Celebrating the Life of Captain America

Rest in Peace, Steve Rogers.

by Richard George

showUSloc=(checkLocale('uk')||checkLocale('au'));document.writeln(showUSloc ? 'US, ' : ''); March 13, 2007 - If it's difficult to imagine a Marvel Universe without Captain America, you're not alone. The writers at IGN Comics were just as shocked as the rest of you when we flipped through Captain America #25 to see Steve Rogers gunned down. For the past week we've kept our thoughts pretty quiet, aside from a few spoiler-free reviews of the issue. We really wanted to do our best to avoid telling anyone the story before they had a chance to check it out. Now that enough time has passed (we hope), we thought we'd share our thoughts on the character as well as what we thought of his role in Civil War and what lies ahead for what looks to be a new Marvel "legacy" mantle. When you're done reading what we have to say, be sure to fire off your opinions to us by clicking here.

The Origin

     Steve Rogers was a unique individual in the Marvel Universe. Created during World War II, the character was designed to combat a concept rather than emulate human life. Unlike Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner and others, Rogers had no day-to-day problems once he became Captain America. He was an icon and an inspiration to the nation. He never needed to worry about bills or making scientific breakthroughs.

     Captain America's situation is even more unique by the fact that he wanted to be a hero. Few heroes in the Marvel Universe have ever chosen this path as most have that life thrust upon them. As a scrawny teenager, Steve Rogers was useless to his country. He still had the zeal and the desire to change the world, but lacked the ability. One successful experiment later and America had its ultimate weapon.

     We all know what came next, including the "death" of Bucky and Cap's time in ice, but the key element about this is that Steve Rogers was a character created for a specific era. He was crafted in response to a very specific event in real history. The vast majority of Marvel characters, Hulk and Spider-Man included, were created of an era (the Cold War), but not specifically with that era in mind. Because of this, Cap has always been a bit anachronistic. When Stan Lee resurrected the hero to lead the Avengers, he kept this in mind. Cap retained that trait and has always been a man out of time. Most writers haven't exploited this much, but we loved a recent reference to him being over 80 years old. It's a perfect reminder that this man doesn't understand the world around him but instinctively knows how to protect it. It's a very striking trait that no other hero possesses.

The Drums of War

     Few expected the efforts of masked heroes to result in a full-scale civil war. Captain America, as always, attempted to stand on the side of freedom and justice. He would not allow the government to stand on the rights of its citizens. After rallying a group to his cause, Rogers set out to shut down Iron Man's operations, believing that these changes were being forced. That turned out to be wrong.

     After clashing more than once and constantly evading arrest, Captain America and Iron Man met on the battlefield for one last fight. It was during this that Cap realized he was wrong. He realized the people of the United States wanted more accountability from heroes. All Cap was doing was undermining the very people he sought to protect. This revelation convinced him to surrender to the authorities.



     The dawn of a bright, new age was supposed to be ushered in with Tony Stark effectively commanding legions of States-based heroes. Everything Stark and Reed Richards had sacrificed seemed worth it. The world, in their estimate, was going to get a lot better. They had a list of 100 ideas to change the world, and they weren't even half way through.

     All of that changed when two assassins gunned down Steve Rogers in front of a courthouse. Cap was being arraigned for his crimes against the state. He was marched, in his costume, to the steps. The crowd began to jeer Rogers, throwing things at the decorated icon. Upon looking around, Cap discovered a laser sight being pointed at the guard next to him. Rogers shoved his jailer out of the way, getting hit by the bullet in the process. The crowd panicked and scattered. At this point Cap would have probably lived. He had only been hit once and not in a critical area. It seemed as though the former leader of the Avengers would live until the second assassin arrived. In the midst of the confusion and chaos several more shots rang out. Captain America, hero of the people and World War II icon, was pronounced dead en route to the hospital.

The Death

     As sad as we are to see one of our favorite characters written out of current continuity, we're a little glad. Hollywood and television writers long ago adopted the idea of killing off popular characters. Examples in both mediums are too numerous to list, but comic books rarely kill off their icons. When one does "die" they are typically brought back with some ridiculous gimmick.

     Many ask us if we think Steve Rogers will return to the pages of Marvel Comics. The chance is decent, sure, but we don't expect to see anything like that for quite some time (at least not if the company wants to retain credibility). The publisher has far too many potential storylines to start worrying about something like that. Provided Joe Quesada stays in charge, Cap will not exist as he used to. We are very certain that some sort of replacement will show up. We're just hoping it's not done poorly. Writer Ed Brubaker has also repeatedly mentioned in interviews that he has a long-term plan for this series. Since Captain America will live on without Steve Rogers, we're betting the mantle will be passed down to a new generation. We're looking forward to it, albeit with a little trepidation.

     We also don't mind this death if it's handled with respect and care. Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America is just one element that will be dedicated to Steve Rogers. We recently read something else involving the character that gave us a lot of hope as to where this could lead. Tony Stark has effectively paid the ultimate price for his victory. Writers of the character have massive opportunities here.

     Captain America #25 was superb in our opinion. You can catch our reviews, but suffice to say that it will be a highlight of 2007. We understand the call for this to happen in the final issues of Civil War, but that would have pulled the focus away from the conflict. Once Cap surrendered to Stark, the mini-series was over. Having Iron Man kill Rogers was also not an option as it would have permanently tainted the character. It was a very difficult balance to hit, but we respect the choices that were made. Cap's death was very much centered in his world despite the fact that Civil War set off that chain of events.

The Future

     Where does a Marvel Universe without Captain America go from here? We think much will stay the same. The Initiative will continue to march forward. Spider-Man will continue to attempt to balance his role in the resistance while caring for his family. The X-Men will be in their own world while events conspire against them. The galaxies beyond Earth will face new threats and reach new balances as the impact of Annihilus's rampage continues to unfold.

     Iron Man will be the character to watch. He and Cap were almost like brothers. Though they frequently saw the world in a different light, the two men would die to protect the other. We're not sure what Stark thought would happen after the conflict, but we suspect that deep down he figured things would eventually reach a tolerable equilibrium. Maybe things would never be the same, but Cap would continue to do good in the world as would Iron Man. Now Stark has not only lost an ally and leader, he's lost a good friend. The resulting wave of emotion and guilt would break a man, even one as strong as iron. At the very least, we expect to see a different Tony Stark from here on out.

The Final Farewell

     We already mentioned this, but we will miss seeing our classic Captain America. He didn't have problems like the rest of the world, but it's always good to see at least one person who has a clear vision for the way the world should be. If Cap had one flaw, it was that he didn't always identify what existed, choosing to see what should be. We can think of worse character imperfections.

     We'll miss seeing the red, white and blue blur across the panels. The flash of fists, feet and acrobatics as this soldier crushed his enemies. And we'll miss seeing that shield dash from across a room to Cap's hand. We'll miss his unwavering optimism and his command of the battlefield. We'll also miss seeing characters rally to Steve Rogers' cause. Here was a man who inspired gods and mortals, aliens and terrestrials. In his final moments, Steve Rogers was shot saving a mortal man who was there to make sure Rogers was brought to justice. If that concept doesn't sum up the spirit of this Sentinel of Liberty, we don't know what does.

     Rest in Peace, Captain America.

Yea I have lost freaking almost 35 pounds!!!!

MY PECKS ARE FINALLY FORMING LOL!!!