In every installment of Abandoned Love we will be examining comic book stories, plots and ideas that were abandoned by a later writer without actively retconning away the previous story. Feel free to e-mail me at brianc@cbr.com if you have any suggestions for future editions of this feature.

Today, we look at how Rick Jones finally became Captain America's partner only to, well, stop being Captain America's partner, like, right away!

It all started in Avengers #4 (by Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and George Roussos), where Captain America was found by the Avengers but when they returned to New York City, the Avengers were turned into stone statues by an evil alien and Cap was by himself. He headed to a hotel where he was shocked to run into Rick Jones, who Cap confused for his dead partner, Bucky Barnes!

Rick, who was now no longer hanging out with the Hulk, helped Cap track down the bad guy who "Stoned" the Avengers...

In the next issue, we see that Cap has taken Rick under his wing...

A fact that is also pointed out in the following issue...

However, when Rick presumptuously put on Bucky's costume (how does Cap have Bucky's costume, by the way?) and Cap goes off on him...

"Just out of suspended animation" Captain America was SO emo.

Okay, a few years pass and Cap is fighting the Hulk in Captain America #110 (by Jim Steranko and Joe Sinnott) when the Hulk accidentally injures Rick Jones...

Cap is all freaked out and takes Rick to Avengers Mansion to recover. Once he does, though, Rick wants to be trained as Bucky again and Cap reluctantly gives in...

Rick then has some problems for the next couple of issues, but by the time that Steranko's run comes to a close, Rick has proven himself and he and Cap are full-fledged partners in crimefighting...

That was it for Steranko, though. Stan Lee took the book back over, with John Romita and Sal Buscema drawing the next issue, where everyone realized, "Oh, right, no one told Cap's girlfriend, Sharon Carter, that Cap faked his death in Captain America #111)...

You may or may not know this, but Stan Lee was very much NOT a fan of superheroes having teen sidekicks. So it makes sense that things were already in motion to get Rick Jones out of the book.

In Captain America #115 (by Lee, John Buscema and Sal Buscama), Captain America is captured and tormented by the Red Skull and the Cosmic Cube.

Rick keeps on looking for Cap...

When he finds him, he likely would have wished that he hadn't found him!

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At the end of #115, the Red Skull swaps bodies with Captain America. So, when Rick finally runs into Cap in Captain America #116 (by Lee, Gene Colan and Joe Sinnott), he is in for a shock...

This directly leads into Roy Thomas' new direction for the Captain Marvel ongoing series in Captain Marvel #17 (art by Gil Kane and Dan Adkins). Captain Marvel is trapped in the Negative Zone. Well, Rick is pissed off at Cap and so he goes back to Avengers Mansion to quit being Cap's partner...

Mar-Vell is stuck in the Negative Zone, but he finds a way to contact Rick, in a way, by using a sort of hologram of Cap to lure Rick to wear a pair of Nega Bands are hidden...

Rick finds them and he clangs them together and he switches places with Mar-Vell!

This was Thomas' clever twist on the original Captain Marvel (where Billy Batson switches places with Captain Marvel). Rick would remain Mar-Vell's partner for a number of years.

If anyone else has a suggestion for a future Abandoned Love, drop me a line at brianc@cbr.com!