A whopping nine months after the killing off Captain America, Marvel Comics is resurrecting the character, sort of, in issue #34.
It seems that Steve Rogers, the iconic character who still believed in America and mom’s apple pie is far too antiquated for these modern times (that are such a vast improvement, don’t you think?).
Not only will there be a new person wearing the (previously) red, white and blue costume, the costume will be new as well. Much of it will be black and the upper part appears to be some sort of metallic/chrome material. The new look was designed by artist Alex Ross, well known for bringing a sense of realism to superhero art.
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I’m probably not the best person to be writing about this: I was never a huge Captain America fan as far as reading his own comic, but I did like the character a lot for the same reasons that many of us did. He represented a simpler time, when we knew what was right and what was wrong as opposed to the present-day inclination to paint everything in shades of grey. He was a strong man with an iron will and convictions to match. Although he wasn’t super-powered, his closest analogue in the DC universe was Superman in his belief of truth, justice and the American way. Those things seem quaint today (and “American way” was even excised from Superman Returns, yet another reason to dislike the movie).
The new, darker Captain America
There’s no denying that the world seems to be a darker place than it was 60 or 70 years ago, but even as a champion for the Allies during World War II, Captain America was an optimistic figure. But now darkness is in vogue, and Marvel Comics reflect it in their current nihilistic universe. They portray their universe as if the U.S. was Poland after Hitler took over. There’s certainly no joy in comic books any more and I’m hoping that one day the pendulum will swing back the other way (as it inevitably will) and comics will be “fun” again.
So to reflect this present state of mind, we’ll have a new Captain America. One that dresses half in black… as if in mourning for the country, as opposed to the bright, optimistic red, white and blue of the original costume. This new version will carry a gun and a knife instead of just depending on his physical strength, fighting skills and symbolic shield.
I don’t currently follow the comic book, but I have a feeling that whoever takes over the name will not be even a fraction as idealistic as Steve Rogers was. And knowing the current state of the Marvel Comics universe, will no doubt be used to highlight what’s wrong with the U.S. while ignoring what’s right with it. I’m getting the feeling that the new Cap will be more like U.S. Agent in appearance (pictured here) as much as attitude.
I may turn out to be wrong, but this is one time that I’d be happy to have folks tell me “I told you so.”
Source: IGN
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38 Comments
Alex Ross created a black/red, white and blue Spidey outfit for Spider-Man the movie before they settled on the iconic classic version.
Ah, that’s right. I remember now. Well he’s getting his wish regarding turning a brightly colored character into a much darker one.
Vic
This really burns me up. Killing (allegedly) Captain America in the first place was a bad idea. I know you don’t read it Vic but you really should check out the Ed Brubaker Captain America comics. They have been fantastic lately, especially the Winter Soldier storyline.
The new costume seems unsafe to wear if it is metallic. Those sharp edges at the front and back of the waist will surely makes punctures or scrapes on the hero whenever he make sumersaults or leaps. So unrealistic but hey it’s only in the comicbooks…
I feel bad that they have to give up Steve Rogers. Nothing beats the original.
I wonder if this time around they’re re-using the original vibranium shield from the previous Cap, or will they come up with yet another innovation (like vibranium-adamantium or stuff like that photon shield thing) and this isn’t the original shield.
The original (and the best) Captain America had a strict no-killing policy. It’s what separated him from being a primary-color-clad version of the Punisher.
Is the new Cap operating sans-scruples, or is he just out to kneecap some b*tches?
I actually like the US Agent look more… the metallic look and the buckeener boots on the new Cap look horrible! The small ‘ordinary’ pistol and shine armor makes the new Cap look very weak. Why not just use the Ultimate version’s look and style? For me Cap was always the morally strong leader/soldier of freedom;that what made him different. Hope that doesn’t change.
Gnobb, great point (no pun) on the metallic part of the uniform.
Adrian, yeah… I’m not a fan of the Ultimate Universe, but there Cap has a pretty cool look.
Like I said, I haven’t been following the comic, but isn’t there some Punisher-like guy who’s been running around trying to be Cap?
Vic
I have a LOT to say about this. I’ll post my REAL thoughts on this later this week.
