Fan Retrospectives: 'Captain America No More!' Part 1

 

"The Choice" Captain America #332
Writers: Mark Gruenwald
Artists: Tom Morgan, Bob McLeod

Review by Eric Lee

Prior to the movies, it is easy to view Captain America as a jingoistic, blind patriot- a superhero who was created a simpler time, but has no place in modern story telling. But the comics and films have proved that Captain America can be further from the being an obtuse flag-waver and furthermore, exactly the hero we need moreso than ever.

There is comic book story line that challenges Captain America in all of these ways better than 1987's "Captain America No More!" This arc puts a very definitive stance on where Cap's values in opposition to the US government, spotlights John Walker as a fully-realized character, and crystallizes Cap as a paragon of good regardless of the cost.

The Cover 

The cover is very iconic and striking. A downtrodden Captain America stands in front of a facsimile of an American flag. The red stripes of the flag turn into blood splatters, implying that something has happened horribly to the American government. The character head box in the left corner even shows a portrait of Abraham Lincoln crying! This insinuates that Cap might be casted in a Lincoln-esque role of being a figurehead for unpopular stances, like Lincoln was during the Civil War and much of his presidency.

War for the Sake of War

We start off by a terrorist making a bold stand of parachuting onto the top of the Washington Monument. He then declares that he has a nuclear bomb that he plans to detonate at midnight unless America declares war on a country. That's right, any country. The terrorist named Warhead literally doesn't care which country to go to war with. He is more concerned that since there hasn't been a war in a while, America's youth has grown to soft and complacent.

 

This character- who incidentally never makes an appearance again- is not a very complex or even a well-thought out character. However, if we look at him as a foil for Steve Rogers, then he becomes more interesting. Rogers became Captain America during World War II in order to protect others, not to kill anybody in particular. This is best exemplified in the scene from 2011's Captain America: The First Avenger, where Rogers sates he doesn't want to kill anybody, but he hates bullies.

 

 

Despite being a soldier who has killed, Captain America despises violence. There is a reason why his primary weapon is a shield, not a gun. The shield can be used as an offensive weapon, but it's primarily seen as a defensive tool- symbolizing Cap's role as more of a protector of the innocent, as opposed to the punisher of the guilty. 

This is in stark contrast to Warhead, who's name implies a violent attitude. He is violence for the sake of violence. He does not even care who is on the receiving end. Compare that to Captain America who only uses lethal force when necessary and to save others.

Seeds of Doubt

Speaking of Captain America, he ironically is completely unaware of Warhead's threats despite also being in Washington DC. He has an appointment at the Pentagon with a general after he learned of the US military's illegal collusion with a genetic experimenter to create more super soldiers in a previous adventure. Despite Cap's concerns, the general blows him off rather quickly.

This sort of blase response from the military establishment only seeds doubt in Cap's mind about whether the government has the best interest of the American people at heart. 

Coincidentally, he is also summoned to the mysterious Commission- a government agency who manages superhuman activities. The agency makes it clear to Cap: since he became Captain America back in 1941, his original intention was to be an official mascot and sanctioned soldier representing the American government and it's interests. 

 

 And since he never formally changed his contractual obligations since World War II, he even benefited from this official government status. In a previous issue, Cap received $1 million in backpay for his military service. Funny enough, this only turned into a big deal after an IRS auditor flagged this payment and investigated Rogers' status as a government worker.

So yes, the downfall of Captain America was due to bureaucratic tax laws. This is highly amusing and yet, sadly realistic at the same time. Realistically, institutions rarely crumble due to a dramatic overturn of power. What typically happens is that it gets slowly weathered piece by piece through bureaucratic policy changes over time until it's gone completely or changed beyond recognition. The dark humor is of course how Captain America's greatest conflict isn't from fighting the Red Skull, but going against something mundane like the IRS.

 So the Commission gives Captain America an ultimatum: become an official US government employee and all that it entails or resign.

