Captain America (vol. 5) #39
The Death of Captain America Act 3 - The Man Who Bought America: Part 3
Captain America is keeping a close eye on Senator Gordon Wright, who is running as a third party candidate in the upcoming Presidential Election. He is at a Third Wing Party rally in Chicago. James doesn’t really listen to the specifics of Wright’s speech, but the politician hits all the right beats to get the crowd in a frenzy. Captain America is confused why he is making an appearance at this rally on behalf of Doctor Faustus. All he really wants to do is track down his impostor and avenge the death of his partner, Jack Monroe — aka Bucky.[1] That’s when a bunch of armed men storm the Senator’s stage. Without a second though, Captain America swings into action.
Meanwhile, the current Captain America — James Barnes — is training in his Manhattan apartment with the Falcon (Sam Wilson). He is frustrated that the SHIELD search of Arnim Zola’s abandoned lab found now clues as to where Red Skull is and where he is keeping Sharon Carter.[2] He suggests that they try to track down Nick Fury as he might have additional resources that can aid them in their search.[3] James wants to find her because she saved his life and fears that if they don’t hurry the Red Skull might kill her. Sam points out that the Skull wouldn’t have done that just yet, not his style, as he’d do it to cause the maximum amount of hurt to her loved ones.
That’s when the Black Widow (Natasha Romanov) calls and tells them to put on the news. The top story is about how Senator Gordon Wright was saved by another Captain America. This other Cap — who sounds and looks like the real Steve Rogers — addressed the rally audience and gave Wright a ringing endorsement. James can’t believe that this is the real Captain America. They’ve already suspected that Wright was somehow connected to the Kronas Corporation and the Red Skull. He suggests they focus their investigation on him and this other Captain America might be the lead they’ve been looking for.
Meanwhile, Sharon Carter is being restrained in the medlab of the Red Skull’s lab. They have been keeping her drugged since broke free of Faustus’ mental control and tried to escape. They don’t want her to harm herself or the baby she is carrying inside of her.[4] Despite this, she struggles to get free. In the next room is the Red Skull’s daughter, who is recovering from gunshot wounds. Sin promises that when her father is done with Sharon, she’ll killer her.[5] When Sin’s doctor tells her to hold still or she’ll re-open her wounds, Sin then suggests she might not wait that long before she runs Sharon through. Perhaps she’ll kill Carter the moment she is out of her hospital bed.
A few days later, James Barnes attends a Gordon Wright rally in Minneapolis. As he listens to Wright’s speech, he sees how everyone is just eating it up unaware that Wright is playing them. While James doesn’t think Wright is such hot shit, the recent troubles in the country makes it easy for the Senator to sell the lie that he will change the country for the better. However, this other Captain America didn’t make an appearance. While James was only supposed to do recon to see if "Cap” made an appearance. As an unregistered superhero, the last thing he should probably be doing is stalking a US Senator, but he can’t help himself. Later that evening, James changes into Captain America and breaks into the Senator’s hotel room. This is something that is pretty easy to do since the only security that Wright has is a Kane-Meyer’s security team.[7]
Back at the Red Skull’s hideout, Sin has fully healed and is being discharged from the infirmary. Sharon, meanwhile, has been using this entire time loosening her bonds. She has been free for a while, but was waiting for the right moment. This is it, and while everyone’s back is turned, Sharon knocks out the doctor and then attacks Sin. She quickly over powers the Red Skull’s daughter and puts a scalpel to her throat. Sharon then orders her to take her to where they are keeping her clothes as she intends to walk right out of this facility with Sin as her hostage.
While in Minneapolis, Captain America suspects that there is something not right about the Senator’s hotel room. It looks like the only people who have been staying in it were the security detail. He is just realizing that he has walked into a trap when he is ambushed by the other Captain America. The first thing that James notices is that whoever this guy is, he is a lot stronger than the real Steve Rogers. This Captain America calls Bucky the impostor and promises that he’ll make him suffer before ending his life.
Recurring Characters
Captain America (Barnes), Falcon, Sharon Carter, Captain America (Burnside), Sin, Gordon Wright, Black Widow (voice only)
Continuity Notes
This Captain America is William Burnside, the Captain America of the 1950s. He was revived last issue (which has a really good primer on him) and brainwashed into working for the Red Skull. He was told how the current Captain America (James Barnes) killed Jack Monroe. This is true. While operating as the assassin called the Winter Soldier, James killed Jack Monroe in Captain America (vol. 5) #4.
Sharon Carter was mentally enslaved by Doctor Faustus in Captain America (vol. 5) #22. She was then seemingly forced to kill Steve Rogers in issue #25. They then captured her in issue #32. Cap isn’t really dead but displaced in time, all part of the Red Skull’s complicated plan to steal his body. See Captain America: Reborn #1-5.
Nick Fury has gone underground following the events of Secret War #1-5. At the time of this story, everyone thinks Fury went into hiding after it was revealed that he led an unsanctioned mission into Latveria. In reality, it’s because he stumbled upon a Skrull plot to invade the Earth and is trying to stop it. See Mighty Avengers #12 and Secret Invasion #1-8.
After a romantic evening with Steve Rogers back in Captain America (vol. 5) #16, Sharon discovered that she was pregnant in issue #30.
Sin was wounded in a fight with Captain America in Captain America (vol. 5) #36.
James mentions how Kane-Meyer Securities is owned by the Kronas Corporation and how they were hired to keep security in Washington, DC recently. See Captain America (vol. 5) #35-36.
Topical References
This story is framed as though Gordon Wright is running in the 2008 Presidential Election. This should be considered topical as it is relative to the date of publication.
The TV network covering the Senator is depicted as CNN. This should be considered a topical reference as this is a real world TV network.
Here, Sharon states that she is 11 weeks pregnant. Captain America (vol. 5) #16 was published in May, 2006. This issue was published in August, 2008. Taken at face value, this doesn’t match the Sliding Timescale. However, The Death of Captain America story arc takes place after Civil War and before Secret Invasion. Adjusting that period to the Sliding Timescale, that period was about 18 weeks. As such, we can consider Sharon’s assessment more-or-less accurate.
