Captain America (vol. 5) #22
The Drums of War Part 1
This story takes place during the events of Civil War #4. Civil War continues from Civil War: Frontline #6…
Now
Sharon Carter has been sent to the SHIELD Administrative Affairs Building for a psychological evaluation. The SHIELD psychologist asks Sharon why she has been sent to see him, and she admits that it was due to some very complicated events that happened. It all started a few weeks ago…
Weeks Earlier
SHIELD Director Maria Hill had called Sharon down to look at footage of Captain America fighting a unit of SHIELD “Cape-Killers”. Sharon points out to Hill that she warned the Director that this would happened. Captain America was staunchly against the Super-Human Registration Act,[1] and since his identity was already known to the public,[2] he had nothing to lose in protesting against it. She also points out that Steve Rogers was merely defending himself as the Cape-Killers opened fire on his first. Hill says that she tested Steve’s loyalty in order to capture him right away if he went against the SHRA and before he could become a symbol to any resistance to the new law. Sharon sarcastically congratulates her on a job well done and says Nick Fury would be proud of her.[3] Maria claps back by saying that Fury would actually be proud of her for her next plan, using Sharon’s romance with Captain America to lay out a trap.[4] She orders Sharon to follow her orders or Hill will have her busted down to the lowest ranking number possible.
Now
Hearing all this, the SHIELD psychologist asks Sharon is she is mad at the fact that she went against the regulations regarding SHIELD liaisons or the fact that Maria Hill was using that against her. She tries to justify the romance by saying that she didn’t expect her and Steve to become romantically involved ever again, and suddenly that just were. What she was upset by was the fact that Hill knew exactly how to exploit that and the fact that she knew that her romance with Steve would make her life a living hell if he went against SHIELD.
The thing that sticks with her is the fact that, on its own, she wasn’t against the Super-Human Registration Act. She was a supporter. Yet, here she was objecting to an order to follow it by helping arrest Captain America. It wasn’t due to her love of Steve, she claims, saying that as someone who lives in the military she lives by her orders.[5] However, she found herself questioning them after Dum Dum Dugan came back from a failed attempt to apprehend Cap…[6]
Earlier
When Sharon went down to the infirmary to visit Dugan she was taken aback by how banged up he was. Dugan assures her that his Cape-Killer armor took the brunt of the beating he received. He also admits to her that after being given orders to fight Captain America, the idea of retiring is starting to look very tempting to him. He also thinks this would never have happened if Nick Fury was still in charge of SHIELD.
He tells her that she should have seen the anger in Steve Rogers face when he saw it was Dugan who was leading the squad. He was so mad, he put four SHIELD agents in intensive care. Dum Dum is saddened by the state of affairs as it shouldn’t be like this — heroes fighting each other in the streets — and that it won’t last for much longer before things go overboard.
Now
Sharon realized in that moment that Dugan was right and that she had a duty to bring Captain America in before things escalated past the point of no return. Or so she thought that’s what she was going to do…
Earlier
Prior to the Civil War, Sharon and Steve had set up a dead drop so they could communicate with one another and set up meetings. On the day she was supposed to turn him in, she used the drop to get in contact with him. Sure enough, Captain America showed up at the appointed time and place, certian that the woman he loves would not betray him. The two then went to a safe house where they could safely talk out of sight from the public.
Even when they were in bed together, the two debated over the SHRA. While Steve respects Sharon’s difference of opinion, he tells her that nothing she can say can change his mind. He believes the Act is wrong and he is going to fight it to the very end. Sharon tries to point out that registering with the government will mean that inexperienced superheroes will get the proper training to do their job right. Steve on the other hand can only see the negative side of having a public identity, and it’s something he’s had plenty of personal experience. It’s that since he revealed his identity to the public, those he loves often have become the targets of his foes who are seeking revenge. The leads to a debate on the rule of law, Sharon believes it should be followed unconditionally while Steve believes that unjust laws must be fought.
With things turning into an argument, the two realize that they aren’t getting anywhere shouting at each other. Steve then asks how Sharon is getting along, she admits her job at SHIELD has gotten harder thanks to him, but assures him that she’ll pull through, she is a fighter after all. When Steve decides to go, Sharon asks him to stay, since they don’t know when they’ll be able to get together again. Steve agrees, and assures Sharon that he’s going to win this fight. Sharon wishes she can believe it, saying that she is afraid for him and doesn’t want him to die over this.
At that same moment, a team of SHIELD Cape-Killers is closing in on a SHIELD safehouse believing that they are catching Captain America with his pants down. Instead, they end up raiding an empty apartment. As it turned out, Sharon took Steve to someplace else.
Now
Concluding her story, Sharon doesn’t understand why she misled her superiors. She the intention of disabling her scrambler if she couldn’t convince Steve to surrender, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She couldn’t understand why she was putting love over duty as she was never like that in the past. She even told Steve that she loved him, something she hadn’t said in years.
The psychologist tells her that expressing her feelings is good and that she shouldn’t feel ashamed of it. With their session over for the day, he isn’t sure if Sharon is still fit for duty and asks for her to meet with him again in a few days. Sharon agrees admits that she hopes she doesn’t lose her job over what happened.
