Captain Marvel (vol. 2) #2
Speaking Without Concern
On the campus of Empire State University, two students named Philip Pyun and Kwan Lau are being chased by members of the racist organization known as the Sons of the Serpent. Luckily, the attack coincides with Captain Marvel, aka Monica Rambeau, returning to New York City.[1] Spotting the situation, she easily trounces the Sons with her energy manipulation powers. Soon the police come to pick up the attackers. Captain Marvel can hardly believe that such ignorance can exist on a college campus these days.
Heading back to her apartment, Monica tries out a new trick she learned — bending light to make herself invisible to the naked eye — so she can under without being seen.[2] Inside she finds FBI Agent Derek Freeman waiting for her. As it turns out, Freeman has long since figured out Monica’s double-identity and has come seeking her help. He knows that Monica is in town to give a minority business seminar at ESU, because the FBI was the one who arranged for it to happen. The reason why is because Freeman wants Monica to keep an eye on Ray Washington. Ray is a political science major, campus activist, and student counselor.
Monica takes this to mean that the FBI wants her to spy on Ray, something she refuses to do. However, Derek clarifies that he doesn’t want her to spy on Washington but to protect him. As it turns out, Ray is Derek’s nephew. Getting annoyed, Rambeau demands that Derek talk straight with her and explain what’s going on. Freeman gets to the point, saying that with a number of racially motivated attacks, Ray has begun organizing night patrols to protect students from these attacks. Usually, the FBI wouldn’t get involved in something like this, that is until they got reports that the Sons of the Serpents are getting involved in these hate crimes. Derek then leaves Monica with a file the FBI has been keeping on the racist organization.
Learning how the Avengers have had a number of clashes with the group, Monica heads to Avengers Mansion to see what else she can learn about them.[3] She arrives just as Captain America is finishing up his training session for the day. He takes her down to the Avengers database and pulls up everything they have on the Sons of the Serpent. After reading up on the group, Monica tells Cap that she’ll call if she needs any back up and heads home for the night.
The following day, Monica Rambeau arrives at Empire State University where she is greeted by Ray Washinton. Ray takes her to the minority lounge in the commons as the Afro-American Studies building had recently been blown up by a group of skinheads recently.[5] As they enter the building another student informs Ray that someone has been handing out fliers advertising a white supremacy rally on campus. While Ray wants to dismiss this as more saber rattling from the Sons of the Serpent he is also told that this has come after an explosion at the women’s studies department, and a number of beatings of prominent Asian, Black, Jewish, and gay communities on campus.
That’s when they hear the chants from members of the Sons of the Serpent that have gathered outside. A bunch of students then race outside to confront the bigots and things start getting violent. Monica slips away to change into Captain Marvel and attacks the Sons of the Serpent. She is holding her own pretty well until one of them manages to wrap one of his staves around her throat and begins choking her. Fearing for her life, Monica prays that this isn’t her end. Suddenly, her body begins giving off light that is so blinding the Serpent trying to strangle her is forced to let go. Captain Marvel then wraps up the crooks just as the cops arrive on the scene. However, the danger is far from over, as one of the Serpent’s costumes bursts and a pile of goop leaks out. This turns out to be the former Neo-Nazi known as Skinhead. Seeking to prove that whites are superior, Skinhead tries to swallow up Captain Marvel in his mass of goopy flesh. Inside, she is shocked to see a skeleton floating in the middle of his mass. She then blasts herself free. However, Skinhead manages to collapse the wall of a nearby building on Captain Marvel, burying her alive. Assuming that she is dead, Skinhead then flees the scene.
Monica isn’t so easily defeated and manages to blast herself free moments later. As she speaks with police she is approached by a student named Robert Farrell who tells her that he knows all about Skinhead. Meeting in private, Robert reveals that he is the hero known as Rocket Racer and tellers her how he and Spider-Man fought Skinhead when he was just an ordinary bigot named Eddie Cross. During the fight, Cross was doused with chemicals that turned him into the mass of liquid flesh that she fought earlier. Although Spider-Man defeated Skinhead in the end, it’s not the weirdest thing about his case. Monica is soon given an address of someone that Robert wants her to meet. This man is Rabbi Chaim Cross, Eddie’s father. As it turns out, despite the fact that he is a Neo-Nazis, Eddie is also Jewish. Eddie was constantly teased because of his Jewish heritage that caused him to reject and hate his own background. Understanding how outside hate can lead to internal hate, Monica wants to help Chaim with his son and asks if he wants to help her defeat Skinhead.
They return to campus just in time to learn that Ray Washington is organizing a counter-protest against the Sons of the Serpent’s next march on campus. Monica tries to warn him that this will only lead to more violence, but Ray won’t listen. When the counter-protest confront the Sons of the Serpent, they surprisingly convince some of the Serpents to give up on their racist ideas. This causes Skinhead to lose his shit and drop his disguise once more. That’s when Captain Marvel arrives to fend him off. Chaim Cross also tries to reason with his son and surprisingly, Eddie’s human form emerges from the gelatinous mass of skin and is happily reunited.
All that’s left is Skinhead, a huge mass of angry white flesh consumed by Eddie’s former hatred. With Eddie no longer inside the monster, Captain Marvel attacks it full force and ends up blowing the monster to pieces. In the aftermath of the battle, Eddie’s story also touches Ray Washington who realizes that until everyone faces up to their own personal inadequacies and blaming others, everyone can easily be consumed by hatred. Before she leaves, Captain Marvel wishes Eddie luck on the next chapter in his life and tries to shake his hand. Eddie turns away, and Monica guesses that he still needs to work up to something like that. Captain Marvel then takes to the air, figuring that everyone has work to do.
Recurring Characters
Captain Marvel, Sons of the Serpent (Skinhead), Derek Freeman, Robert Farrell, Captain America
Continuity Notes
Monica states here that she doesn’t come back to New York very often since starting her shipping company. She started this new business in Captain Marvel (vol. 2) #1.
Here, Monica misses her old powers which allowed he to transmute her body into any form of energy she wished. She obtained these powers in Amazing Spider-Man Annual #16. Monica’s powers failed her when her energy form dissipated in water in Avengers #291-294. She later developed new energy projecting powers in Captain Marvel (vol. 2) #1.
Monica was a former Avenger, joining the team in Avengers #227. She was forced to leave active duty when her powers failed her in issue #294. She has maintained reserve status ever since.
The Avengers have fought the Sons of the Serpent on a number of occasions prior to this story. See Avengers #32-33, 73-74, Annual 19, 341-342. Captain America also fought them solo when the group briefly renamed themselves the Sons of the Shield, as seen in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #8-9.
This attack on ESU was thwarted by Spider-Man and the Rocket Racer. See Web of Spider-Man #56-57.
Issue Numbering
Although the cover states that this comic issue #1, the indica on print runs list it as Captain Marvel (vol. 2) #2, the first issue being the Captain Marvel one-shot featuring Monica Rambeau that was published in 1989. This is how most resources count this issue and how my index will choose to classify it as well.
