This article needs additional citations for verification .(March 2016) |
Captain America: Reborn | |
---|---|
Publication information | |
Publisher | Marvel Comics |
Format | Limited series |
Publication date | July 2009 – January 2010 |
No. of issues | 6 |
Main character(s) | Captain America James "Bucky" Barnes Sharon Carter Black Widow Red Skull Norman Osborn Sin Crossbones |
Creative team | |
Written by | Ed Brubaker |
Penciller(s) | Bryan Hitch |
Inker(s) | Butch Guice |
Captain America: Reborn is a six-issue (originally intended to be five issues [1] ) monthly comic book limited series published by Marvel Comics between July 2009 and January 2010. The series was written by Ed Brubaker, illustrated by Bryan Hitch, and inked by Butch Guice. The series reveals the truth regarding the death of the original Captain America, Steve Rogers (as told in the story arc "The Death of Captain America") and revives him in the contemporary Marvel Universe.
The series was announced April 2009, with the title of "Reborn". More information was released on June 15, two days before the release of Captain America #600 (which serves as the prelude to the limited edition series). The complete title was later announced as Captain America: Reborn.
On the first anniversary of Captain America's death, citizens disputed about whether to honor him as a patriot or to hate him for being a traitor. Throughout the series, Sharon Carter is looking for the agent she gave the gun to that was used to kill Steve Rogers. Using a device from Nick Fury, Sharon Carter tracks down the agent and hypnotizes him in order to make him reveal where he put the gun.[ citation needed ]
As Bucky reflects on what's happening to the country, Rikki Barnes tells Eli Bradley (a.k.a. Patriot) that she wants to be Bucky's new partner. Patriot agrees to introduce the two, even though Bucky is not looking for a new partner, because Steve would have wanted it. Meanwhile, Crossbones and Sin escape from a H.A.M.M.E.R. holding facility in Colorado, and the Red Skull returns still trapped in Aleksander Lukin's body. In Central Park, Falcon, Natasha (aka Black Widow), Bucky, Luke Cage, Jessica Drew, and Clint Barton are without their costumes. All have a teleportation spell ready in case Norman Osborn and his Dark Avengers attempt to capture them. Osborn, Sentry and the new Ms. Marvel manage to find the group while hovering over the park, Osborn decides not to attack them. Instead, Osborn appears in front of the crowd, and says that the gathering, thought to be illegal, was approved by H.A.M.M.E.R. Osborn declares that they will honor Captain America for who he was. The crowd shouts Captain America's name and it upsets the Avengers who were present. In the midst of this situation, Sharon Carter appears before the Avengers. She declares that there is still a way to save Steve. [2]
At the H.A.M.M.E.R. holding facility in Colorado, Sin is being questioned by H.A.M.M.E.R. agents about a second shooter in the murder of Captain America. They promise her freedom in exchange for the shooter. They figure that since the Red Skull is dead, she does not need to be loyal to him anymore. Sin laughs at this, and tackles a H.A.M.M.E.R agent, and whispers something in his ear. She is about to escape when Bullseye captures her. Later, Bullseye and Norman Osborn are talking with the agent Sin attacked, and he said that she whispered, "Why are you sure that he is dead?" Osborn declares that this is a problem, but the question is whether Sin was talking about her father or about Captain America. [3]
Sharon, Falcon, Vision, and Hank Pym are meeting at Hank's lab. While Bucky and Black Widow infiltrate a H.A.M.M.E.R. helicarrier, Sharon explains to everyone how she shot Captain America. However, when they examine the gun, which she recovered in Captain America #600, they discover that it is technology sponsored by none other than Doctor Doom. As Arnim Zola explains to Osborn during a meeting, the gun did not kill Steve, "[it] froze him within space and time." Sharon further explains she was captured by Red Skull and used as part of a device that would bring Steve back, or "unstick" him from time. No one is sure where Steve became unstuck when Sharon damaged the device. As Bucky and Black Widow are attacked by Ares and Venom, there are flashbacks to Steve Rogers on D-Day with Bucky, then his mother's death, and then back into D-Day. Steve questions what is happening to him, but appears to be preparing to go along with the situation and fight the battles of World War II all over again. [4]
Norman Osborn approaches Sin and Crossbones about a mission. Captain America flashes to the point in time when he was subjected to the Super Soldier serum by Dr. Abraham Erskine. Meanwhile, Bucky and Black Widow have been apprehended by H.A.M.M.E.R. Agents. Norman Osborn then tells Black Widow to seek out Sharon Carter and order her to turn herself in before the current Captain America is also killed. [5]
