Thursday, July 16, 2015

What if Captain America Were Not Revived Until Today?

The comic in question
I recently read a post on the 44th issue of What If?. For the unaware, this comic told stories based on what if scenarios (such as what if Spider-Man joined the Fantastic Four). Issue 44 is notable because of its unusual message and this quote: "America is a piece of trash!" spoken by none other than Captain America himself.
Plot
Captain America gets frozen, but remains frozen (whereas he is thawed out by the Avengers in 1964 originally). When Richard Nixon visits China, a custodian frees from stasis the 1950s Captain America and Bucky. These duo were fan boys of the original that tried to stand-in for their idols, but were put into suspended animation for being mentally unstable. Their release also occurred in normal continuity in Captain America issue 154-156. Unlike that comic, the real Captain America isn't around to stop them. The duo become the unwitting pawns of the villainous Secret Empire. The Secret Empire use the patriotic icons (posing as the original) to gain control of Congress and then slowly turn America into a totalitarian state. A (faked) attempt on Captain America's life leads to nation-wide martial law. The real Captain America thaws (thanks to the efforts of a rebel group) out and is disgusted with what he sees America has become. This leads to a fight between the two Caps. The real Captain America gives a speech about the importance of America's ideals and how that he is loyal to that and not the government. During which, he says:
"Well, I say America is nothing! Without its ideals — its commitment to the freedom of all men, America is a piece of trash! A nation is nothing! A flag is a piece of cloth! I fought Adolf Hitler not because America was great, but because it was fragile! I knew that liberty could be snuffed out here as in Nazi Germany! As a people, we were no different then them! When I returned, I saw that you nearly did turn American into nothing! And the only reason you're not less then nothing — — is that it's still possible for you too bring freedom back to America!"
The crowd realizes who the real cap is. After defeating the fake captain, Captain America tells them to not follow him since following a single, charismatic leader is what got them in this situation in the first place.
References:
http://prettyfakes.com/2006/11/america-is-a-piece-of-trash/


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