Captain America #442
Broad Stripes and Bright Stars
Blitzkreiger and his team Schutz Hiliegruppe have been sent to Buenos Aires to investigate the murders of local superhumans that have stumped authorities. Among the deceased include Captian Forza, Defensor, La Bandera, Machete, El Condor, Ojo Macabre, and Zona Rosa. The only clue they have are photographs of the deceased left at the scene of each crime, apparently by the killer after he stabbed them to death. Blitzkrieger’s investigation of the photos is interrupted by his teammate Zeitgeist who shows him another picture, shockingly it is of Blitzkrieger himself. Later that day, Vormund — formerly Hauptman Deutschland — finds Blitzkrieger dead.[1]
Meanwhile, in Brooklyn Heights, Captain America congratulates his new trainees — Free Spirit and Jack Flagg — for a job well done on their mission to AIM Island.[2] Cap is back to wearing his life-sustaining armor since the cure he was given has proven to be only a temporary measure.[3] Since he has no new missions lined up yet, he suggests that the pair enjoy some time off, telling them to meet back up in twelve hours and that he’ll call if there is some kind of emergency.
While on Manhattan Subway, Simon Halloway is begging for spare change. When he approaches Everyman, the vigilante hands him a photograph of his own death. Horrified by this sight, Simon is caught off guard when he is fatally stabbed by Everyman who accuses him of being the 1940s hero known as the Angel. Bleeding out, Simon tells Everyman that his brother Thomas was actually the Angel and he only filled in for his brother on occasion. Everyman knows this and assures him that he will be going after him next.[4]
At that same moment, Captain America is visiting his friend Arnie Roth at Tisch Hospital’s cancer ward.[5] Seeing Cap in his armor reminds Arnie about how they replaced the lead actor in The Whistler, an old radio show he used to listen to as a kid.[6] Steve understands what Arnie means, and seeing his friend is really tired tells him to get some rest.
When Steve returns to base, he is informed about the Halloway subway murder by Fabian Stankewicz. He tells him how Simon was found with an invitation to a party being held for golden age superheroes that is being thrown by Thomas Halloway in Palos Verdes, California. As it turns out, Steve had recently received the same invitation in the mail the other day. Intrigued, Rogers decides to go and check it out.
Meanwhile, Jack and Free Spirit are in Central Park where they are trying to come to terms with Captain America’s declining health. While Free Spirit is dealing with the fact that Cap is going to die soon, Jack refuses to accept it, thinking his hero will outlive them all. That’s when they hear a scream and go to check it out. Up ahead they find the anarchist known as Madcap has strapped a bomb to himself to blow himself up in another attempt to prove to the world that life is meaningless.
At that same time, Vormund and Zeitgeist are heading to California after receiving word that the killer is going to strike the gathering of golden age superheroes again. Vormund is anxious to avenge Blitzkrieg but is also unnerved how Zeitgeist’s costume keeps changing with his timeshifts. Zeitgeist insists that it cannot be helped and decides to shift out of phase until Vormund can get in a better mood.
Later that evening, Captain America parachutes into the middle of the party. There he is warmly greeted by a group of surviving wartime heroes including the Black Marvel, the Thunderer, and Captain Terror.[7] He tells the others that he isn’t here on a social call but to warn them that there is an assassin who might be targeting them all. That’s when Vormund appears in the balcony and claims responsibility. When Cap follows him up stairs, Vormund acts like he has no idea what is going on. That’s when an arm pops out of thin air and stabs Captain America in the back with a sword and then dumps a photo of his apparent dead body.
Back in Central Park, Jack Flagg grabs on to Madcap in an effort to stop him from detonating the bomb strapped to his chest. However, he doesn’t expect that the villain is tipple joined and is able to set the bomb off anyway. Miraculously neither Jack nor Madcap are seriously hurt. Madcap is disappointed to see that Jack has regenerative abilities like him. Regardless, Flagg didn’t appreciate getting blown up because it still hurt and looks forward to dumping Madcap in an aslyum somewhere.
At that same time, Vormund is accused of killing Captain America and is chased by the retired heroes. He fends them off with his forcefield. That’s when Captain America reappears alive and well and confronts the waiter who was spotted shifting out of time. With his true identity exposed, Zeitgeist tries to make his escape but runs into Vormund. The killer makes the mistake of trying to stab his former comrade but his forcefield causes the action to be reflected back at him, killing Zeitgeist in the process. Cap explains that he was able to survive getting stabbed in the back because perforating his armor triggers a spray of Pym Particles that shrank part of Zeitgeist’s sword. Getting a closer look at the killer, Cap actually recognizes him as Everyman, one of his old foes.[8] He explains that Everyman’s motivation for killing was that believed that the existence of superheroes made a mockery of ordinary human beings and therefor needed to be eradicated.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Jack Flag, Free Spirit, Arnie Roth, Fabian Stankowicz, Schutz Hiliegruppe (Zeitgeist, Vormund, Blitzkrieg), Simon Halloway, Daniel Lyons, Dan Kane, Jerry Carstairs
Continuity Notes
As of this writing in July, 2022, all of the listed characters have remained among the deceased. Captain Forza was seen getting murdered in Alpha Flight #78.
Jack Flagg and Free Spirit assisted Cap’s assault on AIM island was chronicled during the Taking AIM story arc. See Avengers #386-388 and Captain America #440-441.
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. He was injected with a potential cure during Taking AIM but the effects were only temporary. He won’t get cured until getting a full blood and bone marrow transfusion from the Red Skull in Captain America #445.
The facts about the 1940s Angel are a little muddy at the time of this story and have been properly explained elsewhere. The details:
The original Angel was Thomas Halloway who became a crime fighter in 1939, as seen in Marvel Comics #1. Marvels Project #1 reveals he was inspired by stories about the future told to him by the aging Two-Gun Kid and the appearance of the original Human Torch.
