BLACK WIDOW & DIAMONDBACK versus CAPTAIN AMERICA

Cross Purposes (Marvel)
Where: Captain America #376 When: Early September 1990 Why: Mark Gruenwald How: Ron Lim

The Story So Far...
When the designer-drug ICE starts flooding the streets of New York City it ignites a wave of violence and addiction. No one is safe from the insidious product -- just ask Boomslang!

The Serpent Society villain was gunned down by a drug-fuelled gang while on the run from Captain America. Even the Avengers' trusted aide Fabian Stankiewicz is hooked -- sending the Sentinel of Liberty on a new mission to bust the drug-runners responsible!

Little does Captain America realise its all the latest criminal enterprise of his arch-nemesis, The Red Skull, and when one of the manufacturing plants he was investigating was blown up by its own user -- HE was exposed to the drug!

Now Cap is on the high from Hell and that spells trouble for anybody who gets in his way. Even his closest friends may not be able to bring him back down before he goes too far!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Black Widow 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Captain America 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Diamondback 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Black Widow 2 (Projectile)
Total: Captain America 28 (Metahuman)

Black Widow and Diamondback may appear to be statistically outmatched by Captain America in head-to-head comparisons, but to really break this fight down we need to look more closely at our measure of fighting ability.

We rate Captain America at a high level of 6: "Warrior" status, reflecting not just his hand-to-hand combat training, but the intangible quality with which he's able to stare down entire armies and barrel through them by sheer force of will.

We saw a glimpse of that famous fighting spirit when Cap single-handedly bested SHIELD agents in Civil War #1, and Nazi soldiers in Captain America (Vol.5) #5.

Cap has also made a career out of going toe-to-toe with vastly more powerful opponents, such as: Nebula [Avengers #315], John Walker [Captain America #350], Master Man [Reborn #2], Iron Man [Captain America Annual #9], Hulk [Avengers #4], The Destroyer [Thor #1], and Thanos [Infinity Gauntlet #4].

We rate Black Widow at 5 in fighting, but it could be argued she's actually a far more skilled and nuanced fighter than Captain America. She doesn't have his enhanced strength or endurance to rely on, utilizing a more precise style of martial arts. Discipline that could kayo Jigsaw with a single kick [Daredevil #62].

Black Widow is obviously also a cunning tactician, who executes her plans with the speed and agility of a well trained gymnast. Combine that with her wrist-worn gauntlets -- capable of discharging high-powered electrical blasts -- and she can fight beside Iron Man against an adversary as powerful as Titanium Man!

Black Widow's penchant for collaboration is itself another valuable skill, and although she and Diamondback fought in a previous issue, they're on the same page as they chase down a drug-fuelled Captain America. For DB it's personal!

Diamondback, aka; Rachel Leighton, is a former member of the Serpent Society who turned tail when Viper staged a hostile takeover. She teamed with Cap and became a short-lived romantic interest after reapplying her arsenal of trick throwing diamonds and gymnastics as a hero.

Will the addition of Diamondback's emotional connection help Black Widow bring a drug-hazed Captain America in? Let's find out!

The Tape: Black Widow & Diamondback Ranking: Captain America (#7)

What Went Down...

Cap slams a couple of kids up against a wall on West 113th Street with a mind to getting tough on drugs. They were out looking for kicks and he's all too happy to oblige. The only problem is -- Captain America's coming down from a high himself!

Diamondback and Black Widow show up to bring him in for treatment, but the Captain isn't buying it. He's gone a week without sleep and still doesn't even realise he inhaled the designer drug ICE during a warehouse explosion.

The concerned costumed heroines rush their cornered comrade. He informs Black Widow that her Avengers membership will be revoked, but she keeps her mind on the job -- launching into a flying kick while Diamondback tosses knock-out gas!

Even in his addled state Captain America remains the consummate super-soldier and dodges Black Widow's kick at the last possible moment!

Sensing the struggle ahead The Widow brandishes her wrist gauntlets and lets off a full frontal widow's sting!

Cap manages to get his shield up to absorb the brunt of the point blank blast!

He arrogantly counters with a hard right hand that knocks Black Widow off balance!

It's all too clear the knock-out gas isn't having any effect, but Diamondback seizes an opportunity to dive on Cap's back for a standing rear naked choke that chicken wings his shield arm behind his back. She calls for Widow to take the shot!

It's a good plan, but the drugs in Captain America's system haven't sapped any of his strength. He yanks his shield arm free -- knocking Diamondback to the ground -- and once again dodges Black Widow's sting!

He charges toward the threat -- grabbing Black Widow's firing arm to control the weapon and direct it away from him. It allows him to deliver a hard standing sidekick that launches her off her feet!

Cap's kick rebuffs Black Widow's attacks and her claim he's consumed drugs. The chemical effect and lack of sleep combine to keep him from thinking clearly. He doesn't even consider the possibility he's fighting under the influence!

Diamondback again attempts to get the jump on Cap -- reluctantly firing a couple of her diamonds into the wall over his shoulder.