Captain America flashes to another point in his life where the Inuit have found his frozen body. He then flashes toward the Kree-Skrull War where he briefly talks with Vision. He gives Vision a message that Vision is commanded to forget until the time is right. Back in the present, Bucky is freed by Ant-Man and then rescued by Falcon who fights Ghost. Meanwhile, Sharon has turned herself in. At the same time, Sin and Crossbones locate the Red Skull and take him to Latveria so that he could be given a living body. [6]
When they arrive in Latveria, Arnim Zola has created a machine that will bring back Captain America. Captain America is now at the point in time where he and Rick Jones (Bucky's alias) are fighting HYDRA. Back in the present, Norman Osborn holds a press conference about Sharon's surrender which is watched on the airplane where Victoria Hand has Sharon. At the Infinite Avengers Mansion, Mister Fantastic reveals to Henry Pym that the gun used to shoot Captain America used tachyon particles which are linked to the unidentified nanoparticles in Sharon's blood. He also theorizes that Captain America's body is somehow out-of-sync with their reality, which was why Sharon is the key to bringing him back. Suddenly, Vision interrupts them - it seems that Mister Fantastic's last statement has triggered a secret message in his deep storage memory banks which was left by Captain America himself. Once Vision shows the message to the two scientists, Mister Fantastic deduces that when Sharon destroyed the Skull's machine, it caused Rogers to be lost in time. Meanwhile, Ronin, Black Widow, and Bucky attack H.A.M.M.E.R.'s Mobile Data Collector demanding the whereabouts of Sharon. [ citation needed ]
Sharon is brought into Latveria and hooked up to the device that she previously destroyed. The machine is connected to both Sharon and the Red Skull with the intent that it will transfer the Skull's consciousness into Steve Rogers mind when he re-appears. Meanwhile, Steve Rogers flashes to 1945 where he is at the English Channel Islands with Bucky attempting to stop the Nazis and Baron Heinrich Zemo from moving the drone plane armed with explosives. Captain America realizes that this is the same event at which they both get frozen and Bucky becomes the Winter Soldier. Then suddenly, he is pulled through his entire life and is returned to his proper reality. However, the Red Skull is now in control of Steve's body. [7]
Aboard an Advanced Idea Mechanics (A.I.M.) transport ship, Sharon tries reaching out to Steve Rogers telling him to not "let [the Red Skull] win." Captain America responds by kicking her in the face. When Sharon argues that it is Norman Osborn who is "pulling the strings," Captain America then says he will be meeting with the president to inform him of his return after he takes care of the Avengers who have been tailing him in stealth for the last hour.[ citation needed ]
Suddenly Vision phases through the transport ship's walls but is quickly frozen by Sin using a new weapon developed by Zola and A.I.M. The Avenger's Quinjet is then shot down, crashing in Washington D.C.'s Reflecting Pool. The A.I.M. transport lands and a battle then ensues between the Avengers and the A.I.M. agents.[ citation needed ]
The real Steve Rogers, trapped inside his own mind, is in an alternate New York run by the Red Skull. After being discovered by Nazi soldiers, Steve escapes down a dark alley where he finds Uncle Sam posters, refashioned to the image of the Red Skull. Steve Rogers punches through the wall, where he catches the Red Skull off guard, and the two fight.[ citation needed ]
Aboard the transport ship, the Red Skull-controlled Captain America becomes disorientated from the mental attack of Steve Rogers. Captain America then informs Zola to release the shock troops: the Super M.O.D.O.K. Squadron (Mental Organism Designed Only for Killing) led by Crossbones.[ citation needed ] Bucky spots Captain America and Sin emerging from the transport. Sin charges towards Bucky only to be knocked away by Bucky's shield. Upon the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, Captain America and Bucky fight while Steve Rogers and the Red Skull fight in the alternate New York. As they fight, the Red Skull reveals to Steve Rogers that it was, in fact, Sharon who had assassinated him. Steve Rogers passes it off as a lie. Sin then shoots Bucky in the back before Captain America takes the shield. Bucky draws his gun, with Captain America daring him to shoot. Bucky tries to reach out for Steve to give him a sign, but, in his hesitation, Bucky's bionic hand is cut off. Captain America takes Bucky by the throat and prepares to strike the killing blow. [8]
