DOPPELGANGER versus THING
By Reed... Betrayed! (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #367 When: August 1992
Why: Tom DeFalco How: Paul Ryan

The story so far...
The Magus, with the aid of mysterious cosmic power, has created an army of sinister mirror images of the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe in a bid for total domination!

Forced to face their inner shadows, the great heroes fight themselves for their own existance. For Thing, his doppelganger comes at a time already overcast with inner turmoil. Ex-girlfriend and teammate, Sharon Ventura, returns as he comes to terms with the reveal that his greatest love, Alicia Masters, did not marry the Human Torch. Instead, it was another dark diversion, the undercover Skrull Lyja, who married the Torch, which leaves Thing unsure of his feelings for his former flame.

The Puppet Master is sure of his feelings, desiring the happiness of his daughter, but will his love stop him taking advantage of the Thing's predicament, or will he use his fantastic telekinetic controlling clay to save the Fantastic Fourman?...

Previous Form:
Thing (#16): Clobbered his way through the Frightful Four, Sinister Six, Super Adaptoid, Super-Skrull & Paibok, the Power Skrull.
Doppelgangers: The Magus' doppelgangers have been menacing the heroes with mixed results.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Thing 6 (Invincible)
Intelligence: Thing 3 (Straight A)
Speed: Thing 2 (Average)
Stamina: Thing 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Thing 2 (Average)
Fighting Ability: Thing 3 (Street Wise)
Energy Powers: Thing 1 (None)


Well, here we are for another Monday, and another evil doppelganger feature as commanded by this month's special Marvel Ultimate Alliance posts. If you're new here and you want to know what I'm talking about, scroll down to the archives and check out posts made on Mondays, because we're still a full month away from a recap on all of these damned posts!

Anyway -- keeping things moving forward, we've got ourselves a spotlight on the Thing, who is arguably one of the most underrated characters on the site. Okay, over the past few months we've caught up a lot of stock on the Fantastic Four, but for the most part, you really expect the Thing to be up on a fight site.

When you look at the stats as we rate them, you might even argue that he's been underrated on the Haseloff scale, too. I would invite any of you to make your case for shifting Thing's stats, because it's something I've grappled with, particularly something like his fighting ability.

For Thing, I've really gone with the literal for our stats, which is supposedly the laws by which the catalyst information is governered. The scientific credibility is only as good as the accuracy of the information as it is input into the system.
The scientists of Secret Wars on Infinite Earths cannot be held responsible for erroneous data. Keep them honest.

Who will win this fight? Well, the tape's on the sidelines for this one, because it's just been more trouble than it's worth rating the doppelgangers. Essentially they share the statistical value of their original, with the exception of far greater malice.

I think Thing is typified by his heart, so a lousy bum like this shouldn't be any trouble. I guess it just depends on the time of day, really. If it's a quarter-to-twelve, I'm not sure, but if it's clobberin time, well, there you go...

The Pick: Thing (Champion Class?)

What went down...
So, having been ambushed by Sharon Ventura, Thing is surprised to notice a creepy little bald man staring at him through the window. No, it's not Brian Michael Bendis, it's the supposedly reformed FF villain -- Puppet Master!

Having rescued Alicia Masters from the clutches of the Skrulls [Fantastic Four #358], Thing was surprised to discover she had been abducted long before she supposedly married his teammate, the Human Torch, thus, she still loves Ben Grimm as whole heartedly as the day they each disappeared.

Puppet Master lambasts his one-time nemesis, demanding he recognise the feelings of his blind step-daughter. Just then, while the two argue in an alley, a horrible thing appears from nowhere! Though the Puppet Master tries to warn ol' blue eyes, he thinks it's a trick, suffering a sucker punch from his clone!

Thing is thrown into the alley by the punch, a dumpster providing a Neutonian means of halting.

Shaken but never stirred, the Thing picks the dumpster up, ramming it into the spikey, charging doppelganger sent by the Magus. The powerful demon bursts through the metal, following his intent to meet Grimm fist-to-fist.

