Warning: contains spoilers for Timeless #1!

Marvel's newest Captain America is revealed as a surprise villain from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this might be the most shocking character to wield the shield yet. Many people in both the comics continuity and the MCU are known as Captain America, from Steve Rogers to Sam Wilson, from John Walker to even Spider-Man's Miles Morales. But in Timeless #1, a new villain assumes the mantle as America's protector.

Kang the Conqueror is slowly moving up the ranks in terms of popularity in the Marvel Universe. He's been the villain of Avengers: Mech Strike, the focus of a solo series with a story titled Only Myself Left to Conquer, and now he's the star of Timeless, a series which sees Kang travel across time and space to prevent a rogue timeline from reintegrating to the prime timeline. When Kang feels a devastating 'timequake', he travels back to his fortress with his companion - a civilian professor who had the misfortune to label Doctor Doom as the greatest villain, not Kang - and sees chaos unfold before his very eyes.

Related: Kang The Conqueror is The Evil Version of Marvel's Watcher

Within his fortress, Kang is able to see multiple paths through time in multiple dimensions. His servants present to him multiple visions of past and future events, and the images shown are shocking for readers to say the least. Among the visages are images of the Punisher having replaced his skull logo, Spider-Man's daughter fighting alongside a new Black Panther, and a new group of Young Avengers along with the caption "A young generation of Avengers rise...to reclaim a stolen name." Next to the caption is another panel depicting none other than Taskmaster wearing Captain America's costume.

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Taskmaster has most recently appeared in 2021's Black Widow in the MCU, and technically has the shield-slinging skills of Captain America, thanks to his powers to perfectly mimic the fighting styles of anyone he sees. It's unknown if the group of Young Avengers (who themselves are unknown to the reader at this time) are reclaiming the stolen name of Steve Rogers or Captain America's mantle in general. Nevertheless, seeing Taskmaster wearing Captain America's signature suit is somewhat shocking.

It's worth mentioning that another panel in Kang's fortress depicts Steve Rogers defeated by none other than Bucky Barnes. It's possible that these realities are not separate, but one large narrative that Timeless has yet to tell. Perhaps Barnes is working with Taskmaster, or perhaps he's acting on his own accord. The Timeless narrative will continue, but Captain America might have a new name by story's end.

Next: Kang The Conqueror Will Fix Spider-Man: One More Day