Captain America #1 (2025-) is a flashback.

[thanekos]

It's Steve Rogers just after he came out of the ice.

It's also someone else before that - a new character's origin, grounded like Steve's in real history.

The first page hits the reader with that, a reminder of the passage of time - appropriate when the story involves fresh-from-the-ice Steve.





Years later, Captain America's caught up to a man with a gun he's been chasing.



(Cap noticed ' He's trained. ' while chasing him down.)



" I know, soldier.. "

Later, after the bomb'd been disarmed, Cap and Iron Man talked.

" It's amazing..



" .. it'd be easier if you did so with the Avengers. "

Steve turned him down - he had other plans.

Earlier in the past, that young man from the first page was turned down.



Later in the past, " Thunderbolt " Ross was questioning Steve.



" .. you've read my debrief. I've lost everything..



" I understand. " said Ross.

Earlier in the past, that young man'd joined up.

The narration, not his own words, followed him: ' My life has been a series of bullies.



Later in the past, Steve tracked down Mr. Fantastic of the same Four to ask about " Victor von Doom.



Steve'd come for knowledge..



.. which Mr. Fantastic provided.



Their conversation continued outside: " .. Doom..



Reed's answer concerned disabling Doom's armor.

Earlier in the past, that young man was reading.



" You're a weak crybaby. "

The young man responded " I'm not crying.



Later in the past, Steve noticed a later printing of the book the young man'd been reading.



' .. adding to a mythology that grew while I froze in the darkness.

' In the war, I was a child becoming a man..



Earlier in the past, that young man was recovering from his injuries.



" .. that I could cure that asthma? "

Later in the past, Steve was meeting the team he'd be going into Latveria with.

One of them asked when.



(This is the second case of " American special forces calling themselves the Howling Commandos " in 616 - the first was a Delta Force group in pre-Secret Wars Punisher, which felt a bit like writer Nathan Edmondson was transplanting the protagonists of his Image book The Activity.)



(That's David - motivated to join the military, he ended up becoming a super-soldier tied to the Navy, in the vein of " Anti-Cap " from the mid-2000s Captain America & the Falcon.

Pagecount's just under 10 of 30 from July 2025's Captain America #1.

Writing's Chip Zdrasky, art's Valerio Schiti, colors're Frank Martin, and letters're Joe Caramagna.

Publisher's Marvel.)

Comments

[numeronone]

I have read an outlandish conspiracy theory that David was specifically created to give Marvel an alternative Cap for when the copyright on Steve Rogers expires in a few years.

Outlandish, of course, because they have like a dozen alternative Caps they could use (or do another "which pre-existing character will take up the shield?" contest). But it's pretty funny to me that the theory presupposes that Marvel would go to the writer of Public Domain to help solve their problem with the public domain.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

I don't understand why they would have to stop using Steve.

[numeronone]

That's another reason it doesn't make sense; Disney hasn't exactly retired Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse.

[full_metal_ox]

Fairytales are theoretically public domain, but the Mouse Empire has sure been striving to brand their house interpretations as the definitive canon; Disney’s version is what’s likely to imprint little baby psyches first.

[lbd_nytetrayn]

Yeah, it's like, becoming public domain means that others can use the character, not that the original owners have to stop.

I'm sure there's a strong contingent who'd prefer "the original" (such as it is, after being handed down through the years), anyway.

[blues32]

I see trouble coming from this lad. That war was a waste of life and resources. Steve fought in a war that truly mattered. Nobody had to make up WMDs for America to declare war then. David's entire wartime experience was filled with lies, a false declaration of victory, and so many dead because the feasibility outside of "go in there and install democracy" was never seriously considered.

A Captain America born from THIS era...? Not exactly our best time. Not our worst, thanks to recent leadership, but very much NOT our best. I can't imagine he'd have much faith in the American dream.

[mazway_75]

One thing I miss about the long passage of time of Cap on ice is that we don't get the bits of Cap meeting an aged man he served with in the war who's surprised Steve remembers him. Added a nice touch to things.

[shakalooloo]

Having Cap being out of he ice only two weeks before learning of Doom ruling Latveria is a nice touch, since both events happened fairly close in the publishing world!

[zylly]

Cap just gets more and more beat up by the sliding timescale.