Captain America (vol. 3) #49
Closure
After his most recent mission, Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, has agreed to a little vacation with his occasional crime fighting partner, Sam Wilson, aka the Falcon. The pair decided on a fishing trip in Iowa. They chose this location after they visited the region when they rescued Nick Fury from the Hate-Monger.[1]
The two enjoy the serenity of the wilderness, even though Steve is still on high alert in case there is some surprise attack. As Sam brings up the subject of beautiful women, it eventually turns into a conversation about Steve’s romantic life. Sam knows that there is unresolved issues with Steve’s ex, Connie Ferrari. Sam presents such a compelling case, Steve leaps into the lake and swims to shore so he can resolve the issue right away.[2]
Using the resources at his disposal, Steve is able to track Connie down to her new home in Ohio. When he arrives he catches her outside raking up the leaves and asks if they can talk. She is surprised that it took him so long to track her down. She is still very upset with the fact that he kept the fact that he was Captain America hidden from her for so long. She likens it to finding out someone you married is an ex-convict or something. After she says he piece, Steve explains that Captain America was created in secrecy and privacy that has been maintained for years. In fact, not many of his friends know his true identity, not even the current sitting President knows his true identity.[3] He says that sharing this secret with others is not an easy thing for him to do either. He tells her that it needs a certain level of trust before he can open up to the truth. Connie then points out the catch-22 of this situation: he couldn’t tell his secret until they were close enough to one another and being that close couldn’t come without absolute trust.
She gets him to admit that he places being Captain America above everything else. She then asks Steve to answer her honestly: when he pictures himself does he see Steve Rogers or Captain America? After a moment’s consideration he apologizes because he can’t give her the answer she wants to hear. She thanks him for being honest and suggests that in the future maybe instead of looking for a girlfriend who is perfect for Steve Rogers, he find one that is perfect for Captain America.
Steve understands and she assures him that she is going to be okay living in Ohio, as she just passed the State Bar and will be setting up her own practice. They then hug each other and say goodbye. When Connie goes into her apartment, Steve thanks her for helping him realize who he is.[4] The entire time he kept one arm behind his back and now that Connie is gone, he finally holds out what he was hiding — a single rose — and ponders everything that just happened.
Later, back in New York, Sharon Carter is breaking into an office building wearing a stealth suit. Despite this, her break in is detected and she is attacked by an army of sumo wrestlers who try to stop her from disarming a biological weapon from blowing up and infecting everyone in the city with a virus. Captain America shows up in the middle of the fight to help, much to Sharon’s chagrin. After the sumos are taking out, Sharon begins hacking into a laptop to shut the bomb down. The whole time, Steve opens up to her about everything that has happened and the things that Connie made him realize. He has come to accept the fact that he loves Sharon and nobody else. Not only that, but despite her gruff independent front she still cares a lot for him as well. He believes that they need each other and that they belong together. Once the bomb is disarmed, Steve’s words get through to her and the two kiss.[5]
Meanwhile, back in Iowa, the sun is starting to set and Sam has finished eating the fish he caught earlier that day. Steve still isn’t back and Wilson is amused that this time his vacation was ruined by something other than super-villains for once. Still, if it makes Steve Rogers happier, he thinks it’ll all be worth it.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Falcon, Sharon Carter, Connie Ferrari
Continuity Notes
This rescue mission took place in Captain America (vol. 3) #25-27.
Steve was dating Connie Ferrari from Captain America (vol. 3) #20 through 44. He kept his double-identity a secret from her until then. When she found out the truth she couldn’t handle dating a living legend and so she dumped him and left town.
At the time of this story, Captain America’s true identity was not known to the general public. At one point he did publicly reveal his identity in Tales of Suspense #95. However, he was able to walk this back in Captain America #111/Avengers #107. He will publicly unmask again in Captain America (vol. 4) #3.
From here, Connie Ferrari will later go on to become a legal representative for the Avengers. When we see her next, she’s trying to buy back the rights to the Avengers name from the Great Lakes Avengers team. See Great Lakes Avengers #1-5.
Steve and Sharon began falling in love with one another from the moment they met in Tales of Suspense #75. However, their romance was an on-again-off-again affair as Steve struggled with the fact that Sharon was putting her life in danger as an agent of SHIELD. Then, Sharon faked her death in Captain America #237 in order to go on a deep cover mission for SHIELD. For years Steve was led to believe she was dead while Sharon was cut loose by SHIELD and left to fend for herself. When she resurfaced years later in Captain America #445 she was a very different person. The pair were still attracted to one another, however, and struggled with this all throughout the third volume of Captain America. Their getting together here is walked back next issue as Sharon tells Steve she needs more time before jumping into a serious relationship.
Topical References
When Sam is talking about his idea of a perfect woman he compares actress Selma Hayek to Marlyn Monroe. Monroe was a famous model, actress, and singer who was famous in the mid-20th Century, she died of a drug overdose in 1962 at age 36. Heyak’s career started in 1988 in Mexico. However, by 1995 she had moved to Hollywood. At the time this comic was published she was at the height of her popularity at 35 years old. The references to Heyak should be considered topical as her name is being used here as a contemporary example. While I’d say she is still attractive time of this writing (February, 2023) at the age of 56 there’s going to be a point where she wouldn’t be a good example. That said, the reference to Marilyn Monroe wouldn’t necessarily be considered topical, due to the fact that she died so young and (at least in American culture) has been elevated to the status of a legend.
