So true and not unLike What Marvel has recently done to Captain America. Exploited him.
Anybody Get the Daily Bugle extra about the Assassination? Anyone who thinks this was not a Publicity stunt and marketing ploy to sell comics should mearly read it.

Eh, I just think that a death should resonate. While its too early to tell yet, I don't see this resonating much. I see it as an excuse to "shake up the status quo" and get cheap publicity. The Colbert fiasco kinda points in that direction.

Yeah, I have to agree with you again on this one. I mean Joe Queseda sent him(Mr Colbert) a shield. And it was so scripted from the start. Caps Death was a planned (A year ahead according to mr Queseda in Interviews I have watched)
As far as the Word "Exploit" goes it is not exactly the word I would use regarding a company and it's using of it's franchise characters but guess it does fit.
Marvel has always had the Approach that George Lucas Now has toward the Star Wars Franchise. Put the name on Everything and sell the hell out of it. Marvel has always been good at making Spiderman Lunch boxes and Hulk Coloring books. Since I was a kid Marvels Characters have been on Everything so has DCs for that matter.

The Narvel U is going to be an anarchy without Cap. I can't wait to see Hulk tear Tony a new one.

Hmmm...I'm not sure the Hulk will care too much about registration, as he's always kind of been his own guy (even when on a team, or leading it as in the case of the Pantheon). I agree that we'll see unprecedented levels of Hulk rage, but I don't know that Cap's death will effect him overmuch.

Didn't Bruce Banner always admire Cap?

I still Think Tony Stark Is a Jerk. He always had jerk like tendancies and has always been a Narcissist but since Civil War the Writers have made Stark Into an Uber jerk and Villain now. His character needs to Redeem himself and needs to do it soon.
Tony and Steve had issues throughout their history but always respected each other and were Close friends. What Stark did was not what a friend would do no matter what he believed.
When Hulk comes back to Earth he will be seeking payback. and once he finds out who sent him into space he will be looking for Stark...And He'll be bringing a can opener.

You know what annoys me the most about this?

Joe Q and Marvel's act as if this is about great storytelling; rather than drumming up hype for sales (and hopefully, a film.) The idea that they did this since Steve is out of touch, etc. is pure BS; its about selling comics.

I actually would of respected Joe Q if in his interviews he said, "Look, the readers have come to take Captain America and Steve Rogers for granted. We wanted to shake things up and get the attention back on a Marvel mainstay character, and to show how much he influences the rest of the Marvel U, etc." THAT would of at least made sense.

But no, Joe Q goes the exact opposite and once again insults the intelligence of the readers AND the fans, and "Well, Steve is out of touch with the modern comic book reader."

It's one of those things that always annoyed me about the general comic fan of Marvel, in the fact that they DO and DID take Steve for granted. It's like "Cap will always be around, no need to feature him." Whenever the "big 4" is discussed when it comes to Heroclix for example, its Spidey, Hulk, Wolverine, and Elektra. Now, I'm sorry, Cap is a far more important character than Elektra. The only reason she ever gets mentioned is

A: Frank Miller's incredible writing of the character

B: We feel compelled to have a Marvel counterpart to Wonder Woman.

Front

I could not have said it better myself. Well said and I totally Agree.

Ehhh...I don't know. Cap, to me, has always seemed to be an important figure in Marvel. Even in merchandising, you generally see a "big 5" represented in Hulk, Spidey, Wolverine, Cap and Iron Man. I've got a lot of Marvel posters/shirts/books where those five are featured (give or take Iron Man, who sometimes isn't).

On a personal note, Cap narrowly edges out Spider-Man in terms of memorabilia space on my shelf. Both are distant 2nd and 3rd behind Hulk, though.

I'm a little confused as to all the posts about how people are waiting for Hulk to see that Cap is dead and tear Tony a new one over it. Tony didn't shoot Cap, he didn't ask Red Skull to plot Cap's shooting, etc. - sure, they showed worse security since Jack Ruby was escorted down a hallway but, really, Tony didn't kill Cap.

I think what's bothering me the most about the whole Cap frenzy is, well, actually I guess it's a tie of two things.

