The Mercenary and the Madman

Captain America looks over New York City as the sun begins to set and is taken away by how much New York City has changed since he was a kid in the 1930s, yet somehow still the same. This gets him thinking about how he recently got his conflicting memories sorted out and can now vividly remember his past.[1]

He recounts how he ended up in suspended animation near the end of the war only to be revived in the present day when his body — frozen in a chunk of ice — was tossed into the ocean by his old wartime ally, the Sub-Mariner. His thawing body was then recovered by the Avengers who revived him. Captain America joined the team and continued to fight for justice.[2] He also recalls how his old foe, the Red Skull, also resurfaced after his own time in suspended animation.[3] He also thinks of all the friends he has made along the way, recounting how he was partnered with the Falcon for some time before he decided to make it on his own.[4] He also remembers his first love since awakening in the present day, Sharon Carter, who tragically died while on a mission for SHIELD.[5] Cap ends his recollection when he remembers that he has an art commission due and heads back to his apartment.

Meanwhile, an unassuming tugboat pulling a massive covered barge in the direction of Ryker’s maximum security prison. The crew uses a device to shut down all the power on the island and after dealing with the guards, they located Mister Hyde and brake him out of his cell. As the tug makes its escape, Mister Hyde — who had been drugged to keep his strength in check — recovers in the living space hidden in the barge. He has been rescued by the mercenary known as Batroc the Leaper who had been hired to break him out. Changing into his proper attire, Hyde commends Batroc for a good job but reveals that his promise of a wealth in money turns out to be a lie. Batroc tries to attack Hyde for lying to him, but the brute is far too powerful and easily overpowers the master of savate. However, Hyde decides to spare Batroc’s life as he could make good use of the mercenary and his men. Looking at the headline of the Daily Bugle gives Hyde the inspiration he needs for a plan to make them all a lot of money.

The following morning, Steve Rogers is hard at work at his drawing board when he is visited by his new neighbor, Bernie Rosenthal. Seeing that Steve has been up all night working, she offers to make him breakfast and sends him to get washed up.[6] They make small talk where Steve skirts around his military history. When Bernie comes across a picture of Steve with Sharon Carter, he tells her that Sharon was a close friend who died and they quickly change the subject to Mister Hyde’s escape from prison.[7] Hearing a report about it on the radio, Steve decides to let others deal with it since he has deadlines to meet.[8] Steve and Bernie continue to get to know each other, with Steve learning that she is a professional glass blower. As Steve goes about his day and turns in his work at the ad agency who commissioned some art, he continues to hear news about Mister Hyde.

He becomes more interested when hearing that Hyde was rescued by men with French accents convincing him that his old foe Batroc the Leaper is involved. Once his business as Steve Rogers is done for the day, he changes into Captain America and heads off to investigate. He heads straight for the District Attorney’s office so he can meet with Blake Tower and figure out what’s going on.[9]

Meanwhile, Batroc and Mister Hyde pool their resources to steal Roxxon’s new Super Tanker that is hauling 50 thousand tons of natural gas. As Monique — Batroc’s assistant — distracts the sailors from their tugboat, Mister Hyde and Batroc sneak aboard the tanker in a mini-submarine. After subduing the crew, Mister Hyde uses the radio to contact Roxxon’s director of sea-going affairs, Benedict Pierce, and demand that he pay a huge ransom otherwise they will detonate the tanker which would devastate all of New York City. Unable to generate that much capital quickly, Pierce calls Blake Tower for the city’s assistance. Coincidentally, Hyde is also asking for Captain America to deliver the ransom. Captain America agrees and preparations are made.

