Captain America Mood Swings
by Phil Perich for the True Believers Blog
We got our first sneak peek today at Steve Rogers as the head of the new Secret Empire. While some fans have been upset with the “Steve as Hydra Cap” events put in motion by Kobik, the evolved cosmic cube that thinks it is a four year old girl, Captain America has been the victim of mental manipulation and altered realities several times before.
The National Force
While investigating a newly formed hate group named the National Force, Captain America fell prey to the head of the National Force, his old enemy Doctor Faustus. Under Faustus’s hypnotic control, Captain America endorsed the hate group on national television and battled Daredevil until the man without fear was able to break Captain America’s mind free.
Steve From Manhattan
For years after his return from suspended animation at the end of World War II, Steve Rogers had trouble remembering certain aspects of his past, specifically his childhood. An early attempt to retrieve his memories using a mind probe seemingly revealed that he was the child of an American diplomat and his wife, and that he had an older brother that died in the attack on Pearl Harbor. But later on, after finding some of his personal effects from the war, including his old journal, Steve remembers his true past, growing up as a only child with his parents in Manhattan and losing them at an early age.
Who’s America Is It?
When a man named Morgan MacNeil Hardy put a group of four psychics into a machine to boost their powers in an attempt to alter reality and create a “more decent” America, Captain America finds himself in a world where he never went into suspended animation after World War II and Bucky is alive and leading the Avengers. With the help of two of the psychics, Captain America is able to break the illusion’s hold on him and eventually foil Hardy’s plan and set the world back to normal.
Streets of Poison
In the middle of an investigation into a new illegal drug operation in New York City, Captain America is caught in a warehouse explosion that causes drug residue to interact with his super solider serum in horrible ways. Not only was Captain America more violent and brutal with criminals, but in his paranoid state also attacked Daredevil (yeah him again), Black Widow, and his new girlfriend/partner Diamondback until the the heroes were able to subdue him and get him a complete blood transfusion, which eliminated the drug from his system and the super solider serum as well until it regenerated itself.
Heroes Reborn
In the aftermath of the battle between Onslaught and the heroes of the Marvel Universe, the Fantastic Four and many members of the Avengers including Captain America were transported to an alternate reality created by Franklin Richards. In this new universe, Steve Rogers had memories of a different life where he had a wife and son until they were revealed to be Shield LMDs used to keep Steve unaware of his dual identity until Captain America was needed. Shortly before returning to their original universe, Captain America and all the other heroes regained all of their original memories.
American Nightmare
A few months after returning to his original universe, Captain America began an investigation into strange occurrences of proud american role models suddenly going crazy and acting violently. The cause turned out to be the supernatural menace Nightmare, who eventually took control of Captain America’s body in an effort to create a nuclear war which would cause a nuclear winter that would increase his otherworldly powers. Captain America is eventually able to defeat the villain in his own nightmare dimension and retake control of his body.
So as you can see, Captain America is no stranger to mental manipulation. Can YOU think of any other examples? What do YOU want to see happen during the Secret Empire event? Let’s chat!
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You can hear me discussing all things Marvel (comics, movies, TV) every week with my friends on the All New Marvel Roundup, Wade’s World and Superconnectivity, all part of the Nuff Said Podcast. I also write another blog, the Legends of DC and do a podcast of the same name. You can find all my podcasts, blogs and those of others at www.southgatemediagroup.com. You can also find all my creative endeavors at www.philperich.wordpress.com.
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