Captain America #323
Super-Patriot is Here
On Liberty Island, a new hero named Super Patriot makes his public debuted. The Statue of Liberty is under repairs, allowing the newcomer to put on an acrobatic and fireworks display. He then leaps into the bay and swims off before anyone can figure out what is going on.
Meanwhile, Captain America is flying home after his ordeals in Europe. His sky-cycle is intercepted by two unmarked aircraft. Assuming this is an attack, Cap smashes through one of the cockpits and discovers that they are actually SHIELD agents. When they say that they want to bring him in for a debrief on the ULTIMATUM affair, he agrees to go without issue.[1] He meets with SHIELD agent Jasper Sitwell. Sitwell tells him that the Swiss government is upset that Cap used lethal force on one of the terrorists and are contemplating putting him on trail since he was operating independently of law enforcement . Although Steve was forced to shoot the ULTIMATUM operative in order to save the lives of hostages, he feels horrible about it and wants to atone. However, Sitwell offers him an opportunity to sign up with SHIELD again, allowing them to fudge the date he rejoined and get him out of any potential trouble. Steve appreciates the offer but needs some time to think it over.
At that moment, Super-Patriot has just finished swimming to shore where a limo is waiting for him. Inside is his publicist Ethan Thorm, who believes that this publicity stunt will help boost attention for the big public rally scheduled for the following day. As they drive away from the pier, Ethan suggests they take a drive through one of the rougher neighborhoods in the area to see if there are any crimes for Super-Patriot to stop. However, when they spot a mugging in process, the Super-Patriot refuses to get involved because the crime is not glitzy enough to generate headlines.
Meanwhile, Steve Rogers returns to Avengers Mansion where Jarvis expresses his concern about how the media is portraying Captain America in light of the shooting in Europe. In the next room, the Black Knight and Hercules are having a toga party and invite Steve to join them and the ladies that have come over. Steve isn’t in the mood and heads back up to his room. He deeply misses his ex-girlfriend, Bernie Rosenthal, and wishes he could talk to her.[2] He considers phoning her but its already one in the morning and he assumes that she must be asleep. Little does he know that Bernie is actually wide away and worrying about him after reading the news of what happened in Europe. However, she decides that she needs to get her mind off Steve Rogers and agrees to go for a late night study session with one of her classmates.
The next day, Steve Rogers is walking the street trying to make up his mind about Jasper Sitwell’s offer. Rejoining SHIELD would require him to quit the Avengers and cancel his hotline, two things he is reluctant to give up. It’s then that one of the fliers about the Super-Patriot’s rally catches his eye and decides to check it out. Arriving at the rally, Steve hears as Super-Patriot boasts that he is a hero for modern America and criticizes Captain America’s recent activities and suggests to the audience that Cap is too old to represent them. Suddenly, the rally is attacked by three men wearing Captain America masks who call themselves Bold Urban Commandos, or BUCKIES for short. They have come to silence Super-Patriot for slandering Captain America and are willing to use violence to do it.
From the crowd, Steve struggles over getting involved as he fears that the other attendees will panic. However, he promised SHIELD that he wouldn’t appear in costume until the situation with the Swiss government is settled. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Steve begins making his way to the front stage to see if there something he can do to help. However, Super-Patriot easily defeats his attackers and turns them over by some police officers who conveniently arrive at the battle’s end. Watching the Buckies being taken away, Steve notices that they aren’t driving a police issue prisoner transport and realizes that the entire battle was staged as part of a publicity stunt.
Steve decides to get to the bottom of it and follows Super-Patriot and his manager to a posh midtown eatery. He sits down at their table and tells them that he is Captain America and that he is onto them. While he believes that Super-Patriot can say whatever he wants in a free society, he didn’t like the way he staged the battle because innocent people could have gotten hurt in the panic. He warns the Patriot to cut that shit out or else he will do everything in his power to expose him to the public. The Super-Patriot is unphased by Cap’s warning and looks forward to proving he is the better hero. Fearing that Captain America will ruin their publicity, Ethan sends the Buckies to attack Steve on the street.
Although the trio have the element of surprise and enhanced strength, Steve proves to be the better fighter and is able to defeat them without changing into Captain America. In the aftermath of the battle, Steve finally makes up his mind about what to do.
Later, Captain America holds a press conference where he accepts full responsibility for taking a life. He explains to the American people that he always avoids taking human life in battle and that the killing was an error in judgement and that he panicked while trying to save lives and promises to do better. He also refuses to hide from responsibility and agrees to go to Switzerland to stand trial if that’s what it takes to atone for his mistake. This announcement is watched by Super-Patriot and his agent who is impressed by Cap’s public relations skills. Still, Super-Patriot is undaunted and vows to prove that he better symbol of American patriotism.[3]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Super Patriot, BUCkies (Lemar Hoskins, Hector Lennox, Jerome Johnson, all identified), Jasper Sitwell, Black Knight, Hercules, Bernie Rosenthal, Edwin Jarvis, Ethan Thurm
Continuity Notes
Cap clashed with ULTIMATUM in Captain America #321-322.
Steve and Bernie dated from Captain America #248 through 317. They broke up because Bernie felt that their relationship was being sidelined by his duties as Captain America. She decided to attend law school out of state so she could focus on her studies without getting sucked into Steve’s life as Captain America.
The real names of the Super-Patriot and the Buckies are not given here. They are later identified as John Walker, Lamar Hoskins, Jerome Johnson, and Hector Lennox. These names are revealed in Captain America #327, 333, 334, and 347.
Topical References
In this story, the Statue of Liberty is being restored. This story was published around the time the iconic landmark was undergoing repairs in preparation for its centennial. Although this story doesn’t outright state that this is why the Lady Liberty is being restored, any implied reference to the 1986 restoration should be considered topical. Modern readers should assume this is an unrelated repair job. The Statue of Liberty gets damaged often enough due to battles between heroes and villains that this is not an outlandish idea.
