Captain America #276
Turning Point
Captain America has broken up a riot between Neo-Nazi demonstrators and the protestors. As the police arrive on the scene, Captain America wants to make sure that both Sammy Bernstein — a Jewish counter-protestor — and Harry Todd — the leader of the Neo-Nazis — are held accountable for riling everyone up to the point of violence. Harry Todd pulls a gun and tries to shoot Captain America, but the Avenger is too fast and knocks him out. Sammy soon turns up to turn himself in, promising to Cap that he won’t let anger cloud his judgement again. Watching all this is Bernie Rosenthal, Sammy’s ex-wife and girlfriend to Steve Rogers. She calls Captain America over and after touching his face walks off without a word. However, Cap realizes that Bernie has figured out his secret identity.[1]
Meanwhile, at the offices of the Coalition for an Upstanding America, investors are meeting to discuss how to raise funds for their initiatives to return America to its old ideas. One of the men has come up with an advertising campaign that will use images of Captain America to help promote their cause.
Later that day, Steve Rogers returns to his Brooklyn apartment and almost turns to leave when Bernie comes racing out to talk to him. Bernie is surprised when Steve figured that her finding out his secret would be the end of their relationship he is surprised when she is actually in awe over the fact that she is dating an American legend. After assuring Steve that she and Sammy are only friend and that she is committed to him, their romantic moment is interrupted by Gail Runciter. The SHIELD agent tells Steve that there is trouble and Bernie tells him to get going, and that they can talk later.
Changing into Captain America, Steve meets with Nick Fury and Dum Dum Dugan. They playback security footage of the creature breaking out of SHIELD headquarters. Cap learns that the monster also freed the man-rat known as Vermin and kidnapped his old friend Arnie Roth and his boyfriend Michael in the process. Captain America is furious that Fury and his agents were unable to stop Arnie from being captured. However, the kidnappers left a note for Captain America to meet up to learn Arnie’s fate. Steve decides to go alone. However, when he meets with an yellow skinned humanoid and leaves in an aircraft, he doesn’t know that Fury has dispatched Gail and some other SHIELD agents to follow them.[2]
Captain America is flown to a castle on the other side of the Mexican border. Entering the castle he is suddenly ambushed by more yellow-skinned humanoids who come right out of the walls of the castle. This reveals to him who is responsible and charges into the next room.[3] There he finds himself in a lab where Arnie Roth has been contained in some kind of stasis tube. He is then confronted by Baron Zemo, Arnim Zola, Vermin and an army of mutates. Zemo tells the Captain that he is going to pay for besmirching the Zemo name.[4]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Baron Zemo, Primus, Vermin, SHIELD (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Gail Runciter), Bernie Rosenthal, Arnie Roth, Sammy Bernstein
Continuity Notes
Bernie came to the conclusion that Steve Rogers and Captain America are the same man last issue after the two made very similar speeches in the same day.
Gail makes reference to something called File 116. This is a dossier that SHIELD has on Arnim Zola, see Captain America #206-212.
Captain America deduces that Arnim Zola is responsible since the mad geneticist attacked him in a similar fashion back in Captain America #211-212. However, this is not Arnim Zola but his creation, Primus, in disguise as we’ll learn next issue.
This is Helmut Zemo, as we learn next issue, who has been trying to avenge the death of his father, Heinrich Zemo since Captain America #168. Heinrich died battling Captain America back in Avengers #15.
Topical References
SHIELD replays the capture of Arnie and Michael on a old film reel. This obsolete technology should be considered topical.
Baron Zemo states that this his family name has been besmirched for over forty years. This is in reference to the number of years since the end of World War II. This measurement of time should be considered topical. This is because the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time, increasing the number of years between the end of the war and the present day.
Snapping! Part 1
Sam Wilson has been running for a seat in congress. However, the Daily Bugle has published a front page story about his criminal past, much to his aggrivation.[1] His sister Sarah, girlfriend Leila Taylor, and his campaign manager Carol Davis try to get him to calm down. Unfortuantely, Sam is too angry to listen to any of them and storms out.
Leila and Carol don’t understand what’s going on so Sarah decides to fill them in. She explains how his brother was once a crook called “Snap” Wilson. Used as a pawn of the Red Skull, “Snap” had his entire personality changed by the Cosmic Cube in order to pose as the perfect sidekick for Captain America. This ploy worked until the Skull reactivated Snap’s personality. Although he reverted back to his old self, Snap helped Captain America defeat the Skull. He then stood trial for his crimes and he cleared of all charges.
Sarah explains that for a time Sam formed a third personality that was a mix of his two personas. However, when it is suggested that his “Snap” Wilson personality is starting to become dominant again, Sarah denies that her brother has other personalities.
On the street, Sam struggles with his own identity and figures that he has been stressed out ever since his cousin Jim was shot by a drug user recently.[2] Losing his temper again, Sam strikes a garbage can causing the lid to hurtle toward a woman and her child. Horrified by what he has done, Wilson then leaps out and knocks the trash can lid away. A janitor witnesses this and begins giving Sam trouble for putting the woman and her child in danger like that. Sam loses his temper again and is about to pummel the old man but stops himself before he crosses that line. Horrified by the terrible things he almost done, Sam wonders if he is losing his mind.
Recurring Characters
Sam Wilson, Sarah Wilson, Carol Davis, Leila Taylor
Continuity Notes
The central focus of this story is centered around Sam Wilson’s alleged past criminal career as “Snap” Wilson. This is quite a complicated story:
In Captain America #185-186, the Red Skull claimed to have used the Cosmic Cube to turn “Snap” Wilson into the ideal sidekick for Captain America to use as a sleeper agent when they first met back in issue #117.
Wilson even went to trail for his past crimes and was released on probation in Captain America #191.
Last issue, a reporter for the Daily Bugle brought up Sam’s past crimes as “Snap”, causing the mental rollercoaster he is on in this story.
Although his sister Sarah questions the validity of the “Snap” Wilson story here, she confirms that it did happen by recollecting the events that led up to Sam becoming “Snap” next issue.
That all said, in All-New Captain America #3, the Red Skull’s daughters claims that “Snap” Wilson was the fake identity that the Red Skull created using the Cosmic Cube as a way of sabotaging Sam’s life as he would always question who he really was.
This recent development puts it at odds with everyone else being able to recall Sam’s past life as “Snap” Wilson. Marvel has yet to explain this contradiction. I have a theory on this that I posit here.
The whole saga about Jim Wilson getting shot was chronicled in Captain America #270 & 272.
