Diverging

After saving the entire country from a literal plague, Captain America and Nomad visit their friend Dum Dum Dugan in the hospital. Dugan is recovering from a heart attack and has decided that at his age it might be time to retire. However, Nick Fury refuses to hear anything of the sort and promotes Dugan to Deputy Director of SHIELD. Dugan is so honored that it brings a tear to his eye.[1]

Fury is also impressed with how Nomad conducted himself in the field and offers him a chance to become an official SHIELD agent. Jack turns down the offer because he still feels like a man out of time and wants to make a name for himself as Nomad.[2]

While Captain America and Nomad go on patrol, Cap makes a point of saying that he is not looking for a new sidekick but will at least help Nomad climatize to the present day.

Their conversation is cut short when a woman cries for help from a nearby apartment. Rushing in, they discover that she and her three children are being threatened by her heavily intoxicated husband who is waving a gun around. Captain America and Nomad easily disarm the man, but the woman — Mary Beehan — begs them not to get the police involved, telling them that her husband — Tommy — is just upset after being unemployed so long. Nomad is surprised when Cap does just that and as they leave, Steve tells Jack that things are much more complex than they were back in the 1950s.

When Captain America and Nomad return to their shared apartment and change out of costume, Steve insists that they go downstairs to a party being thrown by his neighbors. Jack is reluctant to go, but Steve insists that socializing with people will help him fit into this new society. Jack hands back at Steve goes around with Bernie to talk to the other party goers. Things get a bit tense when Bernie’s ex-husband Sammy tries to put Steve in a headlock from behind as a joke. Steve reacts like he is being attacked and turns Sammy over on his ass. Realizing what he has done, Steve apologizes profusely. Meanwhile, Jack is struggling to mingle until Arnie Roth — Steve’s old childhood friend — introduces himself. Steve is pleased that the two are hitting it off since they could both use a friend.[3]

The party finally comes to an end around 3 am and Jack has passed out on Bernie’s couch. She and Steve then enjoy watching a late night showing of Yankee Doodle Dandy on TV. However, the broadcast is interrupted by a news bulletin of an armed stand-off at police at the same apartment building that where Cap and Nomad diffused the domestic dispute earlier that evening. Since Jack is fast asleep, Steve decides to deal with the situation on his own.

Meanwhile, Jeff Mace is in the final stages of terminal cancer and is calling out of Captain America. His doctor hears this plea and decides to try and find Captain America because least they can do for the man who was once the Patriot.[4]

By this time, Captain America has arrived at the scene of the tense stand-off between the police and Tommy Beehan who is threatening to murder his family. Captain America is given time to go up and convinces Tommy to surrender to police. When trying to convince Tommy to stand down, a sniper tries to take a shot at him. Cap deflects it with his shield and Tommy then decides it is better for him to kill himself. Luckily, Captain America disarms him and convinces him suicide is not the way because he has too much to live for, namely his family.

After the police take Tommy away, Steve Rogers returns to his apartment to find Bernie waiting for him outside. The entire situation with the Beehan family has made him wonder if he made the right decision. However, finally seeing how precious life is, Steve finally tells Bernie that he loves her.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Nomad, Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Falcon, Jeff Mace , Bernie Rosenthal, Josh Cooper, Mike Farrel, Arnie Roth, Sammy Bernstein

Continuity Notes

1. Dum Dum apparently suffered a heart attack in Captain America #283. However, this seems impossible due to the fact this is not Dugan’s real body but a sophisticated Life Model Decoy. It’s revealed years later that Dugan has been kept in suspended animation after an injury and his mind occupies LMDs in the real world. Nick Fury has kept this a secret from everyone, including Dugan himself. See Original Sins #5 and New Avengers (vol. 4) #17. Marvel has yet to explain this, but my theory (posited in more detail in my summary of Captain America #283) is that this heart attack is a fabrication to sell the lie.

2. Jack Munroe mentions how he was the Bucky of the 1950s and that he has been a man out of time after being kept in suspended animation for decades. For the full story on this, see Captain America #155 and 281.

3. This is a vague reference to the fact that Arnie suffered the loss of his boyfriend, Michael, who died in Captain America #279. How Arnie, a childhood friend of Steve Rogers, can still be alive in the Modern Age is becoming increasingly impossible due to the Sliding Timescale. Marvel has yet to explain. I have posited a theory in my summary of Captain America #270.

4. Jeff Mace was revealed to have cancer back in Captain America Annual #6. He’s another character whose mortality in the Modern Age becomes impossible to reconcile. Marvel has not explained this either. I posit in my summary for Annual #6 that he was pulled forward in time during his last encounter with Cap. Check it out.

Topical References

• The 1950s are said to have happened 30 years prior to this story. Captain America also states that the present day of this story is taking place in the 1980s. Both of these should be considered topical references. The Sliding Timescale continues to push the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time, thus none of the events of this story can be fixed to a static date. Meanwhile, the number of years between the 1950s and this story will continue to grow with the passage of time.

• The TV in Bernie’s apartment is depicted as a CRT television that needs an antenna to pick up a signal.

• The reference to Yankee Doodle Dandy in this story would not be considered topical. This is because it is referred to as a classic and used as a way for Steve and Bernie to bond over something. Since Steve’s pop culture knowledge is still very much set in the 1940s, this reference would need to be factual.