Captain America #285
Letting Go
Captain America is racing down the street for an important duty. So determined is he to get to where he is going, he doesn’t break from his goal when stopping a robbery in progress. Watching him go from the rooftops is Nomad, who chastises himself for following Captain America around like a lost puppy. However, after being freed from suspended animation for decades, Jack Monroe has struggled to find a place in this present day and Captain America is his only link with the past.[1] That’s when he notices a strange flying drone heading toward the building Captain America entered and decides to follow it.
Inside the building, Cap meets with a doctor who is overseeing the end of life care of Jeff Mace. Mace has been calling out to see Captain America one last time before he dies. Cap recalls how Jeff was the World War II hero known as the Patriot, until the late 40s when he took over the mantle of Captain America when Steve Rogers was missing in action and presumed dead. He also recalls how he and Mace fought along side other Captain Americas pulled from time by Mister Budda to help liberate an alternate reality from the rule of Adam II.[2] Since it is not yet Mace’s time to die, Cap gives the doctor his contact information and tells him to call when he is needed.
Meanwhile, Nomad has followed the drone back to a boarded up building in Brooklyn. There, Alex Gentry has just finished his new Porcupine armor. He then contacts the leader of the Secret Empire and arranges to sell the designs to them for their armies. However, Gentry insists on using his new costume to defeat Captain America first, proving its value. After testing the suit on a robotic duplicates of Captain America, the Porcupine is ambushed by Nomad. Unfortunately, Gentry’s new armor is more powerful than expected and Nomad is quickly knocked out.
By this time, Steve Rogers has returned to his apartment to have a romantic evening with his girlfriend, Bernie Rosenthal. Unfortunately, the evening is interrupted when their neighbors — Mike Farrel and Josh Cooper — show up with some pizzas. They invite the pair in and have a good time until Steve receives a call from Jeff Mace’s doctor. He grimly tells Bernie he has to go and races off to change into Captain America so he can be there for Mace in his final moments.
However, along the way, Captain America is ambushed by the Porcupine who reveals that he also has Nomad as his hostage. Unable to leave Jack in danger, Captain America is forced to stop and deal with the villain. Captain America manages to pull Nomad away but is stuck on the defensive against the Porcupine. This is until Jack finally wakes up and distracts Gentry long enough for Steve to slam his shield into Porcupine’s face and knock him out. With no time to waste, Captain America leaves Porcupine with Nomad as he races over to Jeff Mace’s apartment. Jeff is glad that Captain America can be there for his final moments. At peace, Jeff knows that he has dear friends waiting for him on the other side and passes away peacefully in his bed.[3] After Mace is gone, Captain America gives a solute and says goodbye to the brave soldier.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Procupine, Nomad, Bernie Rosenthal, Mike Farrel, Josh Cooper, Jeff Mace, Edwin Jarvis, Secret Empire
Continuity Notes
Nomad recounts how he was the Bucky of the 1950s. His origins were explored in both Captain America #155 and 281.
Captain America runs down Jeff Mace’s history as a costumed superhero:
Jeff Mace was originally the Patriot, a role he first took on in Human Torch Comics #4. Here, Steve states that Jeff was inspired by Captain America. This is explored in much more detail in Captain America: Patriot #1-4.
Steve Rogers went MIA and was presumed dead in 1945. In reality, he ended up in suspended animation only to be revived in the present day. See Avengers #4.
After Steve’s disappearance William Nasland — aka the Spirit of ‘76 — took over the mantle of Captain America. While on a mission with the Invaders/All-Winners Squad, Nasland was killed by the androids of Adam II, prompting Jeff Mace to succeed him as the next Captain America, as seen in What If? #4.
More recently Jeff Mace fought along side the three other Captain America’s thanks to the machinations of Mister Budda — aka the Contemplator — in Captain America Annual #6.
How Jeff Mace can still be alive in the Modern Age is unexplained but becomes increasingly impossible due to the Sliding Timescale. I have posited a theory that Mace was pulled forward in time by the Contemplator. For a more detailed explanation on that theory see my summary for Annual #6
When Mace says that he will be greeted by good friends in the afterlife, the panel shows a number of wartime era heroes who, at least at the time of this story, were dead or believed to be so:
The flaming character is probably supposed to be either the Human Torch or his partner Toro.
The Torch, however, was not dead — at least not technically — at the time of this story. Per Avengers #134-135, his body was used to create the Vision. However, Avengers Forever #8 reveals that he was split in two chronal duplicates. One Torch went on to become the Vision while the other one was buried circa Sub-Mariner #14. That Torch will be revived in Avengers West Coast #50.
Toro, on the other hand, is for sure dead at the time of this story. He died in the aforementioned Sub-Mariner #14. He will be resurrected sometime later by the Cosmic Cube in Avengers/Invaders #12.
The next person pictured is Bucky, although it is not clear which version of the character it is:
The original Bucky, James Barnes, was believed to have died in the same explosion that put Steve Rogers in suspended animation circa Avengers #4. He survived however, and was transformed by the Russians into the assassin known as the Winter Soldier. Steve won’t learn the truth until Captain America (vol. 5) #14.
The next Bucky is Fred Davis, Jr. Davis took over as Bucky in What If? #4 when William Nasland took over as Captain America. He is actually still alive and will outlive Mace until his death years later in Winter Soldier #6.
The less ambiguous characters are the Whizzer and Miss America, the power couple of World War II era heroes. Miss America died giving birth to the Whizzer’s twin children as detailed in Giant-Size Avengers #1. The Whizzer lived well into the modern age until he died in battle circa Vision and the Scarlet Witch #2.
Topical References
Nomad states that he has been in suspended animation for 30 years and that it is currently the year 1984. Both of these should be considered topical references. The Sliding Timescale constantly pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time so no one instance is tied to a static date. As a result, the years between the 1950s and the present also expands.
