Captain America: Symbol of Truth #5 is Sam Wilson fighting in Wakanda.

[thanekos]

In issue #4, he'd fought Crossbones, who'd been carrying out the White Wolf's plan to commit bioterrorism in Wakanda through unwitting dupes.

Sam'd defeated the skull-masked mercenary, learned about the White Wolf having secretly laced emigrants from America with a nasty virus triggered by the presence of vibranium - and then been confronted by the Black Panther, T'Challa.

In issue #3, the Wakandan government'd taken the stance that any crime geographically tied to Wakanda fell solely in that country's jurisdiction - and that any non-Wakandan party investigating the Wakandan end of the crime in question, on Wakandan soil, would be considered as committing an incursion.

So, Sam and T'Challa fought.





T'Challa glowered.



(The very human " You wouldn't have done any different were you in our shoes, so I don't have to be burdened by the validity of your criticism, because you're not unblemished enough to be a ' righteous ' accuser. ")

Sam took the Panther over a cliff.



Sam's partner Joaquin, having helped deal with the side of the White Wolf's operations he'd been on the track of, had also made his way over to Wakanda.

He caught Sam out of the air.

They landed - and met representatives of the Wakandan government, who'd arrived to take Crossbones and his men into custody.

At their head was Shuri.



(" You disobeyed a direct order. " reminds the reader that Shuri is someone born and raised in a royal family.)



Sam saw something interpersonal in the decree.



After that, Sam was with Misty Knight, thinking about what his actions'd precipitated:



Later, he was sitting alone with himself.



Elsewhere, the White Wolf reflected.



(Pagecount's just under 6 and 2/3rds of 20 from September 2022's Captain America: Symbol of Truth #5.

Mohannda is a geographical neighbor of Wakanda, established in the 90s Marvel UK series " Black Axe ".

It being the White Wolf's country of origin is a thing in more recent Black Panther stories, like " Black Panther Legends " back in 2021 - which was also written by Tochi Onyebuchi.

Art's R.B. Silva and Julian Shaw, letters're Joe Caramagna, and colors're Jesus Aburtov.

Publisher's Marvel.)

Comments

[cainofdreaming]

I wonder if Afrikaa will make an appearance.

[melancholiahemlock]

Wow, the Wakandan government are massive fucking pricks in this, huh?

And I mean....Wilson's not wrong. They could have done something. Mind you, moral justifications for invading to help save people is a very slippery slope, but if you're not going to give it a pass when they'd be intervening to literally free people from a life of enslavement, which is an objective fact and not at all bullshit or exaggeration, then when will you?

That's always the trouble with these kinds of things. If you give a group the power to do something and they don't, they're bastards.

Also, removing people's citizenship on a whim? That's sketchy as fuck at best.

But you know.....This seems to be being written like "Ahh, they tried democracy and it went bad because bad people were in charge! See, this is why unquestioned, hereditary power is good, actually!" Which I hate.

[beyondthefringe]

Yeah, I felt like the Wakandans, from T'Challa on down, came off kinda uncooperative and bad in this storyline, and I'm really not sure what to make of it, if I'm missing nuances and complexities that I simply haven't experienced as a white American. I just don't like the way citizenship was weaponized against these refugees though.

Especially when Sam's intentions seem entirely born from trying to help people and do good.

[mastermahan]

I imagine T'Challa showing up at the end is supposed to smooth things over a bit, but it just makes him look like an even bigger jerk.

"I am paying for my decisions, and you are paying for yours." No, Sam isn't the one who's paying. That's the problem.

"I will do whatever it takes to protect Wakanda." You mean like Sam did? To protect his own country AND Wakanda?

Seeing that Wakanda is a democracy now, I wonder how Wakandan citizens feel about this. Even in the Marvel Universe, punishing innocent people for the crime of stopping a terrorist attack doesn't seem like it would poll well.

[windleopard2]

Wakanda is only one country and largely stayed uncolonized because people ignored them or didn't even know they existed.

That said, Shuri's actions is this story are inexcusable.

[shakalooloo]

Not to defend Wakanda here, but back several centuries ago, were they not super-isolated from the outside world to the degree where they ween't aware of what was going on there? They were ignorant of just what was going on beyond their ivory towers, and their lack of interference could be attributed to that, rather than callous dismissal.

[onsokumaru]

Disregaring international laws and not taking no as an answer when it comes to hunt down filthy terrorist. Captain America, fuck yeah! Sam deserves a good pat on the back from John.

It looks like the writer forgot that Shuri is now a Disney Princess and he wrote her with her pre-synergy ruthless characterization. Not that I'm complaining. I liked that Shuri. Not all characters have to be models of virtue, and it was nice that she was so different from the wiser, more level-headed T'Challa.

Still can't believe that "americans being granted asylum" thing.

[blues32]

For god sake, Sam, shuddap. What does any of that have to do with T'Challa? He isn't responsible for the decisions of his ancestors. Bitch about the stuff T'Challa did. Like create a cure for cancer and refuse to give it to anyone.

[aperturedreams]

Both here and in the Black Panther title it seems to me like both T'Challa and Shuri are being written as absurdly unlikeable, which is extra awkward given the MCU status at the moment...

[nyadnar17]

I adore that "dicks for no fucking reason" is the standard Wakanda MO.

Sic Semper Tyrannis and don't ever let someone's skin color make you forget it.

[mastermahan]

In the MU Wakanda, at least as I recall, vibranium was only uncovered during King T'Chaka's time, and so they've only been a hidden supertech society for one generation. So no, they probably couldn't have stopped colonization, not with one superpowered warrior king and whatever vibranium mutates they had around back then.

But I like the Ryan Coogler version better. An African nation with recent supertech is a good idea, but an African nation that never suffered the horrors of colonization is a lot more compelling. If Marvel's going to quietly retcon Wakandan history to make it more like the films, then that's a improvement.

And MCU Wakanda was absolutely wrong to isolate themselves when they could have made things better. The film made that clear.

[donnblake]

Hudlin, at least, had Wakanda unconquored in its entire history, and technologically advanced for at least most of that.

[mastermahan]

I didn't really read Hudlin. I loved Priest's run and it was a big change. One generation is what Wikipedia says is the current timeframe, for whatever that's worth.

Hudlin's Wakanda certainly wouldn't done anything about colonization, not if the cancer cure thing was any indication.