As the Beatles once sang, "I get by with a little help from my friends." This proves to be the same for superheroes. Either it comes in the form of founding a team of like-minded crime fighters, or establishing a link to the "civilian" world to keep yourself from going TOO crazy. (And if you go that route, you probably will seek the road of a juvenile "sidekick" to share your adventures with. Am I right, Mr. Wayne?) But sometimes a team of crusaders isn't enough for you, and you need to establish occasional "executive assistant" partners for your regular adventures. No one mastered this hiring policy better than the Star-Spangled Avenger himself,
CAPTAIN AMERICA. And today, we turn the spotlight to Steve Rogers' partners-in-crime-crushing!
JAMES "BUCKY" BARNES- Right from the start, in "Captain America Comics #1", Bucky was there by Captain America's side. It only took Captain America's first comic to fade away in the 50's to initially take Bucky off the table, and THEN Cap's revised origin in his 60's solo book relaunch to cement in our minds... for at least MANY years... that Bucky perished in an attempt to defuse a bomb launched by Baron Zemo. Bucky wasn't exactly "super-soldier" material to start with, but as an orphaned "mascot" to Steve Rogers' platoon in World War Two, he proved MORE than capable in combat and the art of killing. But that act of sacrifice was later to be NON-fatal, when Bucky was reprogrammed by the Soviets to become their own cybernetic assassin, Winter Soldier. But if you know anything about leading to current Captain America continuity, you know all about Bucky's transition away from being a standard mind-wiped assassin, to replacement to a thought-deceased Steve Rogers as a new Captain America, to being thought dead... AGAIN... in the wake of the "Fear Itself" event... WHEW... to returning to live as the Winter Soldier persona. Regardless, as long as Captain America exists as a Marvel Universe figurehead, so shall the shadow of Bucky's influence shape Steve Rogers' existence.
SAM "FALCON" WILSON- "Captain America #117" introduced Captain America's first REAL modern partner. (The appearance of Rick Jones as "Bucky" for the Jim Sterenko run of Captain America does NOT count... Because I really... REALLY... dislike Rick Jones and refuse to give him credit for much of anything.) According to Wikipedia, Sam Wilson also holds credit as the FIRST African-American superhero. Beginning life as a community volunteer, Sam's life takes a decided turn for the worst, and he assumes the role of "Snap" Wilson... GANG MEMBER. But after being lured to an island trap by the Red Skull, and assisted by Captain America, Sam assumes the heroic identity of Falcon, and becomes a solid Captain America ally to this very day! (Well... Until the book launches where we ALL know Sam assumes the role of a new Captain America. Thank you, overt comic book news coverage.) I'd say the predominant elements of Sam Wilson's comic book existence can be boiled down to these notes:
- Social worker for a long time to his native Harlem community
- Owner of his own animal assistant, the falcon Redwing, who is so well trained that their bond may as well be PSYCHIC.
- Falcon's main attribute being his flight wings, which allow him to soar on air currents for extended periods of flight-time.
Sam Wilson's longevity has made him a vital part of the Captain America universe for nearing 40 years of EXISTENCE! Obviously, with Sam Wilson making headlines as the next heir to the Captain America legacy, it's obvious this Falcon has wings that won't quit!
JACK "NOMAD" MONROE- The concept of Nomad is a bit... complicated. You see, the persona of Nomad was FIRST introduced by Steve Rogers, when he distanced himself from a government conspiracy, and disavowed the Captain America identity. In general, the first "appearance" of Nomad was "Captain America #180". Then briefly in the 1980's, the identity of Nomad was resurrected by the Red Skull for three issues of Cap continuity as a sabotage ploy. But while Jack Monroe would be the next man to assume the Nomad role in "Captain America #282", he FIRST technically appeared as the 1950's replacement Bucky for a government-created Captain America in "Captain America #153". UGH! HEADACHE! Anyways, let's just push past all that crazy continuity... Anyways, from Jack Monroe's 1980's assumption of the costumed Nomad role, his character started to chafe more at Captain America's association with another compatriot Steve would later gather... and I shall talk about in a few... All this boiled to a head, and after transitioning into a more hard-line vigilante, along with adopting a baby from a drug-addicted mother... whom he renames "Bucky"... Jack Monroe sheds the superhero identity, and becomes a "hard traveling hero" for his own title run. (This should also be known as SUPREME 90's material, with Jack adopting long hair, stubble, a trenchcoat, and a bad attitude.) Unlike many of the other compatriots that travelled with Captain America, Jack Monroe is the only one with a... thus far... definitive ending, assassinated by the Winter Soldier in Ed Brubaker's "Captain America #7".
DEMOLITION MAN- Possibly the best example of "charity" in comic books, Dennis Dunphy first showed up in "The Thing #28", then debuted OFFICIALLY as the affectionately-known "D-Man" in "Captain America #328". Dennis Dunphy started his life as a professional WRASSLER with augmented strength from the Power Broker. Augmentation came at a price, which involved regular "fixes" of his treatment, and being at the beck-and-call of the Power Broker's schemes. After being booted by his wrestling organization, and abandoned by the Power Broker, he teamed with Captain America to help squash the evil mastermind's goals. (This also lead to the change in identity... which proves that with great power SHOULD come fashion sense... but that isn't always the case.) Demolition Man would become a semi-regular follower of Captain America's agenda for years. It wasn't until D-Mam became an Avenger... and supposedly hit the big-time... that fate came a'callin', and he perished in a VERY similar way to Bucky's fate, crashing a sabotaged plane. (And during the "US Agent" saga, D-Man may have been a faithful supporter of Steve Rogers, but Jack Monroe REALLY disliked having this "kiss-up" hanging around!) That was FAR from the end for D-Man for some time, as Dennis was also found in a similar way to Steve Rogers; suspended animation in an Arctic ice floe. Upon being released, D-Man spent YEARS being known as the bedraggled/homeless "nutcase" with the crazy costume. Ironically, much like Nomad, who BARELY tolerated the lovable goof, Dennis Dunphy met a thus-to-date permanent fate at the killing hands of Sharon Carter, after being brainwashed into becoming a new Scourge of the Underworld. Geez... When does the fun begin for Cap's buddies, again?!?