Let me start off by saying that I am a huge Cap fan. I like him as much as I do Iron Man,and am still burned that they killed him. He was one of the few characters that represented the light at the end of the tunnel. While some people who argued that Cap just wasn’t relevant any more applauded his demise,a lot fans were sad to see him go. His death came as a hard blow to co-creator Joe Simon,who remarked on his death with these words:”It’s a hell of a time for him to go,we really need him now”. Well said. I personally am shocked to see that Alex Ross,one of my heroes,had a hand in creating this deviation of the character. After seeing Ross express his love for the old school type comic book heroes,it really surprizes me that he’d actually do this. Hopefully this new Cap is the equivelant of the Cyborg Superman in terms of story. Who knows? Maybe he’s an evil clone that JQ (ya’ll know who I’m talkin’ ’bout) created. I certainly don’t like this new Cap’s choice weapons: a gun and a knife. While yes,Cap’s a soilder and he has killed people before,he was certainly never proud of it,and it was certainly not something he’d parade around. One of the thing’s Cap’s shield signified was defense. I’m afraid I can’t say the same about the new Cap’s gear,they’re more offense. Like a lot of fans when Cap died,I hoped for the best and feared for the worst. It isn’t like any of my favorite heroes haven’t stayed dead before. I’m speaking specifically of DC’s Barry Allen Flash. He was my fave Flash of ALL TIME and he still hasn’t come back. Sure,we’ve got Wally West,and I like him to a degree,but reading the Flash comix isn’t the same. I always feel like I’m reading a story about a supporting character almost,like someone who’s temporarily taken over for the hero until he returns. Wally is always living in Barry’s shadow and never seems to be his own Flash,he’ll always be Kid Flash,filling in for Flash to me. The stories never feel fresh and new. They’re not fun anymore. I’m afraid the same thing will happen to Cap’s books,only Cap’s sucsessor won’t be half the person Wally is. I stopped reading the Cap comix when they killed him,I just couldn’t take it anymore. But the thing that bugged me more than Cap’s death was the thought of someone else being Cap. Cap is a one of a kind hero in every sense of the term. There will never be another who’s ideals will match Steve Rogers’,there will never be someone who will have the same abilities/powers as Cap. In essence,there will never be another Captain America. Some characters should remain dead,like Bucky Barnes (hint,hint Marvel) and Jason Todd (hint,hint DC). Others just shouldn’t,no matter how much you want to rock the staus quo,like Barry Allen and Steve Rogers!
Vic,I totally agree with what you said about people wanting to remove America from our heroes namesake/what they represent. It’s Justice League of America (JLA),not Justice League,it’s Truth,Justice,and the American way,not truth,justice,all that stuff,as used in SR. It’s strange tho,that even tho T,J,& the american way isn’t in the movie,it is on a lot of the SR movie merchandise.
I often wondered what the world would do when they got too PC and dark for “dated” heroes like Captain America. Now I know.
Another thing that I totally agree with is what you (Vic) said about comics these days. While there’s a lot wrong with America these days (least,I belive so anyway),it would be nice if we didn’t have to be reminded of that headache that we picked up the book to escape from,all the time. I’m definitely up for some stories that are more focused on what’s right with America more than what’s wrong with it. So many books these days are so violent,adult(sexually),fowl mouthed,and depressing they’re impossible to read. A lot of them just aren’t fun anymore. I find it curious that you belive that comix will someday return to their roots,could you elaborate on why you believe that please?
Thanks for reading my ultra long post,folks.
I love the new Captain America look! I just hope when they get to making his movie, they don’t bastardize him and make him Captain North America, Captain United Nations, or something of that equivalent. I’m just sick and tired of the U.S. always being portrayed as the real bad guys all the time.
Great post KEL, agree with everything you said.
Thanks,adrian. It’s always nice to hear that I’m not the only person who has this opinion.
Hm, maybe when the movie comes out we can sue for false advertising. The advertised a movie about Captain America but then didn’t deliver one.
Yeah, that probably won’t work. Nice thought though.
However, it also occurs to me that giving him a gun might be because it would be sorta difficult to make a realistic fight scene where you have a bunch of guys with guns fighting one guy with just a shield. We’ll have to see if the script actually has a darker Cap.
I believe the new Cap is Nomad(the third Bulky)! Nomad’s abilities are similar to Cap’s and Nomad used guns. Winter Soldier shot Nomad and put him in the trunk of a car, but never said if he(Nomad)were dead. The new Cap sports the following Nomad gear: gloves, pants, shine body armor, and a firearm.
Thanks Adrian. I was picking up a few issues of Captain America before and after the death issue but I stopped. Now I guess I’ll have to find some backissues and catch up.
Vic
Look,guys,it’s nothing against Cap using a gun,or even killing other soldiers,my problem is that based on his appearance,this knew Cap seems to be going out of the way to “shoot first and ask questions later”. He looks like he’s going to be an overly violent trigger happy type of guy. Cap never resorted to killing unless it was absolutely necessary.
Well if I correct, Nomad (Jason Monroe)is more like USAgent/Punisher in character, because he has insane for sometime and didn’t mind killing. Nomad possess the super serum abilities that Cap has. Nomad is like Nightwing, as Winter Soldier was/is more like Jason Todd.
