Captain America is a 1968 comic by Marvel Comics.
After Steve Rogers was found frozen in suspended animation, preserved by the Super Serum, he was revived by The Avengers. However, Cap deals with being a man out of his time, with everyone he knew being long gone, while also being plagued with his greatest failure — not being able to save his sidekick's life in their final fight against Baron Zemo — until Rick Jones finally told him to quit his whining and move on. Cap took that advice, and while the Red Skull drove Rick away when impersonating Cap, Rogers got a new partner, the Falcon, who was with him for years.
Captain America threw his mighty shield for decades, proving remarkably more adaptive for the changing times than his creators could have guessed. For instance, when American ideals were shaken by the Vietnam War and Watergate, Rogers reflected that disillusionment in the 1970s when he abandoned his Cap persona to become Nomad, a man without a country, until he realized he could champion America's higher ideals as Cap instead. In the cynical 1980s, Rogers would be forced out of his Cap persona and replaced by an Anti-Hero Substitute, John Walker, only to serve as The Captain to show his ideals still had power in the The Dark Age of Comic Books, loyal to nothing but The American Dream. Eventually, Cap learned that this was all arranged by the Red Skull to sully his name and took back his old motif, with Walker getting Rogers' Captain costume to be U.S. Agent.
Captain America (1968) provides examples of:
- Acoustic License: In issue #401, Steve and Tony Stark have a long discussion in a Manhattan bar where Tony, then keeping a secret identity, is pretty open about said secret identity, but amazingly no-one in the bar seems to be paying any attention to this, or why a billionaire playboy is talking with some guy.
- Acting Unnatural: In issue #352, Perun and Ursa Major are hanging out in Avengers Mansion, having apparently defected from the USSR, and Ursa loses his rag over seeing Reagan on TV talking about Russia. He nearly smashes a chair over the TV as Perun tries to stop him. Then Steve enters and the two start acting super-nonchalant.
- Arc Welding: Mark Gruenwald revealed, when he resurrected the Red Skull in Captain America #350, that every bad guy or bad guy group that had appeared in roughly the last four years (save for the Serpent Society) worked for Red Skull as part of his newly formed cabal of evil groups under his control. Mind you, the groups themselves didn't know this; the Red Skull infiltrated them with a few sleeper agents to secretly bend the groups' activities to work toward his goals. When Flag-Smasher, the leader of one of the groups, found this out, he fled the group and warned Captain America.
- Arrested for Heroism: During his run as The Captain, Steve, Falcon, Nomad and D-Man are all arrested by the Las Vegas police for stopping a group of snake-themed villains robbing a casino. Steve, being the goody two-shoes he is, lets this happen because he trusts the police to eventually let them go, rather than just explaining he used to be Captain America and asking them to do that. They probably would have, too, if not for circumstances.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: During "The Captain" arc, the Commission for Superhuman Activities (or more specifically, the Red Skull's agent inside the Commission) charges Steve with several crimes, to whit; Conspiracy to commit sedition (nope), breaking and entering the White House (okay, yes, to stop one of Viper's schemes), assault and battery against the President (he'd been turned into a mindless snake man), aiding and abetting known felons (okay, yes, that's true) and... failure to pay back taxes.
- Back for the Dead: In issue #347, a side-story pops over to an Algerian prison, where a gang of mercenaries bust out Albert Malik, the second Red Skull, last seen in Solo Avengers #16. Just as he's crowing about how he plans to outdo the original, and presumed dead, Skull, his pilot suddenly kills him. Then he declares "Justice is Served!" It later turns out this Scourge was working for the Red Skull all along.
- Body Horror:
- During a hunt for the Power Broker, Steve runs into some of Dr. Malus's rejected experiments. They aren't pretty looking.
- Eventually ends up happening to the Power Broker himself. He straps himself into his own empowering machine, but it overdoes it, rendering him so overmuscled he can't even move on his own.
- Brainwashed and Crazy:
- Happened to Cap himself in issue #234, courtesy of Dr. Faustus and the Grand Director. He even wielded a swastika-adorned version of his shield.note
- Happens to Wolverine in issue #404. Cap tries talking him out of it, but it's magical brainwashing, so no dice.
- The Bus Came Back: Susan Scarbo first appeared as the villainess Suprema in issue #123 (published 1970). She then disappeared for a good nineteen years before returning as Mother Night in issue #356 (1989).
- Conflict Ball: Cap and Nighthawk in issue #314. Mainly because Nighthawk just happens to materialize right underneath Cap while he's in the Avengers training room, and their combat instincts take it from there. Fortunately, it only lasts a moment.
- Cool People Rebel Against Authority: This is the essential modernization of Cap in the 1970s. Rogers became so disillusioned by the American establishment and the abuse of the US Government that he eventually gave up being Cap for a while in favor of Nomad, the man without a country. Eventually, he realized that he could champion America's ideals as Cap, giving him the liberty to butt heads with the US Government when necessary.
- Costume Copycat: U.S. Agent (who was actually given the name and costume of Captain America by the government during one of the latter's ethically-motivated retirements. Though The Cap Came Back, U.S. Agent has never stopped trying to relive those brief glory days.)
- Covers Always Lie:
- Issue #355 has Steve suddenly declaring the Super-Soldier Serum is wearing off. In the issue, it's actually part of a plan arranged by him and Sersei.
- Issue #365 shows Namor whaling on Cap with the proclamation "Namor gone wild!" Actually, he's under the Controller's, uh, control.