JOHN "U.S. AGENT" WALKER- ... Alas, the good times have yet to start rolling in. (You'd almost thing Sam Wilson was the most LUCKY Captain America buddy, in that his life has been relatively low on trauma!) But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the tale of John Walker. He who first began life as Super-Patriot in "Captain America #323". This is ALSO an ironic similarity to Nomad's background, because while John Walker was installed as Captain America in "Captain America #333", after Steve Rogers was ousted by a Superhero Activities government group, Steve countered that ousting by creating the identity of "The Captain", which would THEN serve as the foundation of the U.S. Agent identity. John Walker's character was best described as "focused" and "forceful". But then again, wouldn't YOU be if you were pressured into thinking that you were superior to Captain America by your representative... who is also linked to that BLASTED Power Broker..., and during your run as Captain America's "replacement", your parents were killed by a militia group, while your former partners helped delay their rescue? After Steve Rogers and John Walker battled for the Captain America identity, John Walker would later be installed into the Avengers West Coast team as a "watchdog" under the U.S. Agent identity. John Walker eventually shook off the manipulations, and became a full-fledged Avenger. He even carried over his involvement with the West Coast foundation by transitioning over to "Force Works". (To be talked about, later this week.) I'll not belabor John Walker's legacy onto you, because he's had MANY further adventures on other teams: Omega Flight, New Invaders, Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers... But unlike Nomad or D-Man, John Walker may fade from the spotlight, occasionally, but he somehow finds a way to resurface.
LEMAR "BATTLESTAR" HOSKINS- The same time that John Walker was placed in the position of a new Captain America, Lemar Hoskins was recruited to become a new "Bucky". (And if you can't see why the character was NOT FEELING the new identity, maybe you should study up on your poor taste history.) Lemar also has ties to the Power Broker... who I SWEAR I may stop bringing up for the next entry. Thusly, Lemar was also given the same strength-augmentation procedure that our other candidates were exposed to. But during John Walker's run as Captain America, Lemar begins to establish his own identity as a partner to the new heroic identity in the guise of Battlestar. Battlestar even carries a variant on Captain America's World War Two non-circular shield, and while Battlestar hasn't been in the forefront of Marvel Universe activity, Lemar still remains on the playing field. I wish to mention two genuine off-beat episodes in Lemar Hoskins' life:
- Being a member of Silver Sable's "Wild Pack" mercenary group.
- Partnering with Dum-Dum Dugan and Howard the Duck in a "Marvel Zombies" prevention event.
RACHEL "DIAMONDBACK" LEIGHTON- My eyes are going crossed for all of these VERY detailed backstories for people involved with Captain America's crusade for justice in America. Still... Soldiering on... Diamondback first came to life in "Captain America #310", where Rachel almost became Captain America's "Catwoman" in terms of their relationships and partnerships. Diamondback started off as a member of the criminal group, the Serpent Society. But once she crossed paths with Steve Rogers in combat, let's just say she was... "excited" by Cap's performance. Her association with the Serpent Society was effectively ended when the Hydra leader... Viper... ousted control from regular team leader... Sidewinder. Staying loyal to Sidewinder, but at the same time, seeking to get to know her "stars and stripes" better, Diamondback began cultivating a relationship with Captain America. (There was also a VERY odd episode where she switched personalities with Dazzler for the "Atlantis Attacks" event... Let's not talk about that.) But while Captain America had Diamondback's heart, her past belonged to the mercenary Crossbones. This lead to the occasional stalking by the spurned ex-lover/contracted killer of Captain America. The main issue with this relationship is that Diamondback was always trying to convince Captain America to stop being such a "SQUARE", but Steve Rogers recognized that it would take a LOT to really reform Rachel Leighton. This leads to an eventual parting of ways... but by no means a lessening of regards of her feelings towards Steve Rogers. But Rachel's path takes her into the schemes of Norman Osborn, and she serves as a recruit/trainer in his "Avengers Initiative" program, where she starts a relationship with Constrictor. All paths tend to lead back to Steve Rogers... even IF they're instigated by the schemes of the Red Skull... and lead to the death of Rachel's physical form, and transition into a biomechanical being. Ah, love...
I know there were MORE partners to Captain America's vision of keeping the peace, but I wish to touch upon one more... and this one is a CERTIFIED oddity. (This also comes with the realization that I am writing a BLOG and not a novel...)
RIKKI "BUCKY" BARNES- Remember that crazy alternate reality Franklin Richards created... to be written about more in detail for a future blog entry? Well, in that reality, a willful dance student named Rikki Barnes finds out her brother is involved with a Neo-Nazi group that is ultimately linked to the Red Skull. But unlike our reality's Bucky, Rikki Barnes relies on her... er... "dance training" to supplement her fighting abilities. And for 12 issues of the "Heroes Reborn" era Captain America... and occasional returns to the universe through various mini-series, Rikki Barnes appears to assist her STARS-AND-STRIPES buddy. (But don't weep if you feel like you've missed out on an integral piece of Captain America history: YOU HAVE NOT. Rikki Barnes was your standard "sassy" teenager that apparently could become the next Bruce Lee with knowledge of a few pirouettes...)
No comments:
Post a Comment