Captain America: The Medusa Effect #1
The Medusa Effect
1942
Captain America and Bucky have been dispatched to the home of inventor Nikolai Tesla on a tip that the Nazis might be interested in one of his inventions. Sure enough, they find a gang of spies going through his apartment. They also discover that Master Man is among them and he flees with some of Tesla’s notes before they can stop him. Dying, Tesla’s final words are a warning to Captain America that the Nazis are after the plans he created for a powerful weapon.[1] Bucky confirms that what Tesla was pointing at is long gone. Searching the room, Cap finds a letter from Spain written by a woman calling herself Janice Dare, warning Nikolai that the Nazis were coming after his invention.
Bucky can’t understand how Tesla’s inventions could be such a threat. Cap explains to the youth that Tesla was a brilliant inventor who was the inventor of the alternating current that gives them electricity and how he is arguably the father of radio. The inventor fell on hard times when he ran out of money trying to build the Wardenclyff Tower which theoretically could transmit radio transmissions across the globe without wires or sunken cables. More grave is Tesla’s designs for a teleforce device that could defend entire cities from enemy bombers by knocking planes out of the sky. While its was a theory that wasn’t taken very seriously, now that the Nazis are interested in the technology they might have found a key to turning the tide of war. After letting Tesla’s pet pigeons free, the two heroes return to base.
There, they go over film reel footage of the man they believe might be most interested in stealing Tesla’s telepresence technology: Baron Heinrich Zemo. Zemo was an intelligent but moody child who grew up to serve Germany during World War I. During the rise of Nazism in Germany in the 1930s, Zemo joined the Brown Shirts and became one of Adolf Hitler’s most favored followers. Zemo later got married to Hilda and they had a child they named Helmut. In 1933, Zemo was sent to the United States to learn all he could about applied technology and even conferred with Nikola Tesla during happier times for the inventor. Returning to Nazi Germany, Hitler assigned Zemo as one of his chief scientists. The Baron was able to develop an energy weapon he called a “death-ray”, but the early prototype was destroyed during a clash with Sgt. Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos.[2] The decimation of a nearby town made Zemo the most hated man in Germany. Despite this, and the fact that Zemo had to start wearing a hood to disguise his features, he continue to work for the Nazis. When he developed a new compound called Adhesive X, Captain America was sent in to prevent him from handing it over to the Nazis. In that fight, Captain America’s shield shattered a vat of Adhesive X spilling it all over Zemo and permanently gluing his mask to his face.[3]
After the film reel is over, an FBI agent expresses his agency’s concern that Zemo is planning on using the plans stolen by Tesla to build a new, more powerful death ray. Captain America and Bucky commit to stopping this from happening. Once they leave the theater, Cap suggests that their first order of business is to track down this Janice Dare and find out how she knew enough to warn Tesla that the Nazis were coming after him.
Steve Rogers and James Barnes — under assumed aliases — then make the trip down to Spain. They go to the return address on Tesla’s letter and after greasing the doorman’s palms, learn that Janice Dare does live there but had gone out to the Plaza de Toros to watch a bull fight. Steve and James then go to the Plaza where they track down Janice Dare from the description they were given. When Steve approaches her, he confirms that she is actually Hilda Zemo herself. When he tries to talk to her she tries to flee and ends up falling into the bull fighting arena. Steve quickly changes into Captain America and saves Hilda from the charging bull. However, when a sword is tossed down for him to end the animal’s life, Cap refuses to finish the beast off, finding the entire bull fighting practice barbaric.
Realizing that the man questioning is Captain America, Hilda agrees to talk. She explains that while she still loves her husband she hates the terrible work that she has done. Unwilling to sit by and watch him work for the Nazis, Hilda faked her death and fled Germany under an assumed alias. When Cap asks where her husband is now, Hilda insists that she’ll only reveal his location if the Captain promises to spare her husband and that she comes along with them. Realizing that he has no choice, Steve agrees to let her accompany them, promising he’ll do whatever he can to spare Baron Zemo’s life.
With that, Hilda helps Cap and Bucky sneak into Berlin. They arrive on the evening the Allies are preparing the bomb the city. From there, Hilda leads them to the zoo in the center of town which is also the location of the Baron’s laboratory. However, before they enter the building, Cap orders Bucky to wait outside. When Cap and Hilda get down into the lab they end up walking into a trap as Baron Zemo was expecting them. He then orders Master Man to finish Captain America off. However, Master Man is not as strong as he used to be because the Super Soldier Formula he was given was unstable.[4] Eventually, Zemo grows impatient and calls the guards. Getting shot in the shoulder, Cap is then swarmed by guards and beaten into submission.