She knows in her heart she's missed on purpose. A grace a slightly paranoid Captain America doesn't intend to extend when he whips his shield right at her!

Diamondback ducks to narrowly dodge the incoming shield, but can't avoid Cap's crazed tirade.

He perceives his enemy-turned-ally's new uniform as a failed deception, and her presence as an inevitable betrayal. He regrets letting her get emotionally close to him -- not even noticing Black Widow's proximity until she taps his shoulder.

He swings around with a violent left hook that cracks the nearby wall, but Black Widow manages to perch above it and launch herself from the wall's face!

She unleashes a direct blast inches from Captain America's head!

The vicious blow brings an instant end to the conflict! Cap drops unconscious like a bad habit. Hard and heavy -- straight onto his back!

Diamondback worries the sting could've caused permanent brain damage, but The Widow is cool and confident: "I know my opponent. I know my weapon." A successful takedown.

The Hammer...

Lately I've really been enjoying digging back into Mark Gruenwald's run on Captain America. I experienced it around the time mostly as infrequent, disparate issues picked up here and there. A fun, but not always flattering way to read.

In the years since I've had the pleasure of filling in a few more gaps, and coming to appreciate the overall sequential context of more of Gruenwald's work.

It breaks up into fairly easy-to-digest portions, but viewing the many years in totum makes it easier to recognize the ebbing flow of ideas and character-driven plotlines. There's a bigger picture informing everything, and that's good comics.

Captain America #376 functions reasonably well on its own as an action packed chapter in the Streets of Poison storyline. It's Part 5 of a story I was predisposed to enjoy as a raucous crossover between Captain America and Daredevil!

Ostensibly its Gruenwald's high concept take on drug crime on America's streets, but this is also the issue where it escalates into a turf war between The Kingpin, who already rules New York City's criminal underworld, and Red Skull, who is manufacturing and distributing the methamphetamines into his market.

The conflict invariably poises the crime barons' respective bankrolled killers, namely Bullseye and Crossbones, to go against one another in what coalesces into a thrilling pseudo-sequel to Acts of Vengeance.

Everyone will take turns switching partners for some interesting irregular match-ups, but there's even more fun than the opposing foursome. Who better to get in the middle of this collision of Captain America and DD's worlds than Black Widow?

She becomes involved once word of his increasingly uncharacteristic behaviour reaches Avengers HQ. She won't get a chance to link-up with her former flame, Daredevil, or throwdown with one-time adversary Bullseye, but the optics of her entanglement certainly tickle all of those associations.

Black Widow's status as a Soviet-era adversary turned hero also compliments the unfolding redemption of Diamondback, which has been a saga played out over three years of Captain America plotlines.

The heroines met three issues prior for an abrupt case of mistaken intentions -- each unaware of the others' apparent face turn as they battled their way out of the sky and into the Hudson River. Their subsequent team-up subtly infuses Diamondback with some of the same hope for heroics associated with The Widow.

Diamondback's new "undercover" design is a simple, but pleasing alternative to the eye-catching hot pink costume she usually wears. It's essentially an inversion of the costume worn by Nightshade in DC's contemporaneous Suicide Squad -- a series that shares a similarly pleasing episodic nature. I wonder if it was just the style of the time, or if the respective designers knew.

Truth be told, I think artist Ron Lim and inker Danny Bulanadi could've made just about anything work! I particularly love the heft Lim gives to Captain America and Crossbones. Contrasted brilliantly by the lithe acrobatics of Black Widow.

This is such a good looking comic! It's not quite as inky as others I've romanced about from 1990, but there was still clearly something magic in the presses that year, because it's got that look! I only wish my scans did the pages true justice!

This isn't a dark comic by any measure, but when the action goes to the street, there's a wonderful sense of gloom brought about by colorist Steve Buccellato. Lim does great facial expressions, and I love the inked detail of Cap's stubble. It's really a case of everyone doing incredible work!

If you'd like to experience it for yourself you can find this issue in Captain America Epic Collection: Streets of Poison or the now out-of-print Streets of Poison trade paperback. Use Amazon links provided to do any of your shopping and you'll not only get yourself a good deal delivered to you -- but also support the site!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured well over 600 battles and ranked more than 1000 characters! If you'd like to help the project continue and see more reviews like this you can get involved by becoming a Patreon subscriber. As a thank you you'll gain access to additional updates, polls, and custom articles.

Discover more by exploring the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fight articles in order of publisher, series, and issue number. Or follow links found throughout each post to follow characters and subjects you're interested in!

You can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! Be sure to wave the flag by hitting that like and share!

Winner: Black Widow (w/ Diamondback)
#42 (+15) Black Widow
#612 (new) Diamondback [+1 assist]
#7 (--) Captain America

CAPTAIN AMERICA versus PROFESSOR POWER

Power Struggle (Marvel)
Where: Captain America #338 When: February 1988
Why: Mark Gruenwald How: Kieron Dwyer

The Story So Far...
Confronted with an ultimatum from the United States Government: Steve Rogers chooses to walk away from the shield & stripes of Captain America rather than re-enlist.

