WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Captain America #700

Captain America #700 brings the story no fan was ready for - The Death of Steve Rogers. And before you ask, yes, it really is the kind of death Marvel can't (and won't need to) take back. The story sees the Avenger sacrifice his life so that his country can survive. The story isn't what fans will have expected, since the time-travel adventure takes Steve Rogers in to the future before heading to the past, all allowing Captain America to die - for real - and still leave a version of himself fighting in Marvel Comics.

Such stunts typically earn a roll of the eyes from comic fans who believe superhero deaths are no longer meaningful. Thankfully, the 700th issue sees Captain America storytellers Mark Waid and Chris Samnee stick the landing on a potentially divisive twist. Yes, it begins with Steve Rogers being named King of New America... but it ends in the only way Captain America's life was going to: accepting his own death in hopes it will save the future for others.

The story is as satisfying and poignant as it is important to explain, so allow us to get fans up to speed on The Death of Captain America (for real this time).

Captain America Travels in Time To The USA's Death

Outlining the latest secret, evil organization Captain America has been battling isn't really necessary, so we'll give only the need-to-know details. The group is Rampart, led by a self-proclaimed genius ("King Maximillian Babbington") who desires a future of nightmarish individualism (more power for the powerful, and leaving the weak to look after themselves). In other words, the opposite of the America Steve Rogers fights to protect. And in Captain America #998, rampart succeeds in freezing Steve (again) and sending him to the future. A future where America has fallen. And the year is just 2025.

As Steve eventually comes to learn, Rampart triggered a nuclear war directed inward, effectively wiping out America's military and leadership so that the villains could replace them. It was destruction on a scale even evil Captain America's Secret Empire never reached, mutating those unlucky enough to not be wiped out by the bombs. Once fully thawed, Steve leads the resistance in bringing down the Rampart leadership. But that's just one battle... and the war to win back "New America" will take far longer. Even with Steve Rogers named king by the survivors.

Bruce Banner Has a Plan To Save America... In The Past

Captain America #700 begins by paying tribute to Steve's unwavering commitment to fight the good fight, and never quit when a job needs to be done. In the rubble that was America, that means waging a non-stop war on virtually every front imaginable. With Rampart gone, Steve must fight off not only the soldiers who remain, but invaders wishing to capitalize on the power vacuum. Some heroes remain to assist him in the nationwide campaign - including his new lover, resistance leader Liang - but there's only so much Cap can do.

Dr. Bruce Banner comes up with a new plan, having rebuilt the Fantastic Four's time machine: send Captain America back to the beginning. Back to before he was frozen, before Rampart launched their missiles, and before America became too broken to ever be saved. Unfortunately, Cap refuses it outright. Ever the hero at heart, Cap points out that if he did change the past, this terrible future may still remain as an alternate timeline - abandoned by its Captain America.

After months turn to a year of fighting an unwinnable war... until Steve Rogers agrees there is no other option. With the United States too dead to revive, Captain America travels back through time to the modern Marvel Universe. A trip towards his own death, whether he knows it or not.

Captain America Travels Back To The Moment He Froze

The plan was to send Captain America back with a week to prepare for his world-altering mission. But when Steve arrives in time to see himself being frozen by Rampart just two issues earlier, the clock is started: Captain America has just ten minutes to prevent the end of the world (for the United States, at least). While lamenting the fact that the Bruce Banner of the future wasn't just a little bit smarter, Cap gets the drop on the Rampart soldiers thanks to their lowered alert (since their plan to remove Cap from the equation went off just as well this second time).

As the current timeline's Captain America sits frozen in a block of ice, being moved into Rampart's submarine to become a monument to their victory, the future version of the same Cap picks his way through footsoldiers with ease. Despite making it to Rampart's arrogant leader, Babbington, before he can launch the nuke that starts the dominoes falling, the launch begins. Leaving Steve to singlehandedly stop the missile that brings America to its knees.

It's a suicide mission if there ever was one, and strangely poetic that Captain America's final sacrifice should see him cling to a missile, when a similar scene played such a pivotal role in the "death" of his best friend, Bucky Barnes. This time around though, there won't be any coming back.

The Death of Steve Rogers Saves America's Future

Some might scoff at the idea of anyone short of Superman stopping a nuke in its tracks, but this is Captain America we're talking about. Leaping onto the missile, Steve climbs his way up to and destroys the guidance computer within. The artwork from Chris Samnee and colorist Matthew Wilson is up to the occasion, showing Steve engulfed in the missile's expelled heat, fire, and smoke, driven only by hope. Hope is more than enough, as Steve triggers the missile's detonation while safely contained to Rampart's submarine - destroying it and himself in the process.

Soon after the version of Steve frozen in the block of ice thaws free... to find Rampart destroyed, with no explanation or evidence as to the cause. Now the only version of the true Captain America alive in the Marvel Universe, as he had been before, Steve tracks down and wipes out the leaderless remains of the group. The issue ends with Steve writing Sharon Carter a letter explaining that his time away from Marvel's heroic universe may be coming to an end (whenever he's needed).

He has no idea that he is living in the future made possible by his own death, and he never will. But once Captain America #700 is read by the fans, we doubt it will ever be forgotten.

NEXT: Captain America Comic Relaunches With Black Panther Writer

Captain America #700 is available from Marvel Comics.