Captain America #247
By Dawn’s Early Light!
Captain America is racing across the pedestrian crossing on the Brooklyn Bridge. He is glad he got an apartment in the area because it gives him easy access to Manhattan. He then leaps onto the roof of a city bus and rides it the rest of the way into the city. He is heading for SHIELD headquarters to finally put to rest the conflicting memories he has of his past. Recently, he had been told that he was the son of a diplomat from Maryland and that he enlisted in the military after his brother was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. This has come into conflict with other memories that told that he grew up in New York City during the Depression and became Captain America much earlier.[1]
Arriving at SHIELD headquarters, Captain America uses his Avengers security clearance to demand a meeting with Nick Fury for answers.[2] Unfortunately, Fury is away on other business and has left Dum Dum Dugan behind. Nick knew something like this would happened and Dugan agrees allow Cap access to SHIELD’s records and learn the truth about his past once and for all.
Back at Steve Roger’s apartment, his neighbor Josh Cooper has come by to deliver an important letter sent to Steve from the military. Since Steve isn’t home he decides to drop it off later. He bumps into Mike Farrel, another neighbor, who wants to introduce him to the latest tenant in the building.[3]
Meanwhile, Nick Fury has traveled to a maximum security prison outside of Ithica to interview Baron Strucker. Although he was too busy to look into things until now, Fury is curious to learn how Strucker survived their last encounter and was later captured and imprisoned by Captain America.[4] However, Strucker refuses to divulge anything about his miraculous revival. This is all fine with Fury who just signed off on papers that will see Strucker extradited to Israel to stand trial for war crimes committed during World War II. That’s when Nick gets a call from Dugan about Captain America’s information request, distracting him enough for Strucker to pull out a gas bomb and use it to knock Fury out so he can get revenge against Captain America.
A short time later, Dum Dum Dugan takes Cap to Fort Dix in New Jersey where Steve Rogers old footlocker has been stored since he went missing in action in 1945. Steve is delighted to find that his original shield and personal belongings are still locked inside.[5] Steve also finds his old journal which has the answers he has been looking for. On Christmas Eve, 1941, Steve was called into a meeting with General Philips before heading off to England with the Invaders. Concerned what the Nazis could learn about Captain America if he were ever captured, Philips has arranged for Steve to have false memories implanted in his mind. To give these memories an air of legitimacy, the military is working with Walter Rogers, a diplomat from Maryland whose sons — Mike and Grant — were killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. This is the final piece of the puzzle and Steve figures that when he was subjected to Mason Harding’s mind probe they dug up these false memories leading to all the conclusion.
That’s when Baron Strucker arrives in Nick Fury’s flying car and begins attack Captain America and Dum Dum. Separated from his regular shield, Cap is forced to use his original against the car’s onboard weapons. Not nearly as durable, the old shield begins to buckle under the energy blasts. Luckily, Cap tosses some debris into one of the wheel turbines of the flying car, causing it to crash. However, Strucker is not out of the fight and manages to wing Dugan with a shot in the shoulder. Captain America then lunges at his foe who tries to fend the Captain away with his powerful Satan Claw weapon. As they fight, Nick Fury begins to recover from Strucker’s gas attack and tosses Cap his shield and he uses it to damage the Satan Claw so it no longer works.
With the battle over, Fury looks forward to handing Strucker over to the Israelis. However, the Nazi has other ideas and after giving a Nazi salute, the Baron’s body suddenly explodes revealing that he was actually a robot.[6] This leaves both Cap and Fury to wonder who created the Strucker robot, and why. This scene is being monitored by the Machinesmith, the roboticist responsible for creating the Strucker robot. His minions report back that they have found what they have been looking for and are coming back to base. The Machinesmith is pleased as what they have found will allow him to destroy Captain America once and for all.[7][8]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Dum Dum Dugan, Josh Cooper, Mike Farrel, Bernie Rosenthal, Chester Phillips (flashback)
Continuity Notes
Captain America’s conflicting memories are quite complicated. Let’s hash it out:
Here, Steve states that the surprise birthday party thrown for him in Captain America #245 reminded him of these conflicting memories.
Captain America’s memories of his past have been kind of a jumble since he was revived from suspended animation in Avengers #4 and couldn’t remember much from before he became Captain America.
Per Captain America Comics #1, and Captain America #176, Steve Rogers was a New York native who survived the Depression and was inspired to join the military after seeing news reels about the Nazis conquest of Europe.
Sometime later, Steve looked into records about his past in Captain America #222 that threw all that into question.
He underwent a mental probe in Captain America #225, which unearthed memories that suggested he was the son of diplomat Walter Rogers and that his brother, Mike, died during the attack on Pearl Harbor and it was this event that convinced him to try and enlist in the military leading to his becoming Captain America.
As this issue reveals, the whole Walter Rogers back story was false memories implanted in Steve’s mind in the event he was captured by the enemy. This happened just prior to the events of Invaders #1, when Cap and his team went on an extended mission to England.
Steve’s true origins are fleshed out in more detail in Captain America #255, re-establishing his connection to New York City and the original origins of Captain America.
Here, Captain America states that the Avengers just regained their government security clearance. This privilege was revoked by the Avengers NSA liaison in Avengers #168 due to various security violations. After a time, the Avengers convinced the government to restore their security clearance and autonomy in issue #190-191 of that series.
This new tenant is Bernie Rosenthal, who we will meet next issue. Although this letter is played up as potentially being something important, Captain America #250 reveals that it is nothing more than an army questionnaire.
The real Baron Strucker was killed by his own Death Spore Virus back in Strange Tales #158. Since then, Captain America fought the allegedly resurrected Strucker in Captain America #130-131. As we learn this issue, this is not the real Strucker but a robot duplicate. The real Baron Strucker will be resurrected in Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (vol. 3) #20-21.
When he first became Captain America, Steve was given a triangular shield. This was soon replaced with his trademark disc shaped shield in Captain America Comics #2. Captain America #255 reveals that Steve requested a round shield as it could be tossed more easily than his cumbersome triangular shield.
Captain America recounts how his recent battle with the Manipulator ended with the revelation that he too was a robot. That happened in Captain America #242.
What they found was the Dragon Man android, as we’ll learn next issue. The android had been buried “alive” following the Fantastic Four’s battle with Gregory Gideon. See Fantastic Four #134-135.
The Machinesmith has various robots on display in the background of his hideout they are built to resemble Iron Man, the Thing, Magneto, and Spider-Man. The Magneto one is of interest. In X-Men #111-112 it was revealed that Mesmero used a robot of Magneto during his previous clash with Marvel’s merry mutants circa X-Men #50-52 & 58. Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #7’s profile on the Machinesmith reveals that he built said robot.