Yes, it’s true. In the hottest comic-book news event since Spider-Man’s unmasking, and last year’s lesbian Batwoman thing, Captain America–superstrong guy who fought in World War II, then got frozen in suspended animation until the modern day (okay, 1964)–has been assassinated. His death comes in the context of a “Civil War” among the U.S.-based superheroes of the Marvel Universe, on the issue of government restrictions of their freedom (to be superheroes).
How big was the story? On newsarama.com, the NY Daily News reporter who scooped it, Ethan Sacks, said:
The smart money is on Cap being resurrected after awhile (he’s got a movie coming out in a couple of years), following the example of the “Death of Superman” in the 1990’s. For now we can expect to see several other characters attempting to take on his mantle, beginning with…the Punisher. (His superpower is uh, shooting criminals. And he wears a skull on his chest. Perhaps you remember one of his two movies.)
Spiderman. He clearly has the moral authority and respect from the other heroes now.
The Punisher can’t take Cap’s place, and he knows it. Cap didn’t like him shooting bad guys to death in The Punisher: War Journal, and would like him torching 30 baddies in a bar even less. WJ#4
*The Falcon–1970’s-era black sidekick, flies and talks to birds
*Patriot / Josiah X–grandson of the “original”–black–Captain America, who was experimented upon somewhat in the spirit of Tuskeegee
*the Winter Soldier–formerly 1940’s sidekick Bucky, who recently surfaced after years of having been thought dead, while he was really being brainwashed by the Soviets
USAgent, formerly known as the Super-Patriot, replaced Cap in the late 1980’s. He is best known for looking like Judge Dredd, and for having the original name of “John Walker.” (Later he changed it to Jack Daniels. Really. Look it up.)
My candidate to be the new Cap is Batroc the Leaper, a moustache-twirling French supervillain whose superpower is to jump around a lot. And he talks like this:
“Moi est la new Capitain America…? Zut alors! Ees eet because of mon tres-sexy appearance physiquelle, or mes superpowers formidables? Mon dieu! Sacre bleu! Thees ees one giant leap for mankind! Mais oui, dees A on mon head DOES stand por la France!”
There was a pic floating around the 'net a while back of Ironman wielding Cap’s shield and with a modified suit of armour that incorporates both Ironman’s look and Cap’s.
From what I’ve heard Marvel has just been digging themselves one giant hole (no pun-reference to the death of Goliath there, really) to fall into with the whole Civil War thing.
By the way, anyone know a place in Taipei where you can get DC or Marvel comics? I saw a Supergirl at Eslite once but I have no attraction to Paris Hilton lookalike comics.
EDIT: nevermind, just noticed there’s a thread about comics in this section…go go gadget eyes!
As an apparent Canuck, you will perhaps be interested to learn that the successor to “Alpha Flight” (Marvel comic featuring a Canadian superhero team) will be “Omega Flight,” and that its members will include a number of Americans who ah, ran away to Canada to escape the superhero draft.
Wolverine was, at one point, a pretty great character…until Marvel pimped him out to death. Now he’s so over-exposed that when I see him it’s just kinda like, oh well, it’s Wolverine…again…
I noticed that USAgent looks to be defecting to the Great White North…um…real patriotic eh?
It would be pretty interesting to see Punisher’s take on what Cap should be like though.
I’m sorry to say that I have its theme music memorized.
When I read Burton Mack’s book on Q (the documentary hypothesis), I was surprised to find him citing a 1960’s political science book called “The Captain America Syndrome.” I found it later in a library. It was about U.S. hubris during the Vietnam War.
