CAPTAIN AMERICA versus BATROC
(Marvel)
Where: All-New Captain America #1 When: January 2015 Why: Rick Remender How: Stuart Immonen
The Story So Far...
Drained of the super-soldier serum that keeps him young and powerful: Steve Rogers is forced to retire from active duty, passing the mantle & shield of Captain America to his trusted comrade-in-arms - Sam Wilson!
Adapting his winged suit for a new identity; the former Falcon flies again in red, white, and blue -- dedicated to upholding truth, justice, and the American ideal against the forces of evil!
His newest mission takes the all-new Captain America underground in search of a deeply hidden Hydra fortress. The criminal cabal hopes to exploit a young boy as the ultimate doomsday weapon. Standing in his way is one of Cap's oldest foes -- the mercenary master of savate: Batroc The Leaper!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Captain America 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Batroc 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Batroc 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batroc 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Batroc the Leaper 23 (Champion)
When Captain America throws his mighty shield in today's battle -- it won't be Steve Rogers his opponents yield to! The villain known as Iron Nail forced Rogers into retirement when he drained the super-soldier serum from his body.
Replacing the rapidly aged hero in the field is one of his closest friends and most trusted allies: Sam Wilson -- also known as the high-flying Falcon!
Wilson first met Cap when the Red Skull hatched a plan to use the cosmic cube to remold him as a pawn in their conflict. Racketeer Sam "Snap" Wilson became possessed with keen senses, an uncanny mental link with birds, and the perfect well intending character to trick Rogers into adopting the sleeper agent.
Together they broke the Red Skull's programming and thwarted his scheme, allowing Wilson to become Captain America's regular crime-fighting partner for years to come. As Falcon, he was eventually gifted a winged harness designed by Black Panther. The new suit granted him the ability to fly -- adding to his already impressive physical skill and training!
We've seen Falcon and Captain America go to war as two of the original Secret Avengers in Civil War #3, and fight against Baron Zemo in Thunderbolts #105. When Cap was assassinated in Captain America (Vol.5) #25: Falcon was there to provide air support to Winter Soldier as they brought down Crossbones.
As Captain America: Sam Wilson also gains possession of Cap's iconic vibranium alloy shield. It offers additional defensive capabilities that he may find handy when he comes up against the educated feet of Batroc the Leaper!
Steve Rogers relied on his shield blocking the blows of Batroc's deadly savate strikes ever since the sixties! We saw him do it in Captain America #251, when Batroc teamed with Mister Hyde to successfully take the super-soldier down.
A mercenary for hire -- but not a madman; Batroc ultimately teamed with his arch-rival, Cap, to turn the tables on Hyde in Captain America #252. He wasn't so lucky when he ran afoul Deadpool in Monte Carlo, though. Deadpool #20 ended with the fighting Frenchman suffering two broken legs.
Batroc is fighting fit in today's battle, and his expertise in the French kickboxing style arguably make him a more specialized martial artist than the new Captain America. Cap's ability to evade and go airborne should give him plenty of ways to win, but as you can see below, the record so far has been kind to Batroc!
The Tape: Batroc the Leaper Ranking: Batroc the Leaper (#125)
What Went Down...
Undercover as a Hydra agent: Nomad leads Captain America into the inner sanctum holding the deadly boy they've come to save. There, they find Batroc The Leaper standing guard expectantly, finishing off a serve of croquembouche.
Nomad heads for the child, while the new Captain America rushes in to confront an old enemy. Batroc meets him snide derision and a leaping kick!
Where: All-New Captain America #1 When: January 2015 Why: Rick Remender How: Stuart Immonen
The Story So Far...
Drained of the super-soldier serum that keeps him young and powerful: Steve Rogers is forced to retire from active duty, passing the mantle & shield of Captain America to his trusted comrade-in-arms - Sam Wilson!
Adapting his winged suit for a new identity; the former Falcon flies again in red, white, and blue -- dedicated to upholding truth, justice, and the American ideal against the forces of evil!
His newest mission takes the all-new Captain America underground in search of a deeply hidden Hydra fortress. The criminal cabal hopes to exploit a young boy as the ultimate doomsday weapon. Standing in his way is one of Cap's oldest foes -- the mercenary master of savate: Batroc The Leaper!
Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)Intelligence: Captain America 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Batroc 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Draw 4 (Athlete)
Agility: Batroc 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Batroc 5 (Martial Artist)
Energy: Draw 1 (None)
Total: Batroc the Leaper 23 (Champion)
When Captain America throws his mighty shield in today's battle -- it won't be Steve Rogers his opponents yield to! The villain known as Iron Nail forced Rogers into retirement when he drained the super-soldier serum from his body.
