Marvel Comics just launched the latest volume of Captain America, and already the series is making a big addition to Cap’s mythology. Issue #1 introduces a new character named David Colton, a soldier who served as Captain America in the dark days after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Because of the nature of Marvel’s sliding time scale (where modern superheroes like the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man are depicted as having been active for the past 10-15 years), the 9/11 attacks happened while Steve Rogers was still frozen in ice. Issue #1 serves as an origin story for David. Much like Steve himself, David is a physically frail but deeply principled young man who yearns to serve his country after personally witnessing the destruction of the World Trade Center. This attracts the attention of his superiors, who administer the same Super-Soldier Serum that transformed Steve into the Sentinel of Liberty. The only difference is that instead of fighting Nazis, this Cap is plunging headlong into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The other half of issue #1 takes place mere days after Steve is found by the Avengers and unthawed. Still struggling to come to terms with the new world around him and not seeing a place among the Avengers, Cap decides to reenlist in the Army. General Thunderbolt Ross gives Cap his first mission – infiltrate the wartorn nation of Latveria (where a young Doctor Doom has just usurped the throne), and rescue the American diplomats trapped there. Steve meets his team, which consists of a new group of Howling Commandos and David Colton himself. The original Captain America and his 21st Century replacement are joining forces to battle Doctor Doom. What could go wrong?
“David is a Captain America lost to time, coming to life in a post-9/11 world. And now Steve Rogers, his hero, is back and under David’s command. He’s finally meeting his hero. They say to never meet your heroes,” writer Chip Zdarsky told Marvel.com. “It’s been really challenging and satisfying working out David’s story and how a modern world and war would affect someone taking on this mantle. It’s been especially satisfying writing Steve, seeing this new world through David’s eyes, and what it means for his journey.”
This isn’t the first time Marvel has introduced a character who took up the Captain America mantle during the decades Steve Rogers was frozen in ice. For example, the various post-WWII Captain America comics published in the late ’40s and early ’50s have been retconned to reveal that men like Jeffrey Mace and William Burnside were wearing the costume rather than Steve.
It’s worth noting that Marvel published several comics showing Steve himself reacting to the events of 9/11 and their aftermath in the early ’00s. 2001’s The Amazing Spider-Man #36 shows Spidey, Cap, and other heroes assisting in the search and recue efforts at Ground Zero. 2002’s Captain America: Marvel Knights revolves around Cap confronting new threats as the War on Terror dawns. But again, Marvel’s constantly shifting timeline means that 9/11 is now a distant event that predates the debut of heroes like Spider-Man. Those stories have been essentially rendered non-canon (though it’ll be interesting to see if Captain America: Marvel Knights is retconned to become David’s story now).
What do you think of this new Captain America? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
In other comic book news, see the cast and crew of Superman explain why All-Star Superman was a huge influence on the film and brush up on the utterly bizarre history of Superman’s powers.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on BlueSky.
