Captain America #367

Jun 28

Jun 28 Captain America #367

Magnetic Repulsion

At Avengers Headquarters, Hank Pym and Fabian Stankowicz have successfully removed the Controller’s control disc from the back of the Sub-Mariner’s neck. Once awake, Namor lunges at them before regaining control of himself. After hearing how Captain America saved his life, the Atlantean monarch thanks the Avengers for their help. He tells them how he was previously approached by a mysterious man who was seeking to recruit him into a secret cabal of super-villains to attack the world’s heroes.[1] Since this man left a portal to their meeting place at the bottom of the ocean, Namor volunteers to go and investigate it further.

Meanwhile, at the Smith Building in Washington, DC, Crossbones is told that his employer the Red Skull, has asked not to be disturbed and he decides to work out to pass the time. In his office, the Skull is contemplating his situation with the prime movers of the Acts of Vengeance conspiracy. He views his fellow conspirators — the Kingpin, Doctor Doom, Mandarin, the Wizard, and especially Magneto — to be his inferiors and is plotting to betray them before they can do the same to him. However, before the Red Skull can come up with a plan, Magneto comes smashing in through the wall of his office. The mutant master of magnetism tells the Skull that they need to talk.

At that same moment, Captain America is en route to Washington, DC to look into the current Red Skull to find out his involvement in the current conspiracy and to confirm if he is the real deal, or a successor.[2]

Back at the Smith Building, Magneto uses his powers to repel both the Skull’s automated defenses and his armed guards. He has come to confront the Skull over his past connection to the Nazis during World War II. He reveals that his own parents were killed in the Nazi concentration camps and how he vowed to make anyone even remotely connected to them to pay.[3] The Red Skull tries to justify his Nazi past by saying that Adolf Hitler’s vision isn’t all that different to Magneto’s own regarding mutant supremacy. He points to the time that Magneto killed an entire crew of a submariner.[4] Magneto takes offense to this and when he moves in for the kill, the Red Skull dries to breath his dust of death into the mutant’s face. Luckily, Magneto’s protective forcefield keeps him safe. Impressed, the Skull erects a forcefield of his own around Magneto and then tries to escape through a secret elevator hidden behind a bookshelf.

It doesn’t take long for Magneto to break free, however as he attempts to pursue the Skull he is ambushed by the Controller. Magneto easily repels the attacker and follows the Skull down into the bowels of his hideout. Moments later, Captain America arrives and sees the Smith Building in shambles. Entering to find out what’s going on, he is then attacked by the Controller who has recovered from Magneto’s attack. Crossbones is also drawn into the office and decides against joining the fight since the Skull was furious with him the last time he tried messing with Captain America.[5] Captain America is able to hold his own against the Controller and ultimately defeats his foe by placing one of his control discs onto the villain’s forehead. This causes a feedback loop that incapacitates the Controller. With his opponent down, Captain America continues his search for the man claiming to be the Red Skull.

Down in the sub-basement, Magneto has fought his way through more of the Red Skull’s defenses which include the reactivated Fourth Sleeper and an army of Red Skull robots. He then catches up with the real Skull, who is trying to flee in an underground subway system. However, Magneto easily wrecks the tracks, causing the shuttle to crash.

By this time, the Sub-Mariner reaches the part of the ocean where he was first propositioned into joining the Acts of Vengeance conspiracy. Unfortunately, the magic door has been with drawn. He reports this to Captain America who has just reached the sub-basement of the Smith Building. There he discovers the wrecked robot and secret rail system. However, he can find no bodies and is left wondering what exactly happened down there.