Having determined the mantle is intellectual property of the government: The Commission of Superhuman Activities installs former rival John "Super-Patriot" Walker as a new Captain America!

Fighting alongside his own Bucky the new Cap battles right-wing militant group The Watchdogs in his first successful missions. Now he takes on his first super-human threat as The Commission deploys the duo to take down wealthy scientist turned terrorist Professor Power!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: Professor Power 5 (Super-Human)
Intelligence: Professor Power 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Stamina: Professor Power 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Captain America 2 (Average)
Fighting: Captain America 4 (Trained)
Energy: Professor Power 5 (Lasers)
Total: Professor Power 26 (Metahuman)

John Walker is still relatively early in his career as Captain America and today's battle represents his first serious test against a super-villain!

He and partner Lemar "Bucky" Hoskins have already fought through droves of costumed Roman Centurions, Mandroid-style robots, and the giant-size henchman known as Leviathan. All that waits is their primary target: Professor Power!

Anthony Power grew disillusioned with modern America when his son Matthew returned catatonic from the Vietnam war. He used his considerable fortune to establish a scientific think tank, and a Roman inspired private army intent on carrying out terrorist plots to provoke America to strength and greatness.

At his most extreme Anthony Power seized control of The Secret Empire and attempted to start a nuclear war with Russia. He was thwarted by The Defenders and subsequently re-engaged in a private vendetta against his best known adversary: Charles Xavier and his X-Men.

Power's hatred was first inspired when he attempted to force the mutant telepath to restore his son's broken psyche -- inadvertently causing its destruction!

The grieving father eventually had his mind transferred into his son's healthy body, which he outfitted with a powerful battle suit that allows him to fly, fire an energy beam from his hand, and greatly enhances his strength & durability.

John Walker underwent the Power Broker's process to gain super-human strength and durability of his own. We saw him notably out muscle Steve Rogers later in his tenure as the new Cap [Captain America #350], and even compete with Wonder Man in a weight lifting contest in West Coast Avengers Annual #5!

The eventual USAgent is very strong, but would ordinarily struggle to match the might of Professor Power. Lucky for him he's catching Power in a weakened state after being psychically assaulted by Moondragon and having to escape SHIELD.

The Tape: Professor Power Ranking: John Walker (#144)

What Went Down...

Having spotted Professor Power being lowered into an escape rocket: the new Captain America and Bucky scramble to take out his army of Centurion guards and reach the vessel before it takes off!

With no time to spare: Captain America throws his mighty shield -- sending it careening towards the rocket's propulsion engine. It smashes into the rocket, sending it lurching from the launch rail and into a nearby wall!

Unnaturally powerful hands rip through the hot metal of the wreckage, uncovering an unconscious Professor Power.

Just as Captain America goes to check for vital signs -- the Professor stirs and summons enough energy to lift his hand and fire a concussive beam right at Captain America's mid-section!

The point blank blast is strong enough to knock John Walker back and ignite his "guts" with pain, but he quickly blocks the attack with his shield and returns fire with a super-human charging punch!

The devastating blow would've toppled any man, but in his poor condition Professor Power goes down easily. That isn't enough for John Walker, though!

In a rage Captain America mounts his floored opponent and begins raining down unrelenting blows! With every punch another frustration boils over!

When the new Bucky catches up with his partner it's already over.

Captain America stands solemnly over the body of Professor Power -- now in a pool of its own blood. The mission is over.

The Hammer...

On the surface it may seem like a victory, but the cracks are beginning to show, and even John Walker seems to recognize he's gone too far.

Bucky congratulates him on a successful mission, but Walker knows what he's done. Professor Power is dead. By using lethal force he has crossed a line that his predecessor never would've. The result may be good enough for their superiors in The Commission, but it isn't good enough for Captain America.

It's an interesting moment of introspection that forecasts, and perhaps allows for, John Walker's future redemption as USAgent. He isn't a completely irredeemable character operating as a self-appointed executioner. He is, however, a man with obvious character flaws, and a serious issue with losing control.

Walker goes even further off the rails by the time he faces off with Steve Rogers, already driven to lethal extremes after watching the murder of his parents by The Watchdogs, and being set upon by armed enemies. Its all part of an orchestrated campaign by the Red Skull to discredit Captain America by pushing the easily exploited John Walker over the edge. It's a pretty short trip.

The subject of lethal force in superhero comics is an interesting one, especially when the hero in question is a sanctioned soldier.

Usually we accept that soldiers may be required to kill through the course of their duties, but it's also true that there are rules of engagement, and soldiers cannot indiscriminately murder whomever they please. Principles of justice and humane treatment dictate international law, and superheroes take that restraint further.

Opinions vary as to whether or not it should be assumed Steve Rogers killed Nazi soldiers during the Second World War, but it's generally accepted that he stands for higher ideals. The ability to achieve his objectives without killing is what elevates the super-hero and super-soldier. The goal is preservation of life.

I'm reminded of What If...? (Vol.2) #51, which explored the ideals of Captain America through the prism of a reality where Frank Castle became the new Cap.

