If the Past Be Not Dead —

Captain America is having a nightmare where he is being pursued by demonic Nazis. Fleeing for his life, he stumbles into a tombstone for his partner Bucky. Bucky suddenly appears atop the tombstone and accuses Cap of allowing him to die.[1] Waking up from this nightmare, Steve Rogers finds that the dreams are getting worse and calls his psychologist, Doctor Faustus who insists that he come to see him right away.

Little does Steve know is that Doctor Faustus is the one responsible for the terrible nightmares. He has had one of his minions — Ferret — pose as one of the hotel staff that brings Cap his room service meals spiked with medication that caused these dreams. He then passes along a more potent version of the drug for the next evening.

By this time, Steve Rogers is walking the streets once again feeling like a man out of time since coming out of suspended animation.[2] That’s when he spots a woman who appears to be Sharon Carter and calls out to her. When she doesn’t respond, he races after her. When he finally catches up the woman suddenly looks different. The woman calls for help and a police officer with the Red Skull’s mask comes to her aid. Thinking he is cracking up again, Steve runs off unaware that these are more minions of Doctor Faustus using life-like masks to confuse him.

Steve then goes to his appointment with Doctor Faustus and while he is telling the psychologist what happens, Steve closes his eyes for a moment. When he opens them again he finds himself in a dungeon being attacked by Nazi soldiers. As much as he struggles, he can’t get free and one of them points a gun in his face and pulls the trigger. The muzzle flash blinds Steve, and he finds himself back in the office of Faustus who is now shining a light in his eyes. Concerned about the hallucinations, Faustus gives him a perscription he claims will help Cap sleep without dreams. After Rogers leaves, a secret panel opens revealing the whole Nazi dungeon was a set and the Nazis more men hired by Faustus. Doctor Faustus pays them handsomely for their assistance and begins gloating how he will destroy Captain America without raising a finger.

Back in his hotel room, Steve has changed into his Captain America costume so he can go through his training regimen with a SHIELD Plastoid robot. He easily overpowers the robot and shuts it down just as Ferret arrives with Steve’s prescription. Unaware of what is going on, Steve takes a pill and goes to bed. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, Steve is horrified to discover that he has rapidly aged into an old man. That’s when Bucky enters the room and tells Steve he needs help stopping enemy agents from stealing some missile plans. Steve can’t believe what is happening but allows himself to be led anyway.

Not far away, Doctor Faustus and his men are recreating the scene where Bucky died so many years earlier. When forced to relive the death of Bucky again, it appears as though Captain America’s mind is shattered by the strain. However, the Star-Spangled Avenger is playing possum and waiting for the mastermind of this scheme to reveal himself. Captain America quickly defeats Faustus’ minions including Ferret — who was disguised as Bucky. Before Doctor Faustus can escape, SHIELD agents arrive to take him into custody. Asking for an opportunity to fight Faustus, Captain America knocks him out with a single punch.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Doctor Faustus, SHIELD

Continuity Notes

1. At the time of this story, everyone believed Bucky died in 1945 while trying to disarm a bomb on a drone, as seen in Avengers #4. However, Cap will learn years later, that Bucky was still alive and was transformed into the Russian assassin called the Winter Soldier. See Captain America (vol. 5) #14.

2. This is another reference to Avengers #4.

Topical References

• Dated technology: Doctor Faustus uses a rotary phone and a reel-to-reel tape recorder to document his sessions with Steve.

• Ferret is depicted and identified as a bellhop wearing a flattop hat and garish uniform. This is quite common in the era that this comic book was first published and is still a thing in some fancier hotels. However, most contemporary hotels no longer refer to their staff as “bellhops” and they wear more common business casual wear.

• A newspaper headline is announcing that astronauts have been selected for the first mission to the moon and that it will happen in “this” decade. This coincides with the first moon landing which happened in July of 1969. However, there have been many missions to the moon since, and as such, this moon mission being identified as the “first” should be considered topical.