Warning: The following contains spoilers for Captain America (2012) #1-10, by Rick Remender and John Romita Jr., on sale now.

Did you know that Captain America was once kidnapped by a train? That's exactly how "Castaway in Dimension Z" in Captain America (2012) began. When taken out of context, that premise is hilarious; however, the reality is tragic. Just moments before, Sharon Carter proposed to Steve. Though he didn't give a definitive answer because he clearly needed more time to consider, he never actually got that chance. Things only got worse for Cap from there.

The train that spirited Cap away was the invention of one of his oldest enemies, former Hydra scientist Arnim Zola. Not only had he created this nefarious train, but an entire twisted dimension. Steve found himself in unfamiliar territory, with the entire landscape comprised of failed experiments and horrific curiosities, including unrelenting storms, ravenous creatures and a regime spearheaded Zola. Dimension Z was a nightmare.

Following his abduction, Steve awakens to find himself strapped to a table next to a baby floating in stasis. Cap's also being experimented on by Zola, who injects him with something. Using his enhanced strength, he manages to free himself and retrieve his shield before escaping out of a window onto a flying vehicle. When he crash-lands, he's cradling something -- the child, apparently belonging to Zola, whom Steve hopes to save from a life of villainy.

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"You always stand up!"

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There are flashbacks throughout the 2012 Captain America series. These sequences depict formative moments in Steve's life, the first being a rather grim memory of his father attacking his mother. After his father leaves, he appeals to his mother from under the kitchen table, to stay down when his father attacks. She replies, "Listen close, Steven. You always stand up." This is when Steve begins to exhibit the conviction and bravery he'll carry into adulthood.

After his crash landing with the liberated child of Zola, the story is thrust forward an entire year. Steve is now unshaven, disheveled and weary. The child is able to walk and talk and Steve has named him Ian. The pair are hungry, having barely survived winter in the hellish landscape. Cap notes that he could hunt something, but he must preserve what strength he has left should their pursuers find them. He manages to cobble together a meager soup to sustain Ian and the child falls asleep.

During this time, Steve laments putting Ian in this position with his actions. He ponders if they will find any hope in the harsh land, as he takes out a small metal box with a bullet inside. While most keep such things as a last resort, Steve appears to use it as a reminder of his mother's lesson. He shuts the box with renewed resolve. While simple, it's an effective way of portraying Rogers' sense of duty to the vulnerable, even in the face of hopelessness.

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Father and Son

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Steve cannot put an end to his suffering whilst others count on him, nor can he give up. He feels he must honor his mother and the people for whom he feels responsible. While this would usually be a blanket responsibility to the general public, this instance is far more personal. In his time with Ian, he has begun to refer to him as his son. This, in itself, is quite somber. The man who was unsure of settling down with Sharon has now accepted a responsibility with similar long-term ramifications. Though this should be a promising personal development, unfortunately the dangers of Dimension Z mean he can never rest or enjoy fatherhood in a traditional sense.

In another flashback, Steve is beaten up by his peers as he tries to defend his mother from lewd comments, following his father's death. Yet another shows Steve trying his hand at crime to support his now sick mother. This doesn't stick, as his honesty and virtue push him to confess his crime and provide reparations. In the present, Steve discovers Zola injected him with a virus containing an aspect of himself. A gruesome formation of biological material resembling Zola's face forms on his chest, mocking his struggles.

Although Ian and Steve find refuge with a colony of resistant former experiments, their downtime doesn't last. Zola and his other child, Jet, besiege the encampment, slaughtering Cap's allies. Steve falls, weakened from Zola's virus and constant battle. Zola takes Ian and leaves Rogers for dead. However, the lessons from his mother spur Steve on. He finds strength in his love for both his mother and Ian, driving him to forcibly cut the Zola virus from his chest. Bloodied and torn, he climbs up the side of Zola's vast fortress as his final words punctuate the end of the first volume: "Even if I have to kill every damned monster in this place, I'm coming for my son."

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"Choose a name, son."

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Unfortunately for Steve, Zola wasted no time indoctrinating Ian. Giving him the name Leopold, he brainwashes the young man against Cap, which leads to a fight between Ian and Steve in one of the final battles. On his way to rescue his son, Steve clashes with Zola's other child, Jet. Confused by Steve's heroism, Jet slowly turns against Zola. Steve's very actions manage to inspire good within Jet, who relents and frees Arnim's captives.

It isn't as easy with Ian. The propaganda against Cap overtakes the boy, who shoots Steve and stabs him with a shield. Steve lies bleeding out, pleading with his son to be the good person he raised. Ian rebukes him, stating his name is now Leopold as he holds a gun to Rogers. It's in this moment that Steve again shows his character. He tells Ian to choose a name; he can kill him if he likes, but he must choose a name and Steve will die happy, knowing his son chose. Ian breaks down, says his name is Ian and for a moment there is hope, until Sharon Carter shoots Ian.

Unaware of the situation or context, she believed she was helping. Tracking Cap down after his initial disappearance, she'd finally found him. While Steve has spent years in Dimension Z, time in the real world is much slower. Devastated by Ian's death, but forced to fight on regardless, he attempts to escape Dimension Z with Sharon and Jet. In yet another terrible turn of events, however, Sharon sacrifices herself to cover his exit, detonating explosives to destroy the pursuing Zola.

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Duty Vs. Happiness

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The story hammers home that Steve has the capacity to settle down and build a life, but his war never ends. His duty and need to keep getting back up often destroys the things he wants to preserve for himself. His son and his would-be wife torn away from him, Steve returns to the universe proper in a state of trauma. In the following volume, he tries to reconcile what happened and train Jet to be a hero. He burns all his past memorabilia and breaks down to Sam Wilson, opening up about his experiences.

Here's Captain America, the Sentinel of Liberty, traumatized and nakedly human. He comes full circle, as he becomes the upset child hiding under the kitchen table again. He confides in Sam: "I'm lost here. Struggling to find meaning in a world that holds none for me." This illustrates the conflict between Cap's duty and his happiness. Like getting on the train when Sharon proposed, his duty is an escape and although he honors his mother by always getting back up, for him it has to mean something. "Castaway in Dimension Z" is the most stark reminder that there's a man behind the shield.

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