Warning: contains spoilers forCaptain America#1!
Captain America’snew origin changes everything fans thought they knew about Steve Rogers. InCaptain America#1, the Star-Spangled Avenger’s backstory is tweaked in a major way, moving his emergence from the ice up by several decades.This change has caused a ripple effect throughout Captain America’s lore, including the introduction of another Super Soldier.
Chip Zdarsky has had critically-acclaimed runs on a number of characters at both Marvel and DC, including Daredevil and Batman.
Captain America#1 was written by Chip Zdarsky and drawn by Valerio Schiti.The issue reveals that Captain America was discovered in the ice by the Avengers shortly after the September 11th attacks.Even more shocking is the revelation of the existence of another Captain America, a man named David Colton, whose story eerily mirrors that of Steve Rogers.
Captain America Connects Various Eras of Marvel History
From the Golden Age to the Modern Age, Captain America is One of Marvel’s Greatest Heroes
Captain America is a living legend, connecting the Marvel Universe of today with the Golden Age. The product of a “Super Soldier” program at the beginning of World War II, Captain America became a symbol of hope to a weary population. Then, he vanished as the war was winding down, his fate a mystery.
Captain America is a living legend, connecting the Marvel Universe of today with the Golden Age.
Captain America would return to the present day, in the landmarkAvengers#4, eventually becoming the team’s leader. That issue revealed he had been frozen in the ice for nearly 20 years, and was revived in the early 1960s. However, the newCaptain America#1 rewrites all of this, using a trick Marvel uses to maintain its continuity.
Marvel Uses a “Sliding Timescale” to Keep Characters Like Captain America Fresh
The Sliding Timescale Has Also Changed Iron Man’s Origin As Well
Keeping 80+ year-old characterssuch as Captain America fresh and believableis tricky. Creators have grappled with how comic book characters age, and how they interact with the “real world.” Since superhero comics are designed to run in perpetuity, keeping them young and vital is of great importance. Marvel uses a “sliding timescale” to accomplish this.
The “sliding timescale” model Marvel employs keeps moving up the dates of character’s debuts, as seen inCaptain America#1. Originally, Captain America returned in 1964, but as more time passed, this date kept shifting. Now, Cap remerged at one of the darkest hours in American history: the buildup to the United States’ illegal invasion of Iraq.
Other characters in the Marvel Universe have benefited from this “sliding timescale,” including Cap’s Avengers teammate Iron Man. When Iron Man was introduced inTales of Suspense#39, the war in Vietnam was escalating, and his origin reflected that. Yet in later tellings, Tony’s accident occurred in Afghanistan. How this will square with Captain America’s new timeline remains to be seen.
Captain America’s New Origin Is Grounded in Real World History
What Role Will David Colton Play in Captain America’s Life?
By shifting Captain America’s debut into the early 21st century, Marvel is bringing the character in line with his original Ultimate counterpart.The Ultimates,published by Marvel in 2002, reflected America’s post-9/11 ethos, much likeCaptain America#1 does. The primary difference between the two Caps, however, could not be clearer, andCaptain America#1 shows this.
By shifting Captain America’s debut into the early 21st century, Marvel is bringing the character in line with his original Ultimate counterpart.
Theintroduction of David Colton, another Super Soldier, presumably active around 9/11, also creates another layer. Readers are only given a tantalizing glimpse at Colton’s early life, and the parallels to Steve are many. Colton idolizes Steve, and wants to be like him. Yet history has shown that few outside of Steve are able to handle the Super Soldier Serum.
Some of Captain America’s Biggest Stories Are Going to Get a Facelift
How Will Events LikeCivil WarBe Impacted by Captain America’s New Origin?
What this means for Captain America moving forward will play out over future issues. This shift will presumably recontextualize his early missions with the Avengers as well as key stories in his lore, such asCivil WarandThe Winter Soldier.The changes toCaptain America’slore are keeping him relevant, as well as upending what fans thought they knew.
