Nomad: No More

Nomad has returned to New York City and begins looking for his former partner, the Falcon. In Harlem, the hero is attacked by the Gamecock and his gang of chicken-themed thugs. The battle is quickly ended when someone fires a bazooka at them, allowing for Gamecock and his goons to get away.[1] That’s when he is called over to another rooftop by Leila, the Falcon’s girlfriend.[2]

She tells Nomad that Falcon has been missing for three days after he started working with the new kid masquerading as Captain America.[3] Concerned for the Falcon’s well being, Nomad begins searching the city for sign of him. Instead he finds a crowd of protestors who believe the Serpent Squad are heroes who were unjustly murdered, just as Viper believed would happen. When Nomad tries to convince them that the Squad were criminals, they attack him. Retreating, Nomad realizes that he no longer commands the respect he received as Captain America.

His next stop is Sam Wilson’s office where he finds no trace of Falcon. As he feeds Sam’s cat, Figaro, Peggy Carter and Gabe Jones come who are also investigating the disappearance of Falcon and the new Captain America. Since neither knows that Nomad is Steve Rogers or the original Captain America, they cannot share any intel that SHIELD might have on their disappearance and refuse his offer for help. Annoyed, Steve then pays a visit to Morgan, the Harlem crime boss who has been trying to kill Falcon recently. While Morgan doesn’t deny that he is out to wipe out the Falcon, he admits that he has nothing to do with the hero’s disappearance.

With no other avenues to check, Nomad wanders the city searching for clues. Along the way, he comes upon a panicked scene at a local bank. The customers there are upset to discover that all the money in the bank had been replaced with counterfeit money. Nomad calms them down by pointing out that the bank is insured and that will cover the swapped out money. With no other avenues, Nomad decides to see if the other resident African-American super-hero in New York knows where Falcon is. However, when Nomad arrives at the Gem Theater he discovers that Luke Cage is away on business in Los Angeles.[4] He then comes upon another panic at another bank. Noting how the panic is mutating out of control, this reminds Nomad how Professor X had stated that Falcon might be a mutant and decides to give Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters a call to see if his partner went there.[5] Unfortunately, this is another dead end as only the Beast is present and he tells Nomad that Falcon hasn’t been around.

That’s when Redwing comes flying down from the rooftops and leads Nomad to where the Falcon’s location. There, Steve discovers that Roscoe has been murdered and crucified to a chimney stack. Luckily, the Falcon is still alive, albeit severely beaten. He tells Steve that they were ambushed by the Red Skull who murdered Roscoe when he discovered that he wasn’t the real Captain America. Sam tells Steve that the Red Skull wants to fight the real Captain America. At first, Steve resists the idea, reminding the Falcon why he quit as Captain America. However, he realizes that Captain America was never the government’s symbol, but the embodiment of what the country represents. Realizing that he is the only one who can stop his old foe, Steve Rogers strips off his Nomad costume to become Captain America once more.

Recurring Characters

Nomad/Captain America, Falcon, Captain America (Roscoe), Gamecock, Boss Morgan, Peggy Cater, Gabe Jones, Beast, Redwing

Continuity Notes

1. The narration reminds readers that Steve Rogers retired as Captain America. This happened after Steve discovered that the leader of the Secret Empire was a former President of the United States. See Captain America #168-175.

2. Leila’s last name is not given here. It’s revealed to be Taylor in Captain America #188.

3. This is Roscoe Simmons, who took on the mantle of Captain America last issue. His last name is also not given here. It’s revealed to be Simmons in Captain America #615.1.

4. Luke Cage left for California to try and find his girlfriend Claire Temple. See Power Man #22-25.

5. Professor X suggested that, due to Falcon’s mental link with Redwing, might be a mutant in Captain America #174. This turns out to be wrong in Captain America #186, which reveals that the Red Skull gave Falcon these powers with the Cosmic Cube.