Secret Empire: Can Marvel Do Enough to Redeem Captain America?

SPOILER WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers for Secret Empire #10 by Nick Spencer, Steve McNiven, and Andrea Sorrentino, on sale now.

It was over a year ago that writer Nick Spencer pulled the trigger on his revelation that Steve Rogers had secretly been a Hydra agent, and the conclusion of Marvel Comics' latest event serves as the final shot of his controversial story arc. Secret Empire #10, by Spencer and artists Steve McNiven, Jay Leisten and Andrea Sorrentino presents a resurgent assembly of Earth's mightiest heroes united against the traitorous Captain America, as well as Cap's showdown with the one true hero who stands to be the most likely individual to defeat him.

While the story of Captain Hydra might be over, however, the fallout from Steve Rogers' heinous, far-reaching actions remains. Once acknowledged at the most heroic figure in the Marvel Universe, Captain America's redemption is anything but assured.

The End of Bad Cap, and The Return of…

Throughout Secret Empire, a grizzled and seemingly confused version of Steve Rogers has been seen wandering through a realm of sorts that turned out to be a dimension within the highly-prized cosmic cube, or more accurately, the childlike embodiment of the cube known as Kobik. This incarnation of Steve wasn't the corrupted version that's firmly been entrenched in the Marvel Universe – this traditional version is the one who eventually extracts himself from the cube, which in turn has been removed from evil Cap's control by the heroes battling him. Now in physical form, this sets the stage for a showdown that many might not have foreseen: good Cap vs. bad Cap.

With the return of the true Captain America and the cube's rewriting of Hydra's impact on history now wiped away, good Cap once again finds himself worthy of lifting Thor's hammer Mjolnir, enabling him to take down his corrupted counterpart. The battle is transmitted live around the world, but the encounter is undoubtedly one that those bereft of an explanation of Cap's return will be unable to fully understand. A seemingly heroic version of a cultural icon from a past era returns to defeat the once-heroic incarnation that ultimately betrayed them, but does this necessarily equal unconditional and instantaneous redemption to the countless population who were oppressed, or even suffered under his rule? Good Cap was deemed worthy enough to wield Mjolnir, sure, but then so was evil Cap not long ago – and that's to say nothing of the confusion generated by simply trying to process the sight of one Cap literally appearing from nowhere to defeat another who turned traitor.

Kobik Made Me Do It

Readers, of course, know that Steve Rogers was but the first victim in the Red Skull's manipulation of reality via the cosmic cube, although many more were subsequently victimized, directly or otherwise, by Steve Rogers himself. But the average citizen of the Marvel Universe would barely comprehend such a scenario, let alone know of it, so to the average joe, America's most trusted superhero not only turned traitor, but was himself responsible for countless heinous acts. These acts included unwilful internment, executions and squashing basically every other freedom-loving principal that most everyone once believed he once embodied – acts that, once committed, are beyond redemption for many, regardless of whatever strange scenarios play out before their eyes that might indicate otherwise.

Many readers themselves feel the same way – despite whatever convoluted plot device is put in play to show that Steve Rogers really wasn't responsible for the atrocities he instigated, if not committed, the image of Captain America as a pseudo-Nazi is one that's been widely professed as unforgivable. DC Comics faced a similar situation regarding Green Lantern back in the '90s, when one of their most stoic heroes seemingly broke bad after the destruction of his hometown. Even after Hal Jordan, in his villainous guise, saved the world, sacrificed himself, and eventually returned as another hero, the specter of his dastardly actions, so to speak, hung over his reputation. Ultimately, the yellow impurity known as Parallax was revealed as the party responsible for corrupting Hal, in theory absolving him of any wrongdoing, but the images of him slaying his fellow Green Lanterns lingered in the minds of many fans.

Page 2: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Meet%20The%20New%20Cap%20%u2013%20Same%20As%20The%20Old%20Cap%3F']

Meet The New Cap – Same As The Old Cap?

Despite remaining in continuity, though, Hal's actions from nearly a quarter century ago have largely been forgiven, if not forgotten by readers of the title today. If time really does heal comic fans' wounds, then maybe two or three decades can erase, or at least soothe, the memories of unhappy Captain America fans. In the meantime, though, those memories are likely to remain a little raw for those who don't buy the notion of "the cosmic cube made me do it."

The events of Secret Empire have evoked many real-world parallels with the current political climate, or at least many readers' perception of them – a fascist figure taking over America plays right into the fears of many, both domestically and worldwide. Political discourse is always rooted one's own beliefs, and in the world of the Marvel Universe, it's likely no different. Those who see Cap as a traitor might find it difficult to shake off this notion, regardless of what they're told or shown, and those predisposed to supporting Cap might find the idea of his restoring his reputation a little easier to take.

While it's presumed that Kobik has now taken bad Cap off the playing field of the Marvel U, his removal isn't actually seen, establishing the possibility that a good and bad Steve Rogers now exist in the Marvel U. This dynamic would certainly complicate how the character could ever come clean – does the existence of a bad Cap automatically exonerate the good one, or will distrust of anyone named Steve Rogers forever remain?

Can Captain America's Reputation Be Saved?

Initial reaction would seem to indicate that Cap's allies, at least, are a pretty forgiving bunch. Iron Man – that is, holographic A.I. Tony Stark Iron Man – wastes no time in welcoming Cap back to reality. Sam Wilson and Jane Foster similarly seem to bear no ill will, either, readily accepting back their armaments from him after the conclusion of the battle. The upcoming Captain America run by Mark Waid and Chris Samnee also indicates that Marvel themselves simply wants Cap to move on, and have readers come along.

Is it really that simple, though? After all of the sins committed by the man everyone believed to be the actual Captain America, can or will Steve "It Wasn't Me" Rogers be so readily accepted by the denizens of the Marvel Universe, as well as real life readers? Cap has long been seen as the hero of heroes, on both fronts, but the scars bore by the survivors of his duplicate's machinations will likely make it difficult to issue any kind of instant forgiveness. And readers, who have now seen comics' biggest symbol of American ideals defiled and desecrated, might not be so accepting of any kind of convenient, in-continuity wishing away of stories destined to remain in print for a very long time.

Yes, there can be redemption for Captain America, but as with any kind of salvation or reclamation, it's going to take time – whether by the simple passage of it, or by filling it with some entertaining and memorable Steve Rogers stories that can organically push the events of Secret Empire and its precursors into the past.

The story of said redemption begins in Secret Empire: Omega #1, the epilog to the series, on sale September 13. Captain America #695, Waid and Samnee's first issue, goes on sale in November.