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Captain America Network
In General
- Five-Token Band: The Network counts a gay Jewish man (Aaron Fischer), a black woman (Nichelle Wright), a Native American (Joe Gomez), a Filipino woman (Arielle Agbayani), and a white man (Jeremy Merrick) among their ranks.
Aaron Fischer
Aaron Fischer / Captain America
Defender of the Destitute
Nationality: American
Species: Human
First Appearance: The United States of Captain America #1 (June, 2021)
A gay Jewish teenager thrown out of his home by his homophobic father, he took up the Captain America mantle to protect the Family of Choice he found on the railways.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: A gay Jewish man taking on a mantle originated by a straight Christian.
- Breakout Character: Aaron has gone on to become a recurring character as both an ally to Steve and a few solo adventures, even gaining superpowers of his own along the way.
- The Heart: His transient nature puts him in semi-regular contact with others in the Captains Network, and he's able to rouse up The Cavalry in the final issue, including Caps not previously introduced. Lastly, it's he who gives an off-the-cuff speech on live tv at the end.
- Nice Jewish Boy: He’s very sweet and even handles Steve’s initial hostility with stride. He’s also quite a geek, knowing who all the Captains America are.
- Straight Gay: Shows no obvious gay mannerisms.
- Twofer Token Minority: Both Jewish and gay.
Nichelle Wright
Nichelle Wright / Captain America
Vanguard of a Brighter Future
Nationality: American
Species: Human
First Appearance: The United States of Captain America #2 (July, 2021)
A Black activist from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania who uses Captain America imagery as a rallying point in her protests, earning the ire of the corrupt county sheriff in the process.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: A Black woman taking on a mantle originated by a white man.
- Soapbox Sadie: Activism is her whole deal, much to the chagrin of the corrupt sheriff of her hometown.
Joe Gomez
Joe Gomez / Captain America
Champion of the Overlooked
Nationality: American
Species: Human
First Appearance: The United States of Captain America #3 (July, 2021)
A member of the Kickapoo tribe, Joe is a construction worker who was inspired to become a Native American-themed Captain America after Steve saved his life.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: A member of the Kickapoo Tribe taking on a mantle originated by a white man.
- Awesome McCoolname: His Kickapoo name, Chiitaska, means "Thunder That Jumps Across The Sky".
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Invoked. He took the mantle of a Native Captain America after Steve saved his life when his construction site was attacked by the Wrecking Crew, which was just another workday for Steve.
- I Owe You My Life: Joe didn't figure that he was a fan of what Captain America stood for, until Steve saves his life when a fight came to his hometown, risking his own safety to do so.
- Shown Their Work: The writers had consulted real-life members of the Kickapoo Tribe when coming up with the character.
Arielle Agbayani
Arielle Agbayani / Captain America
A Bully’s Worst Nightmare
Nationality: American
Species: Human
First Appearance: The United States of Captain America #4 (July, 2021)
A Filipino-American college student who gets her sorority to stand up to a rapist on campus.
- Advertised Extra: Her backstory and Asian heritage don't tie in with the main story at all, and she plays a relatively minor role other than demonstrating how Aaron is connected to other Caps in the network.
- Affirmative-Action Legacy: A Filipino woman taking on a mantle originated by a white man.
- Ninja: Invoked. Her ninja-style mask is a subtle nod to her being the Asian Captain America.
- Ringer Ploy: In her backstory, one of her sorority sisters had been raped and had her phone stolen by a Frat Bro whose family is wealthy and well-connected. Arielle dresses as Captain America to go to a Halloween party at his frat house, takes back the girl's phone and steals his for evidence, and fights the guy on the way out. But when he runs after her, all the girls at the party are dressed as Captain America, which Arielle had planned with them all along.
Jeremy Merrick
Captain Jeremy Merrick
Protector of Soldiers
Nationality: American
Species: Human
First Appearance: The United States of Captain America #4
An Air Force officer stationed at NORAD, Jeremy is not part of the Captains Network (at least not initially), but gets roped in with the other Caps over the course of the story.
- Honest John's Dealership: One of the things that made him take on a mentor/advocate role for young soldiers was watching car dealers get recruits to blow their sign-on bonuses on flashy new cars, requiring them to stay in the service longer than they might have otherwise just to make the monthly payments.
- Token White: Of the Caps introduced, he's the only one that's a straight white man.
