Captain America #388
The Superia Stratagem Part Two of Six: Deep Sixed!
While following Diamondback’s distress signal across the ocean, Captain America and his allies Paladin and John Jameson are ambushed by MODAM. Forced to eject from their crashing flagship, the trio finds themselves vulnerable as their ejection seats slowly parachute down to the water. With John Jameson knocked out by a mind blast, Cap dives into the ocean to make sure his pilot doesn’t drown when he lands. While his hands are full, Paladin manages to blast the converter-crystal off MODAM’s forehead, cutting off her ability to generate mental blasts. Swimming around behind the cyborg, he also puts a couple of shots into her hover-chair’s gyroscopes forcing her to retreat. By this time, Captain America has recovered John from the water and has deployed an inflatable raft.
About 15 nautical miles away, Diamondback and her allies are enjoying themselves with amenities of the S.S. Superia. They have discovered that everyone on board is a female super-villain, but they still have no idea why they have all been gathered together.[1] They are soon approached by a woman calling herself Impala who asks the three newcomers if they have signed up for the power pageant being held where the other passengers will show off their super-human powers. This conversation is interrupted when a loud altercation breaks out between Anaconda and Quicksand. Diamondback and her friends join the growing crowd to watch the brawl between the two.
Back out at sea, Paladin has recovered Captain America’s shield from the water and rejoins the Avenger and John Jameson on the inflatable raft. Cap tells him that he has contacted the Avengers and asked they send Quasar to help salvage their Flagship, but they have a few hours to kill before they are rescued. With nothing to keep them occupied, Paladin decides to pass the time by taking a nap.
Aboard the S.S. Superia, Black Mamba is trying to figure out who has gathered them all together. As she goes over the various female super-villains she knows, someone sneaks up being them and nabs Diamondback while nobody is looking.[2]
By this time, Captain America gets a call back from Peggy Carter, who tells him that Quasar is unavailable. Steve instructs her to send Sersi to look for him if he doesn’t turn up in an hour and then send the Vision to get them instead.[3] That’s when they are ambushed by Moonstone and Blackbird who have been dispatched to finish them off.[4] In the ensuing clash, a hole it punched in the life raft causing it to sink. When Paladin gets caught up in one of Blackbird’s snares, Cap tries to help him get free and is struck across the forehead by one of Moonstone’s beams causing him to black out.
Meanwhile, Rachel wakes up on a deserted part of the ship where she is confronted by an old foe, Sheoke Sanda, aka Snapdragon.[4] Sheoke wants to get revenge against Rachel for dishonoring her in the past. The two fight it out, but Snapdragon proves the better fighter. After knocking Rachel out, Sheoke takes her opponent outside and tosses her overboard.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Paladin, BAD Girls Inc. (Diamondback, Impala, Asp), John Jameson, MODAM, Anaconda, Quicksand, Moonstone, Blackbird, Snapdragon
Continuity Notes
It will be revealed in Captain America #391 that Superia is gathering the worlds strongest female super-humans together to protect them from a global sterilization plot. She is doing so in an effort to create the female dominant future that Thundra hales from. (Marvel Encyclopedia: Fantastic Four identifies this possible future as Reality-715)
Black Mamba mentions Thundra, noting that she had gone straight. Thundra came to the present day to find and defeat this era’s mightiest male. When she first arrived circa Fantastic Four #129 she joined up with the Wizard’s Frightful Four. However, she eventually reformed in issue #133 and became an ally of the Fantastic Four.
Quasar is unavailable because he’s busy preventing Maelstrom from destroying the universe. See Quasar #19-25.
A footnote here reminds readers that Captain America had just recently encountered Moonstone in Captain America #379.
Its revealed that Snapdragon and Diamondback both enlisted in Taskmaster’s training school and it is here that they developed their rivalry. See Captain America #403. How the two became enemies is never clearly explained as of this writing in July 2022.
Slaughterhouse
The Red Skull has ordered a training session with some of the Taskmaster’s new trainees. As per his instructions they all dress up as Captain America. After they are all suited up, they are instructed to attack the Red Skull without restraint and in any way they see fit.
When the Red Skull enters the room the sparring session begins. The Nazi is able to trounce his opponents thanks to the Super Soldier Serum coursing through his veins.[1] However, just as the last man goes down, there is a bright flash of light. When the room clears, security is shocked to discover that the Red Skull is now missing.[2]
Recurring Characters
Red Skull, Hauptman Deutschland
Continuity Notes
When his original body died of old age in Captain America #300, the Red Skull had his mind downloaded into a cloned body created using Captain America’s DNA, giving him all the benefits of the Super Soldier Serum. See Captain America #350 for details.
As we’ll learn next issue, the Red Skull has been captured by Hauptman Deutschland, who intends to extradite the Skull to Germany to stand trial for his past crimes.
