Captain America Comic Book History - Marvel Comics
Table of contents for captain-america
In 1964, Marvel Comics decided it was time to revive Captain America. In Avengers #4, the original team of Avengers finds Captain Rogers in the Arctic. It is here that the story of his suspended animation is first told. The Captain went on to become the central pillar of the Avengers and also to star in his own solo title.
At this point the character of Captain America develops some new wrinkles. In particular his guilt over the death of his sidekick Bucky Barnes and his struggle to adapt to the modern world after decades in suspended animation.
Around this time the Captain hooks up with his old wartime buddy Nick Fury (saved from old age by the Infinity Formula) and begins to do missions for SHIELD. After briefly working with a new “Bucky” in Rick Jones, Captain America soon meets Sam Wilson and trains him to become the superhero The Falcon, one of very few black superheroes at that time.
During the 70s Steve Rogers becomes disillusioned with the United States (think Watergate) and gives up his identity as Captain America, instead becoming Nomad. However, he takes up the shield and costume again to face the Red Skull, once again asserting that he is a symbol of America’s ideals, not it’s government.
This was an aspect of the character that would be re-visited in the 1980s when the Government demanded that Captain America work directly for them. Rogers refused and took on the new identity of The Captain to be replaced as Captain America by the former Super-Patriot, John Walker.
Walker struggled to live up to Rogers ideals until pressure from hidden enemies eventually turned him insane, at which point Rogers once again took up the shield. Walker eventually recovers and becomes the US Agent. This storyline illustrated the difference between Rogers 1940s inspired ideals and the jingoistic extreme nationalism that certain segments of the United States were idolizing during the 80s.
Captain America stagnated during the 1990s and by 2000 was in need of a fresh vision of the character. That fresh vision came in 2002 with Captain America #1 Vol. 4 when Captain America unmasks himself as Steve Rogers after liberating a small town from an Arabic terrorist organization. His decision was based on a wish to take the blame for his own actions and avoid a retaliatory attack against the American public.
Rogers then discovers that his old war-time sidekick Bucky Barnes is actually alive and working as the Winter Soldier for the Soviets. Most recently Rogers has found himself working against the government as part of Marvel’s Civil War, in the anti-registration movement. This continues the character’s slow move away from figures of authority while still firmly standing for the American dream.
Posts In This Series
No Comments, Comment or Ping
Reply to “Captain America Comic Book History - Marvel Comics”