Captain America #440
Taking AIM Part 1: Dawn’s Early Light
This story continues from Avengers #386…
Planning a siege on Boca Caliente, the island nation run by Advance Idea Mechanics, Captain America is seeking out allies to help him out. He pays a visit to his friend D-Man in the underground sanctuary of Zerotown. Dennis is flattered that Cap has come to ask but politely declines, saying that his main priority is looking after his adopted people.[1]
Meanwhile, the Falcon — seeking a cure for Captain America’s condition — seeks a Native American named Jesse Black Crow. Finding him at a basketball court in Brooklyn, Sam Wilson asks if Jesse is a healer like he had heard. However, Black Crow has no idea what he is talking about, saying that if he could heal the sick he’d do something about his useless legs.[2][3]
At that same moment, Free Spirit, Jack Flagg, and Fabian Stankewicz have gotten Arnie Roth to a hospital after he collapsed.[4] His bone cancer is in its final stage and Roth needs to be kept on life support. They tell him to continue holding on before heading off with Cap on their mission. They are picked up in a SHIELD craft where they are introduced to Director Nick Fury. Although he has to steer clear of Boca Caliente, Fury is there to run them through the mission before seeing Cap and the others off.[5] Fury tells them that the purpose of their mission is to learn the source of strange energy figures that are being picked up from the island and make sure that AIM are not trying to create a new Cosmic Cube.[6]
This is exactly what AIM has been up to and as they continue their experiments they experience unstable energy flare ups. In order to get these flares under control they send MODAM into the chamber. However, once she is inside she realizes that she cannot tame the energy and realizes that her masters have deemed her expendable. Moments later it is reported to Alessandro Brannex — AIM’s leader — that contact with MODAM has been lost.[7][8] With the energies still needing to be contained, Brannex orders that Operation: Headstart be put into motion immediately.[9]
Out at sea, Superia and Diamondback are observing the situation on Boca Caliente from a private yacht. They are waiting for Captain America to arrive so that Superia can try out her cure on him. In order to hide the fact that she is now working for Superia, Diamondback has disguised herself as her former enemy, Snapdragon.[10]
Meanwhile, Captain America and his allies arrive near the island. Cap, Falcon, Free Spirit, and Jack Flagg swim to shore using rebreathers to remain under water the entire way. Once they make it to land, they split up into two teams while Fabian Stankewycz goes around to the other side and creates a distraction with his army of robots.
At that same time, back in New York, the Avengers are holding a meeting. The Black Widow has become aware of another AIM facility in the Yukon giving off the same energy signatures as the facility in Boca Caliente. With Cap handling the situation there, the Avengers will be investigating the situation in Canada.[11]
Back on the island, Jack Flagg and Free Spirit arrive outside a security facility that is under guard.[12] However, before they can act the Red Skull appears out of nowhere and uses a suit of combat armor to seemingly kill the two guards and go inside. They decide to follow after the Nazi and take the AIM guards uniforms as disguises. In doing so they discover that they aren’t people, but some kind of sophisticated androids. As they turn their backs to go inside, the two androids — actually Adaptoids — assume the forms of the Rhino and Knockout and prepare to attack the two intruders.
Meanwhile, Captain America and the Falcon find the silo where the energy flare are coming from. Deciding to go in alone, Steve tells Sam to keep a look out. However, as Cap flies out to get a closer look another flare goes up, striking him. Briefly blinded by the sudden flash of light, the Falcon can find no trace of his friend once his vision finally clears and fears that Steve may have been vaporized.
While in the control room, AIM has picked up an approaching aircraft. This turns out to be the Avengers who are arriving after their mission to the Yukon. After what they saw out there, the Black Widow believes that the situation is dire enough that they need to storm the island right away.[13]
With the flare over for the time being, Falcon decides to go looking for some sign of Steve. He spots four AIM agents fighting each other on the ground and wonders why. However, he is spotted be one of them — another Adaptoid — who takes on the form of Killer Shrike to pursue after him.
Not far away, Captain America has survived his brush with the energy flare but was knocked out. His unconscious body is quickly is quickly found by Superia who injects him with her cure, telling him that it is a free sample before running for cover while the first dose begins to do its work.[14]
… This story continues in Avengers #387.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, AIM (MODAM, Super-Adaptoid), Red Skull, Superia, Falcon, Jack Flag, Free Spirit, Demolition Man, “Snapdragon”, Moonhunter, Arnie Roth, Fabian Stankowicz, Nick Fury, Night People, Black Crow, Avengers (Black Widow, Giant-Man, Quicksilver, Hercules, Crystal)
Continuity Notes
D-Man ended up in Zerotown back in Captain America #410 and became the Night People’s defender in issue #418.
Jesse Black Crow lost the use of his legs after a construction accident. He later became the host body for the spirit of Black Crow the embodiment of pre-colonial America. Black Crow fought Cap in Captain America #292. Finding him worthy to be the new spirit of America, Black Crow later helped the hero during one of his battles against the Red Skull in issues #299-300. The thing is, Jesse doesn’t know about his alter-ego.
Captain America’s health has been in decline since Captain America #425. His body became completely immobile last issue. Tony built Steve’s suit of armor in Iron Man #314. This health condition will persist until he is cured in Captain America #445.
Arnie was revealed to be dying of bone cancer back in Captain America #438. Here it is stated that Arnie is one of Cap’s oldest friends. As revealed in Captain America #270, Arnie and Steve grew up in the same neighborhood together back in the 1930s. How Arnie could survive into the modern age has yet to be explained as of this writing in July, 2022. I present a theory on this in my summary for issue #270.
Here, Fury says he has a “mess with Hydra and Kitty” to deal with. He is referring to Melanie Kraus, aka Kitty Drake, ex-wife of Hydra leader Karl Kraus. See Fury of SHIELD #1-4 for more on this.
AIM was responsible for creating the first Earthen Cosmic Cube back in Tales of Suspense #79. Over time, this Cube attained sentience and became the entity known as Kubik and left Earth to seek out the mysteries of the universe. See Captain America Annual #7.
MODAM’s body is seen again in Captain America (vol. 3) #3 in the possession of Hydra. Captain America: America’s Avenger #1 states she was inert at that time as opposed to being dead.
This isn’t the real Brannex but the Super-Adaptoid in disguise as we previously learned in Captain America #412-413.
This would be resurrecting MODOK, as we’ll see in Avengers #387. MODOK has been was killed when AIM hired the Serpent Society to take out a hit on him in Captain America #313. The reason why they want to bring MODOK back online is because he was integral to taming the first Cosmic Cube, as explained in Captain America Annual #7.
Superia convinced Rachel to work for her back in Captain America #433. This was to atone for the alleged murder of Superia’s bodguard, Snapdragon, whom Rachel seemingly drowned in issue #413. Snapdragon actually survived and will turn up again in Moon Knight (vol. 6) #4. Her profile in Captain America: America’s Avenger #1 states that she faked her death.
For more on the Avengers investigation into the Yukon Cosmic Cube facility see Avengers #386.
Here, Jack Flagg and Free Spirit make casual reference to the source of their super-human powers:
Jack brags about getting his powers after getting doused in some of Mister Hyde’s chemical experiments. This happened in Captain America #434.
Free Spirit states that her powers are her “natural female abelites”, which is not entirely accurate. She was exposed to an unidentified energy source by Superia in Captain America #431.
For the Avengers part on the attack on AIM Island see Avengers #387.
As we’ll see in Avengers #387, the affects of this so-called cure prove to be temporary.
Taking AIM Reading Order
Captain America #440 <— You Are Here