The ever lovin' original gets in a few good licks, but he pushes his doppelganger back toward a fire escape. The evil shade does well to attack Ben Grimm's mental insecurities, while also assaulting the physical, ripping the iron fire escape to fashion it into a crude restraint!

His arms bound by his side, Thing can do nothing but take the thundering punch delivered by his spikey-self, thrown across the street toward an empty construction site!

The lumbering clone marches his way through the broken barricades as the true Thing gets to his feat, flexing his mighty rocky muscles to burst free of the twisted metal that holds him. Clear of innocent bystanders, he prepares a more severe assault on the monster that continues to taunt him with verbage and visage.

Claiming to be his physical superior, the doppelganger charges at Grimm like a medieval horseman, girder in hand. The blow slams Grimm against the steel architecture, but the shade's attempts to crush him are in vain!

The Thing bends the girder back, and follows it's momentum to charge at his doppelganger with a devestating right that sends it airborne!

Alas, it isn't enough to put the monster out of commission, placing him instead in arms reach of a mechanical earthmover! He hoists the massive machine above his head and brings it raining down atop the FF's muscle with such force, it breaks through the Earth down into the subway!

The Puppet Master and other innocent bystanders watch-on in horror as the machine and monsters come to land on the tracks! Thing does a little taunting of his own, prompting another head-on collission between the two superpowers.

Confined to a tight space, these two raging bulls are content to boil it all down to a one-on-one confrontation of fisticuffs. The monster reveals his plans, promising to defeat Ben Grimm and assume his identity, all part of the Magus' secret strategy of domination over the cosmos.

Watching on, the Puppet Master produces a clay maquette of the Thing, pondering his longtime desire to see him crushed.

As the doppelganger continues to hurl his psychological jabs, he reflects the Thing's own deep feelings for Alicia Masters.
The promise to bring pain to Alicia, and all the Thing cares for, is the final decider for Philip Masters; the Puppet Master!

Resculpting his maquette, he refashions the Thing as he is on this day, to what he once was. Having recreated the spikey doppelganger to the finest of details, he makes his empassioned declaration to defeat the evil shade.

Tossing his psychokinetic clay sculpt onto the tracks, it begins to sizzle and low as it hits the electrified rail of the subway train. Almost immediately Thing appears to gain the upperhand in the fight, summoning his own inner strengths in the name of the blind sculptress the two men share in common.

Mirroring the fate of the doll, the evil clone falls to the tracks, bursting into a flash of energy before disappearing in a smouldering mass of smoke, much to the shock of Puppet Master and Thing alike.

The hammer...
With the unlikely assist from the Puppet Master, it's a clean victory to Aunt Petuna's favourite blue-eyed nephew, the Thing!

Gah, I wish these scanned up better, because there are some great panels there, that certainly do not look like water-damaged wallpaper.
I don't know how widely recognised Paul Ryan is as an artists, and I've run afoul very little praise for Tom DeFalco, but if you ask me, this was a very fun period for the Fantastic Four.

I'm a by the numbers kinda guy. I like to think our format makes us a fun, unique, and easy to reference website, but this is one of those rare occasions when I wish we were one of those one-panel witicisms weblogs.

This issue really represents the culmination of the evil doppelgangers, concluding with a mass assembly of heroes at Four Freedom's Plaza, then home fo the FF.
Reed Richards and Iron Man ironically stand at the front of the assembly, eventually revealed by the likes of Wolverine and Daredevil, (as well as Invisible Woman via some special detecting technology), to be fakes.

In a scene that hilariously mirrors what eventuated in Civil War, Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man are attacked, before the entire assemblage devolves into a massive brawl, hero-versus-hero. By issue's end Invisible Woman is able to show up to talk some sense into everyone, but not before the evil Mr. Fantastic clone reveals a gamma bomb hidden in the podium -- that he detonates!

We of course learn that the green explosion the issue ends with was actually contained by the unconfident Invisible Woman, and all is well for the Marvel Universe and it's multitude of assembled superheroes.

It's a scenario like this that is actually posed quite relevantly to the upcoming Secret Invasion story, built on the developing knowledge that there are Skrulls who have infiltrated the Marvel Universe, and are thus far undetected.

