Red Skull kidnaps a Vietnam vet, and friend of Cap, with a missing arm and gives him Devil Slayer’s costume and powers.
Cool.
Skull is leading Baron Zemo and Mother Superior in another scheme to kill Cap. Slayer manages to knock out Cap, so Nomad has to fight him alone–and he loses. But in the process, Skull’s brainwashing wears off so Captain America’s friend gets his own mind back and spares Nomad’s life.
This issue introduces Mother Superior’s posse, the Sisters of Sin.
Also, Bernie proposes to Steve Rogers, but he says no because he’s afraid his Captain America life will bring his enemies to his doorstep. But then she kisses him so he says yes. Pussy got him hooked.
Yeah, that pussy will do that. But I am glad that the engagement tanked. Cap’s initial logic was correct. Bernie Rosenthal was what is considered to a superhero to be a CIVILIAN- and, as such, she would always be a liability- always having to be shielded and sheltered from the Forces of Evil. Cap, like Iron Man, Daredevil, Black Panther, Hawkeye, Human Torch, Spider-Man, etc., etc., etc., needs a woman who can share his way of life- unending danger and tension, not a homemaker or a ‘Mommy’-type, which is what Bernie would have turned out to be. ( yawn ) Cap needs a woman like the Black Widow, Agent Thirteen, or at the very least, Diamondback, who I loved, even though I must ultimately agree with the Avengers ( including the Black Widow ) that Rachel falls a little short in the character department insofar as what Cap needs and deserves. For the life of me, I could never figure out what kept Cap and the Scarlet Witch from getting together. They were always around each other, especially during the days of “Cap’s Kooky Quartet” ( which was fun while it lasted ) and Wanda, at least, seemed not completely immune to the indescribable masculine charms of the Living Legend. As particular as her super-overprotective psychotic brother Quicksilver is in re her choice in men, ( androids?? ) I could not imagine even the Meteoric Mutant having any objections to Captain America, of all men, romancing his lovely sister. If Captain America, of all men, is not good enough for his sister, then just who in the hell WOULD be-??? Jesus Christ-??? Captain America deserves the best in a woman, and lovely Wanda certainly deserves the best in a man! What could have been more natural-??? All of those endless tribulations which Pietro and Wanda endured in the late 1960’s, with the return of Magneto ( Dad-?? ) and everything else, including Wanda’s mysterious power loss, could have all been AVOIDED with a marriage to Captain America! And that development would have, conversely, resulted in Cap’s not developing PTSD around the same time, keeping him in the Avengers where he belonged, and not sulking about poor, not-quite-so-dead Bucky Barnes, all of the time! But-anyway- if the Red Skull is so all-fired determined to bump off the Capster, why resort to all of these super-elaborate super-schemes, all of which fail, anyway?? Why not just do what anybody ELSE would do, and take out a HIT on him-??? There are any number of professional killers out there who would just relish the assignment! And, assuming that any one of them succeeded- it would make their professional reputation! The Man Who Killed Captain America! Sure!! And, finally, it was nice to see poor ol’ one-armed Dave Cox here again, as I did always wonder whatever happened to him following the events of the extraordinarily well-written ‘Captain America & The Falcon’ #163! The Viper: “We’ll give you ONE LAST CHANCE to TALK, punk- Where-Is-Captain-America???!” Dave Cox: ” Well- I would LIKE to believe that he has been in the hearts and minds of all of us who know and love him.” As I have ENDLESSLY paraphrased that line myself, at every opportunity, across the past fifty-one-and-a-half years, often to great hilarity, it does seem to be the gift that just keeps on giving! X-celsior!!