Captain America (vol. 5) #18
Twenty-First Century Blitz: Part 1
Two Months Ago
Since Aleksander Lukin’s mind has become the new home of the Red Skull, the two men have been forced to work together.[1] They have come to recruit Max Lohmer, a young skinhead who spends his time in Hamburg beating up on those who are not white. Lukin doesn’t know what they want with some racist thug, but the Skull assures him they need someone as loyal. The Skull was right about going to Latveria, and Lukin should trust him on this.[2] One of Aleksander’s men strong arms Lohmer and brings him to Likin’s limo. Putting on a Red Skull mask, the Lukin/the Red Skull asks Lohmer he has come to make something out of the young man’s life and tells him to get aboard.[3]
Now
Steve Rogers (Captain America) arrives at Heathrow Airport and meets up with Joe Chapman, also known as Union Jack. The two catch up and Steve learns that the Invaders have split up again and Joe is now doing freelance work for MI5. He and Jacqueline Falsworth (aka Spitfire) have decided to just be friends due to their differing ages. Steve can understand all this weirdness, reminding Joe how he spent many years in suspended animation. It comes with the job of being a super-hero.[4] When they get back to the London flat that Joe shares with Jaqueline. As it turns out, Jackie is the one enjoying her youth, becoming quite the talk of London’s night life, while Joe is the more reserved studious one. Soon they get down to business and why Steve has come out to the UK. He has had Joe and Jacqueline keep an eye on Aleksander Lukin while he is in London. This is not in order to apprehend him — the businessman is far too well connected for that right now — but for any sign that Bucky might be in the area trying to assassinate him. Steve doesn’t tell them who they are looking for, just that it is an old friend who already has enough blood on his hands.
Steve’s fears are correct as at that moment, James Barnes has arrived in London. He buys a newspaper that has a story about the opening of a brand new Kronas Corp. building opening in London in one weeks time. James suddenly hears a woman crying for help as she is robbed by a purse snatched. As the thief runs by, Bucky raises his cybernetic arm to clothesline him to the ground. When he returns the purse back to its own she thanks him, but he tells her it was nothing.
That evening, Captain America, Union Jack, and Spitfire are staking out the shipyards as Kronas is shipping in a large volume of materials in advance of their big opening. Unfortunately, the inventory logs are all corporate and Union Jack isn’t able to use his MI5 credentials to find out what they are carrying. As such, they have Spitfire follow after the shipping trucks, as she can move so fast that she is invisible to the naked eye. While she is off doing that, Cap and Union Jack make their way aboard the Kronas freighter ship to find out where it came from.
Meanwhile, at Roxxon’s private airfield in Dallas, Texas, the Vice President of the company is about to take a private jet to London for the big Kronas event. However, he nor his assistant will make it as they are both killed by Crossbones and Sin. Seeking to get revenge on Aleksander Lukin for seemingly killing the Red Skull, the two order the pilot to fly them to London instead.
Back aboard the Kronas freighter in London, Captain America finds the ship logs and discovers the boat came from Hamburg, Germany. That’s when he and Union Jack are attacked by a team of superhumanly strong skinheads. They fight their way up onto the deck where they are confronted by Max Lohmer, the new Master Man, who introduces his team of jackbooted thugs as the Master Race.
Recurring Characters
Captain America, Union Jack, Spitfire, Red Skull/Aleksander Lukin, Sin, Crossbones, Master Man, Winter Soldier
Continuity Notes
Lukin had the Winter Soldier kill the Red Skull in Captain America (vol. 5) #1. The Skull cheated death by using the Cosmic Cube to mind hop into the body of Lukin, as we learn in issue #14. They will remain like this until Captain America (vol. 5) #42.
This is in reference to Captain America 65th Anniversary Special #1, where the Red Skull discovered evidence that Doctor Doom will spend some time ruling over the kingdom of Eisendorf a few hundred years in the past. The Skull/Lukin will take this information to Doctor Doom in Captain America (vol. 5) #23 and exchange it for a time device which they will use to try and revive the Red Skull in Captain America’s body. See Captain America: Reborn #1-6.
If you haven’t already figured it out, Max Lohmer is related to Wilhelm Lohmer, the original Master Man. The OG MM first appeared during World War II in Giant-Size Invaders #1. In more recent times he died in Cable #51. Mention is also made of Axl Nacht, who took on the Master Man identity in Namor the Sub-Mariner #11-12. However, he had just recently abandoned the identity in New Invaders #6 and now operates under the identity of Grotteskieger.
The patter here is fill with little expository bits. The details:
The Invaders breaking up: He is not referring to the original Invaders, who were formed in Giant-Size Invaders #2. That team became the All-Winners Squad in What If? #4 circa 1945. They drifted apart in 1948 following their last mission together in All-Winners Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1. Joe and Jacqueline were recruited into US Agent’s new Invaders in Avengers (vol. 3) #82. The group broke up following their last mission in New Invaders #9.
It was during their time on the Invaders at Union Jack and Spitfire had their romance. Joe cites their differing ages as the reason for the break-up. Jacqueline was born in the early 20th Century, her prolonged youth is due to the nature of her powers. It started when she was bit by Baron Blood and then given a blood transfusion from the android Human Torch, giving her her Spitfire powers, as seen over the course of Invaders #7-13. This slowed her aging process considerably allowing her to survive into the Modern Age. She was later captured and injured by Master Man (Nacht), requiring another blood transfusion. This caused her age to regress to a much younger woman. See Namor the Sub-Mariner #12.
This issue’s obligatory reference to Cap’s time in suspended animation is made here. See Avengers #4.
Topical References
The opening scene of this story is stated as happening two months prior. Since the Red Skull hasn’t been seen for a bit, this measurement of time can be considered more-or-less factual per the Sliding Timescale.