Some time later, the Red Skull awakens inside an abandoned bomb shelter with Magneto standing over him. The master of magnetism has decided a suitable punishment for the Red Skull’s past crimes. Having removed the escape ladder, Magneto intends to leave the Red Skull stranded in the shelter with no light or food, just air and water, so he can experience some of what his people suffered in the Nazi death camps. His intention is to make the Red Skull wish Magneto had taken his life. With that, the master of magnetism leaves, sealing the Skull away in the darkness.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Red Skull, Magneto, Crossbones, Controller, Fourth Sleeper, Fabian Stankowicz, Henry Pym, Sub-Mariner

Continuity Notes

This mystery man is revealed to be Loki in Avengers West Coast #55. Namor was approached in Captain America #365. The reason is because Namor has often been at odds with the surface world dating back to his younger days in Marvel Comics #1. However, at the time of this story, Namor has had peaceful relations with the surface following the events of Prince Namor the Sub-Mariner #1-4.
At the time of this story Captain America believed the Red Skull died of old age in Captain America #300. Cap later encountered an apparent new Red Skull in Captain America #350, unaware of the fact that the original cheated death by having his mind transferred into a new body cloned from Cap’s DNA. He won’t learn the truth until issue #370.
Magneto’s history as a Holocaust survivor was chronicled in New Mutants #49, Classic X-Men #12, Excalibur (vol. 3) #7, and X-Men: Magneto Testament #1-5. Due to the Sliding Timescale it becomes increasingly difficult to explain how Magneto could have lived through World War II and still be alive in the Modern Age. I have a theory on that here.
That’s glossing over the fact that on top of sinking a Russian sub, Magneto also created an active volcano in the middle of a Russian city. See Uncanny X-Men #150. At the time of this story, Magneto was recently cleared of an war crimes in the World Court as seen in X-Men vs. the Avengers #1-4. The decision was that Magneto’s attack was in defense of the mutant nation in retaliation for the treatment of his people.
Crossbones is referring to his recent clash with Captain America in Madripoor. This happened in Captain America #363-364.

The Way of the Snake

The Cobra had tracked down his former partner Mister Hyde, who has been gunning for him since breaking out of prisoner. Afraid for his life, the Cobra intended to defeat Hyde so he wouldn’t have to live in fear.[1] Grabbed by the throat, the Cobra spat in Hyde’s mouth, revealing that his saliva was laced with lethal snake venom that only he has the cure. He tells Hyde that if he wants to live he will have to plead for his life.

Hyde lets the Cobra go and apparently suffering from the effects of the venom begins to plead with his former ally to provide the antidote. He forces Hyde to promise to stop coming after him before handing over the antidote. When hide drinks it, he instantly passes out. As it turns out, there was no venom at all, the Cobra bluffed his way out of a life-or-death situation and gave him a knock out drug instead. Pleased with the way he handled this encounter, the Cobra heads back to the Serpent Society headquarters, putting in a call to the Huston police to tip them off to Mister Hyde’s location.

The following day a meeting of the Serpent Society is called. Once everyone has gathered, the Cobra — entering the room in a brand new costume — tells the group that they are going to make the group the most feared and respected criminal organization in the world. Explaining that his new look is not unlike a snake when it sheds its skin, he tells his team that from this moment on he will be referred to as King Cobra.[2]

Recurring Characters

King Cobra, Mister Hyde, Serpent Society (Anaconda, Asp, Black Mamba, Black Racer, Boomslang, Bushmaster, Coachwhip, Cottonmouth, Coachwhip, Cottonmouth, Fer-De-Lance, Puff Adder, Rattler, Rock Python)

Continuity Notes

Cobra and Mister Hyde partnered together a few times early on in their careers. The first time being in Journey into Mystery #105. More recently, the Cobra refused to break Mister Hyde out of jail when he made an escape of his own back in Spectacular Spider-Man #46. Hyde has held a grudge and obsessively hatched plots to get revenge against his old partner as seen in Captain America #251-252, Amazing Spider-Man #231-232, and Spectacular Spider-Man #88-90.
Here, King Cobra states that he was put in charge of the Serpent Society by Sidewinder. Sidewinder was the founder of the Serpent Society in Captain America #310. This followed an attempted coup by Viper in Captain America #342-344. Sidewinder turned over control of the organization to Cobra. Those events will be revealed in Captain America Annual #10.