Captain America #451
Man Without a Country Chapter Two: Plan “A”
Captain America, the United States’ greatest hero, has been charged with treason and exiled from his homeland.[1] Forced to move to London, Steve Rogers is now trying to clear his name and get his life back.[2] When Sharon Carter returns from a shopping trip, she finds Steve sitting on the floor of their hotel room depressed over what happened. She tells him that she bought him a new costume and some gear that’ll help him find the evidence needed to clear his name. Steve changes into a costume that is similar to his old Captain America uniform, only without the stars and stripes of the American flag. She also got him a device that will create an energy shield out of photonic energy. While he won’t be able to throw the weapon it will be able to protect him as well as his old one.
With his new gear, the former Captain America and Sharon Carter begin working out a plan to get to Moldavia where he intends to find out how the Machinesmith managed to get his hands on America’s plans for the Argus project. Little do either of them know that the Machinesmith has been keeping tabs on them and knows that they are coming. He has outfitted a number of mercenaries to give them a warm greeting when they come for a visit.
Using a fake passports, Steve and Sharon take a train into Moldavia. Along the way, Sharon confirms that the Machinesmith was present when the Red Skull revived him recently. Steve theorizes that the cyborg somehow managed to probe his mind.
Suddenly, their train is attacked by the Machinesmith’s minions as they cross the Moldavian border. Changing into his new costume, Steve helps Sharon fight off their attackers until they reach the destination where they were to bail out of the train. Along the border is an American Air Force base. Steve then lures their pursuers onto the base so they create a sufficient distraction. This allows Steve and Sharon to shake off their attackers, while also reducing their opposition as they steal a fighter jet and take to the air.
Steve then flies over Moldavia, goading the Machinesmith into trying to shoot them out of the sky with the Argus cannon. Despite his best flying, it is only a matter of time before the cannon gets a lock and shoots the fighter plane out of the sky.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Machinesmith, Sharon Cater, Red Skull (flashback)
Continuity Notes
There is a montage of images of Captain America at the beginning of this story that are taken from Avengers #4, Captain America #’s 113, 247, 287, and Marvel Fanfare #18.
Captain America was charged with treason last issue after it was learned that the Machinesmith somehow got access to information only Steve could have known. It’s revealed next issue that this was done via a mind probe done while the Red Skull was healing Captain America in issue #445.
Topical References
The fighter plane that Steve and Sharon steal is depicted as a McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. This should be considered a topical reference as these fighter jets are not as commonly used anymore. As of this writing (July, 2022) the remaining F-15 planes in the US Air Force will be sold off to other nations by 2026. The military is currently in the process of procuring F-35’s starting in the 2030s.