A) People who are really that frenzied over it. Neverminding the fact that it's a comic-character (seriously people are making physical threats over a comic-character?), we all know it's publicity and Steve Rogers will eventually be back. It's part of a storyline, not like an actual person from a universe where resurrections aren't a daily basis, and it'll all play out and in the meantime, Marvel will be raking in the dollars from speculators. Which leads to...

B) Quesada acting like he just crafted the Declaration of Independence and has had a "national impact". Nonsense - you killed a character that someone will resurrect either while you're still the sweatpants-jockey in charge or after you're replaced but eventually Steve will be back. Trying to make us think you did this for "cultural relevance" is just downright insulting and more than a little egotistical. Marvel has done nothing more than release "The Matrix" - something a bunch of people are going to talk about for awhile, act like it's important and when the follow-up occures they're all going to go, "What were we thinking?" even as the Wachowski Brothers, er, Marvel shucks the clams from their shells (perhaps buying into their own PR, perhaps not - it really won't matter to them so long as they can console themselves with a 4000-thread-count silk blanket).

For me, it was the Sienkiewicz art. Maybe I'm souring on Miller as the years go by, but I find myself going back to that trade far more for the tripped out art than for the writing.

And the comics blogosphere has been rife with the "this is nothing but a publicity stunt!" mantra, but here's a guy who went a step further (originally posted at Filing Cabinet of the Damned in 2005):

Like Jesus, But With Fisticuffs

Captain America is kinda like the Jesus of Comic Books. With fisticuffs.

Aside from being a man of notoriously high morality and a propensity for preaching, Cap shares a key trait with Christ: death and resurrection, fraught with meaning. Though, in true comic form, Cap’s done it more than once.

Below is a chronological list of Cap’s deaths, both the physical and symbolic types, and their intended significance.


First death and resurrection (D&R): Cap and his sidekick Bucky are blown up when trying to stop the Nazi super-criminal Baron Zemo from stealing a drone plane. Bucky actually does die.* Cap goes into the icy north Atlantic, turns into a dude-sicle, and is thawed out by the Avengers.

When: Avengers #4 (1964)

Significance: Explains how Captain America could appear in the mid-sixties without being a middle-aged man. His least symbolic resurrection.


Second D&R: Cap grows tired of the constant danger and wants a normal life. He fakes his death at the hands of the secret society HYDRA. But dammit, duty calls, and he “returns from the dead” to administer kidney punches to evil.

When: Captain America #111-114 (1969)

Significance: The first time the Marvel Universe got a chance to mourn for Cap’s passing. Hardly the last.



“Giving up the gig to have a normal life” was a common Marvel plot device in the sixties. Probably every hero did it at least once before 1970. However, I think Cap was the only one to fake his own death to do so. Also, one whole issue during his “death” focused on Cap’s history, giving a little weight to the event.


Third D&R: After thwarting the Secret Empire’s attempt to take over America and discovering that its head was the President of the United States, Cap is disillusioned with his country and ditches the job. Other men try to fill the gig and meet with violent ends. Cap resumes the mask and shield to stomp the Red Skull.

When: Captain America #176-183 (1974-1975)

Significance: Probably the only D&R in Cap’s history to have a lasting effect. When Cap resumed his identity as Captain America, he redefined his purpose. Rather than be a soldier, he dedicated himself to the ideals of America instead. After the Secret Empire, Cap’s loyalties shifted from the army and the President to his conception of what America should be.



I think this was when his speechifying tendencies began to emerge. Also, this was the first of his “symbolic” deaths.


Fourth D&R: Bureaucrats in Washington realize that Cap is technically an employee of the U.S. government and try to bring him to heel. After some thought, Cap rejects their offer and gives up the identity.



A bullet-headed yahoo is put in the costume instead. Said bullet-head proves not up to the task and has a breakdown, leading to his murdering many people. The original cap returns, beats the #### out of his “successor,” and extricates the Captain America identity from the government.

When: Captain America #332-350 (1987-1989)

Significance: Yet another symbolic death and resurrection. The bullet-head becomes a minor jingoistic hero, US Agent, not long after this story. Fittingly, the yahoo gets “killed” in public to be secretly remade as the Agent. Man, even second-string Caps get D&Rs…


Fifth D&R: Loony-toon vigilante Frank Castle, known as the Punisher, is fooled into thinking Cap is part of a major eeevil conspiracy. Frank snipes him on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Cap’s armored shirt saves him, but the Feds pretend he’s dead to fool the Punisher.