The veil of fiction often allows us to enjoy The Punisher with the presumption of some degree of moral impunity, but as many stories show, his judgement is not infallible. He's ultimately a violent psychotic whose methods inevitably lead to unjustified killing. His approach is an appealing power fantasy on the page, but in practise its a simplistic and deeply flawed way to view the world. Far below the aspirations that inform the super-hero archetype, and Captain America.

When John Walker killed Professor Power he violated basic principles of justice by giving in to base aggression, and using excessive force on an already subdued opponent who was little to no threat. Tantamount to an act of cowardice and the beginning of a proverbial slippery slope.

Comics being what they are: Walker was responsible for the death of Matthew Power's body -- but Professor Power lived on when his psyche returned to its original body. This allowed Professor Power to continue to appear in later stories such as the Spider-Man and X-Men crossover in Spectacular Spider-Man that I most associate the character with.

As noted in The Tape section: Anthony Power had his mind transferred into his son's strong, youthful body when Matthew's psyche was accidentally destroyed in a telepathic battle between Mentallo and Professor X. Xavier had been unable to help the shell-shocked soldier recover from his time in Vietnam. War is hell.

We've looked at some heavy themes in today's featured fight and we'll continue to explore John Walker's ill fated time as Captain America at a later date. If you'd like to get the drop on the story you can read the whole issue collected in Captain America: The Captain. By using Amazon links provided you'll get yourself a  good deal and ensure Amazon supports the site at no extra cost to you!

If you'd like to find more on any of the characters covered in today's battle be sure to follow links throughout this post. You can discover even more fun and games by diving into the Secret Archive for a complete index of featured fights in order of publisher, series, and issue number!

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured in excess of 600 battles and ranked well over 1000 combatants! If you like superhero smackdown and want to keep this resources strong you can support the project by signing up to Patreon. As a thank you patrons receive access to extra updates, polls, and custom articles.

You can also subscribe on Twitter and Facebook to get daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! Be sure to wave the flag by hitting that like and share!

Winner: Captain America (w/ Bucky)
#80 (+64) USAgent (John Walker) [+1 kill]
#610 (new) Battlestar (Lemar Hoskins) [+1 assist]
#953 (new) Professor Power

CAPTAIN AMERICA versus THE CAPTAIN

Seeing Red (Marvel)
Where: Captain America #350 When: February 1989
Why: Mark Gruenwald How: Kieron Dwyer

The Story So Far...
When the government asserts that Captain America and his shield are intellectual property, and that Steve Rogers was never officially discharged from the military, he's presented with an ultimatum to return to service.

Rogers instead chooses to resign, taking up the fight as a free agent known simply as "The Captain". This leaves the Commission of Superhuman Activities to appoint a new Captain America: former adversary John "Super-Patriot" Walker.

Walker proves to be a volatile replacement, stained with the blood of his enemies in an orchestrated plot to discredit Captain America's legacy. When The Captain is reluctantly called in to rescue his replacement, The Red Skull pulls the strings to set up the ultimate clash between his old adversary, and the jealous stand-in!

Tale of the Tape...
Strength: USAgent 4 (Enhanced)
Intelligence: Draw 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Captain America 5 (Marathoner)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Draw 2 (Projectile)
Total: Captain America 28 (Metahuman)

At this point in history John Walker wears the red, white, and blue of Captain America. He was previously known as The Super-Patriot, and will eventually be best recognized as USAgent.

After a brief stint in the US Army; Walker underwent the augmentation process of The Power Broker, gaining greatly enhanced super-human strength, durability, speed, and reflexes. He used his powers to join the Universal Class Wrestling Federation, but soon left the ring to begin a feud with Captain America.

The Super-Patriot believed he embodied America's ideals better than Steve Rogers, and when the US government's Commission on Superhuman Activities pushed Rogers to resign his post: John Walker was chosen to take up the shield as a new Captain America working directly for the Commission.

During this time Steve Rogers continued to operate as a freelance super-hero under the alias The Captain. Wearing a red, white, and black costume he continued to fight the good fight against villains like the alien-powered Cold War in Marvel Comics Presents #2.

By contrast John Walker had a tumultuous and violent tenure as Captain America. He battled UCWF allies turned enemies, Left and Right-Winger, and resorted to lethal force against The Watchdogs after his parents were murdered. He even lost his shield when he was badly beaten by The Flag-Smasher, requiring rescue by Rogers, Demolition Man, and his partner Battlestar.

John Walker has far superior strength to Steve Rogers, even once competing with Wonder Man in a weight-lifting contest, but a simple lack of heart and discipline means he always comes off second best.

This is the first time we've recorded a one-on-one battle between the two Captains, but they were on opposite sides when The Invaders and Avengers came to blows in New Invaders #0. Walker was again claiming to be Captain America while using a new spiked shield, but suffered a beat down at the hands of his former West Coast Avengers and Force Works teammate, Iron Man.

The Tape: Steve Rogers Ranking: Steve Rogers (#7)

What Went Down...

The new Captain America is still breathing heavily from battle when Steve Rogers enters the room to discover him surrounded by dead bodies.