P.S.
The name Nomad was first used by Cap when he had decide to abandon his patriotic Captain America identity in favor of the Nomad name (as it means “man without a country”). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nomad_%28comics%29
I knew that Nomad was the identity Cap once assumed,but I didn’t know that he has the same powers/abilities as Cap. How is that possible?
“Monroe was mostly portrayed as essentially having the same powers as the first official Captain America, Steve Rogers I. This has long been a matter of contention in the comics as Monroe received his powers from the same sample of the Super-Soldier Serum that gave Steve Rogers II (Captain America of the 1950s, later the Grand Director) definite super-human strength. He became super strong but after being exposed to stabilizing rays (similar to the Vita-rays Steve Rogers I received) his strength normalized to peak human.” says wikipedia
Thanx,Adrian. I always considered Cap to be about twice as strong and fast as an olympic level athlete. He also has a super immune system,so he can’t get sick,and I believe that if he were shot less than 10 times,depending on the size of the bullet,his body would push the bullet out as ours would a splinter.
Big boots to fill, KEL. Fun, how I didn’t know that 4 people have fill the boots of Steve Rogers before: William Naslund(Spirit of 76′), Jeff Mace (Patriot), a doctor that had his face reconstruct to look like Rogers(The Grand Director), John Walker (USAgent)
Well,I guess we both learned something today! I thought only 3 people filled the boots of Cap!
Good article and some good posts in here.
Not a big reader of comics anymore, but when I heard they killed Capt. America I was outraged. Kill off Captain Caliphate, Iraqi Pete or Jihad Rampage, but leave American Icons alone. Better yet, kill off the PC Avenger; he should have been slain years ago.
The self-loathing in this country needs to stop. Define your enemy and don’t be afraid to point him out.
It wasn’t that Cap was too apple-pie for today, they just forgot how to write Captain America stories at Marvel and what the character was about. In recent times they put out Cap stories filled with Cap spouting patriotic dogma. In the 60’s Cap didn’t need to spout what he was about. He was always the hero who beat incredible odds by never giving up or in and rarely said one word about why he did it. He didn’t have to.
Anyway, they killed Cap with their writing deviations from the true character long before they did actually kill him off. The true Captain America became famously popular in the 60’s, a time when you would think it impossible for a patriotic apple-pie hero to do so. There was nothing wrong with that character, Marvel just forgot who he was.
Marvel will fail with their re-envisioning because they no longer understand the character anymore. Captain America with a Gun? Real heroes don’t need guns, they have hearts.
American heroes may have great hearts, but that won’t stop a crazy Muslim with a bomb vest and a .45 caliber round has terrific stopping power.
Political correctness and warm fuzzys go out the window when ball bearings and bits of Ahkmed go flying by your head.
Hey, at least he’s packing an American gun! He could be toting a Kalashnikov and really ruin his image.
I think it could be John Walker again. He might be Captain america forever if i’m correct. It maybe Frank Castle behind the mask as well.
Well, somehow Cap got through WWII and never carried a Gun with his costume, he didn’t have too. He’s a super-soldier. Maybe that’s a bit fantastic, but fantastic ability could be why he was a super-hero? Yes. I am not sure the ‘REAL’ Captain America ever killed anyone intentionally, he even tried to save his arch-nemesis, the Red Skull from death on several occasions.
Outside of military confrontations guns and weapons are rarely a part of heroic action although they might be called upon for self-defense, but that does not impart heroism to guns. No in truth real heroism comes from the desire to aid people in peril without regard to personal safety. That comes from the heart and not a gun. So I say the new Cap is just a phoney-baloney and hopefully marvel will soon reveal that Steve Rogers actually survived when new Captain Guns fails to sell more than a 10 issue run.
Ummm…..has anyone even checked out some of Cap’s early WW2 adventures? Those old comics were violent,man! Not only does Cap kill the Japanazis with machine guns,Bucky does too! Heck,the Human Torch burns a Jap’s arm off! It seems like every comix character went to war back then! Yeesh!
I agree with what you said tho,Prof. REAL heroism comes from within,not from a weapon or device.
“Captain Guns”
LOL!!
I haven’t been to the comic book store in a while… the pivotal issue hasn’t come out yet, has it?
Vic
Below is an e-mail i sent to Marvel,needless to say i got no reply !!
It kinda deals with my feelings about the death of Steve Rogers.
To whom it may concern.
I’m Writing to say good-bye.
Who am I ?, I’m nobody really important now. Ah ! But Four decades ago it was different. Forty years ago when I first started reading comics I took my first steps towards a bigger world, on that day I became a member of a family, a family that cared about it’s fans & it’s characters, on that day I became a “Marvelite”.
