Hail Hydra. Words that hurt. I never thought I'd read this phrase in a word bubble over Captain America's head. But there it is.
When Nick Spencer and Marvel Comics announced that they were going to expose Cap as the Hydra agent he's always been, nobody could believe it. An icon not just for the comic fans, but for a nation, Steve Rogers has never wavered in his ideals. Over the years he's even taken off the costume in order to stay true to those ideals. But now, the symbolic costume and shield have been traded in for a green wardrobe with the shining multi-tentacled Hydra emblem.
At first, I was furious. I wasn't going to put up with anyone soiling “my” Captain America like this. He's the only character I've stayed loyal to. In four decades of reading comics, Superman and Batman have let me down; the X-Men and the Fantastic Four haven't kept me interested; and even the Justice League and Marvel's Sorcerer Supreme have given me cause to close the pages and move on. But Captain America has always been Captain America. Make him a wolf-man or a caveman, but keep him him Captain America, champion for the American people. Things have changed. Kobik, a fraction of the Cosmic Cube, disguised as a little girl, altered Cap's past so that he was raised to be the ultimate sleeper cell of Hydra. Nothing has been unwritten, but the undercover life we never knew about has been uncovered. And he still has his ideals.
I decided to read it anyway. I'm a big fan of turning our favorite comics inside out, doing what we thought couldn't be done. And thought that Nick Spencer's run on Captain America might be the most amazing thing written in a long while. Either that, or it would tank. It didn't tank. Readers complained. Fans were appalled. But the current run of the title is well into it's second year and it is going strong. In the book, Captain America has become Hydra's Supreme Leader. He's taken over SHIELD, and has control of the United States. He's killed heroes, made deals with villains, and has given mutants a parcel of land away from the rest of his nation, in order to rid the country of them for good. He doesn't sound like “my” Captain America anymore, but the writing on this book is so good, that Captain America is sticking to his ideals. He's “making America great” in a way that's great for him and Hydra. The whole concept is sickening. Like a car wreck, I feel horrible but can't look away. And I think it's because right now, something very similar is happening in the US government.
When Donald Trump announced he was going to run for President, nobody took him seriously. He ran on a platform that became embraced by racists, sexists, fascists, homophobes, and made anyone opposing those acceptable targets. Cap's Hydra is exactly the comic book equivalent of that. Marvel made a statement that their Secret Empire storyline has nothing to do with the politics of today, that it's just the age old story of good vs. evil, but the similarities are all too similar. So while Captain America's turn to the dark side and Donald Trump's making America great for haters, is all people are talking about in comics and the news, I'm itching for it all to finally be over. And at the same time, what's happening in Marvel comics today is the most important mainstream storyline in a long time.
This is why I defend the book. There are plenty of books out there that are important. There are books that empower and encourage people to stand up for what they believe in, books that tell of someone's struggle to be themselves in a climate of hate and turmoil, and there are books that educate our young people about the past and what they could bring to the future, but this story... this Secret Empire of Captain America, is mainstream. The important comic books tend to be indie books that most people never get a chance to see. Captain America is within everybody's reach. So as much as it pains me and as sick as I am reading it, it is relevant and we need to understand that even though it's a comic book, it can happen here and might be happening now.
Here's some comfort food for thought for all of you that are so disgusted by Captain America that you don't think you'll ever read it again, or for anyone who dislikes Trump so much that you're ready to leave the country: Captain America the Sentinel of Liberty will be turned right again. At some point, they're going to use the cosmic cube fragments to change reality back to how it was before and we will still have gotten the message. As far as our real government? Donald Trump is only going to be in office as long as the American people will allow. We have the power to take action against incompetent politicians. We have the ability to stand up and make a noise about what we don't like. Take action. Protest, march, talk to your representatives, and (at the very least) vote. Those politicians might make a mess in the meantime, but we'll still be here to clean it up.