Captain America #164
Queen of the Werewolves
A woman named Deadly Nighshade has used her scientific skills to create an army of werewolves for the purposes of destroying Captain America. To test her creations, she has them attack a man dressed in Captain America’s trademark costume. This man doesn’t last very long and is quickly killed by the werewolves, much to Nightshade’s delight.
Not far away, Captain America and the Falcon are driving from Virginia to Maryland. This is because Falcon got a letter from Mel, an old friend from his childhood who is in trouble. Although the Falcon reminisces about their shared childhood, he tells Cap how Mel got into trouble with the law while Sam steered clear of trouble and became a social worker. Mel wrote to him from Grimrock Prison afraid for his life. Unfortunately, because Falcon has spent the past few weeks in Virginia, he didn’t get the letter until recently and hopes it is not too late.
When they arrive outside of Grimrock Prison, the pair note that the prison looks run down and out of use. Unaware that there is something definitely wrong, Sam heads inside hoping that the warden will let him see Mel and finds out what’s wrong. Suspicious over the lack of activity, Cap circles around back where he finds a door has been left wide open. Going in to investigate, he finds a tattered Captain America costume caked in blood and begins to suspect something isn’t right. That’s when the Star-Spangled Avenger is ambushed by a gang of werewolves. Despite having the element of surprise, the creatures don’t anticipate Cap’s enhanced strength and are forced into fleeing.
Exploring the rest of the prison, Cap encounters Nightshade who claims to have created the werewolves. Despite her seeming scientific brilliance, Cap can’t help but notice she also has the temperament of an immature child. She leads him to where she has shackled Falcon to a wall. Sam has been injected with her werewolf formula and Nightshade locks Cap in the room as his partner begins to transform into a snarling beast. Although Sam has been reduced to a mindless beast, Captain America is still able to hold his own against his partner. Watching from the security monitors, Nightshade believes that her plan is a failure. This is mirrored by the man who was considering her employment, the Chinese terrorist known as the Yellow Claw. He considers this test a failure and Yellow Claw decides against hiring her as one of his minions. A he departs, Nightshade breaks down into tears over this rejection.
That’s when Nick Fury and an army of SHIELD agents — having come to capture Yellow Claw — arrive on the scene. With the spy agency trying to make their way into the faciality, and Captain America’s continued survival Nightshade decides that suicide is the only option left to her. Having mental control over her creations, Nightshade leaps off the side of the prison with her werewolves following behind her.[1] Falcon, still under Nightshade’s control, also tries to leap to his death as well. Captain America uses all of his strength to stop his friend from killing himself. Luckily, Nightshade’s formula wears off at sunrise and the struggle carries on until dawn. This causes the Falcon to revert back to human form and freeing him from Nightshade’s control. Although Captain America is happy that Sam is safe, they now have to worry about the fact that Yellow Claw has returned.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Falcon, Nightshade, SHIELD (Nick Fury), Yellowclaw, Redwing
Continuity Notes
Nightshade doesn’t actually die here and will return again in Captain America #189-190. It is revealed that she only pretended to commit suicide and cheated death by landing through a secret passage into a pool of water while her creations fell to their deaths.
Topical References
Falcon states that he grew up rooting for the New York Yankees. While this Major League Baseball team is not going anywhere anytime soon, it is still a real-world reference and should be considered topical per the Sliding Timescale.
