Captain America #252
Cold Fire!
Mister Hyde and Batroc the Leaper have stolen a Roxxon fuel tanker and successfully gotten a ransom from the company after threatening to detonate the vessel, which would decimate the city of New York in the process. Having captured Captain America while collecting this ransom, Mister Hyde ties the hero to the mast of the ship and sets it on a collision course with the docks anyway. Gloating over his victory, Mister Hyde then tries to use his strength to crush Captain America’s shield in his bare hands. However, the shield is too strong and tosses the weapon overboard where it embeds itself into the side of Batroc’s tugboat.
Batroc, meanwhile, is horrified that Hyde is going to go through with blowing up the city. However, he can’t face Hyde alone and so when he partner isn’t looking he nudges the anchor lever which loosens one of the chains holding Captain America onto the mast. This gives him the leverage he needs to try and break the chains. Thinking of all the people who would be killed in the tanker explosion, Cap strains with all his might until the weakest link in the chains finally gives allowing him to break free. Unfortunately, as he flips backward to get free he smacks his head on the side of the boat, knocking himself out and falls into the water below.
Meanwhile, Mister Hyde continues to direct his boat toward the harbor. As he does so, he explains to Batroc why he is going through with destroying the city. As it turns out, he wasn’t interested in any ransom he just wanted revenge against both Captain America and his former partner the Cobra. Hyde explains how he was arrested and taken into custody following his last clash with Captain America.[1] At the time his Hyde formula had worn off and he was arrested as his alter-ego, Calvin Zabo. He held a grudge against his former partner the Cobra, who had broken out of prison twice already and left him to rot in prison.[2] Since he doesn’t know where in the city his enemy might be hiding out he decided to destroy all of New York to get the job done. Hearing this, Batroc realizes that Hyde is insane and tries to stop him.
As the two duke it out, Captain America emerges from the water and takes out two of Batroc’s men who are fussing over his discarded shield. With his trademark weapon in hand, Captain America boards the Roxxon tanker just in time to stop Hyde from crushing the life out of his former partner. Working together, Cap and Batroc are able to stagger their foe but he is too strong. However, Hyde makes a huge misstep when he tripes ripping loose a pipe as a weapon. This causes him to get sprayed with a high pressure stream of liquified natural gas that instantly freezes him in a block of ice due to the cold temperatures used to store the fuel. With limited mobility, Hyde tries to break free but ends up falling overboard instead. Although Captain America leaps in to save his foe, he fails to find Hyde as he sinks to the bottom too quickly.[3]
By the time Captain America comes up for air, Batroc and his men are trying to flee in their tugboat. However, Batroc doesn’t get very far with his ransom as Captain America is able to sink the tugboat with the mini-submarine he left behind. As the coast guard surrounds Batroc’s barge he surrenders without incident.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Batroc, Mister Hyde
Continuity Notes
Captain America fought Mister Hyde back in Captain America #150-152.
Mister Hyde and the Cobra used to be partners having teamed up against Thor in Journey into Mystery #105-106 and 110-111. The Cobra broke out of prison twice first to join the Serpent Squad in Captain America #163, 180-182 and then solo in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #46.
This is not the end of Mister Hyde, who will turn up alive again in Amazing Spider-Man #231-232.
The Life and Times of Captain America
In the early days of World War II, a young man named Steve Rogers was injected with a super-soldier serum becoming Captain America. He would be the only one of his kind as the scientist responsible for the formula was murdered by Nazi spies. Captain America would spent much of the war fighting against the Axis Powers. When not operating as Captain America, Steve Rogers posed as a bumbling private at Camp Lehigh.[1] Near the war’s end, Captain America ended up in a freak accident that put him in suspended animation for decades. Eventually, his body was recovered in the present day by the Avengers, who invited them into their ranks.[2] A man out of time, Captain America struggled to find a place in the modern world, but found that he had little to do outside of his duties as an Avenger and decided this needed to change.[3]
As Steve Rogers, Captain America tried to forge a new life in this era. For a time he was a rookie police officer,[4] but eventually shifted careers to become a freelance artist.[5] It was during this time that Steve moved into an apartment in Brooklyn located at 569 Leman Place where he became fast friends with his neighbors. They include his landlord, Anna Kapplebaum a Holocaust survivor whom Captain America rescued from a concentration camp during the war,[6] Josh Cooper a former soldier who now teaches children with special needs,[7] Michael Farrel a fire fighter, and lastly Bernie Rosenthal a professional glassblower who has more than a passing interest in Steve Rogers.[8]
Captain America has had many partners over the years. Currently he has a close working relationship with the spy agency known as SHIELD and its director Nick Fury and his second in command, Dum-Dum Dugan.[9] This friendship has dated back to World War II. Captain America had also partnered with the Falcon for a time until he decided to go it alone. The high flying hero now fights crime solo and lives with his girlfriend, Leila Taylor.[10] Captain America has also lost those closest to him, including his first partner Bucky Barnes, who tragically died during the war in the same accident that put Steve in suspended animation.[11] More recently, Cap lost his long time girlfriend, Sharon Carter.[12]
Continuity Notes
Captain America’s origins are told here as they were first represented back in Captain America Comics #1.
Captain America was thawed out in the modern age and joined the Avengers in Avengers #4.
The scene depicted here of Captain America and the Avengers takes place after he took over leadership of the team and recruited Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch. See Avengers #16.
Steve Rogers was a beat cop for a hot minute in order to investigate corruption within the NYPD from Captain America #139 through 159.
Steve decided to take up the career of a freelance artist in Captain America #237. This was also when he moved to Brooklyn and met Kapplebaum, Cooper and Farrel.
Anna Kappelbaum is identified as a Holocaust survivor who was saved from the concentration camps by Captain America himself. This was all detailed in Captain America #237. Due to the Sliding Timescale this becomes difficult to explain, see below.
Josh Cooper’s military service and work with special needs children were detailed in Captain America #245 and 246 respectively.
Bernie Rosenthal just recently moved in Captain America #249-250.
Captain America’s long time association with Nick Fury dates back to about 1941, as seen in Wolverine: Origins #18. He would later meet Dum Dum Dugan after Fury formed the Howling Commandos, see Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos #13.
Captain America and the Falcon were long standing partners from Captain America #134 through 222.
For years, Bucky was believed to have died in 1945 per Avengers #4. He actually survived and was transformed into the Russian assassin known as the Winter Soldier. Captain America won’t learn this truth until Captain America (vol. 5) #14.
Speaking of people who are not really dead, Sharon Carter appeared to have immolated herself in Captain America #237. In reality, she faked her death to go into deep cover on a mission for SHIELD. She will turn up alive again in Captain America #444.
The Issues With Anna and Josh
In this story, the backgrounds of Anna Kepplebaum and Josh Cooper put their pasts at odds with the Sliding Timescale. As the Modern Age is pushed forward in time their involvement in key historical events becomes impossible as it would advance their ages as time goes on to the point where they’d be much older or dead.
For Anna, her past is intrinsically tied to Captain America’s wartime adventures. Marvel has yet to provide an explanation. However, Captain America #237 states that she was experimented upon by a Nazi scientist. It’s entirely possible that she was a test subject for a process that would slow the aging process.
In the case of Josh, he is stated as being a veteran of the Vietnam War. In this case, Marvel has changed events so that every Modern Age character with a normal human life span that were originally stated as being involved in Vietnam now participated in the Sin-Cong Conflict, per History of the Marvel Universe #2.