A shit carrying the ransom in gold and a shackled Captain America is soon sent out to rendezvous with the tanker. However, when Hyde, Batroc, and his men board to claim it, Captain America triggers a secret panel in the floor that floods the deck with knock out gas. Captain America — protected by nose filters — breaks free and easily deals with Batroc and his men as they succumb to the gas. Unfortunately, it is not as effective against Mister Hyde who is at the peak of his power. He easily pummels Captain America into unconsciousness but stops short of killing him as he has better plans. When Cap wakes up, he finds himself chained to the front of the tankers bow. Seeing that his foe is awake, Hyde tells Captain America to enjoy the ride as he has set the tanker on a collision course with the city docks.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Batroc, Mister Hyde, Blake Tower, Bernie Rosenthal

Continuity Notes

1. Captain America has been struggling with conflicting memories of his past. In Captain America #176 he was said to be a New York native that was inspired to sign up for the military after seeing newsreels of the war going on in Europe. This was contradicted in Captain America #225, when Cap unearthed buried memories that suggested that he was the son of a diplomat that enlisted after his brother was killed during the attack on Pearl Harbor. In Captain America #247, Cap learned that the diplomat/Pearl Harbor memories were actually false memories put in his head by the military in the event he was ever captured by the Nazis. Here, Cap also recounts his origins as they were originally told in Captain America Comics #1.

2. Captain America’s being put in suspended animation and revived in the Modern Age was all detailed in Avengers #4. Here, Steve states the he was frozen in ice for decades. The length of time Captain America was frozen will always be subject to change due to the Sliding Timescale. Click here for more on that. Although he doesn’t give an estimation of how long he has been thawed out, the Sliding Timescale dictates that he had been free from suspended animation for about five years at the time of this story.

3. As detailed in Tales of Suspense #72, the Red Skull was buried alive in a bunker near the end of the war. An experimental gas put him in suspended animation until he was freed by AIM in the Modern Age.

4. Captain America trained Sam Wilson and he became the Falcon in Captain America #117. Soon they became partners for a time from Captain America #134 through 222.

5. Sharon Carter went under cover to infiltrate the National Front and appeared to be brainwashed by the organization. She presumably perished along when the Front members all committed suicide. See Captain America #231-237. In reality, Sharon faked her death for a deep cover mission for SHIELD and she will turn up alive again in Captain America #444.

6. Here, Bernie asks Steve if he served in Vietnam and he states that he was there briefly. This should be considered topical. Long story short, all Modern Age references to the Vietnam War have since been replaced with the Sin-Cong Conflict per History of the Marvel Universe #2. Click here for more on that. That said, Steve is referring to the time he went to Vietnam in Captain America #125.

7. At first, Steve thinks Bernie is talking about the Cobra who had just recently escaped in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #46.

8. Here, Steve states that Thor and Daredevil have had more experience with Mister Hyde. At the time of this story, all three heroes have had experience fighting Mister Hyde in the past:

   • Hyde was originally an antagonist to Thor, battling the thunder god in Journey into Mystery #99-100, 105-106, and 110-111, the last two instances Hyde was partnered with the Cobra.

   • Daredevil fought Mister Hyde on more than a few occasions in Daredevil #30-32, 61, 142-143, and 153-154.

   • Lastly, Captain America had fought Mister Hyde once in the past in Captain America #150-152.

9. One of the people riding the elevator to the DA’s office mentions Cap’s recent run for president. This is not entirely accurate, he turned down the offer to run in Captain America #250.

Topical References

• In this story, the Indigenous people who worshiped Captain America’s frozen body are identified as Eskimos. This should be considered a topical reference as it is considered a date reference and, to many, is also considered racist. The correct term to use today is Inuit.

• The payment that was promised to Batroc is stated as a million dollars, which was a lot of money when this story was published in 1980, but not so much now. Adjusting for inflation that amount would be closer to 3.3 million in 2021 money. Likewise when Hyde later ransoms New York City for a billion dollars. This would be worth 3.3 billion in 2021 money as well.

• When Bernie goes through Cap’s record collection she finds albums by Artie Shaw, Tommy Dorsey, Frank Sinatra and Glen Miller. This would not be considered topical since Steve’s taste in music is based on the fact that he lived in the 1940s and these artists are being referred to here as being old fashioned.

• When Steve overhears a news report about Batroc’s involvement, it is depicted as coming from a pocket radio that a man is listening to on the subway. I shouldn’t have to tell you that pocket radios aren’t commonly used by people anymore in the era of cell phones.

• This story identifies the Roxxon ship as a LNG super carrier. These types of carriers were new when this story was published and the concern that they could leak or explode was a real concern that still exists to this day as these ships are still in production. That said, the technology behind the construction and fuel storage of these massive ships has advanced over the years and all technical specifications mentioned in this story should be considered topical because they are already over 40 years old.