Captain America (vol. 3) #32
Heart
Now
SHIELD agent Cameron Klein has shown up at Avengers Mansion, demanding an audience with Captain America. Passing by as Jarvis answers the door, Cap says he’ll speak with the young agent. Klein tells Cap that he is needed for an important mission for Nick Fury. Steve is confused why Fury didn’t call directly, but Klein won’t give many details. Captain America goes along with things until they take to the air in Cameron’s flying car. There, Steve asks Klein what today’s SHIELD codewords are. When Cameron can’t answer, Cap assumes that he is dealing with an impostor and struggles to get control of the car.
That’s when Nick Fury appears on the console communicator. He tells Cap to let Klein go. Even though he wasn’t operating under Fury’s orders he is now. Nick wants them both to head up to the hospital Cameron was taking them pronto. When Steve asks why, Nick says that it’s old business from the war.
Thirteen Hours Ago
Stanley and Shirley Klein were having their family over for a get together, which includes their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. As is tradition in the family, Stanley sits down with the youngest and tells them an old family story from World War II. He thinks this is important because he doesn’t feel that children these days are learning enough about the War, or the horrors of the Holocaust. He tells them of the evil of Adolf Hitler and his mad plan to exterminate millions of Jews. For Stanley’s children and grand children, they all know this story off by heart as he told the tale every time the family got together. Stanley tells them about the Battle of the Bulge and how their family was part of that terrible conflict.[1]
1944
Stanley Klein (Senior? See below) was part of the 106th Infantry Division. They were pushing against the German offensive. It was a miserable time as it was the middle of winter. The troops tried to keep morale going by sharing photos of their loved ones back home and telling stories of what they would do after the war. Stanley was showing off the picture of his sweetheart, Shirley. However, the good times and gentile ribbings from his fellow squad members was cut short when a bomb struck their camp. Most of the guys Stanley was just joking with were killed in the initial blast. Soon a Nazi Tiger was on them with a squad of enemy soldiers.
Stanley survives and was relatively uninjured and rushed to the aid of his friend, Teddy Doyle. Doyle took some shrapnel and was bleeding out badly. Having stuffed newspaper into his fatigues to insulate himself against the cold, it was the only thing that Stanley had on hand to try and staunch the flow of blood. Klein and those able to fight back did, however they were on the defensive and were constantly being pushed back. They were losing men left and right, and pretty soon it got to the point where they were assuredly going to lose the fight. The entire time, Stanley kept Doyle alive. When all seemed lost and with two bullets left, Klein contemplating ending both of their lives to spare them the torture waiting for them if they were captured by the Nazis.
That’s when one of the Germans tossed a grenade their way. Resigned to his fate, Stanley wasn’t expecting Captain America’s shield to soar across the battle field and deflect the explosive back at his attackers. Captain America wasn’t alone, he was fighting along side his partner Bucky as well as Nick Fury and his Howling Commandos. The tide of battle was completely turned around and all Stanley could do is watch in awe as Captain America went into action. Soon enough the surviving Nazis had completely surrendered. With the conflict over, Stanley was finally able to get Doyle to a medic and is told that he saved Teddy’s life.
Overhearing them talk, Captain America recognizes Stan’s name and asks if he knows a woman named Shirley. As it turned out, Cap found Klein’s photo blowing in the wind. In fact, it was because of Cap finding it that they ended up finding Stanley’s unit. Stanley believes it, telling Captain America that Shirley is the one thing that has been keeping him alive through hie entire tour of duty….
Twelve Hours Ago
Stanley finishes telling the story about the family war hero and he points to the photo of Shirley, which is hanging on the wall. One of Stan’s grandsons can hardly believe the photo attached to the story. That’s when one of the great grandchildren runs into the kitchen and tells the grown-ups that there is something wrong with Grandpa Stanley. When they rush into the living room, they find Stan slumped in his chair and unresponsive.
Now
Cameron Klein, Stanley’s grandson, arrives at the Veteran’s Hospital upstate. He learns that his grandfather is still alive, but doesn’t have much time left. Cameron then surprises everyone when he rushes Captain America down to his grandfather’s hospital room. Stanley is amazed to see Captain America has come to be by his bedside for his final moments. He tells Cap that he has no regrets in life and wants to show him his prized possession. It’s the Purple Heart medal that was won on that day in 1944. If it wasn’t for Captain America this medal would have been awarded posthumously and the Klein family line would have ended right there on the battle field. He tells Captain America that he owes him his entire family and a few moments later, Stanley Klein passes away peacefully. With his grandfather gone, Cameron apologizes to Steve for lying about why he wanted him to come. However, both he and Nick Fury understand. Fury even says that Stanley was responsible for giving SHIELD a top drawer agent. Cap is glad that Cameron brought him as he’s always willing to help a fellow soldier.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Cameron Klein, Edwin Jarvis, (flashback) Captain America, Bucky, Howling Commandos (Nick Fury, Dum Dum Dugan, Gabe Jones, Rebel Ralston, Pinky Pinkerton, Dino Manelli, Izzy Cohen), Nazis
Continuity Notes
Stanley Klein was the same man that Captain America saved from the hostage situation in Captain America (vol. 3) #25. Stanley is presented as fighting in the Battle of the Bugle. Something that becomes increasingly impossible due to the Sliding Timescale, see below.
Topical References
The story originally presents Stanley Klein as a veteran of World War II and the family members visiting him are identified as his children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Due to the Sliding Timescale, these family dynamics would become increasingly impossible. I will explain this in further detail below.
One of the Klein children is playing with a stuffed Pikachu toy. Pikachu is one of the many characters from the Pokemon media franchise, which began in 1996 in Japan and 2 years later in America. It became a smash hit and was at the height of its popularity around the time this comic was published. While the franchise still exists, its reference here should be considered topical.
Explaining the Klein Family
The root of the problem with this story is entirely on the plot point that Stanley Klein fought in World War II. His adult children are depicted as being in their middle age, his grand children as young adults, and great-grand children as young kids. This sort of arrangement would have been possible in the year 2000 when this story was first published. However, as the Sliding Timescale pushes the Modern Age of the Marvel Universe forward this becomes increasingly impossible.
For a wartime character to still be alive in the present, there needs to be a means for slowing or stopping their aging process. Since Stanley is merely a private and a minimal character it seems unlikely that he would have undergone any such process, let alone his wife Shirley. If this story was set today, Stanley and Shirley would likely be dead, his children seniors, his grand children middle aged, and great grandchildren in their early 20s.
Marvel has yet to provide a specific explanation for this anachronism. I also find it unlikely that they will ever get around to addressing a 20-year-old one-off story like this either.
The central focus on the story is that Stanley tells the youngest members of his family the same story at every family gathering. He tells the story because he thinks it is important that future generations know the horrors of World War II and the Holocaust.
One way to explain this story could be that the Stanley Klein in this story is not the one that fought in World War II, but a direct descendant and that he is carrying on the original Stanley’s tradition of telling this old war story to successive generations. Naming a kid Stanley after a war hero in the family is not uncommon. Less likely is the fact that he’d also marry a woman named Shirley, but it’d be more likely than the pair somehow slowing or stopping their aging process.
By making the Stanley we interact with in the present day, the ages of everyone and their familial relations can remain the same no matter how far the Sliding Timescale goes.
That said, if the present day Stanley isn’t the one from World War II, then it raises the question as to why Cap visits him in the hospital. I’d think that Steve would still show up, knowing how important the story was to his family regardless of who was in their deathbed.
