One iteration of Captain America has a tragic death that could give Iron Man’s sacrifice in Avengers: Endgame a run for its money. In the MC2 universe, Captain America’s age finally begins to catch up to him, despite his superpowers, yet he fights on. With his reality under the protection of a new generation of superheroes, Steve Rogers fights one final battle, and while his death is a heartbreaking moment, he leaves behind a legacy of inspiration and heroism and receives an extremely rare honor from one of his Avengers colleagues.
Earth-982, a.k.a. the MC2 universe, is an alternate Marvel continuity that begins as an issue of What If…? that explores what the mainstream Marvel universe might be like if Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s daughter hadn’t been killed by the Green Goblin. The story was popular enough to lead to a host of new comics set in this branching timeline, starting with Spider-Girl before introducing the successors of famous superhero teams like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Avengers.
The villainous Loki returns to menace Midgard once again in the five-issue Last Hero Standing series, by Tom DeFalco and Pat Olliffe, whose fifth issue features the death of Captain America in the MC2 universe. Loki uses his mind-altering sorcery to twist the minds of numerous superheroes and unleash them on Earth, where they battle the heroes he hasn’t affected. Captain America, despite his weakened powers making him completely outmatched against Loki, fights the God of Mischief on his own and manages to reverse Loki’s spell by destroying one of his artifacts, but is hit by a lethal blast of energy by Loki in retaliation. Steve dies surrounded by his fellow heroes, but Thor uses his powers to immortalize him in gratitude for their years of friendship, making Captain America a figurative and literal symbol for MC2’s heroes.
With one heroic act, Thor, who becomes the new Lord of Asgard in MC2, grants the deceased Steve Rogers the Tribute Supreme, imbuing him with a form of immortality similar to that of an Asgardian. Thor states that no mortal deserves such a rare honor more than Captain America, referencing their long history as fellow Avengers in both Earth-616 and MC2. Steve takes the form of a star in the sky with the same shape and colors as his iconic shield, allowing him to forever inspire future generations of heroes.
As with many classic Marvel heroes in MC2, Steve Rogers has a direct successor, Shannon Carter, who becomes the hero American Dream and inherits Captain America’s shield following Steve Rogers’ death. While Carter lacks superpowers, her athletic and leadership abilities make her more than worthy of leading the latest incarnation of The Avengers. Captain America may have died in a final battle with Loki, but the MC2 universe is left in good hands.