Captain America #441
Taking AIM Part 3: Through Perilous Flight
This story continues from Avengers #387…
Captain America has been sent to Boca Caliente — the island nation run by Advance Idea Mechanics — to investigate strange energy flares, signs that they are trying to recreate the Cosmic Cube.[1] Upon his arrival, he has discovered that this is indeed the case and that the unstable energies are starting to grant people’s wishes. Now allied with an adult version of Bucky,[2] Cap has been confronted by MODOK, who has been resurrected by AIM to try and get the power source under control.[3] As if there was any more proof needed that this was not the real Bucky, MODOK proves it by blasting a hole through his chest and he survives. Eventually, the pair are blasted over the side of the cliff. Luckily, the Falcon happens to be flying by and he rescues Cap. Steve explains that he is out of his armor after receiving an injection of something that has seemingly cured him.[4] They look for Bucky, but they find no trace of him anywhere.
Elsewhere, Jack Flagg and Free Spirit have been taken prisoner and brought into the AIM nerve center. Although believed to be unconscious, the AIM Adaptoids are unaware that that their captives have been playing possum and are getting ready for an ambush. That’s when Alessandro Brannex — AIM’s leader — comes in and expresses his displeasure over the prisoners being brought into their nerve center.[5] Seeing all the super-humans invading his island, he orders his men to deal with them after eliminating their prisoners.
Meanwhile, Superia and Snapdragon are run into some AIM soldiers in the jungle. However, rather than engaging them in battle, Superia uses a damping disc to deactivate them since she knows they are all Adaptoids. Elsewhere, MODOK has determined that the energy flares are starting to cause the Adaptoids closest to it to go berserk. Blasting them out of the way, the cyborg then flies into the latest energy flare hoping to get the situation back under control.
On yet another part of the island, Black Widow and Hercules are searching for Captain America in order to help him shut things down. It is here they are confronted by constructs based on past lovers. In the case of the Black Widow, it is her ex-husband Alexi Shostokov, aka Red Guardian,[6] while Hercules is visited by the image of his recently departed lover Taylor Madison.[7]
Back in the control room, Alessandra Brannex is ambushed by the Red Skull who attempts to kill him. However, this isn’t even Brannex at all, as he had been killed some time ago and replaced with the Super-Adaptoid.
Meanwhile, Captain America and the Falcon are trying to make their way to the source of the energy flares and shut it down. However, before they can make it Captain America collapses to the ground as his body begins to seize up. As it turns out, Superia’s cure wasn’t permanent and Steve needs to get back into his armor before he suffers a fatal heart attack.
Soon, the energy flares begin to grow, with small spikes of energy beginning to shoot out of the ground all over the place. Some of them take out the guards dealing with Jack Flagg and Free Spirit. While the Red Guardian construct sacrifices his “life” to save the Black Widow from another.
At that same moment, Falcon flies to the surface carrying Cap, but is attacked by two Adaptoids taking on the forms of the Beetle and Dragonfly. This is spotted by Jack Flagg, Free Spirit, Superia, and Snapdragon who all race to the scene. Unaware that Snapdragon is actually Diamondback, Cap’s ex-girlfriend, Free Spirit attacks her.[8] However, Rachel is much more skilled since she has received training from both Captain America and Crossbones in the past.[9] Superia then offers to give Captain America another injection of her formula but says he will owe her a favor. Before he can answer another flare of energy rips out of the ground and strikes Cap. However, rather than kill him, it causes a white flash of light. Once it is gone, Cap finds himself back in his armor. He then flies back into the central flare to try and stop it. Inside, he finds an incapacitate MODOK who pleads for assistance.
… This story concludes in Avengers #388.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Falcon, AIM (MODOK, Super-Adaptoid), Red Skull, “Snapdragon”, Moonhunter, Fabian Stankowicz, Superia, Black Widow, Hercules
Continuity Notes
AIM created the first Earthen Cosmic Cube back in Tales of Suspense #79. Eventually, the Cube itself became a sentient being called Kubik who later left Earth in Captain America Annual #7 to learn the secrets of the universe.
At the time of this story everyone believes Bucky died way back in 1945, as seen in Avengers #4. In reality, he survived, something Cap won’t learn until many years later in Captain America (vol. 5) #14.
MODOK was killed back in Captain America #313 when AIM hired the Serpent Society to put a hit out on him. He was resurrected in Avengers #387 because he was instrumental in taming the first Cosmic Cube as explained in Captain America Annual #7.
Captain America’s health has been in decline since Captain America #425, forcing him to wear a suit of armor to keep himself alive since Iron Man #313. Last issue, Steve was injected with a potential cure developed by Superia. As we’ll learn later this issue, the effects are only temporary. He won’t get cured until getting a full blood and bone marrow transfusion from the Red Skull in Captain America #445.
As we learned in Captain America #412-413, this is not the real Alessandro Brannex, but the Super-Adaptoid in disguise.
At the time of this story, Alexi was believed to have died battling the Avengers way back in Avengers #43-44. However, he survived and will turn up alive again in Daredevil (vol. 2) #61-64.
Hercules met and fell in love with Taylor Madison at first sight in Avengers #349, unaware that he was caught up in a complex plot to catch his step-mother Hera breaking the rules that no Olympian mess around on Earth. See, she tried to break Hercules’ heart by making him fall in love with a mortal woman who was terminally ill. In reality, Taylor was actually a mystical construct created by Zeus to catch his wife in the act. Once the magic was all used up she cased to exist, as seen in Avengers #384.
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.
Diamondback was already a pretty formidable fighter to begin with, having gone through the Taskmaster’s school years ago, as seen in Captain America #403. From there she got fighting experience in the Serpent Society from Captain America #310-344. She was kidnapped and trained by Crossbones in Captain America #396-405. She has been training with Cap since they started dating in Captain America #371.