In a world of psychics, super-senses, and magic, it's tough to really sell this kind of scenario, and it's going to be up to Brian "Pluck-a-Duck*" Bendis and those involved to come up with a satisfactory answer. With the aftershock of House of M still ringing in Marvel fans ears, I think that layer of scrutiny and attention to detail is going to be especially harsh. Particularly off the back of comments from the writer, who laments the inspiration for the story comes from an apparently narrow reference of Skrull stories, where he wondered (as a child) why the Skrulls wouldn't disguise themselves as a loved one and stab you in your sleep.

The fact that this story, building from the Illuminati issue where the Illuminati confronts the Skrulls around the time of the Kree-Skrull war, places it over a written period of two decades of stories, you have to wonder whether or not Bendis will fall victim to his own questions. That's a long time to wait to stab someone in their sleep!

The Fight: 6 The Issue: 6

[As a checkpoint for recent Marvel history, this is definitely one of the most exciting reads. Crammed in here are B-storys revolving around character relationships, Wolverine infiltrating the FF HQ, and a big ass Thing brawl! Find me a current crossover tie-in that's bringing ALL THAT!]

* Not an actual nickname for Bendis.

DOPPELGANGER versus MR FANTASTIC
The Enemy Within! (Marvel comics)
Where: Fantastic Four #366 When: July 1992
Why: Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan How: Paul Ryan

The story so far...
Adam Warlock, a cosmic weapon who reached omnipotence, purged himself of emotions to create two gestalt entities. From all his good came The Goddess, and from his negative emotions, The Magus.

Seeking total domination over the Marvel Universe, the Magus uses his fantastic cosmic power to exist in a pocket reality, manipulating the pawns of his game from afar.

To the bewilderment of Thanos; a man whose motivations are similar bit distinctly different; the Magus wages war on the heroes through the creation of doppelgangers using items resembling the fabled cosmic cubes.
Crucial to his war on the heroes, the battle between dark shadows and crucial figures within the superhero community. Figures like Reed Richards!...

Previous Form:
Mr. Fantastic (#7): Has led the Fantastic Four in battle against Super-Skrull, Annihilus, Paibok and many others.
Doppelganger: Captain America swiftly defeated his Magus created doppelganger.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Mr. Fantastic 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Genius)
Speed: Mr. Fantastic 2 (Average)
Stamina: Mr. Fantastic 3 (Strong Will)
Agility: Mr. Fantastic 6 (Rubber)
Fighting Ability: Mr. Fantastic 2 (Average)
Energy Powers: Mr. Fantastic 1 (None)


Like the Captain America battle [Captain America #408], we've just gone straight to Mr. Fantastic's tape. You can fairly imagine his doppelganger measures up with roughly the same attributes, with the exception that he's far more malicious, and presumably interesting in doing much more killing than Reed Richards. Then again, those of us who read Civil War, might not be so sure. [Boom boom!]

Mr. Fantastic is an interesting character. We've discussed long ago [Fantastic Four #3] the peculiarities of his rubbery powers, and how they potentially make him live up to the cliche of most powerful man in his universe.
Okay, sure. Guys like Galactus can transmogrify him, or just eat around him until there's nothing left, but in the realm of the traditional hero and villain, Richards has probably got to be about the most deadly sleeper.

Think of it this way: He can reshape his body in all kinds of passive and aggressive lethal positions. There's the bouncing ball of doom, the giant hammer fist, the human-blanket, the python fullbody wrap-around... Not only all that, but defensively the guy can hurl most of what's thrown at him straight back to sender! [Although, recent results suggest that while he shares a molecular similarity to rubber, he lacks the super properties as an insulator; Fantastic Four #358]).

So, what's holding him back? Well, characterization has varied.
Almost universally Reed Richards is restrained by the scientist within, who is almost always too busy giving long-winded directions to his fellows, or analysing the threat with an almost perverse curiosity.

Just think, though. In Civil War he managed to created a cyborg clone of Thor, complete with deadly lightning bolts that had no trouble whipping Hercules around like a muppet, and sliced through Black Goliath in record time.

