First Gleaming

The Cobra and Mister Hyde has renewed their partner ship and have attempted to rob the diamond exchange.[1] However, their attempt has been thwarted by Captain America who can deal with the pair quite easily with his new photonic shield.

Soon, Iron Man arrives on the scene to inform Cap that his original shield has been found. However, the supposedly indestructible weapon has shattered after being recovered from the ocean floor. This is a huge shock to Captain America and Iron Man promises that his “boss” Tony Stark will get to the bottom of it.[2]

Meanwhile, on Skull Island, the Red Skull has used the power of the Cosmic Cube to restore his body. This time however, he has internalized the Cosmic Cube making it impossible for him to be separated from him as it has in the past.[3] This transformation is witnessed by a man claiming to be Kang the Conqueror.[4] The time master explains how the Skull was infused with the Cube’s energy when his body was incinerated months earlier. He also tells the Skull the reason why he came to the past, sought the Skull out. He tells the Nazi how to can reach his full potential — that of a nascent god. With his work finished, Kang teleports away to watch his plan in motion.

Back in Brooklyn, Sharon Carter is showing off the newest functions added to Cap’s photonic shield. It can now take on the form of offensive weapons like a bo-staff and a bundi blade. She also says it can create a protective forcefield, but this will heavily drain the batteries. Steve is not overly enthusiastic because he’s wondering how his apparently indestructible shield suddenly became brittle enough to shatter. Deciding that he needs to get his mind off things, Sharon drags him out to a nearby law office as they have an appointment with the Ramirez family.

When they arrive, Luis thanks Steve for putting up his family up after they were evicted and that they now finally have a home to call their own again. This is thanks to their oldest son, Javier, who has been studying law in his spare time. He had discovered that their landlord illegally evicted. This allowed Steve to get a lawyer to see their case and help them get their home back. They also saw that Javier had a lot of potential and they were able to arrange for him to get a job at a law firm so he can help support his family. Javier, a boy of few words, thanks Steve for all his help as well.[5] It is also during this visit that they meet Connie Ferrari, the lawyer who runs the firm. She is pleased to meet Steve and thanks him for his kindness. The two are clearly attracted to one another and this leads to an bashful introduction. Sharon can see right through this and jealously yanks Steve out of the office.

The entire way back to Steve’s apartment Sharon mocks everything about Connie but denies that she is jealous. When they enter Steve’s apartment they are shocked to find the Watcher is waiting for them inside.[6] Without saying a word, Uatu points them to a door across the room. Inside, they find the Cosmic Cube empowered Red Skull waiting for them. With his new reality warping powers, the Skull subdues both Steve and Sharon. However, he refuses to face his arch-nemesis out of costume and wills his Captain America costume to appear. Breaking free, Cap tries blasting the Skull with his photonic shield’s blaster function but this doesn’t work. The Skull reveals that he hasn’t come to kill his old foe, but to tell him that he is going to remake the world in his own image and that soon Captain America will be his prisoner. The Red Skull then departs, telling Rogers to enjoy his final moments as they will not last.

Wanting answers, Captain America confronts the Watcher and demands that he explain what’s going on. Surprisingly, it is fairly easy to get Uatu to break his oath of non-interference. Uatu creates a time-bubble to give them a glimpse of the future that the Red Skull has in store for them.[7] It is a world where the entire population of the United States has been enslaved and ruled over by the Red Skull. Captain America is horrified to see people being herded through Washington, DC by slave drivers. He spots General Ulysses Chapman among the group and tries to get him to snap out of it, but it doesn’t work as the man he once know has been utterly defeated. When Cap asks what happened to the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, the Watcher takes them to the steps of the ruins of the Capitol Building, here his allies have all been crucified on the steps, Sharon is shocked to see herself among the dead.

When Captain America demands to know when this happened, Sharon answers the question for him. Finding a newspaper headline she discovers that this nightmare reality will happen in less than a day. Captain America can’t understand how the Red Skull has been able to make his perverted fantasies a reality. That’s when the Watcher drops a huge bombshell: The fault lies squarely on Captain America himself.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Red Skull, “Kang”, the “Watcher”, Sharon Carter, Javier Ramirez, Connie Ferrari, Alma Ramirez, Luis Ramirez, Cobra, Mister Hyde, Iron Man

Continuity Notes

1. Mister Hyde regrets renewing his partnership with the Cobra. The pair used to be partners in crime back in Journey into Mystery #105-106. However, the pair had been at odds for quite a while after Cobra broke out of prison and left his former partner to rot in Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #46. More recently the two made peace in Captain America #435-436.

2. There is kind of a lot going on with Captain America’s shield here. Here are the details:

   • Steve lost it in the middle of the ocean back in Captain America (vol. 3) #2. He has been using a photonic shield as a replacement since issue #9.

   • The weapon was eventually recovered by Jim Rhodes and his salvage company, but the shield shattered in the process as seen in Captain America (vol. 3) #13.

   • This should be impossible since, as revealed in Captain America #303, the shield was comprised of a unique fusion of Vibranium and Adamantium making it virtually indestructible.

   • The reason for the shield shattering is revealed in Captain America (vol. 3) #21. A few years earlier the weapon was broken by Doctor Doom when he had the power of the Beyonder in Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #11. Steve was able to fix the shield in the following issue. However a perfect fix as a single atom was not repaired properly. This caused the shield to deteriorate over time making it ultimately shatter. The shield will be returned to normal in Captain America (vol. 3) #22.

3. The Red Skull had his body atomized by an exploding Cosmic Cube back in Captain America #448. This left him in the form of a disembodied shadow until he was able to restore himself last issue. Internalizing the Cube this time was due to the fact that past attempts to wield its power ended when the Skull was separated from the weapon. See Tales of Suspense #79-81 and Captain America #115-118.

4. The man who appears to be Kang the Conqueror here is an impostor. He’s revealed to actually be Korvac in Captain America (vol. 3) #17.

5. The Ramirez family broke into Steve’s apartment for shelter in Captain America (vol. 3) #9 after it stood unoccupied for months. This was because the family were evicted from their previous home and had nowhere else to go. Learning of their plight, Steve allowed them to stay in his apartment until they could get back on their feet.

6. This isn’t the Watcher either, but Korvac in disguise again. As seen in Captain America (vol. 3) #17 (again).

7. Red Skull’s version of America would be considered an alternate reality since Captain America will prevent this future from happening by issue #17. However, as of this writing (August, 2022) Marvel has yet to assign an reality number to it.

Topical References

• “Kang” states that the year in the present day is 1998. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the date of publication.

• The “Watcher” states here that the population of the United States is two-hundred and seventy million people. This should be considered a topical reference relative to the date of publication as population numbers continue to grow. For example, as of January 1, 2022, the population of the United States was around three-hundred and thirty-three million people and that number will continue to grow.