Until moments ago the deceased were heavily armed agents of the Red Skull, but thanks to the villain's new face -- John Walker is operating under the belief they were working for Steve Rogers himself. He launches himself at The Captain!

Instantly recognizing the voice of John "Super-Patriot" Walker - Rogers knows he's no match for the replacement Captain America's enhanced strength!

Fortunately, he's still in possession of his relinquished shield, having recovered it after it was stolen by Flag Smasher. He uses the shield to bat the attacking Captain America out of the air -- but it buys only a precious few seconds before Walker is back again like a charging bull!

Rogers backflips out of his replacement's path and tries to tell him about the Red Skull's deception. The "battle frenzied" Captain America won't listen, throwing a super-human punch that's blocked by The Captain's shield!

Rogers drops low to take Walker's legs out with a kick to the back of the knee.

He knows he won't win with reason, and after the things he's heard John Walker has done in Captain America's name -- he doesn't mind taking this fight head-on.

Walker lunges forward with another powerful punch, but The Captain somersaults  clear. The blow smashes into the floor behind, and Walker uses his strength to rip a chunk out of the surface and hurl it at The Captain!

Rogers back flips over the improvised projectile, but this time his landing leaves him wide open to a charging attack from Walker! He hears the brute coming from behind, but still doesn't have time to regain footing. He can only throw his shield up and hope to cushion the impact as he's tackled into a wall!

The pair smashes through the wall like a freight train!

The Captain manages to use their tumbling to his advantage, escaping Walker's powerful grip and maneuvering himself to land on top of his doppelganger. Rogers takes the opportunity to drive his elbow back and hard into the new Captain America's face!

The blow appears to stun John Walker for a moment, but its nothing compared to the shock Steve Rogers experiences with the sudden illumination of monitors around the room.

They show images of the new Captain America's bloody exploits. Opponents beaten, maimed, and killed -- just like the dead men a room away. A legacy in ruin. Captain America was never meant to be a killer.

Rogers barely has time to process it all when his replacement suddenly spring to life, pushing off the ground with a two-legged kick The Captain manages to block with his mighty shield.

John Walker reminds his opponent that it's his shield and dares him to fight without hiding behind it. Remembering his failure to beat Walker in the past, Steve Rogers ignores his better judgement and tosses the shield aside!

The Captain throws a body blow deep into John Walker's stomach.

It is a blow driven with renewed fighting spirit. In that instant he reflects upon surrendering his uniform and shield, swallowing his pain and anger, and fighting to forge a new identity as The Captain.

With a left hook he topples his replacement. Here he will test if going back to basics has restored his edge. Here he will see if it was all worth while.

The new Captain America rises with blood trickling from his mouth and a crazed grin. He's far from finished.

Walker launches himself like a Super-Patriot missile -- leaping through the air outstretched to drive both his fists into The Captain's face!

An acrobatic twist brings Walker into a landing, but Rogers throws his leg out to meet his successor with a kick to the chest!

Walker responds with another vicious downward punch that The Captain narrowly rolls clear of. The new Captain America follows, stalking his opponent with a wild swinging back-fist. Rogers steps clear and bounces back with a stiff right hand!

Again John Walker furious charges at his opponent, but again Steve Rogers keeps one step ahead -- back flipping clear.

He lands gracefully, but with his back up against a large machine he can only duck to avoid John Walker's relentless rage-fueled punch. The enhanced strength of the new Captain America plunges through the steel outer casing into live electronics!

Untold volts channel through John Walker's body and he lets out a sickening shriek as The Captain dives clear.

Incredibly, Walker shakes off the blow in mere seconds, escaping the electrical charge with a fist full of wires and a mind full of bad intentions!

He rushes Steve Rogers and uses the electrical cable as an improvised garrote!

The wires tighten around The Captain's throat as John Walker issues a battle crazed vow: "You're dead, Rogers! You've tormented me for the last time!"

With dire stakes Steve Rogers summons his every ounce of strength and channels it into a do or die blow. His fists fly wildly above his head in a single desperate bid for victory -- and survival!

The Captain's aim is true and both fists collide with the sides of John Walker's head! The double-barreled blow delivers inescapable impact with enough strength and precision to at last knock the new Captain America out cold!

The Hammer...

After a little over eighteen months of John Walker as the new Captain America -- he finally meets defeat at the hands of the original!

A brief skirmish with the Red Skull follows, exposing his role in setting the pair against one another, before both Captains appear before the Commission of Superhuman Activities.

Without the influence of the Skull's corrupting agent, Douglas Rockwell, it's the Commission's ruling that the name, shield, and uniform may be property of the United States Government -- but it's always been Steve Rogers who imbued it with meaning. Remarkable, then, that he doesn't immediately accept its return.

Rogers asserts that his experiences as The Captain proved he can still effectively serve his ideals, and those of the country, without the shield and uniform of Captain America. It's only when John Walker himself chases Rogers down in the hall outside that he accepts the mantle's return. A little extra dramatic flourish for the readers who'd been waiting a year and a half for it!

Walker clearly intends to continue serving his country, but even he can see there's no point finding another "poor slob" to be an ineffective stand-in unfavourably compared with the original.