- Cross Through:
- Issue #314 has Nighthawk of Squadron Supreme traveling to Earth-616 to find allies against his former teammates, finding Cap and then some of his own enemies who'd already fled their reality. Both titles were being written by Mark Gruenwald.
- Issue #339 has Stev dealing with the events of "Fall of the Mutants", then follows on from Iron Man issue #228, part of that title's Armor Wars storyline, and Steve having to deal with a supervillain break-out caused by Tony's antics.
- Didn't See That Coming: John Walker's supposed assassination in issue #351 has a little hitch in that the supposed hitman is then himself killed by a passing Scourge of the Underworld. That wasn't part of the plan.
- Disappointed by the Motive: A villain-on-villain version in issue #414, when the current head of AIM is upset at Superia's plan to kill him and take over AIM mainly because her motive is simply to use them for funding.
- Disguised in Drag: Captain America and Paladin engage in one of the least convincing examples ever recorded when they have to pass unnoticed through Superia's base filled with female supervillains. They simply take the costumes (which, incidentally, are skintight) of two defeated villains and put them on, with no further attempt at disguise, trusting that the presence of a number of Brawn Hilda types among Superia's followers will be enough to deflect suspicion. It works!.
- Dramatic Unmask: Subverted in issue #320, when Captain America catches the Scourge of the Underworld, only to find that he's... some guy he's never met before, and who looks completely normal.
- Drugs Are Bad: The "Ice" arc of the early 90s has Cap accidentally inhale some of the titular drug, which makes him into a Blood Knight.
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
- During the Scourge of the Underworld's rampage, Cap finds himself fighting Iron Man baddie Backlash. When the man is beaten, Cap questions the oddity of his apparent Motive Decay, trying to rob a bank. Backlash explains that he was doing it to provide for his mother in case the Scourge killed him.
- The Serpent Society collectively lose it when Death Adder is found dead by the Scourge's hand.
- Evil Versus Evil: Issue #369 has the Red Skull's gang get into a tussle with Selene of X-Men fame. They were looking for Magneto, who had taken the Red Skull at the end of Acts of Vengeance, went snooping at the Hellfire Club, and ran into her.
- Fan Disservice: Issue #350 begins with the Red Skull working out in nothing but some underwear.
- Fully Absorbed Finale: Issue #332 has Cap dealing with several plot threads from the just ended Thing, such as the fate of the new Ms. Marvel, and the Power Broker.
- Let's You and Him Fight:
- Issue #341 has Steve and Tony Stark fight over Tony's actions in "Armor Wars". It's part of a straining of their friendship that lasts for several years.
- Due to a misunderstanding, Battlestar and D-Man get into a fight in issue #344. D-Man's slightly groggy from being near-fatally poisoned, and sees Lem standing over several captured members of the Serpent Society, thinking he's about to free them, so he attacks. Unfortunately, Dennis is too groggy to explain himself properly.
- Literal Disarming: In issue #334, John Walker fights training dummies to get used to Cap's shield. He throws it with too much force, accidentally cutting a dummy's hand off.John Walker: Now's my chance to disarm it. Oops! I didn't mean to do it literally!
- Mood Whiplash: Issue #351 begins with Val Cooper trying and not exactly succeeding in making a speech reintroducing Steve as Captain America. Then, just as John Walker hands over the title, he's shot repeatedly.
- Not Distracted by the Sexy: Issue #341 has Sidewinder of the Serpent Society going over the bills in bed when "Black Mamba" enters the room in a french maid outfit. Sidewinder's too busy looking at the bills to notice his girlfriend's suddenly got a different build... and hairstyle... and hair-color... until Viper bites him with her poisonous fangs.
- No One Could Survive That!: Nomad and Cap's tussle with the Slug in issue #325 ends with him supposedly drowning. In fairness, Slug is fat enough to make Jabba the Hutt look swoll, so it's not an unreasonable thought. Once they're off, the issue ends with Sluggman floating to the surface and gasping.
- Not Worth Killing: During her plan to turn everyone in Washington into snake people in issues #343-344, Viper finds Definitely Not Nancy Reagan, and has her at gunpoint... then decides she's not worth bothering with, and hurries on.
- Offhand Backhand: Steve does this in issue #314 to the villain Pinball.
- Our Werewolves Are Different: "Man and Wolf", a memorable arc in the early 90s, had Cap turned into a werewolf (affectionately named "Cap-Wolf" by some) due to a chemical injection by Deadly Nightshade, who was working for another supervillain who had convinced an entire town to let themselves be turned into werewolves.
- Superman Stays Out of Gotham: Explored in issue #314, when Nighthawk of Earth-712 asks the Avengers for help with his world's Squadron Supreme, who are becoming a little too fascist for his taste. Cap, the Avengers and the Fantastic Four mull on the issue, but decide they can't interfere in another world's affairs just because they don't like them, since that would set a bad precedent (Black Knight points out the Avengers had just interfered in Skrull affairs, but Monica Rambeau points out the Skrulls had been trying to interfere with them first).
- Trespassing to Talk: Issue #341 has Steve break into Tony Stark's apartment to confront him over their tussle in Iron Man's own title a few weeks prior, as part of "Armor Wars". It's noted that in order to do so without Tony noticing, Steve also had to disable all of the notoriously paranoid Tony's security systems.
- With All Due Respect: Steve says this to Val Cooper in issue #350, and knowing Steve, it probably is legit... probably, because on the next page, he and John Walker share a mutual jibe at the CSA's decision-making abilities.