Cap leaves the Pentagon dejected by this choice. He calls up his friends to get some advice. Weirdly, he calls Sam Wilson aka Falcon- who seems to insinuate that he should join the government and just quit when something goes against his beliefs. This attitude of "falling in line with the system" seems to be contrary to Wilson's characterization.

 

Rogers Quiet Contemplation vs Walker's Brazen Violence

By himself, Cap contemplates the pros and cons of joining the government. These concerns are not unlike when he is faced with the Superhero Registration Act in 2006's Civil War comic book storyline. He knows that the government would probably force him to do their agenda and go to different countries to bend to their political will.

He even consults with a lawyer about suing the government. But the truth is Steve Rogers is a man of integrity. He does not want his personal conflicts with the government to spill over into a protracted legal discourse. 

This internal conflict is in contrast with our other major character of this storyline: John Walker- who at this time is going by the monkier of Super-Patriot. He also serves as a foil to Captain America. He is also patriotic, but his patriotism is self-serving and used in search of personal glory. Walker was first introduced in Captain America #323. He was a showboating hero who had very little concern for actually helping others. Instead of searching to right transgressions, he stages elaborate faux crimes where he can show off his fighting skills in public. He claims how he is America's future, whereas Cap is America's past.

Walker even has a publicity manager Ethan who coaches him on when are the best opportunities for him to public appear. This includes seeing Warhead threatening Washington DC with a nuke. Walker initially had no interest in even helping, being more concerned with his status and well-being. But eventually, Ethan convinces Walker to stop the terrorist. 

His confrontation with Warhead was quick and decisive. Unlike Captain America-who always approaches his enemies with offers of peace- Super-Patriot has no compunctions about showing mercy or attempt at being concerned for collateral damage. He throws ninja stars at Warhead's face, then purposefully shakes the perch Warhead is on, causing him to lose balance and fall off. Warhead unleashes a grenade and kills himself. Walker is a hero for the day, but at what cost?

 Walker's blustering approach might work for showing off his strength, but in a real-life terrorist situation, he could've easily died or killed innocent people. Walker's escapade ended successfully due to dumb luck, not because of skills or guile. In this case, Walker's victory success shows that maybe might is right.

End of an Era

In the end, Steve Rogers returns to the Commission to make his final decision: He is quitting Captain America. He graciously returns the shield and uniform and leaves. 

 

"Gentlemen, I have given the matter we discussed yesterday a great deal of thought, and I regret to say that in all good conscience I cannot accept your conditions of employment. Captain America was created to be a mere soldier, but I have made him far more than that. To return to being a mere solider would be a betrayal of all I've striven for, for the better part of my career. To service the country your way, I would have to give up my personal freedom and place myself in a position to compromise my ideals to obey your orders. I cannot represent the American government; the president does that. I must represent the American people. I represent the American Dream, the freedom to strive to become all that you dream of being. Being Captain America has been my American Dream. To become what you wanted me to be, I would have to compromise that dream... abandon what I have come to stand for. My commitment to the ideals of this country is greater than my commitment to a 40-year old document. I am sorry but that's the way it must be." 

It is not about Captain America versus the government. It is clear that Cap has seen the seedier side of the US government for many years up to this point. He knows what good they can produce, but also what evils in the name of America they can create. If he continues to be Cap while being in the government's pocket, then he will have to agree with every single decision- good and bad- that the government makes. Sometimes those decisions align with his, but many times not. He refuses to be a part of the system where he needs to stay quiet about every government wrongdoing for the sake of saving face.

This is not a new debate with Captain America, nor is it even his most well-known conflict with the government. But it is one of the first. In 1987, it was shocking to see Steve Rogers give up the shield.

In fact, the letters page even makes it a point to say that the next issue, Steve doesn't appear even once. To fans who did not know where this story was going, they may have assumed this is a turning of a new mantle. A new status quo.

 

Steve Rogers is done. Long live Captain America...

To be continued... 

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