens
Races and Species:
Locations:
- Earth (Main story and flashback)
- Madripoor (Main story and flashback)
- Lowtown (Only in flashback)
- Seraph's (Only in flashback)
- American Consulate (First appearance) (Only in flashback)
- Buccaneer Bay
- Lowtown (Only in flashback)
- United States of America (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Europe (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Germany (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Africa (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Asia (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Pacific Ocean (Mentioned) (Only in flashback)
- Madripoor (Main story and flashback)
Items:
- Captain America's Uniform (Only in flashback)
- Captain America's Shield (Only in flashback)
- Black Widow's Gauntlets
- Adamantium (On Logan's claws)
- Wolverine's Suit
- Super-Soldier Serum (Referenced)
- The Hand's Master Assassin's Sword (Only appearance)[1] (Destruction) (Only in flashback)
Vehicles:
- Fenris' Yacht
Synopsis for "Madripoor Knights"
Madripoor 1941: A fledgling Captain America comes to the aid of a Russian, who is being attacked by Hand Ninjas. Both of the men are rescued by the help of a newcomer, who makes the island his home and hates the Hand – Logan. After they win the battle, Logan takes them to a bar named Seraph’s, where he tags Baron von Strucker and another Nazi, almost starting a fight. The Russian, Ivan Petrovitch, tells them that the Nazis and the Hand are planning an alliance and that they have kidnapped a child in his charge – Natasha Romanoff. A little later, the three men attack the Nazi limousine, which holds the young Natasha. One Nazi intends to kill the girl, rather than give her up. However, Logan throws himself between Natasha and the gun, seemingly sacrificing his life to save her.
Ivan and Cap decide to take Natasha to the American consulate instead of following Logan’s plan. Unfortunately, the consul is working with the Nazis and sells them out. In the Hand hideout, they learn that the Hand intends to make Natasha a master assassin with her first test being the murder of her would-be-rescuers. Fortunately, they are all rescued again by a very much alive Logan, who takes them to a getaway plane.
The present: The Black Widow went to Madripoor as a favor to Nick Fury to learn everything about a meeting between Fenris, the twin offspring of Baron Strucker, and Tsurayaba, the new leader of the Hand. She ends up caught in a trap by the Hand, but is rescued by Wolverine, Psylocke and Jubilee. Later, they question underworld informants and learn that the meeting between Fenris and Tsurayaba is to take place on a certain yacht. They infiltrate the yacht and take out the gangsters, but find out they are impostors: the real meeting took place somewhere else in the meantime.
Notes
Chronology Notes
A flashback in this story affects the chronology of the following characters:
Captain America / Steve Rogers
Continuity Notes
- First meeting between Logan and Captain America.
- Overlaps with the second story in X-Men Annual #14.
- The "mid-summer" 1941 dating of the events of the flashback is likely inaccurate. Captain America was still fighting Axis spies and saboteurs at home until the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor caused the United States to enter World War II. The Canadian mercenary Logan being in Madripoor in mid-1941 is plausible, as his country is already in the war; the neutral United States sending an operative overseas to fight in a distinctive American-flag costume is not.
- A 1941 date also contradicts Daredevil #88, in which Ivan tells of how he first met Natasha in "late autumn of 1942" during the Battle of Stalingrad. While that is a topical reference based on the Sliding Timescale of Earth-616, the only way to reconcile the two stories is to conclude that one is misdated. This story is more likely to be misdated as only a caption states the 1941 year; 1942 is plausible, and is consistent with Cap's description of being inexperienced.
- While Black Widow and Wolverine recalling events of 50 years ago is a topical reference, Jubilee's disbelief that Black Widow is more than 50 years old is not. This may be the first story to explicitly state that Black Widow has an unusually long lifespan as a product of the Black Widow Ops Program, as opposed to a generic sliding-timescale year of birth.
- Wolverine: Origins #16 retells the events of this issue explaining several subplots about Baron Strucker and Hand's alliance.
- Strucker does not recognize Logan although they met in X-Men: True Friends #2–3.
Trivia
- Originally priced at $1.00 US and $1.25 Canada.
- After observing how all of Wolverine's friends are "incredibly fabulously gorgeous" women, Jubilee looks at Black Widow and Psylocke, compares her body to theirs, and looks very frustrated. The difference in phenotypes is used again later in the story.
- Ads in this issue included : 'Viper' Capcom, 'Wrath of the Black Manta' Taito, 'Narc' Aklaim, Fleer...Football's Rookie Sensation, (2 page ad) Child World Children's Palace, East Coast Comics, Bullpen Bulletins, NFL Pro Set, Subscribe Now and Save!, [inside back cover] Konami, [back cover] Ravenloff.
- Steven Rogers, Natalia Romanova, and James Howlett are featured on the cover of this issue. [James Howlett also featured in the top left corner].
- This comic was featured in Weird Al Yankovic's song "White and Nerdy".[1]
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