Later
The SHIELD psychologist is more than meets the eye. That evening he heads a the cemetery to report to his employer,[7] the Red Skull. Deactivating his holographic disguise, the psychologist turns out to be Doctor Faustus. He reports that thanks to his mental conditioning Sharon Carter his hopelessly in love with Captain America, all according to plan.[8] The Red Skull finds it amusing to hear of the superhero community fighting against one another. It is very fortuitous to their plans. Faustus agrees and this is the perfect plan to put Sharon Carter right where they want her. The Red Skull warns Faustus that if he’s wrong it’ll be his fat head on the chopping block instead.
… This story continues next issue. Civil War continues in Cable & Deadpool #32.
Recurring Characters
Sharon Carter, Red Skull/Aleksander Lukin, Arnim Zola, (in flashback) SHIELD (Maria Hill, “Dum Dum Dugan”), Captain America,
Continuity Notes
The Super-Human Registration Act was to be rushed into law following the Stamford Disaster wherein a superhuman battle claimed the lives of hundreds of people in Stamford, Connecticut. The scene Maria Hill plays for Sharon here was when Cap told her he wouldn’t help enforce the act. These events all happened in Civil War #1.
Steve Rogers recently revealed that he was Captain America to the world in Captain America (vol. 4) #3.
At the time of this story, Fury had gone AWOL following the events of Secret War #1-5. To everyone it is believed that Fury has gone into hiding to avoid the legal repercussions of an unsanctioned invasion of Latveria. In reality, he has uncovered a plot by the Skrulls to invade Earth. See Mighty Avengers #12 and Secret Invasion #1-8.
Steve and Sharon have a long history that started in Tales of Suspense #75. They have been dating on-and-off for years. Most recently, they had a romantic evening together in Captain America (vol. 5) #16.
Here we see scenes of Captain America and the Falcon clashing with Cape-Killers, and a scene of Captain America brawling with Iron Man. The Cape-Killer clash happened between the Cap’s appearances in Thunderbolts #105 and New Avengers #23, while the fight with Iron Man took place in Civil War #3-4.
Dugan led a team of Cape-Killers on a failed mission to capture Captain America in New Avengers #21.
The Red Skull mentions here that Doctor Faustus has faked his death. Faustus was seemingly shot between the eyes by Jack Monroe in Nomad (vol. 2) #19. How he faked his death when he was seemingly shot between the eyes is never clearly explained. My guess is he hypnoticed Monroe into thinking he shot Faustus.
The Red Skull’s plan for Sharon is a convoluted one that involves pregnancy, time displacement, and stealing Captain America’s body. It’s pretty wild. See Captain America (vol. 5) #25 and Captain America: Reborn #1-6.
Civil War Reading Order
Road to Civil War: Amazing Spider-Man #529, 530, 531, Fantastic Four #536, 537, New Avengers: Illuminati #1
Main Event: Civil War #1, She-Hulk (vol. 2) #8, Wolverine (vol. 3) #42, Amazing Spider-Man #532, Civil War: Front Line #1
Civil War #2, Thunderbolts #103, Civil War: Front Line #2, X-Factor (vol. 3) #8, New Avengers #21, Wolverine (vol. 3) #43, Amazing Spider-Man #533, Fantastic Four #538, Civil War: Front Line #3, Thunderbolts #104, Civil War: X-Men #1
Civil War #3, Cable & Deadpool #30, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #1, Civil War: Front Line #4, X-Factor (vol. 3) #9, New Avengers #22, Wolverine (vol. 3) #44, Amazing Spider-Man #534, Fantastic Four #539, Civil War: Front Line #5, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #6, Civil War: X-Men #2, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #1, New Avengers #23, Wolverine (vol. 3) #45, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #2, Cable & Deadpool #31, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #7, Civil War: X-Men #3
Civil War #4, Wolverine (vol. 3) #46, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #2, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #3, Civil War: Front Line #6, Captain America (vol. 5) #22, Cable & Deadpool #32, Amazing Spider-Man #535, Civil War: Choosing Sides #1, Fantastic Four #540, Civil War: Front Line #7, Civil War: X-Men #4, Ms. Marvel (vol. 2) #8, Wolverine (vol. 3) #47, Heroes for Hire (vol. 2) #3, Captain America (vol. 5) #23, New Avengers #24
Civil War #5, Civil War: Young Avengers & Runaways #4, Iron Man (vol. 4) #13, New Avengers #25, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #1, Civil War: Front Line #8, Amazing Spider-Man #536, Black Panther (vol. 4) #22, Captain America (vol. 5) #24, Civil War: War Crimes #1, Civil War: Front Line #9, Iron Man (vol. 4) #14, Fantastic Four #541, Black Panther (vol. 4) #23, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #2
Civil War #6, Civil War: Front Line #10, Amazing Spider-Man #537, Fantastic Four #542, Civil War: The Return #1, Punisher: War Journal (vol. 2) #3, Black Panther (vol. 4) #24
Civil War #7, Amazing Spider-Man #538, Civil War: Front Line #11, Black Panther (vol. 4) #25, Civil War: The Initiative #1, Iron Man: Director of SHIELD #15, Mighty Avengers #1, Captain America (vol. 5) #25, Civil War: The Confession #1, Fallen Son: The Death of Captain America #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Fantastic Four #543-544, Avengers: The Initiative #1