"They killed him, mama....They killed Captain America...." (Captain America #50, 2/2002)
Except, unlike in the comic referenced above, Captain America was killed by liberal propagandists. He did not die trying to save innocents. Instead, he was taken out by people more concerned with their own philosophies than in protecting the heritage and legacy of one of the most enduring and iconic characters in comics and modern culture.
You see, Marvel Comics is no longer interested in telling good stories. They no longer care about their readers. No, they are typical of Hollywood and the media. They want to make a statement, they want to tell us how they think America is and what it should be.
Here is the skinny. In the Marvel Universe, a tragedy takes place when a group of young superheroes called the New Warriors try to apprehend a supercriminal. An explosion takes place that kills innocents, including children at a school. As a result, the US government passes the Superhuman Registration Act, in which all superpowered people have to register with the government. The superheroes are split over this, in that some are for the measure and some are against it. Iron Man, a rich industrialist armsmaker (Dick Cheney), is for it. Captain America is against it. The heroes split off and fight. Lives are lost and beloved characters are exiled or killed, including Thor (killed and his clone killed as well) and the Hulk (exiled into space). When Cap sees that his fight is not supported by the American people, he turns himself in as Steve Rogers. He is then shot on his way to the courtroom.
According to Marvel, they did this because Steve Rogers, the original Cap created by Jack Kirby and Joe Simon, no longer represents America. His brand of patriotism, protection of rights, and sense of fair play don't represent America. In other words, Americans are sheep who have been blinded by the lies of the Bush Administration and who now only care for killing and bloodlust. Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic represent the elitist conservative leaders who are fearful and seek dominance. Captain America represents the way America used to be, and how Bush Inc. is killing them.
That is what Marvel is trying to convey, and it is disgusting. Comics, while appealing to all ages, have been in many ways about children. Our children are reading this. They are seeing an American icon killed, and why? Because Joe Quesada and Co. feel that A) this will show BusHitler and his thugs, and B) it is good business to create controversy, and C) it is just a costume, we can put anyone in it.
Even if they are right about our rights eroded away (they are, but it is not Bush doing it, it is the PC liberal behavior-transfat-tolerance types), why kill what we need more of. Captain America, and by this I mean Steve Rogers, represents what is good about America: volunteerism, a belief in the equality of man, a belief in the sense that we all are blessed to live in a land of opportunity, and the belief that we should protect it. Steve Rogers gave up his life to defend this country, and thousands of servicemen read his exploits. His surviving creator, Joe Simon, said it best when he said that "we need him now more than ever." In this day when our children are taught that America is the aggressor, that America is about taking and not helping, we need a return to that symbol. Some call this innocent and naive. I say it is correct. No nation on Earth has done as much to spread freedom. No nation on Earth has decided to help rebuild former foes. The United States has. Captain America is a symbol for all that is good in America. You kill that, you are saying America is dead.
I know what you are saying, this is a fictional character and no big deal. And you are right. Captain America is a fictional character. However, to many, he was an inspiration. To many, he brought a sense of fair play and justice and helped teach them about what America is about. His death was meaningless, a cheap sales ploy.
They say they can put anyone in the costume. True, but Captain America is more than a costume. Was Batman just a costume? DC tried to get rid of Bruce Wayne, and what happened? The book sucked. They tried it with Superman, with four people no less. It sucked.
Why is it that every artist thinks that in order for them to be great they have to kill someone? They have to make a splash by making a statement. Mark Gruenwald was the longest tenured writer on Cap, and he didn't need to do such garbage.
Captain America may be a fictional character, but the statement is clear. According to Marvel, American values are dead. According to Marvel, America now is the realm of cold blooded killers. That is what Marvel thinks of America, especially when I hear that someone like the Punisher is going to assume the mantle to bring a harder edge to Captain America. Disgusting.
Captain America is Steve Rogers and Steve Rogers is Captain America. Marvel may be able to kill the man, but they cannot kill his legacy. And if I know my comics, Steve Rogers will return. The fans out there won't let it stay this way. I don't care if it is done in a cheesy way, it needs to be done. Marvel, by its actions, has engaged in proterror propaganda. Saying that America's symbolic Sentinel of Liberty is dead is like saying, America is dead, her spirit is dead. And Marvel could not be more wrong.
The thing is, just as America is forgiving, Cap would be too. To quote him:
I understand your frustration, sir, but don't blame the nation for this. "We may not be perfect, but we're a free people. America has seen some bad times, but still we continue...We persevere! The actions of a handful of maniacs [Marvel Comics] won't change that!"(Captain America: Red White and Blue, 2002)
See, the so-called geniuses at Marvel, the house of No Ideas, is so spoiled that they don't understand America. They think that just because they disagree with something, that it is wrong. They are the intolerant ones, the ones that want things handed to them because they are this or that. Cap, again, himself, tells us about America and its nature, its promise:
This belongs to all of us. But it's not for free---and it doesn't come easy. It's America! America doesn't hand you things on a silver platter. Sometimes, all she offers is hope. (Captain America: Red White and Blue, 2002)
See, the so-called geniuses didn't even read their own comic. They didn't even acknolwedge their history. Cap has weathered the storms, has been a force for change, and has still represented the best about America. Those same ideas that inspired our boys at Bunker Hill, at Gettysburg, at San Juan Hill, at Ardennes, at Normandy, are still alive today. The idiots at Marvel succumbed to the terrorists. They have fallen in and believe that America is the bad guy.
As John Reiber and Jon Cassady described in Captain America #1:
We've got to be stronger than we've ever been. Or they've won. We can hunt them down. We can scour every bloodstained trace of their terror from the Earth. We can turn every stone they've ever touched to dust, and every blade of grass to ash. And it won't matter. We've got to be stronger than we've ever been--As a people. As a nation. We have to be America...Or they've won....We're going to make it through this--We, the people. United by a power that no enemy of freedom could begin to understand. We share--We are--The American Dream. (Captain America, Marvel Knights series #1 "Dust" 2002)
I am a comic fan. I am a Cap fan. Even while everyone else was just concerned about who had the coolest costume, who had the hippest attitude, I was reading Captain America. He was cool because he represented the country. No matter how cheesy it may have been, I loved Captain America. I read the comics and learned about this country, about its values, and about right and wrong. No matter the story line, it was great. Cap was cool because he fought for waht was right and stood for something. He had a code. His power was not so much strength or speed as the belief in the primacy and rightness of his ideals. He had a core.
Marvel doesn't understand that. Marvel just thinks this is about telling a story and selling a book. They think it is just about a character. It is more than that. It is about the essence of American values. Joe Simon is right. We need Captain America. We need Steve Rogers. The Dream is not dead, it is very much alive. As long as there are people in this country working to better themselves, to strive for something more, to fight for what's right, no matter the perils, to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause; as long as there are people like this.....Captain America lives!