When: Punisher and Captain America: Blood and Glory #1-2 (1992)

Significance: This faked death, complete with state funeral, is the first of many in the next ten years. Outside of the Blood and Glory three-issue miniseries, this faked death is never referenced.


Sixth D&R: The super-soldier serum that gave Cap his powers back in 1940 breaks down. He withers away over the course of a year’s worth of issues, then dies. The Red Skull swipes his body and restores him, since he needs Cap’s aid.

When: Captain America #430-445 (1996)

Significance: Cap’s third state funeral, by my count. (His WW2 death was hushed up, otherwise it’d be his fourth.) Again, one whole issue was filled with characters discussing Cap’s history and legacy.



Seventh D&R: Captain America, along with the rest of the Avengers, “dies” in battle with the plot device (oh, excuse me, “super-villain”) Onslaught. They disappear into a pocket dimension for twelve issues, then re-emerge into the Marvel Universe proper.

When: Onslaught: Marvel (1996), Captain America, vol. 2 #1-12 (1996-1997), Captain America, vol. 3 #1 (1997)

Significance: Cap’s death was one of many. The Onslaught deaths were meant to evoke the fear of a World Without Heroes, not just a World Without Cap.

The Onslaught D&R does have one redeeming feature: it was Cap’s second death in calendar year 1996. That has to be some kind of record.


Eighth D&R: In his most embarrassing death, Cap is killed by a group of very old Nazi farts in a subdivision in New Jersey who had built some missile-thingy. The story was supposed to be laden with symbolism and weight, but it felt as silly as this recap.

When: Captain America, vol. 3 #50 (2002)

Significance: Not much. There was a bit of “oh, no, the Symbol of America and all that is Good and Peachy is dead!” wailing, as per usual. Captain America vol. 3 was cancelled with #50 and rebooted as Captain America, vol. 4 a few months later, his “death” in New Jersey ignored.


Ninth D&R: The man cannot stop dying. Cap’s best friend and former partner, the Falcon, had unraveled and started pushing people around. One of the men the Falcon slapped around came back with a gun and shot at him. In a fluke, the bullet hit and killed Cap instead. He gets better.

When: Captain America and the Falcon #13-14 (2005)

Significance: I haven’t read CA&F #14 yet, so I don’t know for certain. Almost certainly it will affect the relationship between the two men. Twenty bucks says that the Falcon will get his head together, but he’ll also dissolve the partnership. (The series is cancelled with #14, I think.)


I’ve probably missed one or two D&Rs. But I think these make my point.

Captain America is laden with much more symbolic weight than any superhero, and so killing him is thought to be a bold statement.** Or at least a cheap drama engine. Kacking Spider-Man lacks the oomph of putting America’s Biggest Boyscout and the Living Flag down for a dirtnap.

As a reader and a fan of the character, I gotta say, the man’s been “killed” five times since 1992, with at least three big state funerals. Enough, already.

Lately, Cap has added a wrinkle to his D&R style.

In the story “Ice,” which ran in Captain America vol. 4 #12-16 (2003), it was suggested that Cap’s memories of WW2 had been altered by the US Army.***

The current story running through Captain America also shows Cap having flashbacks of a history that doesn’t mesh with the old-school version of his past.

Either “Ice” didn’t resolve the matter (I didn’t finish the story, due to it being so awful it insulted the memory of the trees that died to print it), or the current writer is rehashing the plot device. Regardless, oy.

Apparently, memory alteration is the new death.

---------------------
*Or not. I haven’t read the latest issue of Cap, but it looks like ol’ Buck has returned to the land of the living, forty-one years after being declared dead. Ye gods.


**Damn that name and flaggy costume. If he were “Captain Radial Tires With Whitewalls,” writers wouldn’t find killing him so attractive an option.


***You gotta love this attempt to make Cap more grim-n-gritty by stripping away his candy floss, brightly-colored WW2 backstory and adding an X-Files-style conspiracy to his past!

…no, wait…you don’t have to love it.

What a horrible idea: the “Wolverineing” of Cap. Dark past? Check. Uncertain memories? Check. Paranoia? Check. Increased violence in the comics? Check.

Loss of charm as a character? Check.