Replacing the rapidly aged hero in the field is one of his closest friends and most trusted allies: Sam Wilson -- also known as the high-flying Falcon!
Wilson first met Cap when the Red Skull hatched a plan to use the cosmic cube to remold him as a pawn in their conflict. Racketeer Sam "Snap" Wilson became possessed with keen senses, an uncanny mental link with birds, and the perfect well intending character to trick Rogers into adopting the sleeper agent.
Together they broke the Red Skull's programming and thwarted his scheme, allowing Wilson to become Captain America's regular crime-fighting partner for years to come. As Falcon, he was eventually gifted a winged harness designed by Black Panther. The new suit granted him the ability to fly -- adding to his already impressive physical skill and training!
We've seen Falcon and Captain America go to war as two of the original Secret Avengers in Civil War #3, and fight against Baron Zemo in Thunderbolts #105. When Cap was assassinated in Captain America (Vol.5) #25: Falcon was there to provide air support to Winter Soldier as they brought down Crossbones.
As Captain America: Sam Wilson also gains possession of Cap's iconic vibranium alloy shield. It offers additional defensive capabilities that he may find handy when he comes up against the educated feet of Batroc the Leaper!
Steve Rogers relied on his shield blocking the blows of Batroc's deadly savate strikes ever since the sixties! We saw him do it in Captain America #251, when Batroc teamed with Mister Hyde to successfully take the super-soldier down.
A mercenary for hire -- but not a madman; Batroc ultimately teamed with his arch-rival, Cap, to turn the tables on Hyde in Captain America #252. He wasn't so lucky when he ran afoul Deadpool in Monte Carlo, though. Deadpool #20 ended with the fighting Frenchman suffering two broken legs.
Batroc is fighting fit in today's battle, and his expertise in the French kickboxing style arguably make him a more specialized martial artist than the new Captain America. Cap's ability to evade and go airborne should give him plenty of ways to win, but as you can see below, the record so far has been kind to Batroc!
The Tape: Batroc the Leaper Ranking: Batroc the Leaper (#125)
What Went Down...
Undercover as a Hydra agent: Nomad leads Captain America into the inner sanctum holding the deadly boy they've come to save. There, they find Batroc The Leaper standing guard expectantly, finishing off a serve of croquembouche.
Nomad heads for the child, while the new Captain America rushes in to confront an old enemy. Batroc meets him snide derision and a leaping kick!
The Leaper shoots high with his kicks, aiming for the head, while his words attack the mind of the American.
He sarcastically quizzes the replacement Captain about his super-powers, attacking modern US culture and politics while listing super-obesity, hyper-warmongering, and omega-illiteracy. Cap blocks with his shield and hits back!
Batroc rolls with the punch and continues the mind-games, finding himself positioned between the Captain and Nomad, who was clipped by an earlier Hydra shot. Batroc takes the opportunity to boast about his worldly disposition, effortlessly delivering toppling kicks to both of his targets!
Cap crashes upside down into a mess of high-tech machinery and cables.
Batroc keeps applying the pressure, moving on him fast with a kick directed squarely at his face. The Captain manages to catch it inches from impact, and use the block to fling Batroc across the lab and through a nearby window!
Cap jumps fearlessly through the shattered glass to follow Batroc on the underground plunge outside the facility. The Frenchman opens his body to slow his descent, while the winged hero does the opposite to close the gap!
The experienced aerialist tackles Batroc in mid-air, but the mercenary is unfazed and throws a hard punch! Cap returns the favour, smacking him in the face with the front side of his shield!
They fall to a jutting pipe that Cap barely catches with one hand, while Batroc lands the right way to wrap his legs around and hang upside down. Despite the precarious position -- still they continue fighting!
Batroc blocks a punch and swings upright to the top of the pipe. Captain America finds a hard straight right to the body and follows it with a devastating left to the face! The blow pushes Batroc to deliver a left that busts his brow!
The Captain drops to his arms and knees on a metal mesh platform while The Leaper mocks Steve Rogers in absentia for sending an "errand boy".
In his gloating, Batroc fails to notice Nomad hovering overhead. Nomad sends his horde crusher staff hurtling towards the unsuspecting mercenary -- who's knocked tumbling from the small platform!
The Leaper disappears into the smoldering red void cast by liquid magma burning beneath them. It happens so fast, even the winged Captain America is helpless to stop the fall. He can only chastise the callousness by which Nomad dispatched his enemy. Unnecessary lethal force is not their way.
The Hammer...
It looks like bad news for Batroc, but worry not! He survives to leap another day, returning later in the series. No thanks to Nomad! He came out of nowhere with extreme prejudice to save the all-new Captain America (and steal his heat)!This incarnation of Nomad was known at the time as Ian Rogers, but also answers to Leopold Zola. He's a frightfully convoluted creation who was born in the pocket reality of Dimension Z: Arnim Zola's personal testing grounds for his twisted experiments.
