Captain America and the Falcon #10

Mar 7

Mar 7 Captain America and the Falcon #10

Brothers and Keepers, Part 3: The Killers Club

Captain America (Steve Rogers) has broken into the home of Damocles Rivas to figure out why he and the US Navy are so interested in obtaining MODOK DNA. Inside, he narrowly avoids getting kill by a mental blast from MODOK himself thanks to Steve’s trust indestructible shield. That sets off the alarm, causing armed soldiers to race into the room. As he takes down the guards, his back up — Agent Alisande Morales of SHIELD — asks if he wants some back-up as she gears up in their submarine. Rogers orders her to standby while he takes out the guards. Realizing that MODOK appears to be in some kind of subservient mode and spotting an helmet worn by members of Advanced Idea Mechanics (AIM) on a nearby control console, he decides to try something out. Putting on the helmet, he is unsurprised when MODOK begins treating him like a member of AIM and asks for orders. When he asks MODOK why he is killing AIM operatives, it tells him that it is built only for killing before unleashing another mental bolt.

Meanwhile, beneath the USS Saisha — a ship owned by Jimmy Westbrook of the Office of Naval Intelligence — the rogue “Anti-Cap” swims up to the hull of the ship and plants an explosive before swimming off. On deck, Damocles Rivas recovers from being sucker punched by the Falcon (Sam Wilson). However, he and Westbrook both know that this was all a distraction. He wants to get back at Captain America and the Falcon because he believes that they killed his brother, who was once leader of the drug dealing Rivas cartel.[1] Jimmy understands that Rivas wants revenge, but insists that they need to do things the right way in order to achieve their goals. However, their conversation is interrupted by the arrival of Joe Robertson of the Daily Bugle and his wife Eleanore, who were also invited to attend the party.

Back at the Rivas mansion, Steve wasn’t being attacked by MODOK, but having images projected to explain what has been going on. He reports his findings back to Agent Morales as he sifts through the memories. MODOK was a loyal member of AIM before he was transformed and turned against them. Now, for whatever reason, MODOK has been able to transmit his mind as electrical impulses in order to kill at long distance. His targets have turned out to be the scientists that were principally involved in his creation.[2] With MODOK’s mind apparently absent, Steve wonders who is pulling his strings and why. When MODOK pulls up a memory of the Rivas compound back in Cuba, Steve is attacked by more armed soldiers.

While back aboard the yacht, Anti-Cap has just taken out the guards in the monitor room and shut down the security protocols.

Meanwhile, a US Senator is leaving a cheap hotel where he is having an affair and heads back home. His car is stopped by a gang of heavily armed men, seemingly there to rob him. That’s when the Falcon arrives and lands in his back seat. He tells the Senator that he has a choice to make. Either he takes protection from the Falcon or the Rivas. He then orders to take the hush money he gets from the Rivas and give it to his friends outside. He is ordered to do that every month or else Sam will come back and fuck his shit up.

At the same time, Captain America continues to fight off Rivas men while parsing out what is going on. He figures that the reason why MODOK has lapsed into a programmable killing machine is because — somehow — the mind of MODOK is not present in it anymore. Which raises questions on who is pulling the strings and why.

Concurrently, Anti-Cap sets off the explosives on the hull of the SS Saisha, causing the boat to take on water. As he takes out the rest of the soldiers below deck, he is confronted by Jimmy Westbrook. Pulling a gun, he tries to kill Westbrook but the neural chip in his body is preventing him from killing his former handler. That’s when Redwing — Sam’s pet falcon — attacks him, knocking Westbrook out. The Falcon leaps into the room seconds later. He is annoyed that Anti-Cap couldn’t eliminate Westbrook. Before they can do anything they are suddenly ambushed by Damocles Rivas, who has transformed into another MODOK!

Recurring Characters

Captain America, Falcon, Anti-Cap, AIM, MODOK/Damocles Rivas, Jimmy Westbrook, Alisande Morales, Joe Robertson, Eleanor Robertson

Continuity Notes

Jimmy Westbrook had been working with the Rivas Cartel to retrieve a sample of MODOK’s DNA. Damocles’ brother was killed by Anti-Cap shortly after he went rogue and tried to foil this operations. See Captain America and the Falcon #1-4.
MODOK’s origins were told in Tales of Suspense #93-94.