Just what could that brain do if it were turned loose?
I don't mean Dr. Doom loose, either, which is the obvious answer to the question. No, the best Doom is never unlocked to that potential either. Too busy acting in national interest, or bitter resentment, and even then, without those I think Doom still has standards too high to resort to scientific butchery.

I guess, since this is battle with an evil duplicate, we're about to find out what happens. Can Reed Richards handle the opposition? Hard to say. Sometimes he's a well trained team-leader ready to stretchy-headbutt his way to victory. Other times, he's a bit of a blundering fool, just as likely to trip over his stretching ankles as he is to trip up the villains.

The Pick: Mr. Fantastic

What went down...
The Human Torch has left in a huff - again - leaving the FF in one of their cyclical periods of being short-staffed. Having recovered from the threat of the Inniverse, ruled by Occulus, Reed Richards is preparing security to protect his son, Franklin, from the forces that may seek retribution through his endangerment.

Richards won't complete the added measures of security if the evil Magus has anything to do with it. Just then, as though from nowhere, Mr. Fantastic is confronted by a sinister mirror image of himself, completely unaware of events occuring to the other heroes across New York City.

Stretching free of his doppelganger's wrapping arms, Richards gets his barings with a giant-sized fist that knocks the doppelganger back. Unfortunately the maneuver sends the evil shade toward a weapons rack, where the creature is able to utilize all of Richards' intimate knowledge as his own.

The alien construct turns the advanced weaponry on it's owner, but fortunately Richards' pliable elastic body is able to absorb the brunt of the shrapnel. He flings it back with velocity at his doppelganger, charging in for a supressing offensive-defensive.

With the evil shade playing to Richards' doubts, he faulters, feeling the extent of his own powers as the villainous apparition turns his body into a mass of violently prodding extensions. The move puts Richards on the ropes, giving the doppelganger the opportunity to literally use his head to gain the upper hand.

Richards, with his back against the wall, tries to convince his opponent that they are too evenly matched. Again the doppelganger advances with an assault on Richards' failings as a hero, revealing lethal intent where Richards would have excessive verbiage and proclamations.

Without hesitation the doppelganger clutches Richards by the throat and stretches his free arm into his mouth. Using the stretching ability to expand his arm inside of Richards' throat, the evil shade attempts to choke him to death.
The doppelganger revels in Richards' doom, claiming to be turning the same stubborn foolishness that defeats foes, and distances Mr. Fantastic from his family, right back against him with lethal results.

Fortunately the original Mr. Fantastic is able to keep a cool head, stretching himself into a human top that flings his other across the science lab.
It comes to a thunderous crash landing, but manages to continue to intercept emergency alarm checkpoints, a tactic Mr. Fantastic has noted the entire fight.

Richards again attempts an offensive, seeking means to access the emergency alarms. Unfortunately, the murderous clone continues it's assault, manifesting their differences in physical form, utilizing a spiked club transformation in favour of Mr. Fanatstic's traditional giant hammer.

Again the stretching doppelganger gains the advantage, out maneuvering his predecessor, only to turn the situation like a rubber, super-wrestler.
He traps the weaker Mr. Fantastic while he contorts his stretchy body into a giant bow. With deadly speed Mr. Fantastic is hurled into the air, but he manages to reshape his body into a spherical ball, bouncing around to return fire.

Arrogance finally gets the better of the doppelganger, who falls into Richards' trap of ignorance. Prepared to swat the ball away, the doppelganger instead faces a wall of humanity as Mr. Fantastic expands beyond him at the last second, forming a human blanket!

Contracting around his evil clone, Mr. Fantastic clenches his entire elastic body like a vice. Foolishly he does not completely envelope the entity, allowing it the miniscule space needed to stretch a hand free.

That hand once again goes for the workshop's rack of weapons, snatching a gun from the wall. Mr. Fantastic stretches his own hand to the wall, attempting to pin his shade's wrist to the wall, but he stretches out of it to fire the gun directly at Reed Richards! The weapon spews a massive blast of flame!