Four issues later John Walker returns wearing the red, white, and black of The Captain, now answering to the name "U.S.Agent". The Commission also places him with the West Coast Avengers as a condition of their government charter.

It might seem a little redundant to keep a second-rate Captain America running around the Marvel Universe, but it would've been a shame to retire the striking Tom Morgan design, which so perfectly suits the dark edge of John Walker.

It also opened up a storytelling palette with a different flavour, benefitting from the years of hard work spent constructing the John Walker character. [USAgent] continued to be a contentious figure, butting heads with his West Coast teammates, even as he fought with a better sense of restraint.

He unavoidably remained the 'asshole Captain America': a bona fide jerk far less idealistic than Rogers, but a well intentioned jerk, who managed to do some real good in the years that followed. It would take Mark Millar over a decade to present a more fundamentally ugly American super-soldier in The Ultimates.

At the time of this writing The Falcon and The Winter Soldier has begun airing on the Disney+ streaming service, and it's been amusing to see some viewers unsure if they should dislike John Walker. Especially so after the expectation of comic book reference seemed to weigh so heavily on WandVision.

As we've seen: John Walker has always been there to be disliked! The show even adapts the plot of Cap's unpopular replacement with an extra delicious twist by deliberately passing up more logical successors to the legacy -- namely the hand-picked Sam Wilson, and tenured Bucky Barnes.

So just how bad is John Walker? Today's featured fight should reflect poorly, but in future entries we'll track back through some of the real lowlights of his time as Captain America. We're also overdue to get back to more Falcon.

If you'd like to find battles with other characters you can follow links throughout this post to discover more. Or dive into the Secret Archive for a complete legacy of featured fights indexed in order of publisher, series, and issue number.

Secret Wars on Infinite Earths has featured in excess of 600 battles and ranked well over 1000 combatants! If you like diving into superhero smackdown and want to help the record grow you can support the project by signing up to Patreon. As a thank you patrons receive access to extra updates, polls, and custom articles.

You can also subscribe to Twitter and Facebook to get free daily links to fights inspired by the topics of the day! Don't forget to hit the like and share while you're there!

You can witness today's featured fight in its entirety for yourself by checking out the Captain America: The Captain collection. By using the Amazon links provided above you'll not only get yourself a good deal, but also make sure Amazon supports the site at no extra cost to you!

Winner: The Captain
#7 (--) Captain America (Steve Rogers)
#144 (-11) USAgent (John Walker)

QUICK FIX: CAPTAIN AMERICA vs NAZI GOONS
Courage (Marvel)
Where: Captain America #1 When: November 1996
Why: Rob Liefeld & Jeph Loeb [w/ Chuck Dixon]
How: Rob Liefeld

THE TAPE...
Strength: Capt. America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Capt. America 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Capt. America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Capt. America 5 (Marathon)
Agility: Capt. America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting: Capt. America 6 (Warrior)
Energy: Capt. America 2 (Projectile)

Math: Captain America
Ranking: Captain America (#7)

THE FIX...
'It's the content we produce.' 'We don't have to go around shitting on other people's content...'

This just happened to be the quote uttered as I was writing this paragraph -- one of over two hours worth of irony completely lost on the hosts of The Mighty Sabo And Son podcast as they lured and lambasted a blog prankster, this week. Unfortunately, they do not have a website that I can find and link, but if they did, I'm not entirely sure I would want to.

This is a pretty unusual way to open an entry on what is usually a comics review and discussion site centred around the conflicts of superheroes and villains. This year in particular we've been more about the comics than the subjects surrounding them, but I was so stunned by the Sabo podcast, I felt it worth discussing.

The controversy started with a prank pulled on Rob Liefeld, but let's go further back -- to the comics.

Superheroes and the medium of comics is arguably more in the public eye than ever. Films like The Dark Knight, Spider-man, Watchmen, and Iron Man, have all exposed a mainstream audience to the best things the medium and genres have to offer. Despite this prominent exposure, sales in the direct comics market are less than impressive, particularly when you compare them to the heady glory of the late eighties and early nineties. During that period, books were canceled for bottoming out with sales figures upwards of three times their current numbers.

During this period, visuals were king, and it was the images of Todd McFarlane, Erik Larsen, Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Rob Liefeld that produced these unrivaled sales figures. Together, along with Jim Valentino and Whilce Portacio, they broke away from their success at Marvel to create their own publishing entity, Image Comics, founded on a principle of creative ownership and rights for artists.

Keen to get a slice of the action, the Marvel administration of 1996 were able to lure back some of their prodigal sons, namely Liefeld, Lee, and Portacio, all to be part of a complete reinvention of their lagging icons. Heroes Reborn was the result, created out of an X-Men storyline that pitted them against uber-villain, Onslaught, whose destruction coincided with the creation of a pocket universe where the Fantastic Four and Avengers were to be reinvented with a modern interpretation -- a precursor to the Ultimate line, which did much the same.

