Das Ende!

In Queens, New York, Jesse Black Crow has been drawn to his mirror by the voices of his ancestors.[1] His mind is filled with visions of Captain America and the Red Skull. He then sees the winding final scheme of the Red Skull, who intends to kill Captain America before he dies.[2] Suddenly, he feels the transformation coming upon him and Jesse transforms into a massive crow that takes flight.

Meanwhile, at Skull House, Captain America and Red Skull are fighting what could be their final battle. The Skull has injected Steve Rogers with a lethal poison that will kill him in just under an hour. Captain America refuses to surrender and continues fighting in the hopes that he can find the cure and survive. The Red Skull, however, tells him that there is no cure and that no matter what, both of them will die by the end of the battle.

Eventually, Captain America gives into his rage and begin pummeling his opponent. However, Steve gets ahold of himself and stops before he can kill the Red Skull. Regardless of how angry he is, Steve refuses to cross that line and take a life. The Skull is furious that he is being denied his destiny and pulls off his mask and tearfully demands that Captain America take his life. When he sees that Rogers isn’t going to do it, the Skull tries to call him a coward but starts having a stroke. Seeing that his time is coming, Steve Rogers stays by Johann Schmidt’s side to be there with him until the end. The Red Skull’s final action is to rake his claws against Steve’s face, drawing blood one last time before he dies.[3]

Back in New York, Julie Cox pleads with her husband to come out of his coma. When his heart monitor begins flat lining, Julie pleads with Dave to wake up because she is not prepared to raise their son alone. Miraculously, Julie’s prayers are answered when Dave finally wakes up and is back to normal. Nobody notices the black crow that is sitting by the window. As Dave hugs his wife the crow takes wing and flies off into the night sky.

Back at Skull House, Captain America carries the Red Skull out of the lab when the exit rematerializes. When he sees the rest of the building is still intact, Steve is relieved that the Skull was only bluffing when he claimed to blow up the entire building. However, the poison begins kicking in and Steve collapses to the ground. Moments later, Black Crow appears in the room. Checking the two men on the ground he confirms that the Red Skull is dead but rejoices when he discovers that Captain America is still alive. With no time to spare, the mystic quickly makes some medicine to heal Steve Rogers and casts a spell to revive him. He stabs Steve through the chest with his mystical spear. Rather than kill him, it causes Steve Rogers to witness the entire history of the United States, from its problematic past to its greatest moments. Black Crow tells Captain America that he is the representation of America’s present and will be the champion of its past and future, that his spirit is stronger than the poison coursing through his system. The Native American mystic is pleased when Steve Rogers refuses to surrender, telling Black Crow that he doesn’t know how.

Moments later, Nomad, the Falcon, Bernie Rosenthal, and Arnie Roth finally make their way outside Skull House. Worried about Steve, Nomad races in to go looking for him. He is surprised to see Steve alive and well. Picking up the Red Skull’s dead body, Steve tells Nomad that he is going to bury the past, for good.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Red Skull, Nomad, Falcon, Mother Superior, Baron Zemo, Black Crow, Bernie Rosenthal, Hate-Monger, Dave Cox, Julie Cox, Cody Cox

Continuity Notes

1. A footnote here reminds readers that Black Crow was last seen in Captain America #292.

2. The Red Skull’s scheme has been on going since issue #290. In a nut shell: The suspended animation treatment that the Red Skull was exposed to (circa Tales of Suspense #79) has begun to wear off causing him to rapidly age. He had set up a complex scheme to get his final revenge against Captain America.

3. This is not the end of the Red Skull, he manages to cheat death because Arnim Zola arranged for Schmidt’s mind to be transferred into a clone of Captain America’s body. This is all detailed in Captain America #350. The Skull will resurface around issue #321, working behind the scenes on a plot to discredit and destroy Steve Rogers.

Topical References

• This story states that World War II ended 40 years prior to this story. This should be considered a topical reference. The Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward in time, causing the length of time between it and the end of World War II to expand over time.