Captain America #339

Nov 5

Nov 5 Captain America #339

America the Scorched

Fall of the Mutants continues from Power Pack #35…

Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of Apocalypse, has been teleported to the American Midwest where she uses her powers to wither crops and kill livestock.[1] She takes perverse glee in decimating America’s breadbasket and the human lives that are slaughtered in the process.

Meanwhile, Steve Rogers has the same nightmare he has had for weeks. As Captain America he is standing before the Commission on Superhuman Activities when he is attacked by a massive bureaucrat who takes away his shield and costume with a single thought. As he tries to change into his new costume, his attacker tries to snare him in literal red tape. Struggling to get free he tears at his attackers face revealing that he is wearing a mask. Underneath is the President of the United States, but this is another mask as well. Tearing this second one away, Steve is horrified to see his own face looking right back at him. Telling Rogers that this is the one foe he cannot defeat, Steve is wakes up just as he is being smothered in red tape.[2]

When he wakes up, he finds himself safely on board the private jet hired by Demolition Man after their botched mission in Las Vegas. On board with him are also the Falcon, Nomad, and Vagabond who are all resting up after their last mission. Telling D-Man about his dream, he then debates the issue of their handling of the Serpent Squad and the Commission’s decision to strip him of his Captain America identity with the Falcon.[3] Regardless of what happened, Steve still believes he has made the right call in all of his recent troubles. That’s when their pilot hears what’s going on in the Midwest over the radio and tells his passengers. Wanting to stop the carnage, the Captain orders the pilot to change course.

Steve and his allies aren’t the only ones that hear about Famine’s attack. At Fort George M. Mead in Maryland, the new Captain America and Bucky are called into a briefing with the Commission. Along the way they bump into members of the Freedom Force. The former evil mutants are in a great mood because their old enemies the X-Men are apparently dead.[4] John and Lemar are briefed on the crisis going on in the Midwest and are told that they will be deployed immediately.

Military helicopters have arrived on the scene, but they are no match for Famine and her robotic steed. As she gloats over crashing the choppers, Famine is suddenly attacked by the Falcon and his bird, Redwing. While Famine is distracted, the Captain, D-Man, and Nomad all skydive out of the private jet. As they hurtle to the ground, they hope that Sam will be able to force Famine into the ground where they can fight her. The Falcon succeeds in this regard, but he falls victim to Famine’s powers and, once they are on the ground, he succumbs to rapid malnutrition. Luckily, Nomad manages to strike Famine with one of his stun discs, turning her attention away from the Falcon before her powers can wither him away to a lifeless husk. Before she can mount her robotic steed, D-Man leaps onto the mechanical horse instead and holds on tight so the robot can’t buck him off.

While the Captain checks to make sure Sam is ok, Nomad uses some dirty tactics to keep Famine off guard. Unfortunately, he too eventually falls victim to Famine’s powers. Realizing that he is naked without a shield, Steve rips off the front paneling of a nearby tractor to protect himself, vowing this is the last time he goes into battle without his trademark weapon. The improvised weapon works and the Captain is able to shield himself from Famine’s powers, allowing him to get close enough to tackle her and pin her to the ground. Hearing how she wants America to starve like she has, due to her eating disorder, Steve realizes that this mutant is mentally ill and needs help. However, before he can completely subdue her, Famine calls out to Apocalypse and is teleported away.[5] With the battle over, the Captain and D-Man take their comrades to the nearest hospital.

A few hours later, Captain America and Bucky arrive on the scene only to find the battle is long over, leaving them to wonder who stopped Famine.

In the two weeks following this battle, the Falcon and Nomad are treated for malnutrition and are expected to recover. while D-Man is sent back to Washington to recover their mobile headquarters, Steve pays a visit to his old friend Tony Stark in the Los Angeles headquarters of Stark Enterprises.[6] Steve explains how the government forced him to give up being Captain America and how he has been ill prepared in battle without a shield and asks Tony if he can fabricate a new one for him. Tony agrees and has his technicians make a new shield out of Adamantium. Although it’s not as good as his original weapon, Steve is impressed with how well it works.[7] Watching his old friend use his new weapon, Tony hopes that this will make Steve indebted to him enough that he won’t interfere with what he is planning on doing next.[8]

… Fall of the Mutants continues in Daredevil #252. This story continues in Iron Man #228.

Recurring Characters

The Captain, Captain America, Famine, Falcon, Nomad, Demolition Man, Vagabond, Bucky, Freedom Force (Avalanche, Blob, Pyro), Tony Stark, Redwing

Continuity Notes

Famine was teleported to the Midwest by her master, Apocalypse, in X-Factor #25.
This is actually foreshadowing the fact that the Red Skull is behind all of this, believe it or not. See Captain America #350.
The government gave Steve an ultimatum: Join the government or give up being Captain America. Steve chose the latter. His costume and shield were then given to John Walker, as seen in Captain America #332-333. This remains the status quo until issue #350.
This is in reference to Uncanny X-Men #225-226, where the X-Men and the Freedom Force worked together in Dallas, Texas to stop the Adversary from consuming the world in chaos. The X-Men seemingly sacrificed their lives, but they were resurrected moments later by Roma, the team of mutants used the reports of their “deaths” to their advantage so they could operate more covertly than ever before. See below for more details on the Chronology here.
Famine is brought back to the on-going battle in New York between the other Horsemen and X-Factor, as seen in X-Factor #26.
Cap and his crew left their vehicles in Washington when they rushed to Las Vegas by jet to stop the newest members of the Serpent Squad. See Captain America #337-338.
The difference between this shield and Captain America’s original weapon are slight. Per Captain America #303, the original shield is a synthesis of Vibranium and Adamantium, a process that happened by accident and has yet to be replicated.
At the time of this story, Tony Stark had discovered that his Iron Man technology had been replicated and being used to criminal ends. Deciding that nobody should have access to this technology he has been going about bricking all Iron Man tech used in other armor users both good and evil. See Iron Man #225-231. This story continues in issue #228 (erroneously stated as issue #238 at the end of this issue)

Topical References

The President of the United States is depicted as Ronald Reagan in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as Reagan’s administration ended in 1989 and he subsequently died in 2004.

Fall of the Mutants Chronology

Based on most reading orders, this issue of Captain America takes place before the events of Uncanny X-Men #225-227, which ends with the X-Men seemingly sacrificing their lives to save the world. That said, the Blob makes reference to the X-Men’s demise in this issue. The intent here is obvious: To get readers interested enough to pick up the issues of Uncanny X-Men that were part of the Fall of the Mutants event.

Chronologically speaking, one could assume that the events in this issue happen at different periods of time. The Captain and his allies must fight Famine around the time of X-Factor #25, while the scenes of Captain America and Bucky being briefed on the situation must happen some time later after the events of Uncanny X-Men #227. Which would explain why the battle with Famine is long over by the time John and Lemar arrive in the Midwest.

When you consider the fact that the head of the Commission is working for the Red Skull to tarnish Captain America’s legacy (per Captain America #350), the fact that they are so late in responding to this crisis makes a lot more sense.