The legacy of Image Comics remains a vital component of the creative landscape for the medium, providing a marketing support network and creative platform for writers and artists establishing themselves in the industry. This is in contrast to the legacy of the first comics produced by Image, which remain infamous points of contention for comics art enthusiasts and online jokesters.

Liefeld in particular has been the subject of much ridicule, his bombastic art style lampooned and commentated upon consistently since the era. Despite his many successes at the time, which included massive sales and mainstream attention (he even appeared in Levi adverts), he remains widely known for idiosyncracies of his art, and accusations of plagiarism and misconduct.

This twenty-year history was the premise for a prank pulled by Ryan Coons, aka; The Yellow Hat Guy, at a recent WizardWorld convention.
Coons approached Liefeld while he was sketching at a floor table, dispensed nervous pleasantries, and then requested an apology for the 1997 Heroes Reborn: Captain America series (featured in this article).

It was a fairly tactless and unremarkable act, but according to all accounts, was brief, and well ignored by the drawing artist. Coons returned some time later to deliver a bagged and personzlied copy of the iconic reference manual, How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way.

The humorous stunt was documented by a nervous Coons and his pals, made public later, with photographs and video, on his blog; Avengers Avenged.

The stunt has since seemingly attracted the attentions of a who's who of the comics industry, earning denouncements and harsh criticism from the likes of; Skottie Young, Cameron Stewart, Cully Hamner, Pia Guerra, Jamal Igle, Ron Marz, and Ethan Van Sciver. Their opinions, along with many others, have been scathing, with many choosing to interpret it as a personal attack on Liefeld and the fan-friendly institution of comics conventions.

Personally, I think this response is absurd.

To the rights and morals of the issue, this was a fairly harmless prank.
According to all reports; Coons took very little of Liefeld's time, and while the artist might not have been especially pleased with the inference, he handled it quickly and well. As a public figure, he's ripe for lampooning, and Coons wasn't particularly out of line in making statements dependent solely on Liefeld's art.

There may be an argument that criticism and jokes are taken personally, and that this wasn't the best use of the accessibility afforded to fans at a convention, but at the end of the day, the common good was not violated, nor was Liefeld.

As a humorous blog post, the stunt was not only amusing (if unoriginal), but also far more harmless than many mainstream parody outlets. This didn't really go any further than anything I'm sure many of the harsh critics have themselves laughed at until hoarse. Those offended by the "cowardice" of leaving after the stunt, might consider that this was an efficient and unintrusive method of making the gag and leaving Mr. Liefeld to his day. Likewise, without this unfounded outrage, the controversy would not have been terribly intrusive to Liefeld's online movements -- and is still far from the worst the artist will ever get from geeks.

These opinions leveled at Ryan Coons may have been harsh and ill conceived, but the situation escalated to a completely unacceptable level on the podcast mentioned in the opening lines of this post.

Mark Brooks, Mark Walters, Lee Duhig, Scott Kurtz, Tim Fischer, and Freddie Avalos, were the line-up that appeared on the episode of The Mighty Sabo and Son, which at best, could be described as a juvenile and unsophisticated discussion forum for topical events.

Through the course of their six hour marathon, the chatting personalities arrived at the topic of Ryan Coons' stunt, beginning with similar sentiments to some of the comments made on the original blog. Thier purile bravado escalated far beyond disapproving conversation, however, after first recruiting Rob Liefeld for a more subdued portion of the case, before Coons himself called in for a grilling.

What ensued I can only describe as absolutely disgusting.

I personally fail to see how an intelligent individual could legitimately be morally outraged by the stunt pulled by Coons and his pals. Intelligence and morals were clearly never an issue on the podcast, however, as the group subjected Coons to what I would not at all lightly refer to as -- abuse.

For well over an hour, if not two, this young man was subjected to a completely misproportionate level of disdain. Throughout the course of the conversation he was viciously and personally attacked by the group, who took on an adolescent mob-like aggression. Any information volunteered by the blogger was quickly wielded for cutting personal insults by a group mystifyingly ignorant to irony of their merciless abuse in defense of a man they claim had been "dehumanized" (sic) by the convention gag.

Few of the vile isms levelled by the group could escape this irony, most, if not all, just as easily turned around back on the group for their own disgusting real-time behaviour. As they incited violence against the prankster, made references to hopes for his death, and unleashed a disgusting quantity and quality of abuse upon the young man, they undermined the few ultimately insincere references to repentence or perspective, let alone legitimacy to any argument against the prank.

I really cannot adequately describe my disgust for what has unfolded.
I consder myself a strong advocate of freedom to speech and strong opinion, but this was far beyond anything subscribing to those ideals. This was a young man -- who has copped a lot of dubious criticism for an ultimately silly joke -- fronting up to the opportunity to answer and accept his critics, only to be abused by men who had intimidation in numbers, and perceived authority. Unfortunately, they were too disorganized to make specific identification easy, but Scott Kurtz and Mark Brooks, artists who've been published by Image and Marvel respectively, completely abused any position of perceived authority their status brings with it.

