Hidden Paths

Captain America and Sharon Carter have just foiled Count Nefaria’s plot to transform Savage Land dinosaurs into ionic batters to power himself.[1] However, Sharon has had her fill and as decided to get out of there as soon as possible. While trying to secure a ship, Sharon clashes with the humanoid dinosaurs created by Nefaria. Unfortunately, there are too many for her to handle all at once. However, she is annoyed when Captain America, Matthew Plunder, and Zabu arrive to rescue her. Cap and Sharon trade barbs as feelings are still raw after Carter ghosted on Steve after he admitted that he still loved her.[2]

With the dino-warriors dealt with, Sharon presses onward, not wanting to talk about anything. That’s when Matthew asks them to slow down as he is incredibly winded after the battle. Removing his helmet, both Steve and Sharon are shocked to see that Matthew is rapidly aging just like his parents did and is now an old man.[3] However, before the pair can help Matthew in any way he dies of old age in a matter of moments. Sharon wants to press on and learn Nefaria’s secrets, and Steve is annoyed that she is being so cold and emotionless about things. When he confronts her about his feelings for her, she points out that how she feels aren’t dictated by his wants. She then tells Steve to open the door blocking their path or she’ll do it. Annoyed, Steve does as he is told, using his shield to pry the metal doors open.

Inside, they find a room full of stasis chambers filled with people of the Savage Land. They are surprised to see Ka-Zar, his wife Shanna the She-Devil, and their son Matthew among them, and at their proper ages. After releasing everyone, Ka-Zar and Shanna thank Cap and Sharon for their help. They explain that the older versions of themselves that they encountered were actually clones created by Nefaria’s ghastly experiments. With the villain defeated and behind bars, Ka-Zar asks Cap to leave him behind to face Savage Land justice for his crimes.[4] Steve and Sharon are invited to stay and have a vacation in the Savage Land, but Steve says it’ll have to wait for another time.

The two then begin their trek back to civilization, Steve tries to bring up their relationship again. Sharon can’t believe that Steve can’t figure out why they won’t work. When he admits he has no idea, she points out that she’s a SHIELD agent and he’s Captain-fucking-America and Steve’s idea of an idyllic romance is impossible because of the lives hey lead. She prefers to be alone because it makes her life uncomplicated. Pulling off his mask, Steve says that he is the most uncomplicated person there is. Sharon disagrees and asks Steve what he really wants from her. Surprisingly, he can’t think of anything to say. She can empathize with the fact that Steve feel lonely, but she points out that it’s because he is a man out of time, everyone from his old life are dead and gone.[5] When Steve asks her why she is so afraid to love him, their conversation is interrupted when Nick Fury arrives in a ship to pick them up.

That evening, back in New York, Connie Ferrari is waiting at a fancy restaurant for a Valentine’s Day date with Steve Rogers. He is late and she is beginning to think he stood her up again. However, Steve arrives just before she is ready to pay her bill and leave. Her mood instantly changes when they start playing a Glenn Miller song that Steve likes and he asks her to dance. Connie is surprised to learn that Steve loves old music and the two bond over their mutual interest mid-20th century pop-culture, especially their love of the Midnight Racer radio show.

Outside, the date is being observed by Sharon Carter, who is then approached by Nick Fury. Fury tells her that he is going on a secret mission and is appointing her as the new director of SHIELD while he is away. Sharon is surprised that he didn’t pick his old friend Dum Dum Dugan, however, on this recent mission Fury is convinced that Sharon is the best for the job and wishes her luck.[6]

Elsewhere, AIM is running one final test with their newest mercenary, Protocide. A recipient of the same Super Soldier Serum that created Captain America, the brainwashed soldier is able to destroy a trio of battle droids wit his bare hands.[7] This convinces the rogue scientists that their operative is ready to head into the field and eliminate Captain America.

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Sharon Carter, Matthew Plunder (clone), Ka-Zar, Shanna the She-Devil, Matthew Plunder, Zabu, Count Nefaria, Nick Fury, Connie Ferrari, AIM, Protocide

Continuity Notes

1. This bizarre story kicked off in Captain America (vol. 3) #20. Nefaria was defeated last issue.

2. Sharon ghosted on Steve when he said he was still in love with her in Captain America (vol. 3) #19.

3. Ka-Zar, Shanna, and Matthew are all older than they should be. Matthew in particular, who appears as an adolescant, was born in Uncanny X-Men Annual #12. Per the Sliding Timescale, Matt was born almost 3 years prior to this story. It’s later revealed that these were actually clones of the Plunder family. See next issue for the details.

4. Moral of the story: When you defeat a super-villain don’t leave him in the custody of a primitive stone-age society he’ll break out the moment he’s gone, as we’ll see when Nefaria returns in Thunderbolts #42-44 and Avengers (vol. 3) #32-34.

5. Sharon is referring to the fact that Steve was born in the early 20th century and is still in his prime because he ended up stick in suspended animation for decades, as per Avengers #4.

6. Sharon’s tenure as Director of SHIELD will last until Captain America (vol. 3) #45.

7. As per Captain America Comics #1, the Super-Soldier Formula was famously lost when its inventor, Abraham Erskine, was killed by a Nazi spy. Although Steve has been commonly referred to as the "only” recipient of the formula, that’s not entirely true. The man found by AIM was a soldier named Clinton McIntyre. As will be revealed in Captain America Annual 2000, he was a rejected candidate due to not meeting the psychological profile. However, one of the military brass stole a second dose of the formula and gave it to McIntyre. However, this was only one part of a three part process, and without the other three components of the formula, Clinton went on an insane rampage until his heart gave out on him. The military then quickly covered it up and lost his body in a top secret storage facility. His body was recovered by AIM in issues #26-27.

Topical References

• Sharon starts calling the Ankylosaurus “Barney” here. This is in reference to Barney the Dinosaur, the titular character of the children’s show Barney and Friends. It ran from 1992 to 2010. The series was at the height of its popularity, or infamy depending on how you looked at it. The series spawned a lot of Anti-Barney humor at the time that was so notable they made a documentary about it called I Love You, You Hate Me in 2022. At any rate, the connection between this Barney and the one that was part of the culture at the time should be considered topical.

• When talking about their relationship, Sharon states that they aren’t “Ward and June Cleaver”. This is a reference the family sitcom Leave it to Beaver. The show was aired from 1957 to 1963. The Cleaver family are frequently viewed as the epitome of the American nuclear family. While this could be considered a topical reference, the show is still regularly referenced as short hand to a “simpler time” in American history (usually to contrast how much the present day has changed). I’d argue that the world of Leave it to Beaver wasn’t so wholesome as people remember it since segregation was still a thing when it aired.

• When talking about Steve’s past, Sharon states that everyone he grew up with are either dead or in nursing homes. Due to the Sliding Timescale, it will become increasingly impossible for anyone from Steve’s childhood to still be alive today. While there are exceptions due to extenuating circumstances, this general statement should be considered topical. If this story were told today, Sharon would be saying all his childhood friends were dead since Steve would be over 100 years old in 2023. While we’re having people who live to be nearly 120 years old, they are still considered a rarity at this time.

• The original twin towers of the World Trade Center are depicted as part of the New York City skyline in this story. This should be considered a topical reference as they were destroyed in a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. They have since been replaced with the Freedom Tower.

• Since Steve and Connie are specifically talking about mid-20th century pop-culture, the reference to Glenn Miller here would not be considered topical.