Terror in the Night!

The Falcon stops a hijacked truck along East River Drive. With the help of his pet bird, Redwing, the hero manages to stop the thieves. He discovers that they have stolen a shipment from the Allied Chemical Corp and demands to know who they are working for and why.

Meanwhile, an exhausted Captain America continues his search for Sharon Carter who was kidnapped during his recent battle with Mister Hyde and the Scorpion. He blames himself for what happened and although it is pouring rain out he pushes himself to continue his search. Elsewhere, Mister Hyde and the Scorpion have Sharon tied up in their hideout. They hope to use Sharon as bait to lure Captain America and the Falcon — due to their association with SHIELD — in order to get revenge for their own recent incarceration.[1]

While at SHIELD headquarters, Nick Fury finds himself deep in thought. He has been losing his temper with Captain America recently because he believes that the hero has been trying to hook up with Countessa Valentina de la Fontaine, a female SHIELD agent Fury has feelings for. The Countess approaches Fury and tries to explain to him that her recent interest with Captain America was an effort to make Nick jealous after he began focusing his attention toward Laura Brown. Not believing a word she is saying, Nick quickly loses his temper with her and storms out of the room, leaving Valentina in tears.[2]

Meanwhile, the Falcon’s investigation into the stolen chemicals has led him to a local Harlem crime boss named Morgan. After easily knocking out his muscle, the frightened mobster begins spilling the beans. Witnesses to this account are impressed with the Falcon’s fighting moves even though they think he’s part of the establishment.

Elsewhere, Captain America searches the sewers for his foes in vein. Ultimately, he has to give up the search because he is due to his shift at the police station in his civilian identity of Steve Rogers. Arriving late, Steve is surprised when Sergeant Brain Muldoon — a notorious hardass — walks out of the precinct without giving him a moments notice. Asking his partner what’s going on, Steve is shocked to learn that Muldoon has been accused of corruption which threatens to end his career and land him in jail. While on patrol, Steve can only think about the danger Sharon is in. When Redwing flies past his squad car, Rogers tells his partner — officer Bob Courtney — to pull over so he can investigate. In a nearby alley he finds the Falcon waiting for him. He tells Steve that he has a lead on Sharon, as the chemical robbery was organized for Mister Hyde. Not wanting to waste another moment, Steve changes into Captain America and takes off. When Officer Courtney comes looking for him later, he only finds Steve’s discarded police uniform.

Soon, Captain America and the Falcon arrive at the S & B Company warehouse where the Scorpion and Mister Hyde have been holding Sharon prisoner. Inside, the Scorpion is thinking back to his origins and reveling in how he used his newfound power to become a criminal.[3] That’s when Captain America and the Falcon come crashing in through the window. While Captain America battles both the Scorpion and Mister Hyde, Falcon unties Sharon. In the ensuing battle, Hyde is surprised when his own strength fails to bend Captain America’s shield.[4] Although he is exhausted, Captain America continues to fight even though he is greatly outmatched. Sharon, fearing for Steve’s safety, wants to help but the Falcon holds her back telling her that this is a battle that Cap needs to win for himself. Surprisingly, Captain America is able to defeat the two super-powered foes with his superior fighting skills. With the danger over, Cap takes Sharon for a walk while the Falcon cleans things up.

Meanwhile, in Elmhurst, Queens, Brain Muldoon walks home in the rain. His wife Ellen can immediately tell there is something wrong and is shocked when he has been suspended for accepting a bribe. When she tells him that she can’t believe it, he surprised her by revealing that it is.[5]

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Falcon, Mister Hyde, Scorpion, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Sharon Carter, Countess de la Fontaine), Boss Morgan, Brian Muldoon, Ellen Muldoon, Redwing

Continuity Notes

1. After freeing themselves from a secret prison last issue, the pair erroneously believe they were kidnapped by SHIELD. In reality, they were replaced by robotic duplicates by the mysterious Mister Klein. See Daredevil #77-84.

2. Kind of a pointless love triangle here. Fury was lovers with Valentina until he suddenly started romancing Laura Brown circa Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD #12-15. Valentina then began flirting with Cap in Captain America #145-148 in the middle of an operation to shut down Hydra — because that’s what professional spies do apparently.

3. The Scorpion recounts how the experiment that gave him his powers was financially backed by J. Jonah Jameson who was attempting to create a new super-hero to defeat Spider-Man. That, obviously, backfired spectacularly as it so often does for Jameson. See Amazing Spider-Man #20.

4. Here it’s mentioned that the composition of Captain America’s shield is a mystery that Steve himself won’t talk about. It’s later revealed in Captain America #303 that the shield was created by Doctor Myron McLean who accidentally invented a new steel alloy by combining a precursor to Adamantium with Wakandan Vibranium. This was shortly after Rogers became Captain America and the weapon was given to him by President Roosevelt, as detailed in Captain America #255.

5. The accusations against Muldoon are detailed in Captain America #157. In it, Brain is accused of accepting bribes from a criminal calling himself the Coweled Commander. Issue #159 exposes Muldoon as the Commander himself. He cooked up a scheme to try to get the public to support increasing police powers.

Topical References

• During his battle with Morgan’s men, one of the bystanders refers to the Falcon as a “Tom”. This shorthand of a the slang term “Uncle Tom”, a disparaging term used to describe an African-American who is obedient to the white establishment. It is derived from the racist story Uncle Tom’s Cabin.