During the battle, Henry Pym enters the Red Skull's ship and frees Sharon Carter. Meanwhile, Rogers, determined to stop the Skull at all costs, tackles the representation of his enemy's consciousness and begins to strangle him in hopes of killing his body. Surprised that Rogers would go that far, the Red Skull's consciousness evacuates Rogers' body, allowing Rogers to reassert control. The Red Skull returns to his robot body, just as Pym and Carter stop Arnim Zola from hacking into Vision's operating system.[ citation needed ]To prevent him from escaping the area, Sharon uses Pym's size changing technology to enlarge the Red Skull into a giant. While Rogers leads the Avengers into a coordinated attack on the giant menace and thus holding him in place, Vision accesses the ship's weapons systems and fires on the Red Skull. As the Red Skull falls against the attack, civilian bystanders see Rogers for the first time and cheer his return. Rogers is certain that the Red Skull's consciousness was destroyed along with the robot body. Black Widow reminds the team that Norman Osborn and his Avengers will be on the scene momentarily. So, they leave the area immediately. Back at the H.A.M.M.E.R. Helicarrier, Osborn is briefed on the incident, and begins his plans to deal with his newly strengthened enemies. He also comments on Sin's face, which now looks like her father's after the explosion. In Brooklyn, Rogers broods about the apocalyptic visions of the future he experienced and wonders how to avert it. As he ponders, Sharon arrives to take him to the party in his honor, but Rogers asks for one peaceful moment with her first. [9]
The Captain America: Reborn series concludes with the one shot, Captain America: Who Will Wield the Shield? In Captain America's Brooklyn hideout, Bucky brainstorms ideas for a new costume. After Black Widow poses the question why there couldn't be two Captain Americas, Bucky states "there's only one Cap...and it's Steve Rogers." In another room, Sharon Carter expresses concerns about Steve not being able to sleep for the past four days. Steve explains that after the recent ordeal, he fears sleeping because he does not want to "skip away again." After not being able to devise a new costume, Black Widow convinces Bucky to don the flag and shield and "go out for one last hurrah." Steve leaves Sharon asleep as he too dons the flag and goes to the rooftop for some time to think. Steve sees Bucky and Black Widow leaving the loft on a motorcycle and follows them.[ citation needed ]
As Steve watches from the rooftop, Bucky and Black Widow confront Mister Hyde and other prisoners who had escaped from the Raft prison that morning. As Hyde is about to escape, Bucky spots Steve and throws the shield to him. Steve leaps from the building, grabs the shield, and dives into Hyde. Steve offers the shield back to Bucky who declines it. The two then take a stroll along the East River, where they discuss who will continue as Captain America. Steve expresses that he wants Bucky to continue as Captain America, even though Bucky explains he does not want to. Steve holds out the shield and asks Bucky to "do it for [him]." Bucky accepts. Back in the loft, Steve explains to Sharon that he couldn't tell Bucky the real reasons for letting him carry on as Captain America. After reliving the past and seeing the future, Steve fears Bucky would die if he did not continue as Captain America.[ citation needed ]
Steve visits the White House where he meets the president (although the president's name is not addressed and his face is never shown, the papers are signed 'Barack Obama') where he is granted a presidential pardon for the events of the Superhuman Registration Act. He then explains to the president that he is not ready to carry the shield. The president accepts, but states that he has a feeling that "this country's going to need to call on you for something much bigger...." [10]
The Red Skull is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics and its predecessor Timely Comics. In Captain America Comics #1, the Red Skull's secret identity was revealed to be George Maxon; It would be retroactively established that he was merely a decoy who was working for the real Red Skull. Albert Malik would later adopt the Red Skull mantle, only to be killed in a plot orchestrated by the original.
Bucky is the name used by several different fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics, usually as a sidekick to Captain America. The original version was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1, which was published by Marvel's predecessor, Timely Comics. Following the apparent death of the hero James "Bucky" Barnes, the Bucky nickname and costume have been used by various heroes including: Fred Davis, Jack Monroe, Rick Jones, Lemar Hoskins, and Rikki Barnes. For a time, a child looked after by Jack Monroe was named "Bucky," but she was later adopted and given the name Julia Winters.
Hydra is a fictional terrorist organization appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Its name alludes to the mythical Lernaean Hydra, as does its motto: "If a head is cut off, two more shall take its place," proclaiming the group's resilience and growing strength in the face of resistance. Originally a Nazi organization led by the Red Skull during World War II, Hydra is taken over and turned into a neo-fascist international crime syndicate by Baron Wolfgang von Strucker. Hydra agents often wear distinctive green garb featuring a serpent motif. Hydra's plans for world domination are regularly foiled by Marvel Universe superheroes and the intelligence organization S.H.I.E.L.D.
Captain America is a superhero appearing in books published by Marvel Comics. He appears in the Ultimate Marvel line of books, and is an alternative version of Captain America. The character first appeared in The Ultimates #1, and was created by writer Mark Millar and artist Bryan Hitch.
