The Falcon Fights On!

The Red Skull has used the Cosmic Cube to swap bodies with Captain America. Having trapped his foe on his island, the Skull watches — via the Cube — as the Exiles hunt for the man they think is the Red Skull. He is furious that they haven’t caught the real Captain America yet thinking it should be simple. That’s when the Skull realizes that Cap probably removed the Red Skull mask he had been wearing since the body swap. However, he is satisfied that Captain America can’t escape the island and it will only be a matter of time before his enemy is killed.

Meanwhile, the Exiles continue their hunt.[1] Suddenly, the spot Sam Wilson’s falcon — Redwing — flying by and General Ching tries to shoot the bird out of the sky. Luckily, Redwing is able to evade the attack and returns to the village where Sam Wilson and Captain America are hiding out. Cap decides it is time for another training session so that Sam, as the Falcon, can face off against the Exiles and liberate the natives. Changing into his costume, Sam meets his new ally on the beach where they begin sparring practice. The Falcon is a quick learner and soon masters Captain America’s martial arts training.

Back in the United States, the Red Skull tries to sleep when he is rudely awoken by a telephone call. The call is coming from the clerk working at the hotel’s front desk and he has called to inform “Captain America” that a group of fans have started gathering in the lobby in the hopes of seeing their hero. Annoyed by this interruption, the Red Skull orders the clerk to send them away. Unfortunately, while the clerk is on the phone, an overeager fan manages to grab the spare key to “Cap’s” room. As a mob of young people head up to see them, the Red Skull decides to use this opportunity to ruin Captain America’s reputation by destroying the intruders with the Cosmic Cube. He then remembers that the real Captain America would have no such power and instead uses the Cube to teleport outside his room. Appearing in the hallway, he is still spotted by Captain America’s fans and makes a run for it. They are disappointed that their hero would ignore them in this way. The Red Skull hopes that word of this snub will spread and ruin his enemy’s reputation.

Meanwhile, Rick Jones is sulking after being rejected by the man he thinks is Captain America. Unaware that this was actually the Red Skull, Rick decides to call it quits as the new Bucky.[2] Ripping up his mask, Rick leaves Avengers Mansion in tears, figuring he’ll never be back again.[3]

At that same moment, scientists working for Advanced Idea Mechanics are hard at work. Their leader, MODOK, has ordered them to build a device that can neutralize the Cosmic Cube to prevent others from using it. Their work pays off when they successfully create a sphere-shaped object that will carry out this important task.[4]

While back on Exile Island, Captain America and the Falcon ambush the Exiles. With the aid of Redwing, the pair easily overpower and defeat the Exiles. Watching from the Cosmic Cube once more, the Red Skull is furious that the Exiles failed and decides that it is time that he takes a more hands-on approach to defeat his enemy. While Falcon celebrates their victor, Captain America suddenly has a feeling of dread and fears that the Red Skull is preparing to use the Cosmic Cube to finally destroy him.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Falcon, Red Skull, Exiles (Baldini, Cadavus, General Ching, Gruning, Iron-Hand Hauptman, Krushki), AIM, Redwing

Continuity Notes

1. The Exiles are all unidentified. They will all be partially named when they appear again next issue. Their full names are revealed elsewhere as detailed below:

   • Franz Cadavus, Eric Gruning and Jurgen Hauptmann’s full names are revealed in Marvel Atlas #1 in the Germany entry.

   • Angelo Baldini, Ivan Krushki and Jun Chang’s full names are revealed in the Exiles entry in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #4.

2. The original Bucky, James Barnes, was believed to have died in 1945, per Avengers #4. It won’t be revealed until later that James survived and was transformed into the Russian assassin called the Winter Soldier, as revealed in Captain America (vol. 5) #14. Rick took over the mantle back in Captain America #110.

3. A footnote here tells readers to check out Captain Marvel #17 to find out what happens to Rick. In that issue, Rick Jones gets merged with Captain Marvel and they will live a shared existence on and off until they finally part company in Captain Marvel #51.

4. AIM created the Cosmic Cube in Tales of Suspense #79 and immediately lost it to the Red Skull. MODOK ordered its deactivation last issue.

Topical References

• The hotel the Red Skull is staying in is depicted as having rotary phones.