Captain America #330
Night Shift
In order to escape a sealed room filling with gas, Captain America and Doctor Malus flee into the sewers. Here they are attacked by the failed experiments of the Power Broker’s strength augmentation treatments. As Captain America is swarmed by the mishappen creatures, Malus tries to hide for fear these monstrosities might recognize him. However, as he flees down one tunnel he ends up running into a werewolf.
Captain America, meanwhile, continues holding his own until he is rescued by the Shroud and his team of criminals, the Night Shift. The combined might of the Brothers Grimm, Gypsy Moth, Tatterdemalion, and the Needle easily fight off the creatures while the Shroud, Digger, Danse Macabre, and Tick Tock recover Malus. However, their teammate — the Werewolf by Night — is not easily controlled and he attacks Captain America as well, but Cap easily fights him off.
Needing to explain his situation to Captain America, the Shroud covers them in darkness so they can talk in private. The Shroud explains that, since their last encounter, he decided to fight crime from within by posing as a criminal. To this end, he formed the Night Shift, a criminal organization and has successfully fooled its members into attacking other criminals deemed a threat to their own criminal activities.[1] He convinces Captain America to go along with this charade and allow Danse Macabre to use her powers to enthrall him, with the Shroud promising he’ll make sure he remains safe. Sure enough, when Macabre puts on her hypnotic dance, the Shroud protects Captain America from its effects by using his darkforce powers to shield Cap’s eyes. Macabre also uses these powers to make Karl Malus reveal the true location of the Power Broker.
Malus leads them to an estate in the San Fernando Valley and after taking care of the guards, they storm the mansion. Inside, they force their way past more augmented henchmen until they get into the Power Broker’s bedroom. When the Broker activates an button that lowers his bed into an escape tunnel, Captain America leaps in after him. Getting a good look at the Power Broker, Cap recognizes him as Curtiss Jackson, the former leader of the west coast branch of the Corporation.[2] Cap forces Jackson to take him to where he has been keeping Demolition Man. Curtiss obliges and takes the Avenger down to a lab where they are experimenting on both D-Man and the captured Ms. Marvel. The Power Broker explains that while D-Man is being pumped full of more of the strength enhancing formula to test its upper limits, they are trying to strip Ms. Marvel of her powers.[3] Horrified by what Jackson is doing, Cap forces him to stop the process and goes into the sealed room to help free D-Man.
Although he knocked out the Power Broker before going inside, two of his loyal scientists enter the room and trap Captain America in the sealed chamber. That’s when D-Man wakes up and — driven mad by the experiments — begins attacking Captain America. Dennis is stronger than ever before and Cap’s efforts to try and get him to snap out of him aren’t work. Sooner or later, Cap is going to get tired and make a mistake and that’ll be the end of his life. However, D-Man suddenly suffers a heart attack from the strain on his body. Although this helps snap him out of his berserker rage, Dennis collapses to the ground and blacks out. Desperate to save his friend’s life, Captain America begins performing CPR.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Demolition Man, Night Shift (Shroud, Brothers Grimm, Gypsy Moth, Tick Tock, Digger, Werewolf by Night, Needle, Tatterdemalion), Curtiss Jackson, Karl Malus, Ms. Marvel
Continuity Notes
Captain America and the Shroud previously worked together in Super-Villain Team-Up #12, where the Shroud attempted the ambitious goal of trying to take down Doctor Doom. It didn’t work out.
Captain America first met Jackson back in Captain America #230.
Sharon Ventura hasn’t been seen since her brief appearance in West Coast Avengers (vol. 2) #10.
