Power and the Glory Chapter One: Credibility Gap

Captain America’s war against Hydra continues unabated.[1] Tracking down a cell operating out of London, England, Cap attacks it with the help of Thor. As he takes down this operation, the commanding officer calls for help from the Paris branch. They, unfortunately, can’t answer the call because they have a problem of their own: they are being dismantled by Iron Man and the Scarlet Witch.

Once both operations have been shut down, Captain America singles out the commander and demands to know where their new leader is headquartered. This operative insists he doesn’t know, saying that the Sensational Hydra is operating a splinter group that broke off from the main organization. When SHIELD agents arrive to take the terrorists into custody, one of them turns out to be the Sensational Hydra in disguise. Killing the commanding officer, the Sensational One manages to evade capture himself.

Unaware of this, Captain America and Thor have returned to New York City. There, the pair duck into a nearby diner where they hope the can have a drink uninterrupted. Cap wants to talk about the problems he has had with his new found celebrity since they all came back following the Onslaught crisis.[2] This makes Thor recall how Steve once lifted Mjolnir and says that that is a great accolade than any measure of fame could ever bring.[3] He then tells Cap to lighten up, saying that his people — the Asgardians — are worshiped as gods by mortals all the time and he can take comfort in the attention as a testimony to his devotion to responsibility. Cap asks if this ever leads to arrogance, and the thunder god has to admit that he and his people often ponder this in their darker moments. Thor often wonders if mortals ever stop worshiping if he will cease to exist.

Later, the Sensational Hydra takes hostages on the observation deck of the Empire State Building and issues a challenge to Captain America to come and rescue them. Racing to the building, Cap grabs a “I ♥ Cap” button from a woman on the street. At the entrance, Gordon Winchester from “American Exclusive” magazine attempts to follow him inside. Steve tells him its not safe and tells him to remain outside. Going into the building, Cap tosses the button across the room to create a distraction for the Hydra agents guarding the elevators and takes them out. Ignoring his orders, Gordon Winchester follows Cap in and when reinforcements arrive, he is forced to yank Winchester into the stairwell. As he makes his way up to the observation deck, Captain America takes out Hydra agents while also answering Winchester’s questions about his newfound fame. Once again, Steve reiterates that he is uncomfortable about his new celebrity status.

Once they get up to the top of the stairs, “Winchester” reveals that he is actually the Sensational Hydra in disguise and orders his men to shoot. As Captain America fights off the Hydra agents the Sensational Hydra reveals that he’s actually a Skrull. Two other Skrulls have been posing as Hydra agents and when their leader reveals his true form they follow suit and kill the other Hydra operatives. The Sensational Hydra then restrains Cap in a device that is mailable and adaptable, as it is intended to counteract a Skrull’s natural shape-changing abilities. With Captain America incapacitated, the Sensational Hydra takes his shape and while his minions stash the real Captain America in a broom closet, the impostor parachutes to the ground below. The Skrull mastermind then addresses the media to tell them that the hostage situation is over and Hydra has been defeated. He then tells the crowd that with the American people fully behind him, nothing will stand in his way.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Hydra (Sensational Hydra), Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Scarlet Witch), SHIELD (Dum Dum Dugan)

Continuity Notes

1. Captain America declared war against Hydra back in issue #3.

2. Since returning in Captain America (vol. 3) #1, Steve has discovered that Captain America’s popularity has exploded. This is being manipulated by the Supreme Hydra, a Skrull operative, as part of a complex plot to destabilize the world and make it ripe for conquest. See Captain America (vol. 3) #5-7.

3. Captain America lifted Mjolnir for a hot minute back in Thor #390.

Topical References

• The TVs in this story are depicted as CRT models. This should be considered a topical reference as this is an obsolete technology.

• When making his hostage demands, the Sensational Hydra rhymes off the different plots that Captain America has foiled. He uses the phrase “you might remember me from…” which was a catchphrase of the character Tory McClure, a character from The Simpsons voiced by the late Phil Hartman. McClure, a washed up actor, would frequently introduce himself by reminding the audience of the various movies he appeared in — many of them were unflattering — The character appeared on the show from 1991 to 1998 until the untimely death of Hartman, after which the character was retired. Anyway, this reference should be considered topical.