Its later explained in the Angel profile provided in Marvel Mystery Handbook 70th Anniversary Special #1 that being exposed to an electrical shock prior to his becoming the Angel caused a mutative effect that caused Halloway to age much slower, hence how he could still be alive in the Modern Age.
Simon Halloway first appeared in Marvel Super-Heroes (vol. 2) #7. The intention was that he was supposed to be the original Angel.
However this story establishes that he was Thomas’ brother instead. When exactly Simon operated as the Angel is never clearly explained. Also unexplained his how Simon could survive into the Modern Age. See below for more on this.
As of this writing, Simon Halloway remains among the deceased.
Arnie revealed that he was suffering from terminal bone cancer in Captain America #438. He collapsed in the following issue and was rushed to the hospital.
As explained in Captain America #270, Arnie is an old childhood friend of Steve Rogers. How he managed to survive this long is also unexplained. I posit a theory in my summary of issue #270, check it out.
About these old timey super-heroes:
The Black Marvel, aka Daniel Lyons, made his debut in Mystic Comics #5. Here he states he met Captain America back in 1942, this was first documented in Marvels #1. Lyons retired in shame after failing to save people trapped in a burning hotel, as revealed in Slingers #1. How he has managed to survive into the Modern Age is, as yet, unexplained.
The Thunderer, aka Jerry Carstairs, made his first appearance back in Daring Mystery Comics #7. When he retired remains undocumented. Not has his longevity into the Modern Age been properly explained. He’s up to something at least as, when we see him again in Ant-Man: Last Days #1, Scott Lang heard that Jerry had died.
Captain Terror, aka Dan Kane, got his start in USA Comics #2. Another normal guy with no powers, it is also no explained how he survived into the Modern Age either. See below for some possible explanations.
Captain America had previously fought Everyman, aka Larry Ekler, in Captain America #267. In the letter pages of this issue it is explained that Ekler’s transition from Everyman into Zeitgeist happened after his appearance in Marvel Team-Up #132. He ended up being manipulated by Doctor Faustus into becoming a hero killer. As of this writing, Ekler still remains among the deceased.
Topical References
In this story, Everyman takes photos of his victims with a camera film camera that was commonly found in the 1990s. This should be considered a topical reference as these types of camera have since become obsolete.
This story states that it has been 50 years since the end of World War II. This measurement of time should be considered topical relative to the date of publication. The Modern Age of the Marvel Universe operates on a Sliding Timescale and as such the length of time between the end of World War II and the beginning of the Modern Age will continue to grow over time.
Likewise, the date on Steve’s invitation to the V-Day celebration is dated June 17, 1995. The year in question should be considered topical as it is relative to the date of publication.
After blowing himself up, Madcap shouts “Smokin’!”, this was a catchphrase used by Jim Carrey’s character, Stanley Ipkiss, in the 1994 film adaptation of The Mask. People incessantly quoted the one-liners from this movie for a few years after the movie came out. This should be considered a topical reference because people don’t say that stupid shit anymore.
Theories: Golden Age Characters Surviving in to the Modern Age
This story features a lot of Golden Age characters that appeared in Timely Comics in the 1940s. When this comic book was published in 1995, someone surviving World War II could reasonably be accepted as still being alive. However, as the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age forward in time the length of time between the end of World War II and the start of Marvel’s “Present Day” continues to increase. As such, it becomes increasingly improbably if not impossible for someone who was alive during World War II to still be alive today. As I write this in 2022, World War II ended 77 years ago, making anyone putting anyone who was “fighting age” (19+) during the war puts them between 96 and 102 years old by todays standard.
Usually, Marvel comes up with an explanation to explain how characters have survived into the present day and still remain relatively young. Captain America and the Red Skull were in suspended animation, Nick Fury had the Infinity Formula, Wolverine and Sabretooth have healing factors that prevent aging, Kraven uses secret herbs and spices to stay delicious, the list goes on.
However, when it comes to their Timely legacy characters, these types of explanations are far and few between. As you read above, the only character whose longevity is ever explained is Thomas Halloway, the original Angel.
So how do you explain guys like Simon Halloway (the 2nd Angel), Daniel Lyons (Black Marvel), Jerry Carstairs (the Thunderer), and Dan Kane (Captain Terror)? All available reference material states that these guys — at least during their crime fighting careers — were ordinary humans. They were just normal guys in costumes. But it doesn’t take much to find a way to No Prize yourself a theory on how they could still be alive.
In the profile for the original Angel (Thomas Halloway) in Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A-Z #1, it is explained that he was exposed to electricity saving a man from the electric chair and that zap somehow triggered a mutation in his body that made him age slower than most. Kind of silly, but it is what it is. Since Simon Halloway is related to Thomas, perhaps this condition is hereditary. Perhaps Simon had just as much bad luck with electricity or experienced some other thing that trigged a similar mutation. Not impossible.
You don’t have something so convenient with the other guys. The only real encounter with the paranormal that these three have been collectively been exposed to was the Cosmic Cube when the Red Skull used it to alter the course of World War II in Avengers/Invaders #1-12. The Cosmic Cube is known to grant the wishes of others. The story ended with Paul Anselm used the Cube to restore everything to normal, perhaps he did something that made these three characters age slower than most people.
This could explain how Captain Terror lived on until he died a few years later in Avengers (vol. 5) #5.
As for the Thunderer, he is later seen in Ant-Man: Last Days #1 at Valhalla Villas, a retirement home for Golden Age heroes and villains. A gathering of that many aging costumed crime fighters suggests that perhaps someone there had access to something as well.
