Death of a Hero

Baron Strucker and Hydra have captured the SAC Aerial Command Center and Sam Sawyer, the only man who knows the codes to make it operate. Now, Captain America and the reassembled Howling Commandos area desperately searching for the aircraft before Strucker can use it to access America’s nuclear arsenal. Fury is in disbelief that the Baron is still alive having seen him die himself, and Captain America wonders if this is yet another robotic duplicate of the Nazi war criminal.[1]

Meanwhile, high above America, the SAC Aerial Command Center is heading to Hydra’s hideout. Not willing to be a part of Strucker’s scheme, Sam Sawyer attempts to activate the plane’s self-destruct but is quickly stopped before he can throw the switch. Afflicted with a weak heart, Sawyer passes out when Strucker roughs him up and he is left alone while the terrorists go to plan the next part of their scheme. Waking up, Sawyer has just enough strength to drag himself to the control panel and turn off the aircraft’s sophisticated anti-tracking systems.

That’s when Cap and the others pick up the SAC on radar and learn that it is heading to the partially sunken Hydra Island. When Nick tries to once again keep the retired Howlers out of the mission, Rebel Ralston protests reminding Fury how the Howlers saved him and Cap when they were outnumbered by Hydra forces.[2] Captain America agrees but only if the Howlers follow his plan.

After working out the details, Captain America is deployed to Hydra Island alone via a jet pack. After confirming the Death Spore Virus is no longer active on the island he sneaks inside. When he takes down one of the sentries, he is surprised to discover that it is a Life Model Decoy.

Inside, Baron Strucker has hooked Sam Sawyer up to a life support system so they can keep him alive long enough to get the control codes for the SAC out of him. However, Captain America bursts into the room to rescue Sawyer. This time, he has insulated his gloves against Strucker’s electrified costume, allowing Cap to easily knock the Nazi aside. As Captain America recovers Sam and makes his exit, Strucker sounds the alarm.

Meanwhile, Nick Fury and the Howling Commandos board Hydra Island via submarine and begin attacking the Hydra forces. While the enemy is preoccupied, Captain America carries Sawyer into a ventilation shaft and learns about Sam’s heart problems. He tells Cap to leave him here and find Fury and help him defeat Strucker. By this time, Fury and his men are pinned down by enemy fire, however the tide of battle turns when Captain America arrives on the scene to lend a hand.

While the battle rages, Sam Sawyer crawls out of the shaft and puts on a Hydra uniform so he can move around the base freely so he can stop Strucker from using the SAC.

Moments later, Captain America and the Howlers come upon a team of Hydra agents who appear to have Sam as a hostage. However, when they rescue “Sam” it turns out to be yet another LMD duplicate of Sawyer. Fury manages to toss it away moments before the rigged explosive inside the android goes off.

When they get to the hangar, they discover that Strucker has captured what appears to be Sam Sawyer this time and threatens to kill him unless they are allowed to leave with the SAC. Since Strucker doesn’t know the anti-radar device has been shut off, Cap and Fury agree to these terms. However, Strucker double crosses them by trying to leave with Sawyer to continue using him as a bargaining chip. However, their prisoner is a third LMD and the real Sawyer has been hiding in the SAC the whole time. As Strucker and his men try to get aboard the plane, the real Sawyer drops the cargo hatch on them. Getting a closer look at Strucker, Sawyer discovers that this isn’t the real Baron Strucker either, but a Life Model Decoy as well.

That’s when “Strucker” pulls out a detonator and is about to blow himself up and kill everyone around him. Sawyer bravely dives onto the Strucker LMD to shield his friends and takes the brunt of the explosion. Mortally wounded, Sawyer’s final words to Nick Fury are that he and his unit was the best he ever had the pleasure of commanding. Surprisingly, the LMD of Strucker is still active and refuses to believe that it is anything but the real Strucker.

Captain America and the Howlers are then forced to retreat from Hydra Island as the battle has compromised the facility causing it to sink into the ocean.

Two days after their hasty retreat, Captain America and the Howling Commandos pay their last respects to Sam Sawyer at Arlington Cemetery.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Hydra (Baron Strucker LMD), Howling Commandos (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Dino Manelli, Gabe Jones, Rebel Ralston, Happy Sam Sawyer, Izzy Cohen, Pinky Pinkerton)

Continuity Notes

1. The real Baron Strucker died when exposed to his own Death Spore Virus in Strange Tales #158. Captain America encountered Strucker shortly after in Captain America #130, but it was later revealed to be a robot created by the Machinesmith as seen in Captain America #247-248. As we’ll learn later this issue, this “Baron Strucker” is actually a malfunctioning Life Model Decoy. The real Strucker won’t be resurrected until Nick Fury, Agent of SHIELD (vol. 3) #28-29.

2. Here the excuse for not allowing the Howling Commandos to get involved is that they are old. Which raises the question how old are the Howlers when they have been active since World War II and don’t look that much older. As various individual profiles in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe explain, the Howlers have maintained their relative youth due to exposure to Nick Fury’s blood, I have a detailed listing of these profile entries in my summary of last issue. Fury himself has slowed his aging process by taking the Infinity Formula, see Marvel Spotlight #31. Dum Dum Dugan, on the other hand, has cheated the ravages of age because his body is in suspended animation and his mind is controlling a LMD duplicate of his body. See Original Sins #5 and New Avengers (vol. 4) #17.

Topical References

• The SAC Command plane is stated as being an old B-52 bomber. This should be considered topical even though the United States Air Force still uses the B-52, there will eventually come a time when the fleet is retired and replaced with something better because humanity is always finding new an inventive ways to murder large groups of people.

• At the end of the story we see the dates on Sam Sawyer’s tombstone stating he was born March 21, 1910 and died June 30, 1982. Since he is intrinsically tied to World War II, his date of birth should be accepted as factualy. However, his date of death — particularly the year — should be considered topical due to the Sliding Timescale.