Ryan Coons was inarticulate in his defense, either by nature, or by the opposition of numbers and volume that surely intimidated him. One call-in who attempted to offer support for the prankster was promptly muted by the controlling group, obliterating any chance of perspective interfering in this verbal lynching.
As flawed and immature as some of Coons arguments might have been, they were not nearly the embarrassment this self-righteous collective of ignorant fools positioned themselves to be.

Coons did not do well to defend himself as a blogger (or humorist) while the pack questioned his right to be so critical of Liefeld's work. He was unable to reflect upon the hours of verbal abuse directed at him when they accused him of having an agenda to dehumanize Liefeld. He did not reiterate that he himself is as open to criticism in the public domain as Liefeld. He never attacked their motivations for sensational gratifaction, while they accused him of pulling the stunt for hits.

For whatever reason, Coons sat and took every bit of unreasonable abuse leveled at him by these posturing imbeciles currently working in the industry.

I'm writing this as a person who has been on all sides of this argument.
I've experienced how fickle fans and creators can be. I've produced creative work as a critic, commentator, and writer, and would like to attain a higher role in any of these fields. I do these things very aware of the scrutiny I'm putting myself under. As much as I've dealt with my fair share of unpleasant opinions from both fans and creators, I've been fortunate enough to not incite such a response. I shudder to think how Mr. Kurtz and his gang might receive this blog, should it come to their attentions. I wonder what methods of torture or death they might wish upon me, or if I might be exempt for the many undertakings I've ventured in ten years of very public, if obscure, online projects.

Unfortunately, as many of us have found, and as was vividly displayed in this situation, the comics industry isn't terribly accountable. For whatever reason, there are a lot of undesirable personality types involved, with a lot of fickle and unreasonable attitudes condemning many individuals who attempt to enter the ranks. Coons has apparently been blacklisted by the union of individuals that even included a representative of Wizard Magazine, Mark Allen Haverty.

In this case, Ryan Coons has been unlucky enough to suffer the collective ire of people who have not apparently paused to consider the broad perspective of the issue. He has been made accountable, where these disgusting podcasters will likely not be. In fact, bizarrely, the cult of these men might actually grow thanks to the same anonymity and online bravado that created this situation.

EDIT: Personal attacks have gone far beyond Ryan Coon's website, further emphasising how inappropriate the current course of action has been. I don't see how anyone could honestly describe his prank as unreasonably malicious, but the same simply cannot be said of the reaction of those outraged.

I don't know what punishment I would claim fitting for these podcasters.
Other industries show a precedent of canceling their endorsements for these types of outrageous incidents, but I just can't see Image or Marvel becoming involved. I honestly cannot describe how disgusted I am by the three hours of listening they have prepared for download, and am not even sure if effectively blacklisting them is a suitable answer, either. I just hope, with cooler heads prevailing, readers and the men themselves can reflect upon "The Mighty Sabo" without the tolerance afforded by pubescent online bravado, and recognise that it is now them who owe a very public and very sincere apology.

It would seem like an unfortunate parody to press this very serious discussion up against a review of a Captain America comic. Given the strong ideals that Captain America represents, it might not be entirely inappropriate, but I'm just not in the mood right now.

As you've seen from the usual panels littered throughout this post, the first issue of the Heroes Reborn Captain America series features an exciting and idealistically driven battle between Steve Rogers and the Nazi henchman of Master Man and Red Skull.

The villains want Captain America and his shield, but Steve Rogers has no memory of his heroic past, having lived multiple lives under the watchful eye of SHIELD and their mind-wiping technology. Like scenes from Total Recall, the unassuming laboror is confronted with his secret past by Abe Wilson -- Heroes Reborn father to the hero of our universe known as Falcon. When Abe finally convinces Rogers of his past, the Nazi bad guys destroy his house, and kill him.

Cap escapes the rubble to battle the bad guys to a successful triumph.
To read more about the Heroes Reborn universe, I'm sure you'll find information by following links in this post, or checking out other great websites. Some of the Heroes Reborn material has been collected, but I feel it would be inappropriate to include specific purchase links in this post, as we normally would.

The Fight: 5 The Issue: 4.5
Winner: Captain America

If you have opinions on the subject discussed today and wish to comment, I would suggest you refer to the original blog of the matter. I'm sure any support or disagreements you have with the situation would be better channelled there. I would also request that you try to remain civil, regardless of your position. This has become a very ugly storm in a tea cup, and while I feel I'm commentating on important details, I do not wish to escalate the situation unduly. That might be an ironic statement given the strength of my assessments, but it is sincere.

This blog was written August 15, but inserted into the usual Infinite Wars review schedule, which is currently two months behind.

You can also find Yellow Hat Guy's response to the furor on his blog and distribute comments there. In his podcast appearance, he apologised for potentially making Rob Liefeld feel unsafe, and takes his foot of the gas somewhat with the post. I believe he was quite probably brow beaten into doing this, and hope he can remain safe and healthy after this.

I'd also direct any undecided readers to an exceptionally well and calmly written blog on Destroy the Cyb.org, offering additional perspective for the posse that's formed around the event, and the thoroughly mild circumstances of the prank. It's a great overview of the point, much less specific in reference than mine.