Though stunned into unconsciousness, Mr. Fantastic is not mortally wounded or burned by the presumably alien weaponry. Never the less, his defeat allows his sinister mirror image to carry out it's objective to replace the FF leader.
The evil creature turns it's hand to a slimey mass of tentacles which grow to envelope Mr. Fantastic's body, and though the Freedoms Plaza alarms finally alert Susan Storm to trouble, she arrives unawares to find who she believes is her husband, disarming the "malfunctioning" system.

The Hammer...
Gosh, gasp, wheeze? Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story! You witnessed it here folks, the evil doppelganger clone of Mr. Fantastic was successful in defeating the original!

Over last month we talked a lot about stories from the past, and the interesting levels of symmetry between then and now. A lot of those examples had to do with comparisons between classic ideas and the deliberately inspired brand that is - the Ultimate line. This of course is an example built on a contrived series made for reinvention, but here we have a much more interesting parallel apparent.

Though Iron Man took the chief position as masthead for the pro-registration side of the Civil War camps, he had a lot of help coming directly from Mr. Fantastic, who many regard as acting distinctly out of character. Was this just a cast of a slanted fan opinion, or could there be more sinister machinations at work, behind the scenes in the Marvel universe?

The irony here is that it was during the Infinity War that much the same scenario arose, where Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man were each defeated and replaced by their Magus-created doppelgangers to become chief agents against their fellows.
Fortunately the heightened senses of characters like Daredevil and Wolverine were able to detect the facsimiles, but with the recent New Avengers development [revealing Elektra to be a Skrull], one has to wonder just how far methods of detection have been undermined. Wolverine was again one of those present who was unable to detect the switch between Elektra and Skrull, a woman Wolverine knows well enough to spot.

I don't know if we can realistically expect any kind of connection. I honestly think it was just a case of shifting opinions in a contemporary atmopshere of fear and concern, but it's interesting that Mr. Fantastic and Iron Man were able to be such crucial catalysts for not one, but two wars designed against heroes.

Reading this, you might know a combination of events have put me a few days behind our regular viewing schedule. Would you believe a one-two of computer problems and a mysterious power outage? Musta been trouble down at the power plant again. Oh, that wacky Electro!

So, we're wrapping this one up a bit quicker than ordinary, but I should take time to remind you that this is, of course, part of a special month in our Marvel Ultimate Alliance Mondays, replicating the later levels of the game where you find yourself pitted against evil clones of your favourite heroes! That of course precedes the concluding battle against Dr. Doom, which will be next month!

Despite all the wacky schedule interference, I have managed to prepare a lengthy double feature for today [Wednesday] featuring a lot of slurred ravings written after stumbling out of bed with a fixation on the DC Trinity.

Readers interested in the fate of Lyja after her apparent death [Fantastic Four #358], might like to know that it's this issue that concludes with the graduation of a new B-story. Paibok, having encountered the Skrull-killing Devos, reveals a plot to undo their mutual enemies, the Fantastic Four, with the suspended body of the Human Torch's wife -- Lyja!

Suspended in a pod of liquid in much the same way the abducted Alicia Masters was found, Lyja becomes an unwitting pawn in a plot against the man she came to love. It's a fairly classic storytelling model that typifies much of DeFalco's work on Fantastic Four, continued before and after by adjacent writing teams.
It is, of course, suitably complimented by Paul Ryan's classic pencils which are Byrne-esque in their construction, and nicely iconic. He draws a good Thing (hint hint)!

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure you keep hitting us up!
We just dropped a Technorati credit point (expired link?), so get out there and start linking to us! Or else I'll have to send my robot Sentinels after you!

The Fight: 6 The Issue: 4.5

[Continuing the fun of the Infinity War, this issue manages to mysteriously find weight through the progression of stories for each FF character, while focusing mostly on the struggle of Mr. Fantastic. Important beats include Sharon Ventura's return while Thing visits the local gym, and Human Torch's speedy recovery from discovering his marriage was a sham.]

DOPPELGANGER versus CAPTAIN AMERICA
Dark Dawn (Marvel comics)
Where: Captain America #408 When: October 1992
Why: Mark Gruenwald How: Rik Levins

The story so far...
The deadly Nightshade teams with Dredmund, lord of the werewolves, in a sinister scheme to turn the people ofMassachusetts into werewolves -- including the super-soldier himself, Captain America!

