Take two steps forward, then take four steps back.
Back in 2007, Marvel made the decision to kill Steve Rogers, the man behind the mask of Captain America and one of their most iconic characters. The Civil War was winding down into an uncertain future, the Red Skull was running rampant with his master plan to gain control of the American government and then Marvel pulled out a shocking ending to Captain America #25: they killed Captain America.
Killing Captain America may not seem like a big deal to most outside of comics, but this comic book death came across as completely different and non-standard. There was no hint of Cap’s impending demise when it was originally revealed. His death was shocking and sudden and brutal. It was ultimately heroic and iconic. To me, it went down as one of the best moments in comics history in the last 20 years because it exemplified nobility, sacrifice and change. It seemed different. And good. And they did it at a time when everything was changing in their little universe and things were going from bad to worse for our heroes.
It didn’t feel like Marvel was selling out.
Word of the death spread quickly, and not just inside the comics world. In an unusual occurrence, there was a lot of big-time media coverage for a mainstream comic for the first time and as a result, copies of Captain America #25 were flying off the shelves. Everywhere, it seemed people that didn’t read comics or have any interest in them knew about the story. Marvel did a great job of surprising everyone and getting a lot of attention, which is what you want in a big moment like this one.
But as great as the story was and all the extra attention it was getting, I couldn’t help but feel they’d eventually screw the pooch and not leave a good thing alone. I’m sure I said something flippant and to the effect that Marvel “would screw it up” and bring Steve back. I even remarked as much to my comics-reading and non-comics reading friends who asked about the story. “Just give it a couple years. He’ll be back.”
I will be the first to admit that I was pretty initially angry that Marvel killed off Steve Rogers. He was easily one of my favorite characters since I started reading comics and I always felt a great deal of empathy with the character. It also took some time to accept the change and the passing of the mantle to Cap’s former partner Bucky. Again, this was a bit of an unexpected twist, but one that worked out brilliantly. Captain America has long been Marvel’s most consistent and strong book since Brubaker took over, but the quality of Brubaker’s storytelling really shined with the title character being absent for the better part of a year after Steve’s death. Even though it took a while for Bucky to assume the mantle, he did so as his own person, but in a way that honored Steve’s legacy (even if he had to do it in a horribly-designed new costume).
What’s better is that ‘Bucky Captain America’ is really starting to come into his own. He’s a compelling character that constantly wrestles with the burden of the mantle, his horrific past and just seems to be getting his feet under him. He’s turning into a great hero.
Only now, Marvel, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to pull the rug out from under him (and us) again. Captain America #600 will be released today and the big reveal is that Marvel is bringing Steve back.*
This event seems to be getting it fair share of coverage, but I’m wondering if/how it will be received by the mainstream media and compared to the events of 2007. What will the reaction be if the story does gain any traction? Will it draw more new readers to comics? Will it be looked upon as a publicity stunt and money grab? Will it undermine the potential of comics to tell good, compelling stories without pulling the same death/rebirth rabbit out of the hat all the time?
Another big question is will Ed Brubaker’s brand of magic work a third time? Can he pull off another big story idea that I initially disliked, then grew to love? He did it the first time by breaking one of the holy taboos of comics by bringing Bucky back from the grave. And not only brought him back, but made him a rich and compelling character filled with a nasty past and lots of depth.
The second time was the death of Steve Rogers, the original Captain America. Killing Captain America, at least to me, is like the Marvel equivalent of killing Batman… there are just some things I don’t think would ever happen in my lifetime (*ahem*).
And now Marvel is bringing Steve back. Of course, this is all being touted as part of some insidious Master Plan, years in the making. It’s been reported that Brubaker actually built elements into the original story to support the return of Steve Rogers. While I figured something like this might happen, I was hoping it would never come to pass. I’m sure Brubaker will handle it very well, in a way that makes sense, and won’t handle it like some lousy retcon.
Here I was prepared to face a comics world where nobility, sacrifice and even death held meaning. I thought, nay hoped, maybe things had changed. I thought maybe we were getting a bit more sophisticated about our stories of men in tights beating each other up.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but sometimes I hate it when I’m right.
*For the record, there haven’t been 575 issues since Steve Rogers died… it’s only been twenty-something issues. Marvel just loves to start re-numbering comics for no real good or apparent reason. I know, I know. It confuses me too.