But to-day the family no longer cares, older fans like me are cast aside, discarded, unthought-of , even though we probably have another Forty years of collecting in us. Our heroes are murdered in the most belittling of ways. All in the name of the family’s new love, not the fans they’re just resources to be utilised as seen fit. Not the characters they’re thought even less of then the fans. No the family’s new love is the Buck, the Dollar, Euro and Pound.
So who am I?.
Well my name is Mr. Terry. T. Eaton, and yes I’m a comic collector, but to-day I also collect Randy Bowen, Alex Ross, & Sideshow collectibles, I collect Dr. Who merchandise, I collect cards, books, art, Statues, Bust, figures, DVD’s , I attend shows and conventions, in short I am a collector, but my great love (after my wife) is and always will be comics.
COMICS, How many adult fans out there have been the butt end of a joke or jibe from fellow adults for still reading them.? Just because they don’t get it.
COMICS, How many fans have that one special character that holds special meaning for them.? That one character that has transcended the paper & Ink and become something more.?
COMICS, How many fans love that one special character that they carry with them all the time.? A Wolverine or Superman Tattoo.? A Spider-man Watch .? A Hulk dog-tag .?
COMICS, For me that one special character is & always was Captain America. It was the sight of Cap running on the cover of “The Avengers” #13 – the British version, that made me pick up the comic, I still have it and it still gives me Goosebumps. “The Avengers” became my weekly high point, and then I found a shop that stocked American originals, WOW !!, from B&W to colour, the feel of the paper, the smell of the print, American comics assailed all of my young senses, I was hooked, I was changing, metamorphosing , I was becoming a collector.
My young life, which was traumatic by anyone’s standard, was suddenly given an out, a haven, a cushion. And I had a hero, I had Cap, he was the big brother I never had, a guardian, a friend, an ally. Over the years he transcended into something more then just another comic book hero, he became part of my life.
To-day he’s dead, killed by that uncaring family, all in the name of the Buck. All to manipulate the fans. All to get media attention and hope a forthcoming movie will make more money.
And did my hero, go out in a blaze of glory ?, NO! the family’s chosen murderer , Mr. Ed Brubaker completely degraded him first, had this once great hero, the symbol of his country reduced and sullied to the role of villain, in handcuffs and shot point blank, so the gore factor was there to ensure more money was generated from sales.
To ensure Cap remained brutalised and vandalised for all time Mr. Brubaker will give his name to someone else, but hey to keep the dollars rolling in he roped in Mr. Alex Ross to design a new costume, that’ll manipulate the fans cause they all love his work. But wait Mr. Ross forgot to put Dollar signs on the new costume ! Back to the drawing board Alex !!!!.
The new “Cap” will however carry a gun, thus stating loud and clear he is prepared to take a life, and so the death of Captain America is complete, both in body and in ideals. The family chose their murderer well.
One question though in this day and age when students go around shooting up schools, do we really need another gun toting vigilante ? Or do we need a hero like Steve Rogers, like Captain America ?, who shows that there is a better way. But hey what do I know I’m just a Forty+ nobody right !!!? And with the money still coming in the family’s happy, and so I say good-bye, because I’m not prepared to give the family -MARVEL- my money anymore, as they no longer care, they no longer love their fans like Stan and the old bullpen did.
And as for Mr. Brubaker he should change his name….to Benedict Arnold.
Because he has betrayed the long term fans.
He has betrayed Steve Rogers.
And worst of all he has betrayed Captain America, the American Dream and the FLAG !!!
Good-bye.
While not as passionate about the subject as you Terry, that was a well written email and I am not surprised that it was ignored. Everything from our youth is now big business and has no room for the little guy anymore. I used to collect comics and sports cards, but I stopped quite a while ago when it became necessary to shell out $30/week in Spidey comics just to keep up with a story in all the different Spidey mags. Never mind the fact that there are SOOOO many different sports cards to collect that you need a book (and a small fortune) just to collect your favorite player. I will cherish the comics I still have a the cards I collected in my youth.
I think Brubaker is being honorable to Cap’s memory with Winter Soldier taking over for him. Bucky uses a gun, yes, and may be a bit darker, but the character is doing his absolute best to live up to the memory and legacy of Steve Rogers, often asking himself what Steve would do in certain situations.
marvel should resurect cap i havnt read comics for long but y they should kill cap i do not no. im english and i would prefer to kill captain britan than cap america how many other super heros can get through ww2 with just a shield marvel hav lost it and black wt hek is tht bout
Killing off Cap was literally killing of a piece of American history, American soldiers received Captain America comics in their G.I. ration packs in efforts to raise moral during WW2.
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