Sharon Carter is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and Dick Ayers, the character first appeared in Tales of Suspense #75. Sharon Carter is a secret agent and an ex-field agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. under Nick Fury. She is also a love interest of the superhero Captain America / Steve Rogers. Sharon Carter was originally the younger sister of Peggy Carter. She was later retconned as Peggy's grand-niece because of the unaging nature of comic book characters.
Nomad is the name of several fictional characters appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The Nomad name and costume were created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema as an alternate identity for the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, in Captain America #180.
Captain America's shield is a fictional item appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is the primary defensive and offensive piece of equipment used by Captain America, and is intended to be an emblem of American culture.
Crossbones is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Mark Gruenwald and Kieron Dwyer, the character first made a cameo appearance in Captain America #359, before he was fully introduced later that month in issue #360 and his name was revealed in issue #362.
Sin is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is the daughter of the Red Skull and an enemy of Captain America.
Arnim Zola is a supervillain appearing in American comic books by Marvel Comics. He is a master of biochemistry and a recurring enemy of Captain America and the Avengers. The character first appeared in Captain America and the Falcon #208, and was created by writer/artist Jack Kirby. When he was first introduced, Zola was a Nazi scientist experimenting with genetic engineering during World War II. His skills as a geneticist drew the attention of the Red Skull, who recruited him into Hydra to aid their efforts to create super soldiers. One of his experiments led to the brain of Adolf Hitler being copied into a being later known as Hate-Monger. Later in life, Zola transferred his own mind into a sophisticated robot body which protected it by storing it in its chest and displaying a digital image of Zola's face on its chest plate. This robot body allowed Zola to survive until modern times, as whenever it is destroyed, Zola could simply upload his consciousness into a new body.
William Burnside, PhD, also known as the Captain America of the 1950s, Commie Smasher or Bad Cap, is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He was created by writer Steve Englehart and artist Sal Buscema in Captain America #153–156 as an explanation for the reappearance of Captain America and Bucky in 1953 in Young Men comics and their subsequent adventures in the 1950s. It established through retroactive continuity that the character was a completely different one from the original Captain America, who was firmly established in The Avengers #4 as disappearing near the end of World War II. Since this revelation, the character serves as a foil personality to his predecessor, as a reactionary bigot driven violently insane by a flawed and incomplete copy of Project Rebirth's body enhancement treatment.
Doctor Faustus is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is depicted usually as an adversary of Captain America. An Austrian psychiatrist and criminal mastermind who employs psychological manipulation on his enemies, the character was created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, and first appeared in Captain America #107.
Aleksander Lukin is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
Helmut Zemo is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Roy Thomas, Tony Isabella and Sal Buscema, the character first appeared in Captain America #168. Helmut Zemo is the son of Baron Heinrich Zemo and the thirteenth Baron Zemo in his family lineage. He is a recurring adversary of the Avengers, especially the superhero Steve Rogers / Captain America. The character has also been known as Citizen V at various points in his history.
"The Death of Captain America", also known as "The Death of the Dream", is an eighteen-issue Captain America story arc written by Ed Brubaker with art by Steve Epting and published by Marvel Comics. The arc first appears in Captain America #25–30. The first issue of the story arc, Captain America #25, was the highest selling comic for the month of its release. The story arc had wide-sweeping effects throughout the Marvel Universe and was accompanied by the miniseries Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America.
Margaret Elizabeth "Peggy" Carter is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. She is usually depicted as a supporting character in books featuring Captain America. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, she debuted, unnamed, in Tales of Suspense #75 as a World War II love interest of Steve Rogers in flashback sequences. She would later be better known as the aunt of Sharon Carter.
James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Originally introduced as a sidekick to Captain America, the character was created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby and first appeared in Captain America Comics #1. Barnes' original costume and the Bucky nickname have been used by other heroes in the Marvel Universe over the years.
"Secret Empire" is a 2017 Marvel Comics crossover storyline published by Marvel Comics, consisting of a 10-issue, eponymous miniseries written by Nick Spencer and illustrated by Rod Reis, Daniel Acuña, Steve McNiven, and Andrea Sorrentino, and numerous tie-in books. The storyline addresses the aftermath of the storyline "Avengers: Standoff!" and the ongoing series Captain America: Steve Rogers, in which Captain America has been revealed to be acting as a sleeper agent and covertly setting the stage to establish the terrorist organization Hydra as the main world power. The entire crossover received mixed reviews.
Captain America is the alter ego of Steve Rogers, a fictional superhero created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby who appears in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Multiple other characters have used the title of "Captain America" in Marvel's primary narrative continuity in addition to Steve Rogers. Additionally, alternate versions of Captain America exist in the parallel universes that compose the Marvel Comics Multiverse.