Fortunately for him the combined might of he, Man-Wolf John Jameson, Wolfsbane, Wolverine and others sees the day saved, but before Cap can be cured of his lycanthropy there's another shocking surprise in store!

Unbenknownst to he, a secret war is being waged by the evil spirit of Adam Warlock, Magus! Creating sinister doppelgangers of Earth's greatest heroes, Magus sends his shadows out to do battle with their counterparts.
Suffering fatigue of battle and Nightshade's cure, can Cap defeat his dastardly doppelganger, or is it curtains for America's greatest warrior?

Previous Form:
Captain America (#6): Victories over Wolverine, Baron Zemo, Punisher & Mr. Hyde.
Doppelganger: The Magus-born Spidey doppelganger endured beyond Infinity War to defeat Spider-man.

Tale of the tape...
Strength: Captain America 3 (Athlete)
Intelligence: Captain America 4 (Tactician)
Speed: Captain America 4 (Olympian)
Stamina: Captain America 5 (Marathon Man)
Agility: Captain America 4 (Gymnast)
Fighting Ability: Captain America 6 (Warrior)
Energy Powers: Captain America 2 (Projectile)


Okay, I'm really tired, and evil-clone month isn't nearly as exciting as it sounds.
Actually, for those who look back on the nineties with contemporary chagrin, that probably isn't news. It was nice enough for the time, if a little awkward, but lordy, I'm tired, running a little lazy on point, and this just isn't a hook.

So, anyway, as you can see, I've cheaped out on mugshots and rather than poll the doppelganger's strengths I've just served you up the ratings as we see them for Captain America. If you want a reference point to debate the accuracy of these rarely discussed ratings, you can check yourself into school and hunt down the patented scientifically proven Haseloff tape system.

As for the business, well, yeah... Captain America, who has spent the best part of a few months turned into a werewolf, wraps things up by demanding a cure. Werewolf Cap... fighting an evil clone with a jagged (John Walker-esque) shield and a fangy grin... I just... I'm at a loss for words, ten-to-midnight.

Good triumphs over evil. No one sees an evil Captain America on a cover and expects for even a second that he's going to win. Especially not when it's an Infinity War tie-in. It's a little bit ridiculous, a little bit fun.

The Pick: Captain America

What went down...
With the lycanthrop cure administered and effective on John Jameson, Cap lies on Nighshade's table and prepares to receive it himself. Unlucky for him, a mysterious evil doppelganger appears out of thin air!

The evil Captain swats Jameson, sending him sprawling into Nightshade.

The move bumps her hand holding the syringe that contains the cure formula, prodding it by accident into the true Captain America. Despite the unexpected prick, Cap is able to sweep Nightshade off her feet, narrowly avoiding the spike prongs of the dark clone's shield.

Suffering the effects of not only the battle of the wolves, but also now the reversing effects of the serum, Cap goes on the defensive. He's able to defend against the airborne spike-edged shielf of his dark mirror image, but weakened, cannot avoid deflecting it into the path of his allies!

Moonhunter pulls back the recently cured John Jameson, just narrowly avoiding a decapatating meeting between human flesh and mystery metal!

Attending the badly wounded Dredmund, Dr. Druid watches on as the evil Magus clone throttles the weakened Cap-Wolf as he begins to revert into his human form.

Though unable to intervene, the occult Dr. Druid is able to inform Captain America's curiosity, revealing that the evil doppelganger exibits no living energies or human traits -- a mere manifestation of evil!

The news is liberating to the Captain who, as a werewolf, has grappled with the darkness of the animalistic brutality that the transformation incurred. Ever unwilling in this sophisticated age to take a life, the Captain more freely launches his assault against the lifeless mirror image.

With the last of his energy, Captain America launches his legs into the air with the strength of a super-soldier! The move vaults the dark clone into the air, where he finds the blade of his own spike-edged shield that had buried itself in the adjacent wall after being deflected.

The spikes buried into the base of it's skull, the evil Captain America fades away like a ghostly apparition -- as though it were never even there!
"Mondo Spookioso," indeed, Moonhunter!

