Captain America (vol. 3) #44
Conclusions
Captain America has apprehended David Ferrari, a rogue SHIELD agent and brother to his girlfriend, Connie. When Connie came down to the police station, she didn’t believe anything anyone was saying about her long lost brother. However, when Cap told her that he was the only one she could trust, she suddenly realized that Captain America and Steve Rogers are the same person.
This is quite a shocking revelation and suddenly a lot of things about Steve are starting to make sense. Connie is deeply upset that Steve had been keeping such a big secret from her.[2] She takes this to mean that he has been lying to her this entire time and demands to know what other secrest she has been keeping from him. Steve wants to talk this out, but asks if they can go some place private because his true identity is not publicly known.[3]
Moments later, three assassins dressed as police officers enter the interrogation room and try to shoot Captain America then and there. As Steve fights off his would-be killers, he tells Connie to run for it because these men aren’t real cops. Moments later, the exterior wall of the building is blown wide open by a high tech ship. It unleashes tendrils that ensnare both Cap and Connie and begin pulling them into the ship. Using his shield, Cap cuts Connie loose, but is pulled into the ship before his rebounding weapon can reach his hand. Connie comes to the realization that Steve sacrificed his own freedom in order to save him and that he has been taken prisoner without his trademark weapon. Unsure who she can go to for help, Connie picks up the shield and runs home.
When Captain America wakes up he finds himself restrained inside the ship. When it arrives at its destination — an construction site on the Brooklyn Bridge — he is let go and discovers that his captor is the Taskmaster. The mercenary is furious that the Avengers have been recently targeting his henchman training centers and has decided to hit back by killing Captain America.[4] The villain figures that with his photographic reflexes — which allows him to mimic any move he observes — and armed with his replica shield, bow and trick arrows, and sword, he can defeat Captain America since he is bereft of his trademark weapon. However, Cap refuses to go down with out a fight.
As the two men battle it out, Connie returns to her apartment with Cap’s shield and wonders what she should do. That’s when the crushing realization of who Steve Rogers is really weighs down on her. The idea that she is dating Captain America is just too big and she can’t handle the idea that she is in love with a living legend. However, Captain America is far from powerless as he has one ace up his sleeve — literally — as he is still has the device that creates his photonic shield inside one of his gloves.[5] With the battle turning against him, the Taskmaster pulls himself and Cap over the edge of the bridge, sending them both falling into the murky waters of the East River. It’s here that the Taskmaster is able to escape capture.
With the battle over, Steve changes out of his costume and races back to Connie’s apartment to make sure she is ok. Inside, she discovers the place is deserted. On her coffee table is his shield with a note telling him that she is leaving and never coming back.[6]
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Connie Ferrari, Taskmaster
Continuity Notes
David Ferrari is a SHIELD agent and sister to Connie Ferrari, who is dating Stever Rogers at the time of this story. In Captain America (vol. 3) #20, we learned that Connie believes that her brother died after enlisting to the military and dying in a hazing ritual gone wrong. This was actually a cover story. In Captain America (vol. 3) #35-36 that he was secretly a SHIELD agent. After using an a bioweapon called the Omega Compound to destroy the enemy while on a mission, he was believed dead for years. Steve captured David and prevented him from launching a nuclear missile at America, see Captain America (vol. 3) #42-43.
Connie realizes that Steve was born many decades earlier than she thought. The number of years stated is topical (see below). However, if you’re curious to know when Captain America was born, Adventures of Captain America #1 states that he was born on July 4th. While that same story states he was born in 1917, later accounts in Captain America (vol. 5) #50 suggests that Steve was born in 1920. The Captain America profile in Avengers: Roll Call #1 states he was born in 1922. As this was in a handbook, 1922 should be the accepted year of birth.
At the time of this story, Steve’s secret identity has been a secret to the general public since Captain America #112. He will eventually publicly reveal his true identity in Captain America (vol. 4) #3.
The Avengers have been proactively shutting down the Taskmaster’s various training schools starting in Avengers (vol. 3) #38.
After losing his shield in Captain America (vol. 3) #2, Steve eventually started using a photonic shield starting in issue #9. He stopped using it on the reg after regaining his shield in Captain America (vol. 3) #22.
Don’t worry, we’ll catch up with Connie in Captain America (vol. 3) #49, where we discover that she has relocated to Ohio.
Topical References
Connie figures Steve must have been born some 80 years ago. However, the length of time between his date of birth and the Modern Age will continue to change due to the Sliding Timescale. As such, the number of years here should be considered topical as they are relative to the date of publication.
