It seems like every 12-18 months, we need to re-tell Captain America’s origin. And it needs to be slightly different. This time, he doesn’t get injected with (or drink) a Super Soldier serum. Instead, he gets shot full of vita-rays.
Other than that, issue #176 is the epilogue for the extended Secret Empire story that ended last issue. It showed that the American government was corrupt all the way up to the President, and Cap is left feeling very disillusioned. In fact, he says that…
“Captain America must die!” Grant Morrison’s most famous Batman arc was titled “Batman Must Die!” Was this where he got the idea?
Englehart was writing done-in-ones (and twos) in The Defenders, but his Captain America stories were typically long and fairly complex. He had a great ability to write all kinds of stories–big dumb action in The Avengers, weird and wonderful in The Defenders, and philosophical and thoughtful, here in Cap.
This issue can stand on its own, but it’s also building towards the Nomad story.
It also deserves more than a weak “C+”- this particular story was brilliant in that it contained no battles with any supervillains, or criminals, or anything like that at all- it was just Captain America struggling with his ( latest ) existential crisis, of which he seems to suffer from many, on a fairly-routine basis. This is because, of course, Captain America is neurotic, a facet of his character which Marvel has been exploring since his very reintroduction in ‘Avengers’#4. On the one hand, this is the element which makes Captain America interesting, which prevents him from being a perfect man, and a perfect superhero-his Achilles Heel- on the other hand, it makes him an unnecessary crybaby at times, as when Stan Lee was writing him in the late Sixties, particularly around 1969 and 1970. Reading these comics as a youth, it gave me the impression that you are SUPPOSED to be this whiny and neurotic, and, unfortunately, since Captain America was my role model in those days, I walked around with my red, white, and blue garbage can lid, and cried a lot. Just like Stan Lee-Cap. I regret that, now. It’s times like the conclusion of the Secret Empire saga when America needs her hardest-core heroes the most, and how does Captain America- the hero of the piece- react-?? By becoming a big crybaby, and throwing in the towel! I was not happy or satisfied with any of this at the time, but I cannot deny that this issue’s massive characterization bits were written at the level of brilliance, and I have always firmly believed that this particular issue of ‘Captain America’ is a showpiece for how brilliant- and mature- comic-books can be. I just wish that Cap’s understandable disillusionment could have resulted in a more productive-and inspiring- denouement than “Phooey!! I quit!!” Again, it’s times like that when you have to figure out a way to turn life’s lemons into lemonade, which Hawkeye ( of all people ) finally helps him do, just three issues later. But, in spite of it’s unsatisfying conclusion, “Captain America Must Die!!” was a masterpiece of characterization, writing, and artwork. ( God Bless the immortal “Our Pal” Sal Buscema, and accept NO SUBSTITUTES!!!! ) I would charitably, and conservatively, rate it as an “A”!!!! Yeah, baby!!