The hammer...
Proving you can accept no substitutes -- Captain America!

This is, of course, part of the on-going Monday series of posts featuring the villains from the Marvel Ultimate Alliance videogame, still available and expanding across multiple platforms.

Gamers will recall the latter stages of the game where they encounter dark versions of the playable characters in a world reenvisioned by a near omnipotent Dr. Doom. Though not traditional villains, it gives us a chance to take a look at some of the obscure, less important battles featuring heroes from the games, tackling evil versions of other heroes.

With recent entries, [Legends #1], we've been talking a bit about crossovers and their origins, with events like the featured Legends, and the similarities between more recent events like Infinite Crisis. We didn't really bridge out of that into the positives and negatives of crossover events, but I think it's safe to say this particular issue of Captain America is a great example of how an obtuse editorial mandate can really interrupt in a negative way.

No disrespect to Gruenwald, who I was surprised to find hasn't been featured in the Infinite Wars until now, but yeesh. Not many books come to mind where an event has so awkwardly been crammed into a story, and if you scroll back up to the tape and examine the featured panel, you might be able to appreciate that.

I mean, that is literally the extent of the introduction.
The issue opens with a fairly clunky, but no doubt appropriate conclusion to a storyarc that has run over a few issues of Cap, and then absolutely out of nowhere this trailing conclusion is assaulted, conceptually and fictionally, by the presence of this borish, wacky off-shoot from a story that's presumably happening in a galaxy far, far away from Massachussets.

I'm actually going to give Infinity War tie-ins a bit of credit.
As you'll see over the course of this month - because we're not done with them - they're actually a nice enough, one-off bit of fun, and this issue's third-page "suddenly" doesn't do the high concept of evil doppelgangers justice. It just really paints a glaringly obvious picture of how this kind of intrusive editorial storytelling can go horribly wrong.

It reads like Captain America had reached a crossroads. There's an on-going effort to connect this cosmic event to the powers that are going to be involved.
Captain America is one of those key moving parts, in what will eventually unfold into a weird, paranoia driven precursor to the Civil War scenarios, so you want to enlighten readers to that connection. You want to give them a taste of what's to come, but it seems to be done at the expense of a solid ending to a previous story, which perhaps already had it's own shakey merits to begin with.

I'm not going to presume that anything was forced on Gruenwald, but it's a familiar enough name to think this isn't wholely representative of the quality of work that Mark G is capable of. To his credit, he manages to put a slightly better slant on his product with two back-up stories, one in particular that features Crossbones that is tittilating in it's villainous simplicity.

It's a quirky back-up we'll probably see in a quick fix sometime in the future, that features just a scene and vibe almost reminiscent of a seventies martial arts exploitation movie, or something. It's almost a little bit Van Damme-classic.

It's interesting to note that the Nightshade character, who is arrested and taken away by The Jury, has most recently resurfaced as a member of MODOK's 11 in the recent Super Villain Team-Up revamp. You're not getting a lot of backstory out of this entry, but I like to think we can always be a referencial touchstone for you to seek out, and familiarize yourself with all things superhero.

I can't say a lot more about this issue specifically.
It probably represents one of the periods where Captain America was most lacking direction. Cap-Wolf represents substantially less a fond memory than would-be action figure changes like Cosmic-Spidey or Frog-Thor. I think we should be thankful that the character was able to really find purpose and stature worthy of the sixty-years of service, before his untimely assassination in a story that was debatably a spin-off from Civil War. [Captain America #25]

I think even those tired of the Civil War conflict would have to agree, it represents a creatively fruitful and superior model for the crossover story. A method that unfolds organically to reshape the conceptual foundation for the world in which the characters operate, rather than forcing obscure reference onto a story.

The Fight: 3 The Issue: 3.5

[Not at all a great representation of the Infinity War storyline, or the character. From a housekeeping perspective, we've filled in a missing year in our reference tags for the nineties. Yay! Now I need to get some damned sleep...]
NOTE: No stats for Moonhunter, Jameson or Nightshade, who are essentially bystanders. An assist for Dr. Druid on the basis of crucial intelligence.