Captain America (vol. 4) #18
Captain America Lives Again: Part 2
March, 1963[1]
Captain America has awoken after being frozen in ice for nearly two decades.[2] To his horror it is a world where the Nazis had won World War II and have taken over America. Brought before the Nazi’s new leader, the Red Skull, Captain America is given an ultimatum: Join the Nazis or be executed. Captain America refused and lept out of a window on one of the upper floors of the Empire State Building. He manages to land on top of one of the Nazi made zeppelins that dot the skyline of New Berlin. The Red Skull and his minions then begin opening fire causing the blimp to explode, raining fire down on innocent people below.
Luckily, Captain America was able to leap onto the roof of the nearby Baxter Building just in time. Sneaking inside, he is confronted by the buildings owner, inventor Reed Richards, who is piloting a mechanized exoskeleton. Richards is shocked to see Captain America alive and well, and reminds him how they met back in 1944 when Reed was on a mission in Normandy back in 1944.[3] That’s when Reed’s fiancée Sue Storm comes running into the lab saying the Nazis are on their way up looking for Captain America. Reed has her stall them while he shows Cap the backway out. He tells Steve to head to Yancy Street as there will be help waiting for him there.
Captain America travels across the rooftops until he spots a delivery truck dropping off kegs of beer. The driver tells his crew to hurry it up as they have to get back to Yancy Street before curfew starts. Hearing this, Steve hides in the back of the truck to get there faster. By this time, the Nazis have deployed their army of Iron Men to sweep the city and search for the fugitive Captain America. Deciding he can’t stand idly by while innocent people are being threatened, Steve makes his presence know and leads the Iron Men on a chase into the subway system. Hearing the reports, Red Skull is furious that he isn’t getting results fast enough and orders more Iron Men deployed to help catch Captain America. Having hitched a ride on the top of a subway car, Captain America sees that his pursuers will catch up with him. Luckily, they are coming up to a junction in the tracks. Tossing his shield at the track lever, he divers the train causing the Iron Men to crash into a wall trying to change course.
As he comes up to Yancy Street, Cap climbs up through a vent and begins winding his way through the alleyways to get there. Upon his arrival, Steve is ambushed by Ben Grimm, who explains that he is part of the resistance and a friend of Reed Richards. After removing the bug that the Nazis have been using to track Cap, Ben leads him to the resistance hideout. Unfortunately, the Iron Men find them anyway and Ben leads them to a nearby dead end alley under a hail of bullets. However, they aren’t trapped, as a manhole cover suddenly pops open and out comes Sue’s little brother Johnny Storm, another member of the resistance.[4] As Ben and Cap duck into the sewers, Johnny tosses a canister of gas at their pursuers followed by a lit match. This sets off an explosion that deals with the Iron Men.
When the Red Skull hears the news, he tells his second in command to kill himself before he gets back from an event being held at Stark Industries or else he will know the meaning of pain. There, the Skull meets with Tony Stark who outwardly appears to be loyal to the Nazis.[5] After the Peter Parker incident, Stark has increased security around Project: Overlord. They are soon joined by chief scientist Victor Von Doom who shows them the force field that prevents anyone other than Doom or his superiors from entering or leaving the project lab. Project: Overlord turns out to be the creation of a time machine and the Red Skull has come to see its first human test.[6] They send on the the Red Skull’s most loyal soldiers — Baron Strucker — into the distant past. Moments later he returns with a dead dinosaur in his arms. The Red Skull is pleased to see the time machine actually works. Soon, he tells them, the Nazis will expand their empire and rule all eternity!
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Reed Richards, Sue Storm, Ben Grimm, Johnny Storm, Tony Stark, Red Skull, Victor Von Doom
Continuity Notes
This story takes place in another reality where the Nazis won World War II and the Modern Age of Heroes (had it happened) would have began in the 1960s. Per Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #4 it exists in Reality-31117. Despite what the handbook says, this reality’s Captain America is not possessed by his Earth-616 counterpart. This was an error and has since been corrected in Avengers, Thor, & Captain America: Official Index to the Marvel Universe #14.
How Captain America ended up in suspended animation in this reality mostly mirror that similar events on Earth-616, see Avengers #4.
Although this would later become a topical reference, Reed Richards was depicted as a member of the OSS in Sgt. Fury #6. Due to the Sliding Timescale, Reed Richards World War II service is now considered topical. Since History of the Marvel Universe #2 his military service is now stated as happening during the Sin-Cong Conflict. John Richards is now the member of Reed’s family that served during World War II as per Marvel Knights: 4 #4.
Reed Richards, Sue Storm, her brother Johnny, and Ben Grimm are better known on Earth-616 as Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, and the Thing of the Fantastic Four. Because of the Nazi take-over of America, the events of Fantastic Four #1 never happen.
He’s not, as we’ll find out next issue. The Iron Men seen in this story are similar to the first suit of Iron Man armor constructed by Earth-616’s Tony Stark in Tales of Suspense #39.
Project: Overlord is similar to the Time-Platform created by the Doctor Doom of Earth-616, as seen in Fantastic Four #5.