It turns out Steve Rogers spent a lifetime lost in the pocket dimension, where he raised Arnim Zola's would-be son as his own. It all plays out a bit like a long-form, pulpy twist on the same kind of lived-in detour that was Planet Hulk.
That heavy deviation from the status quo speaks to some of the frustration that has plagued Captain America's recent publication history.
It seems ever since his apparent assassination in 2007, the character just hasn't been allowed to settle in to any kind of iconic, familiar routine.
He spent some of 2009 lost in time, while Bucky filled in as Captain America. He returned in 2010, but was appointed Director of SHIELD while his super-soldier serum was deactivated by Machinesmith. Cap's exile in Dimension Z happened in 2013, followed by another loss of his super-soldier serum in 2014, and Sam Wilson's reign as Captain America in 2015. Steve got better the following year - only to suffer the ultimate indignity of that unfortunate Hydra business in 2017.
All of this constant upheaval may've made short-term headlines, but it also killed the simple pleasure of picking an issue off the rack and enjoying the latest adventure of a beloved character. The repetitive monotony has become unappealing, and created successive jumping-off points that last multiple years.
While all of this disruption was going on with Cap, Marvel also made a habit of alternating between killing and resurrecting its other leading characters. This took on a slightly different twist in the mid-2010s, when the "All-New" brand signaled efforts to replace the classics with a generation of surrogates.
Marvel had some success in its heyday with brand shakeups like this, such as the popular costume changes of the 1980s. These included Cap's black outfit (later USAgent's), Wolverine's brown costume, Iron Man's silver centurion armor, and Spidey's black costume.
There were certainly plenty of successful understudies created over the years, too. Yet, with so much print dedicated to constant instability, the All-New replacement characters were all too often ill timed, and indelicately shunted into position. It seemed cynical and didn't give these characters their best chance to succeed, but they certainly weren't all bad.
We've talked about the strong art direction that made All-New Ghost Rider one of the must-read series under the "Marvel Now" banner. Now we're getting to another of the more intriguing propositions.
There was a certain naturally occurring arc to the return of Bucky Barnes in 2005, and his acceptance of the Captain America mantle, but removed from that context, it was always slightly dubious that a storied Russian assassin, The Winter Soldier, would inherit the legacy of a paragon of justice and liberty.
Since his debut in 1969: Sam Wilson has been an almost continuous presence in the life of Captain America. He's fought by his side untold times, participating as a trusted friend and ally. He's been an agent of SHIELD and eventually a charter member of the Avengers. In a great many ways, he's the most obvious choice to be chosen to succeed Steve Rogers as Captain America!
I particularly like the costume design. Sam Wilson has been his own man for a long time and it was fantastic to see that he retained his wings. There's really no reason not to. The way he combines using the shield with flight is pretty fantastic, and exactly the kind of combination of elements that makes this work.
I'm quite fond of these characters launching into their own series with an established villain. It worked for All-New Ghost Rider, and Batroc The Leaper lends some nice heft to the first issue of All-New Captain America, bolstering the mostly nameless ranks of Hydra goons.
I'm a little surprised Cap didn't get the win to start him off on a high note. He isn't new at this game, and I don't really rate Nomad enough to want to see him get the rub. That said, there is something to be said for not overdoing the success of a character in a new spotlight. It eases them into the new role, and gives them somewhere to grow. We've seen how Marvel legends like Spider-Man started out with awkward losses [see; Amazing Spider-Man #7, #13].
I think the win over Batroc would've helped sell Falcon to someone checking out the new series. I also would've liked to see him have a more compelling retort for Batroc's amusing commentaries on the state of American culture. Maybe it's because I'm a filthy foreigner, but I thought Batroc was a far more compelling verbal combatant, besting Cap's rather wet 'What makes you so elite?'
The issue ends with the arrival of Baron Zemo and a cadre of established villains, so if you thought Falcon (and Nomad) had trouble before, wait until they have to face down Taskmaster, Crossbones, Madame Viper, Baron Blood, and more! Something to think about as we wrap up today's battle!
If you'd like to see this fight in its entirety, and the rest of the arc, you can check out All-New Captain America Vol.1: Hydra Ascendant. Using the Amazon link provided will not only get you a safe deal delivered to your home, but also help support the site in the process at no extra charge!
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Winner: Nomad (w/ Captain America)
#339 (new) Nomad (Ian Rogers/Leopold Zola)
#135 (-10) Batroc The Leaper
#960 (-1) Captain America (Sam Wilson) [+1 assist]
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