Upstairs, Bucky is caught by soldiers and is sent fleeing from the lab area. Retreating to the main house, the young hero climbs in one of the bedroom window of Helmut Zemo, Heinrich’s only son. The neglected boy agrees to lead Bucky to a secret passageway into the lab more out of a desire to see his father than anything else. He is also delighted to hear that his mother is still alive, another motivating factor to help. Seeing Helmut dress up in a Hitler Youth uniform gives Bucky a momentary pause before they head down to the lab.
When they enter the lab, it is as Baron Zemo is making final preparations on his Medusa Cannon which will take out the incoming Allied Bombers. Before Bucky can do anything to stop him, Helmut betrays him leading to his capture as well.
Down in one of the cells, Hilda is patching up Cap’s gunshot wound and as the two talk of escape, the give into their growing attraction to one another and kiss. Hilda pulls away confused because she still has emotions for her husband. Cap figures they can sort it out later and begins trying to break down the door to their cell. Despite his wounded should, Captain America manages to knock the door off its hinges. Unfortunately, Hilda is struck by a bullet, shattering her hip. Once the guards are knocked out, she insists that Cap go ahead without her, promising to hold on until he gets back.
With the bombs fast approaching, Zemo has Bucky tied to the barrel of his Medusa Cannon and then encourages his son to be the one to fire the weapon. That’s when Captain America comes barging in and defeats Master Man in battle. Zemo then begins shooting at the Captain, not caring if his son gets hit in the crossfire. Helmut, ever faithful to his father runs to the control panel to fire the weapon. However, Bucky manages to break free of his bonds and in getting free disrupts the aim of the Medusa Cannon. As a result, when it is fire, it ends up ripping through the lab and destroying a nearby castle stronghold. With the lab crumbling around them, Bucky tries to convince Helmut to flee with them but the boy pulls a knife and tries to stab him with it. That’s when the Medusa Cannon explodes, injuring Helmut.
With the place coming down around their ears, Cap and Bucky scoop up Helmut and flee, leaving Heinrich to be buried alive in the rubble. They then head down to where Hilda is and discover that she is dying. Her last words to them is asking what became of her husband. They then get outside in time to see the Allied bombing raid was a complete success. In the confusion, Helmut manages to slip away, but after his injuries Cap needs help getting out of there.
This would not be the end of the Zemos as Heinrich will go on to live until the present day and plague Captain America anew. Upon his death, his son Heinrich would seek revenge on Captain America first as the Phoenix, before taking on the mantle of Baron Zemo himself.[5]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Bucky, Baron Zemo, Hilda Zemo, Helmut Zemo, Master Man, Nikola Tesla, Adolf Hitler, Howling Commandos (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Dino Manelli, Gabe Jones, Pinky Pinkerton, Izzy Cohen, Rebel Ralston)
Continuity Notes
Although Tesla seems to die here, we’ll later learn in S.H.I.E.l.D. #1-6, ∞ and (vol. 2) #1-6 that Tesla actually survived and has been secretly living among the Brotherhood of the Shield. How he survived is not fully explained, but since the Brotherhood had access to Life Model Decoy technology for centuries before they became common place, one could assume that the Tesla who “died” here is actually a LMD.
Zemo’s prototype death-ray was destroyed by Fury and the Howlers in Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #8.
The tale of how Baron Zemo got his masked glued to his face was first told in Avengers #6.
Master Man was given a recreation of the Super Soldier Serum that was created by Doctor Murray Anderson in Giant-Size Invaders #1. It was incomplete because most of the secrets behind the formula were lost when its inventor, Abraham Erskine, was murdered in Captain America Comics #1.
The narrative epilogue goes over some later Captain America/Baron Zemo history:
Heinrich Zemo would go into hiding after seemingly killing Captain America and Bucky in 1945, as seen in Avengers #4. The Zemos have remained young and vital thanks to rejuvenation formula as explained in Thunderbolts #-1.
Captain America will alter be woken up in the Modern Age after being frozen in ice for decades, as seen in Avengers #4. Learning his old foe was still alive, Zemo would continue seeking revenge against Cap starting in Avengers #6 until dying at his own hands in Avengers #15.
It would be a few years before Helmut would seek to avenge his father, first as the Phoenix in Captain America #168. He will take on the Baron Zemo identity in Captain America #275.
